Sean Murphy

My selection is on Washington minus the points over Minnesota at 7:05 pm et on Saturday.

The Wizards are currently one of the league's hottest teams yet here they are laying only a couple of buckets against a reeling T'Wolves squad. Washington's reputation obviously precedes it but that's just fine with us as we can take advantage with a reasonably short pointspread on Saturday night. Note that the straight-up winner has now covered the spread in each of the Wizards last 20 games. I'm certainly comfortable going against Minnesota here, noting that it has managed to secure just five victories in the last two months (remember, the T'Wolves started the season with consecutive wins but have gone 5-26 SU since). Minnesota hasn't fared well in similar situations this season, going 11-23 ATS as an underdog of six points or less over the last three seasons, losing those games by nearly six points on average. The T'Wolves are also just 7-20 ATS after scoring 110+ points in their last two games over the last two seasons, outscored by an average of nearly 10 points per game in that situation. Maybe the Wiz look past the T'Wolves here, but even with their recent success, I don't think they're at the level where they would afford themselves that type of letdown. Take Washington (10*).

NHL Central Division Game of the Month. My selection is on Columbus over Nashville at 3:05 pm et on Saturday.

The Blue Jackets continue to limp along, coming off three consecutive losses to wrap up a disappointing 1-3 homestand. That stretch started with a win over these same Predators - a rare occurrence in a series Nashville has dominated. With that being said, I like the way this situation sets up for the Jackets on Saturday. Note that Nashville is just 13-22 after winning two of its last three games over the last two seasons, outscored by a goal per game on average in that situation. The Preds are also a miserable 3-10 after playing their last three games on the road, as is the case here, outscored by a wide 1.5-goal margin on average. We have seen Columbus bounce back from bad losses with some consistency under head coach John Tortorella, going 35-26 after losing by two goals or more in their last game. Take Columbus (10*).

CBB Game of the Week. My selection is on Duke minus the points over Louisville at 6 pm et on Saturday.

It seems like it's going to take quite an effort to take down the Blue Devils right now as they've won four games in a row both SU and ATS, completely turning their season around following an awful start. Louisville continues to play an uneven brand of basketball, having gone 3-4 SU and ATS over its last seven games. The Cardinals are coming off a double-digit win over Notre Dame last time out, but that was at home. They're just 3-4 on the road, where they've been outscored by more than eight points per game. Note that while Duke is a woeful 7-16 ATS after scoring 80+ points in its last game over the last two seasons, as is the case here, it has still managed to win those games by more than eight points on average. We're dealing with a very reasonable pointspread here. Take Duke (10*).

Saturday NHL Free play. My selection is on Chicago over Detroit at 8:05 pm et on Saturday.

It's time to start taking the Blackhawks seriously as they've quietly put together an 11-6-4 overall record and are coming off consecutive wins in Columbus earlier this week. We actually won with the lowly Red Wings in their most recent game - a 5-2 victory over the Predators on Thursday. To say Detroit has struggled on the road would be a major understatement. The Wings are a dreadful 7-37 on the road over the last two seasons, outscored by an average margin of two goals in those games. They're also just 16-51 when revenging a loss against an opponent over the last two seasons, outscored by 1.6 goals on average in those contests. Chicago has absolutely owned Detroit in recent years, taking four straight meetings here in the Windy City and seven of the last eight matchups overall. Take Chicago (8*).

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