Author: Nelly's Sportsline

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Free NCAA Pick Saturday

#702 San Francisco +4 over BYU 5:00 PM CT

14-7 San Francisco is 0-2 vs. Saint Mary’s in a 3-3 WCC start but both games vs. the Gaels were close while every non-conference loss came in a competitive game as well. All three home defeats have been top 100 caliber results and there is a lot to like about the offensive numbers for the Dons with strong shooting numbers all over the floor. Half of BYU’s losses this season have been overtime games but the only road win in the past two months came Thursday at Pacific. BYU is now drawing a third-consecutive road game on Saturday and a Cougars team reliant on 3-point shooting will face one of the top 3-point defenses in the WCC. San Francisco looks likely to dominate the rebounding in this game and have great interior scoring opportunities with some clear size advantages in this contest. Home wins over Yale, Southern Illinois, Sam Houston State, California, and Santa Clara provide support of a quality edge at War Memorial and the Dons won both meetings with BYU last season. A pair of huge home games are lined up next week for BYU making this a challenging spot on the schedule for the Cougars to be in top form, having scored 69 and 74 in the past two road games after scoring in the 90s in the past two home games for a clear contrast.  

Nelly’s has won five straight college basketball picks for a big late January gain! Don’t miss three big plays Saturday in our 2/3 offer for only $25!

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Free NCAA Pick Saturday

#612 Kentucky -9 over Alabama 11:00 AM CT

Kentucky is sitting outside the normal top 10 radar the program has constantly sat in under John Calipari with three early season losses including the stunning November home loss to Evansville. The Wildcats shouldn’t be ruled out as the top SEC threat as usual however and the current three-game winning streak is an impressive one, beating Louisville as well as starting 2-0 in SEC play with convincing results. Alabama rates similarly to Missouri and Georgia teams Kentucky has defeated in the last week but the Tide are coming off a stunning 21-point win over Mississippi State on Wednesday and this will be a difficult road test for Nate Oats in his first season at Alabama after his great run at Buffalo. The pace has been fast for the Crimson Tide but this squad is reliant on 3-point shooting and will face an elite defensive team in one of the nation’s toughest venues. Alabama has zero top 50 wins this season and the only road win of the season came at Samford while allowing 87 points. Alabama lost by 18 in the SEC tournament in the last meeting with the Wildcats and while a lot has changed for both teams the gap between the programs remains similar.

Nelly’s is 18-9 in college hoops since Dec. 10 while winning all three of our Saturday 2/3 offers this season with a combined 7-2 record. Get 2/3 in college basketball today for $25 or join for the rest of January for $149!

Big E has gone 4-0 in his highest rated selections in basketball this season with a 3-0 record in 15* picks and an underdog winning outright in his first 20* of the season Thursday. Add to a 32-19 run with today’s 10* and 20* plays including his 20* Conference Game of the Year in the Big XII!

Bobby Dalton has had a strong start in 2020 including winning his first six picks of the New Year. Get tonight’s 10* pick in college basketball!

FOOTBALL action is up for the Divisional Round as well with several big picks Saturday & Sunday in the NFL!

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Free NCAA Pick Wednesday

#796 Indiana -12.5 over Northwestern 6:00 PM CT

Indiana is just 1-2 in Big Ten play and is in a critical spot knowing this weekend’s game with Ohio State is a very difficult draw. The Hoosiers needed overtime to beat Nebraska in its only conference win and in the past six games has not won by more than six points with a 3-3 run erasing an 8-0 start to the season for Archie Miller. All eight of those wins came at home but all also came by double-digits including impressive results vs. Louisiana Tech and Florida State as this hefty spread is attainable for the Hoosiers in what remains a great home court. The Hoosiers are a great interior scoring team with a huge jump in the offensive numbers from last season even without Romeo Langford. This team has great size and depth that should test a shorthanded Northwestern squad Wednesday night. The Wildcats have had unimaginable injury luck so far and will again be shorthanded having now lost four straight games and six of the past eight. The Big Ten losses have come by 14, 5, and 9 but Sunday’s closer finish at Minnesota was misleading, trailing by 23 at one point before incredibly scoring 34 points in the final 10 minutes. Northwestern is a poor scoring team and isn’t likely to get to the line often in this matchup to take advantage of good foul shooting numbers for one of the only strong suits for the offense. Northwestern won only four Big Ten games last season but one of those games was vs. Indiana and this should be a game that has the attention of the Hoosiers, especially coming off an ugly loss on Saturday by 16 points.

