Sean Murphy

My selection is on New Haven plus the points over Fordham at 11 am et on Monday.

We'll grab all the points we can get with New Haven College on Monday morning. While Fordham owns the better overall record in this matchup, New Haven has faced the considerably more difficult schedule my most metrics. I think there's a path for New Haven to stay competitive in this game thanks to its defense, which has certainly proved frustrating for its opposition this season. Note that the Chargers have held five of their last six opponents to 54 or fewer field goal attempts, including Boston College two games back. Only one of New Haven's 11 opponents this season has knocked down more than 27 field goals. Fordham has been idle for eight days and is probably feeling pretty good about itself after back-to-back blowout wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Manhattan. The Rams have thrived by pushing the pace offensively but I'm not convinced they'll be able to force that type of environment in what has the potential to be a sleepy morning matchup. Take New Haven (8*).

My selection is on Indianapolis plus the points over San Francisco at 8:15 pm et on Monday.

The Colts were able to stay competitive last Sunday in Seattle by employing 44-year old QB Philip Rivers in an obvious 'game manager' role and I think there's a similar path to keeping this game close on Monday night. While Rivers' presence is startling to be sure, it's not as the Colts are devoid of talent around him. This game should be all about moving the sticks with RB Jonathan Taylor against a still-depleted 49ers defense that can be had on the ground. Rivers figures to be asked to do very little once again and any success out of his arm at all is a bonus. Defensively, the Colts are in tough at the back-end but still stout up front. If they can turn this 49ers offense one-dimensional, there's reason to believe they can hang around in this game. It might prove difficult for San Francisco to ultimately pull away if it can't effectively run the football with Christian McCaffrey (note that Indy has allowed just one 100-yard rusher all season). With WR Ricky Pearsall ruled out, the Niners offense has to be downgraded slightly as he has had a terrific rapport with QB Brock Purdy. Take Indianapolis (8*).

My selection is on Washington State over Utah State at 2 pm et on Monday.

Washington State's football program could use a boost as it has fallen from prominence somewhat thanks to the crumbling and subsequent re-alignment of the Pac-12. The Cougars seemingly drew a line in the sand following an 'upset' loss at Oregon State at the start of November as they went on to win their final three games ATS with the lone loss coming in a narrow four-point defeat as a double-digit underdog at James Madison. Of note, while these two teams have posted identical 6-6 overall records this season, Washington State has faced the more difficult schedule by most metrics. Utah State has proven to be one of the best bets in the country this season, going 9-2-1 ATS. With that being said, I'm not sure how ecstatic the Aggies can be about playing at a familiar Mountain West Conference venue against a Cougars team that doesn't figure to generate a ton of enthusiasm. In a virtual pk'em, we'll seemingly go against the betting public and back Washington State. Take Washington State (8*).

Monday NBA Free play. My selection is on Cleveland minus the points over Charlotte at 7:10 pm et on Monday.

The Cavaliers will get a quick shot at revenge after dropping a 119-111 decision at home against these same Hornets on December 14th. Cleveland enters this game off three straight 'upset' defeats in fact, including back-to-back against the Bulls. With that being said, the Cavs are rested having been idle since Friday and draw a Hornets squad that went back in the tank with a 26-point rout at the hands of the Pistons in Detroit on Saturday. While the Hornets will undoubtedly have one eye on a return home to host the Wizards tomorrow, the Cavs get to stay home to face the Pelicans. I expect to see Cleveland 'empty the tank' in an effort to get back on track here. Take Cleveland.

My selection is on Orlando plus the points over Golden State at 10 pm et on Monday.

While the Magic are off to a somewhat disappointing 16-12 start to the season I think it's important to note that they've faced one of the most difficult schedules in the league. Here, they'll continue their pre-holiday road trip that will wrap up with a stop in Portland on Tuesday. Orlando did avoid a third straight loss but only eked out a narrow one-point win in Utah on Saturday and I think that close result will leave it hungry to perform better on Monday. The Warriors can breathe a sigh of relief after avoiding their fourth straight loss and second in a row against Phoenix thanks to a 119-116 win over the Suns at home on Saturday. They'll likely have an eye on a couple of off days before their Christmas showdown with the Mavericks. In a game that has the potential to go down to the wire, we'll grab all the points we can get with the Magic. Take Orlando (8*).

My selection is on Bryant plus the points over High Point at 7 pm et on Monday.

There's a wide disparity in terms of overall record in this matchup but it's worth noting that Bryant, while sporting the vastly inferior mark, has faced the considerably more difficult schedule. Here, Bryant enters on a three-game losing streak and has had eight full days to stew over it having not played since suffering an 82-74 loss against Marist on December 13th. We have seen the Bulldogs come around a little bit offensively of late, knocking down 29, 21, 22 and 26 field goals over their last four games. High Point has absolutely feasted on a weak schedule in the early going this season, to the point that it's difficult to put too much stock in their results. They've performed exceptionally well offensively but will face a Bryant team that has held seven straight and nine of its last 10 opponents to 28 or fewer made field goals. While High Point should prevail in this game, I expect it to have a difficult time winning by the wide margin that's being projected with this line. Take Bryant (8*).