Matt Fargo

This is a play on the ILLINOIS-CHICAGO FLAMES for our CBB Thursday Supreme Annihilator. Illinois-Chicago is off to a 0-3 start but all three of those games were on the road and the Flames are back in Chicago for their home opener. We played on them in their first game this season and while they lost by 17 points and failed to cover, the game was decided at the free throw line with Notre Dame going 36-38and Illinois Chicago going just 13-20. Illinois-Chicago lost two starters from last season but brings back four players with starting experience from its 20-16 team that was a win away from taking home the CIT Championship. The Flames have a deep and talented backcourt and while the loss of Dikembe Dixon looks big, he left the program to turn pro before the CIT run so they will be just fine. William & Mary is off to a 1-1 start with a home win over High Point and a road loss at Duquesne. The Tribe allowed the Dukes to shoot 52.5 percent from the floor and that has been an on going issue. The defense last season finished No. 335 in adjusted defensive efficiency. William & Mary has struggled on the road in recent years and with a big game at Notre Dame on deck, a lookahead is very possible. This is the first of three straight home games for the Flames and they get back on track tonight. 10* (514) Illinois-Chicago Flames

This is a play on the NASHVILLE PREDATORS as part of our NHL Thursday Hat Trick. After opening the season a perfect 8-0 on the road, Nashville has lost its last two games on the highway including a 5-4 loss at San Jose on Tuesday as it fell behind 3-0 but took a 4-3 only to allow two late goals in the third period in a span of 13 seconds. The defense has been a letdown in two of the last three games by allowing four and five goals but that has been with backup Juuse Saros in net and tonight, Pekka Rinne is back. He is second in the NHL with a 1.47 GAA so we can expect the defense to improve and especially against an Arizona team averaging just 2.65 gpg which is fourth lowest in the NHL. Arizona has been a pleasant surprise with an 8-8-1 record but after a five-game winning streak, the Coyotes are back to their old ways by losing four of their last five games, getting outscored 20-7 in those four defeats. The Predators are 6-0 in their last six games after allowing six goals or more in their previous game and here, we play on road teams of -150 or less that are outscoring opponents by 0.2+ or more gpg in the third period, after allowing five goals or more. This situation is 53-20 (72.6 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* (13) Nashville Predators

This is a play on the OTTAWA SENATORS as part of our NHL Thursday Hat Trick. After a sluggish start, the Red Wings have been on a tear, winning four straight and seven of their last eight games. The run has been unexpected of a team that is in rebuild mode but the schedule has been on their side. It has been very home heavy with eight of the last 10 games taking place in Detroit and the road has been disappointing overall as the Red Wings are allowing 4.13 gpg on the highway which is tied with Washington for third worst in the NHL. Going back, the Red Wings are 0-11 in their last 11 games when their opponent scores two goals or less in their previous game. Ottawa lost in Florida 5-1 on Sunday so it has had a good amount of time off following a stretch of four games in six days. The Senators have had their issues on the road but are a much more respectable 53-2 at home and their three most recent losses here have come against Vegas, Tampa Bay and Boston. They fall into a situation where we play on favorites after scoring one goal or less in their previous game going up against an opponent after scoring six goals or more in their previous game. This situation is 49-11 (81.7 percent) over the last five seasons. 10* (10) Ottawa Senators

This is a play on the COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS as part of our NHL Thursday Hat Trick. Florida has won five straight games yet sits tied for 13th place in the Eastern Conference and it is just two points out of last place. It shows how top heavy the conference is early on in the year and what a horrible start the Panthers got off to this season. They do own impressive road wins over Philadelphia and Winnipeg during this stretch but this is a tough spot with this being their fourth game in six days compared to Columbus playing its third game in six days and with two days of rest. The Blue Jackets won their last game over Dallas on the road on Monday and they have now won six of seven games this season against teams ranked in the top 16. Columbus was 26-12-3 at home last season so its 4-4-1 record here this season has been a major disappointment but solid road play has kept it in first place in the Metropolitan Division and tied for third place in the Eastern Conference overall. Here, we play against road underdogs of +150 or less after allowing one goal or less in two straight games going up against an opponent after a win by one goal in their previous game. This situation is 32-6 (84.2 percent) over the last five seasons. 9* (8) Columbus Blue Jackets

This is a play on the SAN ANTONIO SPURS for our NBA Thursday Star Attraction. Recent results are proving to be an overreaction with this line as the Clippers have not been favorites of this many points against the Spurs in years. San Antonio opened this three-game road trip with a pair of ugly losses against Sacramento and Phoenix, the latter taking place last night. The Spurs lost by 20 points to the Suns in a game they never led and the defense allowed Phoenix to shoot 56 percent from the floor and that is not a typical display. Going back, San Antonio is 41-21 ATS in its last 62 games coming off an upset loss of 10 points or more as a road favorite. Meanwhile, the Clippers improved to 8-5 with a pair of overtime wins over Milwaukee and Golden St. two teams with a combined record of 22-7. Those two victories over the last four days can provide a letdown here and much as a confidence builder and on top of that, Los Angeles is catching the Spurs at the wrong time. San Antonio falls into a great situation where we play on road underdogs after a blowout loss by 20 points or more going up against an opponent after a combined score of 215 points or more in two straight games. This situation is 70-33 ATS (68 percent) since 1996. 10* (505) San Antonio Spurs

This is a play on the GREEN BAY PACKERS for our NFL Thursday Enforcer. This line opened at 2.5 and stayed there until last night but now it has climbed to 3 at most places which is what we were hoping for on the Green Bay side. Recent series history is swaying the public onto Seattle as the home team has won seven straight meetings and coupled with the Packers 0-4 record on the road, this is going to be a contrarian play. While the quarterbacks are the story here, this one could come down to the running game. Seattle leads the NFL in rushing offense with 152.2 ypg but Green Bay leads the league with 5.2 ypc so anyone that says the Seahawks have the edge there is mistaken. The total yardage number is inflated because Seattle is second in the league in rushing attempts and breaking down the offensive lines shows Green Bay with a massive edge as it is No. 4 in the Adjusted Line Yards formula with Seattle coming in at No. 15. Taking that a step further shows the Seahawks are third to last in the league in pass protection. The home field advantage for the Seahawks has declined as they are just 5-6 since the start of last season and they have been outgained in all three home games this season. Here, we play against home favorites with a winning percentage between .400 and .499 after covering the spread in four out of their last five games. This situation is 44-18 ATS (71 percent) since 1983. 10* (307) Green Bay Packers

This is a play on the NORTH TEXAS MEAN GREEN for our CFB Thursday Supreme Annihilator. North Texas has some unfinished business to tend to tonight and laying a short price should come with an easy cover. The Mean Green played Florida Atlantic twice last season, once in the regular season and the other in the C-USA Championship and lost both of those by a combined 62 points. Both of those games took place in Boca Raton however and now North Texas has a chance to avenge those games playing on its home field where it is 4-1. This is a sneaky good team that has had some tough breaks as the Mean Green have lost their three games this season by a combined 13 points despite winning the yardage battle in all three of those and overall, they have outyarded every opponent this season. Their +169 scoring differential is second best in the entire conference. Florida Atlantic has had a disappointing season by its standards as it still needs one more victory to become bowl eligible and that will likely come next week at home against Charlotte. The rebuilt offense has been inconsistent from the start and while the defense was supposed to lead the way with 10 returning starters, the Owls have regressed in a big way. All four road losses have been by double-digits and we expect that to continue tonight. 10* (314) North Texas Mean Green