Nelly’s is on a 16-7 run in college basketball and we expect a multi-game offer for Wednesday night – join us for that offer or sign up for rest of January for only $149 with a recently discounted monthly rate!


Big E is expecting a 15* Game of the Month in college hoops tonight as well for $15.94, having gone 2-0 on those selections this season while on a current 11-6 run overall in basketball.


Bobby Dalton has also had a red hot start in 2020 including a 10-1 record so far in conference play in college basketball!

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Free NCAA Pick Tuesday

#618 Rutgers +1.5 over Penn State 6:00 PM CT

Rutgers needs to be taken seriously in the Big Ten race. The Scarlet Knights are already 2-1 in league play with the only defeat in East Lansing while this team also has a non-conference win over Seton Hall. The overall schedule hasn’t been overly difficult but Rutgers won a Big Ten road game last week and is 10-0 at home this season with seven of those wins coming by double-digits. Losing Geo Baker to a thumb injury is a big blow for the long term hopes for the Knights but Rutgers won convincingly at Nebraska Friday and could still remain a competitive team against the middle tier teams in the conference. The interior scoring should remain strong and Steve Pikiell’s team has delivered nationally elite defensive numbers so far in his fourth season. Penn State has seven top 100 wins this season but only two would counts as high of quality as Rutgers and both of those games were in favorable close-to-home or home venues. Saturday’s three-point win in Philadelphia over Iowa featured great fortune as they trailed nearly the entire second half before watching the Hawkeyes falter at the line. Penn State only has one true road win all season and that game was nearly two months ago as this is a dangerous spot on the schedule for a team that has had several narrow wins on the season to boost the record. Penn State lost at home in this series last season while winning by only one in the road meeting and while both teams are clearly improved the Lions haven’t proven they can win Big Ten road games yet.

Nelly’s has turned in back-to-back college winners the past two days including an underdog that won by double-digits last night. We’ve hit over 60% this season and are on a 16-6 run in college basketball while plus nearly 100 stars the past three basketball regular seasons combined!

Bobby Dalton is on an 8-0 run with a perfect start in 2020 while 10-0 conference game picks so far this basketball season!

Big E is riding an 11-5 run in basketball Biggies and has 15* and 20* picks planned this week:

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Fiesta Bowl Preview

Fiesta Bowl CFP Semifinal – Dec. 28

Clemson and Ohio State meet in Saturday’s Fiesta Bowl in a pairing of undefeated teams for the College Football Playoff semifinals. Both teams are far from home in Glendale but both programs have College Football Playoff Championships in the five years of the existence of the playoff format and this is perhaps the most highly anticipated game of the bowl season as dominant 13-0 programs face off.

Match-up: Clemson Tigers vs. Ohio State Buckeyes

Venue: At State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona

Time/TV: Saturday, December 28, 8:00 PM ET ESPN

Line: Clemson -2, Over/Under 63

Last Meeting: 12/31/2016 Fiesta Bowl CFP Semifinals Clemson (+1) 31, Ohio State 0    

Three seasons ago these teams met in this same stadium in the 2/3 matchup of College Football Playoffs. The spread was nearly even and Clemson delivered a blowout win 31-0 with a huge production edge of 470-215. Deshaun Watson and J.T. Barrett had a pair of interceptions each but the Clemson running game had a clear edge while the Tigers were able to hit a few big plays in the air. Clemson would go on to beat Alabama in the championship game for the first of now two titles for Dabo Swinney.

Clemson also beat Ohio State in the 2013-14 Orange Bowl a year before the playoff format and Clemson enters this game on a 29-game winning streak, completing a perfect 15-0 championship season last year and this year again unblemished with only one close call back in late September in Chapel Hill with a one-point escape.

The Tigers didn’t look like a dominant team early in the season as coming off brilliant championship performance last season, quarterback Trevor Lawrence battled interceptions early in the season. The Tigers closed the season on a dominant run with Lawrence combining for 16 touchdowns and no interceptions in the final five games of the season. 1,500-yard rusher Travis Etienne has often been overlooked despite an amazing 8.2 yards per carry average this season as the Tigers scored 605 points this season for more than 46 points per game.

Clemson is the #3 seed however having played through a light ACC schedule and high-quality wins are absent from the schedule with the best results coming over 7-5 Texas A&M, 9-4 Virginia, 8-4 Wake Forest, 7-5 Louisville, and 6-6 North Carolina. The Tigers did technically beat seven bowl teams when you add Charlotte and Boston College to the mix but behind Clemson it was a clear down year for the ACC. The Tigers beat two SEC teams but Texas A&M and South Carolina both had disappointing seasons and like many ACC teams, Clemson also played a FCS foe to pad the numbers.

