Scott Rickenbach

Divisional Dominator - Rickenbach NHL Rotation #65 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Montreal Canadiens vs Ottawa Senators @ 7:35 ET - Both teams are in the 2nd game of a back to back and both teams used their preferred goalies last night and yet each game totaled 7 goals. That said, I look for another high scoring one here as both teams will struggle to keep the puck out of their own net. Craig Anderson gets the start for the Senators here and even though he is the official starter for Ottawa he has been clearly outplayed by Anders Nilsson whom was in goal last night. Anderson is 1-5 with a poor .871 save percentage on the road this season. Keith Kincaid is expected to get the start for the Canadiens here. The Montreal netminder has horrible numbers but when a guy has seen little action it is important to look deeper into that and make sure a few bad starts aren't skewing the stats. In the case of Kincaid, that most certainly is NOT the case as he has allowed 4 or more goals in all 4 of his starts this season! With Ottawa continuing to win some games and, as a result, playing with more confidence of late, the Sens should fare very well against the struggling Kincaid. However, even though Montreal is dealing with some injuries, the Habs also are likely to enjoy plenty of success against Anderson and the Senators here as they bounce right back from a 5-2 loss yesterday. Keep in mind the Canadiens have scored 5 goals in each of their last 3 meetings with the Senators and the over is also a perfect 4-0 in the last 4 games between these division rivals. 10* OVER the total in Montreal

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #695 Wednesday 10* Top Play Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+) @ Georgia Bulldogs @ 7 ET - The very first line on this one was a 3.5 and it is not surprising to see it go to 4.5 as Georgia has the home court edge here and defeated the Yellow Jackets by an average margin of 16 points per game the past two seasons. However, note that Georgia Tech simply shot awful in both of those games as they had 10 more shots from the field in each game and yet they lost the game by a double digit margin each time. This season will be different. I love the fact that both teams come in undefeated but the Bulldogs have played a very weak schedule whereas the Yellow Jackets already showed how their scoring punch and experience and veteran players are going to help lead the way this season. They rallied from a 15 point first half deficit and went on to win in OT as a 5-point dog at NC State to open the season. Then in their easy game they won with defense as they held Elon to just 41 points. Georgia has been a little spoiled as they have opened the season with 3 straight easy opponents and so the Bulldogs, unlike the Yellow Jackets, haven't had to work for many defensive stops. The Bulldogs are allowing an average of 75 points per game this season while the Jackets are holding foes to just 30% from the field in their first two games this season. I expect Georgia to be a much stronger team as the season goes on but early on they will struggle against tougher competition because they returned just 1 starter and are still adjusting to watch coach Tom Crean wants them to do. On the flip side, Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner has an established group that returned 4 starters from last season's team. In an early season match-up, the edge goes to the Yellow Jackets in this one no matter the venue! 10* GEORGIA TECH

PA Insider - Rickenbach NBA Rotation #501 Wednesday 10* Top Play OVER the total in Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks @ 7:05 ET - The opening line on this game had Philly -13 with a total of 213. Assuming the odds makers are correct in their assessment that means the forecast here is Philadelphia 113, New York 100. Giving consideration to that, I love the over in this match-up. The reason is because I feel there is adequate support to believe the Knicks will do better than 100 points here and, at the same time, the Sixers are ready for an offensive explosion at home. Philadelphia has had a tough road-heavy schedule to begin this season so they are excited about this opportunity to finally play again at home and improve on their perfect 4-0 mark. First, about the Knicks, they have scored 102 points or more in 6 of their 7 road games this season! In those 6 games New York has averaged 105.3 points per game. The 76ers had averaged 112.7 points per game at home in their first 3 games before a rare dud in their 4th one. But they are also finally healthy again with all hands on deck for this one plus Tobias Harris is heating up. That means plenty of scoring options with Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons in addition to two guys each averaging 15 points per game in Al Horford and Josh Richardson. Both the Knicks and Sixers enter this game having had yesterday off and also having tomorrow off as well. There will be no hesitation to run and gun here and I expect plenty of points. The 76ers were on a 6-2 run to the over before their most recent game stayed under the total. Look for the Knicks to get to 105 here which will put Philly at about 120 in this one. 10* OVER the total in Philadelphia

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CFB Rotation #106 Wednesday 10* Top Play Buffalo Bulls (-) vs Toledo Rockets @ 7:30 ET - Both teams off disappointing losses but Toledo now has to go on the road after battling all the way back from a 28-7 deficit at home against Northern Illinois only to lose on a late field goal. Though mathematically alive in the MAC West race, the Rockets know the reality is that the loss to the Huskies essentially squashed those dreams. This is a very young team too and they have struggled often when facing adversity. I expect that to be the case again here. As for the Bulls, they are off a crazy loss to Kent State where everything improbable actually happened in the Golden Flashes late comeback from a 27-6 deficit. Now with a well-coached Buffalo team at home off a loss and having the much better defense in this match-up in this one, I am look for the Bulls to win in a rout. Buffalo ranks 9th in the nation on defense while Toledo ranks 116th! Also, the Rockets are on an 0-5 ATS run overall. Toledo is also 0-4 ATS on the road this season. Buffalo opened the season with a non-covering win over an FCS school but, at home, in FBS action, the Bulls have been red hot ever since as they are a perfect 3-0 ATS as a host against FBS schools this season. As you can see, triple perfect ATS support for backing the home team in this one. Lay the points with the host as they dominate this one with their strong pass-rushing ability on defense and their dynamic ground game on offense. The Bulls dictate the tempo in this one and control the clock in this game and win by double digits. 10* BUFFALO 

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #788 Thursday 10* Top Play Indiana State Sycamores (+) vs Duquesne Dukes @ 6:30 ET - Everyone is on the Dukes here so you know where my money is going to go. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the move and going with the Sycamores here. It stands to reason that everyone is loving laying the number here with a 3-0 Duquesne team against an 0-3 Indiana State team. However, lets not forget that the Sycamores have played a tougher schedule this season. Their most recent game was against a respectable MAC program, Ball State, and the Sycamores two prior games were against Dayton and Louisville! The Dukes have been battling it out with the likes of Princeton, Lamar, and Lipscomb. I feel that the markets aren't properly evaluating that aspect of this match-up and I am looking for Indiana State to view this tourney in the Bahamas as a new beginning. They'll immediately put that 0-3 start in the rear view mirror with full focus on this tournament. Keep in mind the Sycamores were a dog in all 3 of their games to begin this season while Duquesne was a favorite in all three of theirs. Also, both teams returned 4 starters this season. Look for this game to be a battle all the way to the final horn which means we've got great value with the generous points being offered here. 10* INDIANA STATE