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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, and NCAAB Previews and Odds - 01/27/2022

The Thursday sports card features NBA, NHL, and NCAAB action.Two games are on the docket in the National Basketball Association. Philadelphia hosts the Los Angeles Lakers in the first game of the doubleheader on TNT at 7:30 PM ET. The 76ers won their third game in their last four with their 117-107 victory against New Orleans as an 11-point favorite on Tuesday. They improved their record to 28-19 with the win. The Lakers won their second game in their last three with their 106-96 victory at Brooklyn as a 4-point favorite on Tuesday. Los Angeles evened their record at 24-24. Philadelphia is a 2-point favorite, with the total set at 217.5.Golden State is at home against Minnesota in the nightcap on TNT at 10 PM ET. The Warriors have won three in a row after their 130-92 victory against Dallas as a 3-point favorite on Tuesday. They improved their record to 35-13 with the win. The Timberwolves won their fourth game in their last five with their 109-107 victory in Portland as a 3-point favorite on Tuesday. Minnesota raised their record to 24-23. Golden State is a 5-point favorite with an over/under of 228. Golden State is a 5-point favorite with an over/under of 228.The National Hockey League has 10 games on its slate. Seven games drop the puck at 7:07 PM ET. Anaheim visits Montreal as a -130 money line road favorite with a total of 5.5. Carolina plays at Ottawa as a -240 money line road favorite with an over/under of 6. Tampa Bay is at home against New Jersey as a -340 money line favorite with a total of 6. Florida hosts Vegas as a -160 money line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Pittsburgh plays at home against Seattle as a -340 money line favorite with a total of 6. The New York Rangers are at Columbus as a -215 money line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Two more NHL games begin at 8:07 PM ET. St. Louis is at home against Calgary as a -130 money line favorite with a total of 6. Winnipeg hosts Vancouver as a -160 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Edmonton plays at home against Nashville at 9:07 PM ET as a -120 money line favorite with a total of 6.5. Nine games are on national television in college basketball. UNC-Asheville hosts Gardner-Webb on ESPNU at 7 PM ET as a 1.5-point favorite at William Hill with an over/under of 135.5. Ohio State travels to Minnesota on ESPN at 8 PM ET as a 6.5-point road favorite with a total of 138.5. Four more NCAAB games are televised at 9 PM ET. Purdue is at Iowa on FS1 as a 2.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 158.5. Memphis hosts East Carolina on ESPN2 as a 13-point favorite with a total of 148. Morehead State plays at Southeast Missouri State on ESPNU as a 6-point road favorite with an over/under of 147. UAB visits Western Kentucky on the CBS Sports Network as a 3.5-point road favorite with a total of 146.5. Three NCAAB games are on national television at 11 PM ET. Gonzaga plays at home against Loyola-Marymount on the CBS Sports Network as a 27.5-point favorite with an over/under of 158. USC hosts Stanford on FS1 as a 17-point favorite with a total of 140. BYU is at Santa Clara on ESPNU as a 3-point road favorite with an over/under of 150.

Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL and NCAAB Previews and Odds - 01/26/2022

The Wednesday sports card features NBA, NHL, and NCAAB action.Ten games are on the docket in the National Basketball Association. Three games tip-off at 7:10 PM ET. Milwaukee visits Cleveland as a 4.5-point road favorite, with the total set at 216.5. Charlotte plays at Indiana as a 1.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 225. The Los Angeles Clippers are at Orlando as a 1-point road favorite with a total of 210. Two more games begin at 7:40 PM ET. Atlanta is at home against Sacramento as a 7.5-point favorite with an over/under of 233.5. Miami hosts New York in the opening game of a doubleheader on ESPN at 7:40 PM ET. The Heat won their third game in their last four after a 113-107 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers as a 4-point favorite on Sunday. They improved their record to 30-17 with the win. The Knicks lost their fourth game in their last five after a 95-93 loss at Cleveland as a 5.5-point underdog on Monday. New York's record fell to 23-25. Miami is a 6-point favorite with a total of 200.5. Two more NBA games start at 8:10 PM ET. Brooklyn is at home against Denver as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 227.5. Chicago plays at home against Toronto as a 4-point favorite. Memphis travels to San Antonio at 8:40 PM ET as a 3-point road favorite with a total of 227.5. Two games conclude the NBA card at 10:10 PM ET. Dallas plays at Portland as a 4-point road favorite with an over/under of 216. Phoenix is at Utah in the nightcap on ESPN at 10:10 PM ET. The Suns won their seventh straight game with a 115-109 victory against the Jazz as an 11-point favorite on Monday. They improved their record to 37-9 with the win. Utah lost their eighth game in their last ten with that setback. Their record fell to 30-18. Phoenix is a 4-point road favorite with a total of 220.5. The National Hockey League has five games on its slate. Three games drop the puck at 7:05 PM ET. Washington hosts San Jose as a -205 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Calgary visits Columbus as a -185 money line road favorite with a total of 6. Toronto hosts Anaheim in the opening game of a doubleheader on TNT as a -280 money line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. Nine games are on national television in college basketball. Tennessee plays at home against Florida on ESPN2 at 6 PM ET. Two games tip-off at 6:30 PM ET. Xavier is at home against Providence on the CBS Sports Network as an 8.5-point favorite with a total of 139. Creighton plays at Butler on FS1 as a 4.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 126.5. South Carolina hosts Vanderbilt on ESPNU at 7 PM ET as a 2-point favorite with a total of 134. West Virginia is at home against Oklahoma on ESPN2 at 8 PM ET as a 2-point favorite with an over/under of 131. Two more NCAAB games start at 8:30 PM ET. Seton Hall plays at home against Marquette on FS1 as a 4-point favorite with a total of 147. Davidson hosts VCU on the CBS Sports Network as a 4-point favorite with an over/under of 129. Tulane is at home against Tulsa on ESPNU at 9 PM ET as a 3-point favorite with a total of 140. San Diego State visits Utah State on FS1 at 10:30 PM ET as a 2-point road favorite with an over/under of 126.5. 