Swinney is 9-5 S/U and 10-4 ATS in his bowl and playoff games but after starting 1-3 S/U and ATS the Tigers have been on a roll in the postseason under his watch with the only ATS loss in that span being the 2017-18 Sugar Bowl vs. the eventual national champion Alabama. Clemson has actually been an underdog in nine of the past 10 postseason games with the lone exception last season’s 30-3 win over undefeated Notre Dame in the semifinals.

In contrast to Swinney’s amazing resume, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day will be a head coach for the first time in a postseason game. Day filled in for Urban Meyer for three wins early last season and is now 16-0 as a head coach for the Buckeyes for an amazing start to his career. Day has only been with the program since 2017 as an assistant with past experience in the NFL as well as with Temple and Boston College. Despite his success, his first season will ultimately be judged on this game alone with the Buckeyes back into the playoffs after narrowly missing out as Big Ten champions the past two seasons.

Controversially Ohio State was flipped from the #1 seed in the playoff rankings to the #2 seed, passed up by LSU following the respective Big Ten and SEC championship wins. LSU was more impressive vs. a higher rated foe on championship Saturday but Ohio State’s overall resume bested LSU’s in many of the counts that the selection committee values.

On championship Saturday four teams that Ohio State defeated in the regular season were playing in championship games as the Buckeyes wound up with nine wins over bowl teams. Ohio State was penalized for a poor first half vs. Wisconsin in Indianapolis as well as not getting as much credit for beating a highly regarded Wisconsin team twice compared to if they defeated two distinct similarly highly rated teams. Ultimately Ohio State has five wins over teams rated higher in the playoff rankings than Clemson’s best win over #24 Virginia, including four wins vs. the top 14.

Day was not the only new piece for the Buckeyes, led by Georgia transfer Justin Fields at quarterback. Fields left Georgia last season after not getting a great opportunity behind Jake Fromm. In his first season as a starting quarterback he delivered an incredible campaign finishing third in the Heisman voting with an amazing line of 40 touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for nearly 500 yards. J.K. Dobbins eclipsed 1,800 yards rushing and along with star defensive end Chase Young, that trio comprised half of the top six in the Heisman voting. Ohio State outscored foes 633-163 on the season with dominant numbers, though the defense allowed 17 or more points in each of the final four games following seven straight games allowing 14 or fewer points.

Ohio State has not been an underdog in the postseason since winning the initial College Football Playoff championship game 42-20 vs. Oregon in January 2015. The Buckeyes have been the Rose Bowl champion the past two seasons and this is the first playoff trip since the ugly loss in Glendale vs. Clemson.

Ohio State has been an underdog six times since the start of the 2012 season going 6-0 S/U and ATS including winning 62-39 vs. Michigan last season in the only instance getting points since the 2014-15 national championship. Clemson has rarely been in the small favorite role under Swinney going 4-5 S/U and 3-6 ATS as a favorite of 3 or fewer points, though all but one of those games was a regular season contest.

Clemson wound up 10-3 ATS this season including 10-2 ATS in FBS games, going 7-0 ATS in FBS games since October started for an incredible run, as a lot of folks fared well supporting the Tigers even at inflated prices including a 30-point spread in the ACC Championship. Ohio State wound up 9-4 ATS this season but lost ATS in three of the final four games including missing the spread in big games vs. Penn State and in the Big Ten championship after an 8-0 ATS run September to early November, with the Buckeyes also faring extremely well in first half numbers.

The victor of this game will head to New Orleans for the national championship in what could be a very hostile environment depending on the Peach Bowl outcome but either team will be a serious threat for the title as this semifinal figures to live up to the billing and hype as one of the best playoff pairings in the history of the format.

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Free NCAA Pick Wednesday

#651 Canisius +9 over Buffalo 6:00 PM CT

Buffalo has been a force with 59 wins the past two season combined and two NCAA Tournament wins. Last year’s team lost three senior starters however in addition to head coach Nate Oats who is leading Alabama. Under Jim Whitesell the Bulls are 6-4 but with some inconsistency including a win over DePaul but a 13-point home loss over Army in the past two games. The tempo is ultra-fast but this year’s team has lousy shooting numbers, especially from the 3-point arc and the free throw line.

