Will Rogers

At 10:00 pm ET, my Big West Total Of The Year is on Long Beach State vs CS Fullerton Over. The change from non-conference into conference action has a change on the way teams play. Yesterday, we took an over between 2 teams which had been going under in the majority of their non-conference games. Those results had brought the o/u line way down. The low line was much lower than previous games between those teams. Tonight, we will follow the same formula. Once again, we're working with a low o/u line. Last year's totals between Long Beach State and CS Fullerton were 146.5 and 145. Both games went over with scores of 152 and 147. None of the past 10 meetings have had as low an o/u line as this one. The last 9 of those each finished with at least 137. The Titans have played low-scoring games but they've been on the road against tough opposition. They'll score more on Thursday. After giving up 82 in its last game. Long Beach State has allowed 70 or more in 5 straight games. This game will get over the low total.

At 8:15pm ET, my NFC North Game Of The Year is on Detroit. The NFC North has 3 of the best teams in the NFC. The Lions, Vikings and Packers all have 9 or more wins. No single team in the NFC South has more than 6. Only Seattle, which has 7, has more than 6. Of the 3 NFC North teams with 9 or more, the Lions stand alone at the top with 11. They beat the Packers at Lambeau and now they will seize control of the division by completing the series sweep. I've been around a lot of years and this may be the best Lions team I can remember. (This is their best record through 12 games in team history.) They've won 10 straight. Other than a game at Philadelphia, the Packers have faced some weak teams on the road. Their 4 other road games came against teams who are a combined 15-33, none of them above .500. They won't benefit from the elements at Lambeau and will be exposed by a superior Lions team. Lay the points.

At 7:00pm ET, my MAAC Game Of the Year is on Quinnipiac. The Broncs fought hard against Fairfield but it wasn't enough. They lost their 3rd straight. Now they face an even tougher opponent. Quinnipiac (24-10, 15-5) finished on top of the conference last year (first 20 win season since 2014) and returned most of the nucleus from that team. The Broncs won the last meeting but the Bobcats had beaten them each of the previous 7. Now that MAAC play is here, Quinnipiac gets down to business and that starts with a victory at Alumni Gymnasium tonight. We get to back the better team playing with more rest and we don't have to worry about laying a big number. Play on Quinnipiac

At 7:00pm ET, my December CBB Total Of the Month is on Portland vs Kent State Over. This is a very low total when you consider that Portland's last game produced 191 points. OK, a number of those came in overtime but the Pioneers also allowed 94 and 85 points in their previous 2 games, neither of which went to OT. They're not a good defensive team (allow 81ppg overall) and the Golden Flashes will be happy to be the 4th straight opponent to drop a big number on them. Even with Portland's high-scoring games, the total is low thanks to Kent State having played mostly low-scoring games. It's a lot lower thn it was when these same teams faced each other here 2 seasons ago. That game had a total of 148.5. Tonight's lower number is offering us excellent line value. I've got KSU getting 80+ and Portland adding the rest. Play on the over.

At 7:00pm ET, my CUSA Championship Flea Flicker is on WKU. These teams just played a close game at Western Kentucky on November 30th. The Hilltoppers (8-4 SU, 7-5 ATS) won 19-17, as a 1-point favorite. Can they beat the Jaguars twice in less than a week? That's definitely not a given, these teams are very evenly matched! With the game at Amfirst Stadium, most aren't given the Hilltoppers much of a chance. The line climbed from its opener. In what should be another tightly contested game, that extra line value is a big deal. WKU got blown out at Alabama but had a couple of very close losses, including a 1-point setback at Boston College. Last week's game was decided by 2 points and last year's game was decided by only 3. Grab the points.