SEC Hoops Risers and Fallers

SEC HOOPS RISERS AND FALLERS The SEC is a deep quality conference this college basketball season with several teams that have the potential make a big run in March. After Auburn on top of the standings, 11 teams have between two and four losses for a tightly packed group in the early season standings. Here is a look at teams likely to rise and fall in the SEC over the next few weeks.  SEC RISERS TENNESSEE (4-3): The Volunteers have elite defensive numbers and only have losses vs. top SEC teams on the road in a 4-3 start. The remaining five SEC road games are all against weaker teams than the three teams that have defeated Tennessee in SEC play so far. The Vols also draw top ranked Auburn only once this season and that game is in Knoxville at the end of February, as are most of the remaining difficult games on Tennessee’s schedule. Currently tied for fifth place in the SEC standings, this looks like a team that will finish in the top four.  LSU (3-4): The Tigers have lost three consecutive games, but two of those three games have been road games vs. top tier squads. LSU still has the #1 defensive efficiency in the nation and the Tigers have battled through a truly difficult SEC schedule so far this season. Incredibly, each team that LSU will face in the next seven SEC games is a weaker team than every team LSU has faced so far in its 3-4 conference start. It would not be a shock if LSU went from 3-4 to 10-4 or 9-5 before facing Kentucky in late February in a big late season rematch.  MISSOURI (2-4): At 8-10 overall the Tigers aren’t even in the NCAA Tournament conversation right now, but this is a team that could climb closer to that picture in the coming weeks while holding one of the toughest strength of schedule ratings in the nation. Missouri has a notable SEC win over Alabama and had faced elite SEC teams in its three road losses in league play. Losing badly at Kentucky and at Arkansas early in the SEC weighs on the numbers but after facing Auburn this week, the Tigers have a nice path in early February with winnable games for three weeks straight. The past nine losses for Missouri have been vs. top 100 teams including non-conference losses to Kansas and Illinois as the numbers, particularly in 3-point shooting, should improve in the coming weeks.  SEC FALLERS KENTUCKY (5-2): The Wildcats didn’t hold up in last week’s big showdown at Auburn and while Kentucky will be favored to get to 7-2 in the next two SEC games, it is likely going to be a difficult February in Lexington. The defensive numbers remain mediocre for this team and this season’s non-conference schedule was much weaker than usual for the program with only one notable win over North Carolina. Only one of the first five wins in SEC play for Kentucky has come against a likely contender while the gauntlet of consecutive quality games on the schedule in the middle of February is likely to take a toll on this group. Kentucky won’t have to play Auburn again but the schedule features two meetings each with Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, and LSU this season.  MISSISSIPPI STATE (4-2): The Bulldogs have a nice 4-2 record in SEC play, but they have already faced rival Ole Miss twice and lost one of those games. They do have home wins over Arkansas and Alabama but four of six games in SEC play have been in Starkville and they have already played the only meeting with last place Georgia. Mississippi State will be in an underdog in five of the next six SEC games as it will be a shock if the Bulldogs reach mid-February above .500. This squad has played one of the weakest schedules of any team in the conference as there are no quality non-conference wins to suggest that this group can maintain a position as a SEC contender.  TEXAS A&M (4-2): The Aggies may be having a breakthrough season for Buzz Williams, or more likely they have made the most of a favorable early path in conference play. Texas A&M started 4-0 in SEC play but a narrow home win over Arkansas is the only high-quality result and three of four SEC wins have been by five or fewer points. The Aggies have terrible free throw shooting numbers and will face top tier SEC teams in four of the next six games as going from 4-2 to 6-6 is likely for the Aggies. 

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