Canisius lost by 15 hosting Buffalo last season and this year’s has rallied to 5-4 after starting 0-2. Wins over Bucknell, St. Bonaventure, and Illinois-Chicago stand out while three of four losses have been single-digit results. This is a great interior scoring team and a defense that excels at defending the 3-point shot and creating turnovers, which could play well in a high-possession game against Buffalo’s pace given a total in the 150s.

Nelly’s has won seven consecutive rated picks in college basketball. We went 2-0 last night and our service plays are 6-0 since Saturday! Don’t miss tonight’s 2-for-1 offer as we add to an already big December coming off a 29-11 December in 2018!

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NFL Close Calls Wk15

NFL Close Calls – Week 15

12/16/2019

Glancing at the scoreboard won’t tell you the whole story in most games. Here are some of the games that went down to the wire relative to the spread or total in the fourth quarter last week in Week 15 of the NFL regular season including two late defensive scores that made a great impact.

Baltimore Ravens (-17) 42, New York Jets 21 (44): The Ravens wrapped up this game with a 35-7 edge through three quarters but a blocked punt touchdown in the fourth put the Jets back in the conversation against the heavy underdog spread. A touchdown halfway through the fourth put the Jets within 21 after a successful two-point conversion and New York got the ball back at midfield with still five minutes remaining. On 4th-and-1 a Sam Darnold throw fell incomplete and Baltimore was able to run out the remaining clock with Robert Griffin III in the game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-6) 38, Detroit Lions 17 (46): The Buccaneers stormed out to a 21-0 lead in this game but the Lions slowly climbed back in the picture, completing a long touchdown drive on the first play of the fourth quarter to trail by only seven on a spread that climbed as high as +6 by kickoff. Tampa Bay missed a field goal on its next possession as the Lions were a live upset threat but with about five minutes remaining David Blough was intercepted with a 70-yard return for a touchdown. The Lions had to go for it on 4th down short of midfield on its next drive and the Buccaneers added another score to pull away for a somewhat misleading 21-point final margin. Three fourth quarter touchdowns also shifted a possible ‘under’ with 34 points through three quarters to a clear ‘over’.

Philadelphia Eagles (-6½) 37, Washington Redskins 27 (38): The Redskins led at halftime and erased a three-point deficit through three quarters with an early fourth quarter touchdown run from Adrian Peterson for a four-point lead as a home underdog. The fourth quarter would feature 33 points to soar ‘over’ the total and Philadelphia was able to set-up next week’s NFC East clash by going in front with 26 seconds to go, leading by four for the largest lead of the game for the Eagles. That would change with no time on the clock however as in desperation mode just across midfield an attempted lateral wound up going the other way for a late Eagles touchdown to flip the spread result.

Green Bay Packers (-4½) 21, Chicago Bears 13 (40½): After a low-scoring first half the Packers went in front 21-3 with two third quarter scores. The Bears added a field goal early in the fourth and later a touchdown while forcing five consecutive Green Bay punts with only one first down allowed. Down eight the Bears had three late possessions ending in an interception, stopped on downs in Green Bay territory with a failed pass interference challenge, and then delivering an incredible final play that nearly shifted the spread and total results and could have sent the game to overtime. The Bears had one second on the clock from the Green Bay 34-yard-line and opted for a short pass rather than a deep throw to the end zone. Against loose coverage Tarik Cohen had a lateral back to Mitchell Trubisky who sent the ball to Jesper Horsted who rumbled inside the 10-yard-line. Horsted failed to send the ball back one more time even with two Bears with an opening down the sideline in what could have been a score for Chicago to set-up a possible tying two-point conversion.

Houston Texans (+3) 24, Tennessee Titans 21 (50½): The Texans had a 14-0 lead in the huge AFC North contest with some big momentum swings early in this game. Deshaun Watson was intercepted for a touchback on the opening drive but Houston would block a field goal attempt for a scoreless first quarter. The play of the game was a deflected Ryan Tannehill pass to the edge of the end zone deflecting for an interception and an 86-yard return to set-up a Houston touchdown. Up 14-0 Houston stopped the Titans on downs later in the first half but Tennessee managed to score back-to-back touchdowns to tie the game around an interception of Watson in the end zone to thwart another scoring opportunity. Houston would respond with a touchdown on the next drive and later a field goal to lead by 10 but Tennessee added a score just ahead of the two-minute-warning to stay in play while keeping those on the ‘over’ in the mix for a late miracle. The Titans wouldn’t get the ball back until just 17 seconds remained and Ryan Tannehill was sacked to end the threat, narrowly avoiding a potential defensive score.

