TOM STRYKER’S FREE BASKETBALL SELECTION WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST
#706 RUTGERS (-14′) over Minnesota at 8:30 PM EST
Hungry off that rough 11-point loss at Iowa, Rutgers will tune up for Saturday’s showdown with Michigan State with a blowout victory over visiting Minnesota. The Golden Gophers enter this Big 10 battle on a rocky 0-5 SU and 2-3 ATS slide and this is going to be a difficult spot for head coach Ben Johnson and his boys.
If the beating the Hawkeyes administered won’t be enough to get the Scarlet Knights fired up for this contest, then the memory of last year’s 68-63 loss to the Gophers in the Twin Cities will be more than enough to do the trick. At home in this series, RU has played well lately inking a strong 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS mark in the last five meetings. Also, at home checking in without confidence off a straight up loss, head coach Steve Pikiell and his kids have responded by notching a respectable 19-7 SU and 15-10 ATS tally including 14-5 SU and 12-7 ATS provided this is a conference game. Finally, in Big 10 play, Rutgers holds a profitable 52-29-1 ATS mark in its last 82 lined battles including a lucrative 27-10-1 ATS if it was on the road previously.
Holding on to a weak 16-30 SU and 18-28 ATS record, Minnesota is obviously playing some bad basketball right now. In this run competing against an opponent that arrives off a blowout loss of eight points or more, the Golden Gophers fall to a miserable 1-7 ATS. Even worse, as a guest arriving off a road game, Coach Johnson and his players have been at their wagering worst inking a nasty 27-79 SU and 43-60-2 ATS mark including a stiff 20-40 SU and 18-39-2 ATS if their opponent arrives without momentum off a straight up loss. With those two parameters in play and Minny going into revenge, this team trend crashes to a horrible 10-22 SU and 7-23-1 ATS.
The Scarlet Knights defense is a force (ranked fourth in field-goal percentage and seventh in scoring) and, with the mighty Spartans up next, Coach Pikiell’s kids will drop the hammer here. Take Rutgers. Thanks and best of luck, Tom.
LEE’S $1,000 HRC CBB CONFERENCE GAME OF THE YEAR
The TSPC picked up another nice payday last night with Mick’s Best Bet winner on Nevada (now five straight combined victories) and Lee takes over with one more High Roller Club selection that will deliver the cash. Major motivation backs this power play along with one outstanding 22-3 ATS angle. Grab Lee’s $1,000 HRC CBB Conference Game of the Year for $30.