Art Aronson

This is a 10* play on the UNDER in Carolina-Calgary 

Few teams in this league are as hot as the Flames right now. I don't mean just figuratively either. Literally, Calgary has won 9 out of its last 11 games and because of that they'll head into the All Star Break in first place in the Pacific Division. Only Tampa Bay has more points. But tonight's game may not be as easy as the oddsmakers think as Carolina just did the same thing Calgary did in its last game. That would be go to Edmonton and win by three goals. After the Flames beat the Oilers 5-2 on Saturday, the Hurricanes did it by a score of 7-4. The pair of high-scoring efforts from these teams have led to a high total for tonight's contests and an excellent "value" play on the Under. Carolina doesn't score nearly as much as it should given the number of shot attempts they typically produce. The Flames have seen their last seven games all go Over, but Carolina is 6-1 to the Under when facing a team with a home win percentage of .600 or greater. Play UNDER Carolina-Calgary

AAA

This is a 9* play on the Capitals

Washington finds itself on its longest losing streak of the season, five games, as they get set to play an opponent that has given them lots of trouble through the years. San Jose has taken 26 of the previous 33 meetings, including 13 of 17 here in D.C. But the tide turned last season as the Caps won both games against the Sharks en route to winning their first ever Stanley Cup. Fortunately for Washington, San Jose has also recently hit the skids by losing three in a row. This after they (the Sharks) won seven straight. The Caps were flat out embarrassed in their last game as they gave up eight goals to Chicago. But they're back home tonight while San Jose is in a most unfavorable situation. The Sharks just played last night, in Florida. This will be their fourth straight road game and third in the last three nights. Similar to Washington, the Sharks are having real difficulty in preventing their opponents from scoring. Every game during the three-game skid has seen them allow six goals. Prior to their own current skid, Washington had been 6-1 the last three seasons following three or more consecutive losses. They're in a better spot to end their losing streak. Play on WASHINGTON

AAA

This is an 8* play on UNLV

Two longtime Mt West rivals meet here in Sin City with UNLV hosting New Mexico. Everyone is chasing Nevada in this league and no one is likely to catch them. UNLV is a bit closer than New Mexico though as a win tonight would put them in a first place tie with the Wolf Pack. Though over time, Nevada will pull away, I do believe the Rebels will find themselves in a first place tie after tonight. They're favored and for good reason as they're at home and the superior defensive outfit. Both teams are off blowout wins - New Mexico 83-53 over Wyoming and UNLV 94-56 over San Jose State. But of the two teams, UNLV is the one more likely to turn in another strong defensive effort. They give up just 63.9 PPG at home. New Mexico, whose 30-point win over Wyoming was at home, gives up 79.6 PPG on the road. The Lobos have lost their last two road games, both by double digits. Play on UNLV.

AAA

This is an 8* play on MISS ST

Kentucky has started to move up the rankings and comes into this game at #8 in the country. That seems a bit high to me and they're going to be tested tonight by another ranked squad, that being #22 Mississippi State. Normally, you'd expect a team to be "up" for a visit from a fellow ranked foe. But in the case of UK, Miss State comes smack dab in the middle of an Auburn-Kansas sandwich. The Wildcats outlasted Auburn 82-80 in a very hard fought game on Saturday and there's no doubt that the players will be looking forward to this weekend's showdown with the Jayhawks. So look for the road dog to come in and catch UK "napping." MSU is no slouch as they are off a week where they beat both Florida and Vanderbilt. There are two keys to this game for the Bulldogs. One is three-point shooting. They have made 156 three-point shots this year, which is second most among SEC schools. Kentucky is 13th in 3-pt FGM at 102. Also, MSU tends to dominate the boards, something they did exceptionally well at Vanderbilt where they didn't allow a single offensive rebound in the second half. Play on MISSISSIPPI STATE. 

AAA

This is a *10* play on the UNDER in Portland-OKC.

As with most games out West, this one is important as Portland and Oklahoma City come into Tuesday tied for third place in the conference. The Trail Blazers have won three in a row, but this is a tricky spot as they played last night in Utah. They beat the Jazz 109-104, largely on the back of a strong third quarter where they scored 39 points. Overall, it was a strong shooting night for them. The Thunder also played a road game on MLK Day and had little difficulty defeating the Knicks, doing so by a final score of 127-109. This Thunder team has been strong defensively for much of this year as it ranks near the top of the league in defensive efficiency. They too shot well yesterday. But I look for both offenses to struggle a bit in the second game of a back to back. Portland is already 6-1 Under when playing with no rest. Impressive for both teams is that their play on the defensive ends seems to improve in this situation. The Blazers are allowing just 101.7 PPG when unrested. OKC allows only 102.7 PPG. Play UNDER Portland-Oklahoma City 

AAA