Seattle Seahawks (-6) 30, Carolina Panthers 24 (49): The Seahawks seemed to be in complete control going up 30-10 with about seven minutes remaining in the game. Those on the ‘over’ and taking the points found late life however with the Panthers scoring with about five minutes remaining on a Christian McCaffrey run while the defense then forced a quick 3-and-out. Just over minute later the Panthers were in the end zone again to send the total ‘over’ while allowing many Carolina tickets to be cashed at +6½. The scoring stopped there as Seattle was able to take a knee to eventually burn over three minutes of clock, moving to the #1 spot in the NFC.

New York Giants (-3½) 36, Miami Dolphins 20 (46½): The Dolphins trailed by one late in the third quarter despite botching two early scoring opportunities with a missed field goal while being stopped on downs at the 10-yard-line as well. A false start pinned Miami deep and a safety followed while the Giants got a good kickoff return and scored a few plays later to turn a one-point edge into a 10-point edge in quick order. Miami’s offense disappeared from there and the Giants pulled away while a 10-7 game at halftime turned into a clear ‘over’ with 39 second half points.

Buffalo Bills (+1) 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 10 (37): The Steelers led 10-7 through three quarters as a very slight favorite but the second of eventually four Devlin Hodges interceptions handed the Bills a field goal to tie the game. Buffalo didn’t have a productive offensive game but Josh Allen led the Bills 70 yards in six plays in the middle of the fourth quarter with Buffalo surviving a fumble in the red zone. Down seven the Steelers had a new set of downs at the Buffalo 26-yard line with three minutes to go but went backwards with a penalty and a sack before a fourth down interception in the end zone. Hodges would be intercepted in the end zone again in the final seconds as the Bills defense came through to send Buffalo into the postseason.

Jacksonville Jaguars (+6½) 20, Oakland Raiders 16 (46½): Oakland appeared to have a good sendoff underway with a 16-3 lead at halftime though settling for three short field goals left the door open. The Jaguars added three in the final seconds of the third quarter to trail by 10 before the Raiders offense faltered in the fourth with a costly sack near midfield forcing a punt and then a missed field goal. The Jaguars would get two touchdowns from Gardner Minshew to Chris Conley with the go-ahead score coming with only 31 seconds to go. Oakland got a 33-yard pass interference call to have a reasonable shot late but the final two deep throws fell incomplete.

Atlanta Falcons (+10) 29, San Francisco 49ers 22 (49): The score was just 13-10 through three quarters in favor of the 49ers with the underdog points and the ‘under’ looking safe. San Francisco would score with 10 minutes remaining but missed the PAT in a key play with +10 a common number late in the week in this game. That wound up not mattering as the Falcons scored a touchdown with five minutes to go and San Francisco added a field goal after the two-minute warning for a five-point margin. Atlanta had a touchdown called back on review in the final seconds but on the final play Matt Ryan hit Julio Jones right at the goal line. Ruled short on the field, review gave Atlanta the score for the win. The Falcons did not add the conversion to lead 23-22 as the ‘under’ held but a disastrous 49ers kickoff return lateral situation after time expired would result in a fumble recovery in the end zone as Atlanta added six more points and the ‘over’ was cleared.

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Free NFL Pick Sunday

#305 Tampa Bay Buccaneers – over Detroit Lions 12:00 PM CT

The Buccaneers lost the turnover battle 4-1 last week and still won vs. a team fighting to stay in the playoff race. The Buccaneers put up 542 yards in that game and this team has won four of the past five games with big offensive numbers, including averaging more than 30 points per game the past six games. While the 6-7 Buccaneers have only one win against a team with a winning record, they do have four road wins and the three road losses were one-score games vs. likely playoff teams. The Lions have dropped six straight games in a miserable season and while many of the recent games have been competitive, they also haven’t had to face many great offensive teams in recent weeks facing the Bears twice in the past five games while also playing at Washington.

