Art Aronson College Basketball Free Picks & Betting Advice

This is a 10* Play on DUKE.

This is a matchup that always attracts a lot of attention nationally as you have two famous coaches who have guided their respective programs to National Championships. But, let's face it. Duke has a sizable edge coming into this meeting and that's true whether or not Zion Williamson is able to play Monday. The Blue Devils are #1 in the country and will stay that way thanks to a last second three-pointer that beat Florida State, 80-78, on Saturday. Williamson was poked in the eye and missed the entire second half. Coach K has gone on record as saying "he (Zion) is better now." Either way, a big edge to the Blue Devils, who are so far and away the best team in the country this year and playing at home. Syracuse is off a 73-59 loss to Georgia Tech, a game they were favored to win by 8.5-points. That game was at home too. Their 2-3 zone got torched for nearly 60% shooting by the Yellow Jackets. Duke has the depth and talent necessary to overcome a possible Williamson absence and the fact is they're outscoring opponents by almost 35 points per game here in Durham. Syracuse hasn't played many road games and this one won't be very fun. Play on DUKE

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This is a 10* PLAY ON THE CLIPPERS

Unless it happens to involve Phoenix, virtually every Western Conference game this year carries some meaning. Right now, you have 10 teams bunched up, just five games within one another. The difference between those 10 teams is 5th place and second from the bottom (14th). The Clippers and Pelicans happen to be two of the teams in this jumbled mess. Los Angeles is out in front, tied for 5th in the conference, while New Orleans is towards the bottom of the back and 4.5 games behind LA. The Clippers have the homecourt advantage tonight and that's huge considering the Pelicans terrible 5-17 road record. NO just lost up in Minnesota Saturday and the Clippers team that takes the court tonight will not be in a giving mood after losing themselves (as 7.5 point favorites) to Detroit, right here at home that same night. The Clippers, who are 17-7 ATS when favored, have come back to win three of the four times after they've previously suffered an outright loss as a favorite. The Pelicans may have Anthony Davis, but the Clippers have the deeper roster, which is evident by the fact they're currently on pace to have the highest scoring bench in three decades. New Orleans is one of the worst defensive teams in the league and gives up almost 115 PPG. Play on LOS ANGELES

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This is a 9* play on EDMONTON

Two fanbases starved to make the playoffs will see their teams face off to open the week. Edmonton is two points back of the second Wild Card in the Western Conference, but given the way most of the teams in front of them are playing right now, a WC spot is ripe for the taking. Over in the Eastern Conference, Buffalo just fell out of a WC spot, thanks to Sunday's results. Neither team has played great of late. Both have won just three times in their last 11 games. The Sabres lost at home to Tampa Bay Saturday while that same night saw the Oilers dump one here at home to the Coyotes. So who has the edge in this one? I think it's Edmonton, who gets to play on home ice for a second straight game. An unlucky bounce cost them vs. the Coyotes, but Buffalo has had even less luck of late. The Sabres have won just 6 of their last 26 games and let's be honest here; that 10-game win streak from earlier this year (which is their claim to fame) involved a lot of luck. Their last win on the road occurred on December 16th. Play on EDMONTON

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This is an 8* play on NEW JERSEY

The Devils aren't exactly tearing it up this season, but they've got some momentum off a win here at home against the Flyers. Tonight, they'll host a Blackhawks team that simply "ain't what they used to be." Chicago has the same number of points (41) as New Jersey, but has actually played much worse over the course of this season. They come into Monday having dropped three consecutive decisions, all by the same score of 4-3. All three losses came at home. The 'Hawks have lost five of six and are in last place in the Central. Only the Flyers and Senators have been outscored by a greater margin this year. Rookie goaltenders now occupy the space between the pipes for both teams, but the edge here very likely comes down to the fact Chicago is 30th in the league in goals allowed and penalty killing. New Jersey is 2nd in the league in penalty killing. Home ice advantage is also critical. The Devils are a respectable 12-5-4 at home. Chicago is 10-30 its L40 road games vs. teams with a winning home record. Play on NEW JERSEY

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This is a 6* Play on TORONTO

Colorado has lost 9 of its last 10 games (1-7-2) so an opponent the caliber of Toronto is the last thing they wanted to see for Monday. But a date with the Maple Leafs is what the schedule calls for and even worse is that Toronto won't be taking this game lightly as they are coming off a loss in this building Saturday night, 3-2 to Boston. That was a game the Leafs felt they should have had, but a tiebreaking goal, late in the 2nd period, proved to be the difference. Still, despite losing four of six themselves, Toronto is clearly the better team in this matchup. They'll be even better if #1 goaltender Frederik Anderson makes his return to the ice here. Colorado was just shutout in Montreal Saturday and is 0-3 on their current five-game Canadian road trip. Only the Lightning have a better goal differential than the Leafs, who are top six in the league in both goals scored and allowed. The Avalanche have an exceptional top line, but little in the way of depth. Toronto has won 43 of its last 62 games played vs. teams with losing records. Play on TORONTO

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This is an 8* bet on the ISLANDERS.

This is a really tough spot for the Blues, who are coming off a big upset win in Washington last night. That wasn't the first time they beat the Capitals this year. They beat them at home 12 days ago, then came out and lost to the Islanders (at home) the next time out. This time, the Blues carry a three-game win streak into Brooklyn. But the result should be the same as it was the last time. The Islanders have played outstanding hockey of late, winning 11 of their last 14 games. They are off an incredibly impressive victory as they beat Tampa Bay 5-1 on Sunday. I mentioned that the Blues have won three straight. That matches their longest win streak of the season, so another win would be uncharted territory for them. It hasn't really been a very good season in St. Louis with the team still below .500. More importantly, they are 0-5 when playing on the second night of a back to back. When they hosted the Islanders 10 days ago, they lost even though the Islanders managed just 14 shots on goal. You have to figure they'll see more shots tonight and that means more goals for the home team. Play on NY ISLANDERS

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This is a 10* play on Akron.

Akron could really use a win here as they went 0-2 on the road last week. One of those losses was by only two points (to Central Michigan) in overtime. Coming off that painful loss, the Zips were then surprisingly blown out, 73-56, at Northern Illinois. But it's not like they started poorly; they actually led 34-25 at halftime before NIU got ridiculously hot in the second half, shooting almost 75% from the field. Fortunately, Akron is back home tonight where they've gone 7-1 on the year. They'll host Eastern Michigan, who has been a real Jekyll and Hyde outfit this season. They just turned in a couple Jekyll-type performances last week in beating Ball State (in overtime) and Kent State. But I look for a "Hyde-like" showing tonight considering the Eagles' woeful numbers on the road. They are just 1-5 SU outside of Ypsilanti and getting outscored by almost 20 PPG. Akron plays outstanding defense at home (55.9 PPG allowed!) and has double revenge from two losses suffered at the hands of EMU last season. Play on AKRON.

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This is a 10* play on Denver.

I probably don't have to tell you what a big game this is. The big thing for Denver is getting it at home where they have an 18-3 record and have won 12 in a row. They've already beaten Golden State once this year here. Sure, it was by just two points, but that'll work again here. The Warriors are a surprising 10-10 straight up against teams with winning records and only 7-13 against the spread in those games. Denver has a half-game lead on them right now for 1st in the Western Conference. A key edge in this game lies on the defensive end. Golden State gives up 112.1 points per game on the road. Denver allows only 102.1 at home. Play on DENVER

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