Detroit has been held to 20 or fewer points in four of the past five games and every team that has defeated Tampa Bay this season has scored 27 or more points with the Lions topping 27 just twice in 13 games this season. After an encouraging first start on Thanksgiving, David Blough struggled last week with two interceptions while taking five sacks and while Tampa Bay’s defense will provide him with a more favorable matchup, the Lions have posted only 4.7 yards per play the past three games for one of the worst averages in the league. Tampa Bay’s defense has 12 sacks the past three games as while Jameis Winston has been a consistent turnover risk this season, the Buccaneers rank fifth in the NFL in creating 22 turnovers and big plays could go against Detroit as well. In his career Winston’s QB Rating is 10 points higher in his road starts while posting far lesser interception rate and a fast indoor field will be beneficial to a Buccaneers offense with several big play threats. Tampa Bay has covered in two thirds of its games as a road favorite since Winston joined the team including winning by 17 two weeks ago similarly priced in Jacksonville.

Detroit is just 9-13 ATS as a home underdog since 2015 while featuring 6.6 yards per play allowed at home for the worst mark in the NFL this season. There are three other 3-win teams right now and all of those teams have a decent chance to win this week as the Lions have an incentive to continue to slide to better its draft positioning for next season while reaching .500 has been a noted and realistic goal for a Buccaneers team that is playing at a much higher level than the season record suggests. This line has climbed too high to stay in the mix for a rated pick but will be our lean for today’s free pick.

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Free NBA Pick Thursday

#528 Detroit Pistons +7 over Dallas Mavericks 8:05 PM CT @Mexico City

Detroit is 10-14 but currently the Pistons are the first team out of the Eastern Conference playoff field and just a game back of the Magic. The Pistons also have a positive scoring differential despite the losing record. Detroit has quietly won four of the last five while also winning six of the past 10 for a solid stretch of play in recent weeks with two of the losses in that timeframe to the East leading Bucks. Detroit has clearly turned a corner in recent weeks and the Pistons are 5-6 S/U against the league’s top 16 teams, competing well against quality competition. The Pistons are finally healthy and this team is playing with some confidence with a narrow win in the last game via a Derrick Rose game-winner. Luke Kennard and Langston Galloway have taken huge strides this season to make the Pistons a more complete group behind Blake Griffin, Andre Drummond, and Markieff Morris in the formidable frontcourt. Griffin missed much of the slow start for the Pistons and has been a big boost to a roster that is currently stronger than the record suggests. This is a big stage for a Dallas team that suddenly has transformed into a serious contender. Dallas is 16-7 on the season with great offensive numbers but this Mexico City spotlight game is not something the team is used to. Dallas has played the NBA’s weakest schedule to produce the great results and is barely .500 vs. quality teams this season. Detroit has just as many top 16 wins as Dallas has and the Pistons were a seven-point favorite the last time these teams met last January in Detroit. Drummond is listed as questionable tonight to keep this game at Free Pick level as his defensive presence will be important in this contest.

Nelly’s went 2-0 in basketball last night as we have delivered another strong start to the season! Join us for an extended subscription and don’t miss tonight’s NBA pick!

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Free NCAA Pick Friday

#622 Virginia Tech +7.5 over Duke 6:00 PM CT

As usual Duke looks like one of the most talented teams in the nation and the 8-1 record through nine games features a pair of very impressive wins at the bookends, beating Kansas in the opener and besting Michigan State on Tuesday with both of those games away from home. Going from Tuesday’s huge win in East Lansing vs. the preseason #1 to facing the ACC opener on the road will be a difficult turnaround for the young Blue Devils who have struggled with turnovers and free throw shooting. Virginia Tech also beat Michigan State and is already 1-0 in ACC play for new head coach Mike Young who took over after Buzz Williams left for Texas A&M. The longtime Wofford coach won 30 games last season including a NCAA Tournament win over Seton Hall last March. A 6-0 start with the Hokies has spoiled to 6-2 but the team has had a long layoff of more than a week to prepare for one of the biggest games of the season. The Hokies lost only twice at home last season including beating Duke 77-72 before ultimately ending its season with a two-point Sweet 16 loss to the Blue Devils as there will be no shortage of motivation even if the roster has turned over considerably. The Hokies are starting three freshman but Young’s impact has been instant with some of the best numbers in the nation shooting and taking care of the ball, including an over 43 percent 3-point shooting clip so far. Cassius Stanley is out of action for Duke to take out a possible matchup edge against a smaller Hokies team and at +7 one of the best shooting teams in the country is worth a look at home with Duke coming off a huge win on the national stage.

Nelly’s hit 62% in November basketball and we cashed with Furman in college hoops last night, nearly upsetting Auburn in overtime as a massive underdog. We’ve hit 64 percent in the NBA this season already – join us for a Friday night side play or consider signing up for an extended subscription as we are well on our way to a third huge season in basketball in a row.