We rate each pick 1 to 5 units with 5 being the strongest play (read about units).
Risk 1% of your bankroll per unit (never risk more than 5% of total bankroll on any pick).

Game: Notre Dame at Georgetown (12:00 PM Eastern)
Pick: 4 units on Georgetown -4

Notre Dame has surprised all the experts with their 13-1 start. Picked to hover in the middle or bottom of the Big East, the Irish have emerged as a contender in the Big East. They have a signature win, which validated this young season, when they defeated Alabama at home rather soundly. The problem is, this young team has yet to taste life on the road, other than a couple neutral site games, and it will be a rude awakening. Georgetown was supposed to be the ranked team coming into this game, but an early loss to Old Dominion, and then losses to Duke, and Oregon, paved the way to their exit from the top 25. The Hoyas have been under the radar since then. They have since blown out 6 teams in a row, including Oral Roberts, who won at Kansas, and they won at Michigan by 15. The calling card has been a balanced offense, and an intense, in your face defense. Duke shot just 38%, Michigan 36%, and Oregon 39%, and the defense has gotten better! Notre Dame is yet to face the likes of a roaring crowd against them, and when you combine that with a suffocating defense, the pressure on some young, and inexperienced players is magnified. This one looks to us like a double digit Hoya win.

UNLV is out of the gate quickly and will bring their 14-2 record to Colorado and square off with the Air Force. The only thing we can say is this jersey had another name draped across it, this line would be completely different (much higher), so there is value here. The Air Force has been 46-1 SU at home over the last 4 seasons, but that is just the half of it. The 46 wins they have amassed, 39 have been won by double digits! It is the best kept secret, and best home-court advantage in NCAA basketball. They have knocked off TX Tech, and Wake Forest on neutral courts this year by a combined 50 points. Air Force gets another double digit home win today. 

Drexel has come out of nowhere to emerge as the Colonial Conferences top contender with a 10-2 start. They already have beaten Syracuse and Villonova on the young season, and seem poised to turnaround last seasons 15-16 mark. Their is caution to be observed here. This is for the most part the same team that was down by 2 vs Duke with 14 minutes left in the game, before losing by just 10. This is the same team that lost to UCLA by a single point, and then went on to lose 10 conference games! Their is a lot of emphasis put on this line in those 2 big upset wins. You also have to remember this team lost to Penn by 19, and lost to Rider by 8, and barely got by Toledo by 5, and struggled against Georgia St. in a 6 point win. This is not a vintage NC Wilmington team, but they are well coached, and play smart. Drexel shots only 43.9% from the floor, and 15 is a lot to give especially since they seem to only play their best, vs the best. They are 7-20-2 ATS as a favorite last 29, and just 5-13-2 ATS last 20 at home. NC Wilmington has been money as a big dog, as they are a perfect 5-0 ATS as a +13 or higher. We'll take the big dog to the fight.

Baylor has gotten off to a great start and stand at 10-3 while the Cowboys have been steam-rolling everyone at 14-1. Their lone loss came at Tennessee by two points, and have not been threatened at home. Baylor has feasted on "home cooking" loading up on some cream-puffs in their building and will be in their first true road game of the year. This certainly is not the best place to get your first taste of the road, and we look for the Cowpokes to destroy Baylor on their home court.

If you haven't watched this A&M team play, your missing out on one of those teams that isn't a perennial power, but has all the weapons to play like one. Kansas St stands at 10-4, but you truly have to question their ability to show a consistent 40 minutes on the road, and when they have gotten down they tend to disappear. They lost at California by 30, just laying down. They also at N. Mexico in a 24 point loss. Texas A&M has won every game by 10 or more at home, and the problem for Kansas St. is, you know A&M is going to put a run on them, and as they have displayed on the road, if they do this one could get ugly and it certainly has blowout potential.

UCONN has established itself as one of the elite programs in the country and are again out of the gate at 12-1. LSU has been elevated to that lofty status over the past couple years. There isn't too many teams that can have 5 players drafted by the NBA, have a roster of all freshmen and sophmores and return to the same status of the previous year. We don't underestimate the potential of this UCONN team, but that isn't yet, it is in the future. Coach Calhoun purposely scheduled a cupcake schedule in the early going, to give his team confidence. They played their first 11 games at home vs competition that left them with a strength of schedule in the 300's. Then this young team took to the road vs W. Virginia and were completely out of it. All the UCONN stats are very misleading. They score 81 ppg, but the truth is, they have scored 69, and 71 in their last two and neither of those teams are as talented as LSU. The UCONN defense is ranked #2 in the country in FG% defense at 34.6%, but the only two legit teams on their schedule shot 45% (S. Fla), and 49.1% (W. Virginia), so don't be fooled. Hasheem Thabeet UCONN's freshman 7'3" center will one day play for pay. He intimidated all the weak opponents, but in the last two vs legit competition has not made a FG (0-5), has just 11 rebounds, and blocked just 2 shots vs W. VA., and has been in constant foul trouble. Think he can handle Glen Davis? Coach Calhoun may be better served playing zone here, but he is too stubborn, and Davis will eat up UCONN inside, and Mitchell will take Adrien outside, and there is no rebounders left. LSU lost a heart-breaker last year at UCONN by 1, and they will be playing with energy here, and this young UCONN team, that looked like a deer in headlights on the road at W. VA is going to take on that same glaze tonight under the eye of national TV.

Washington State stands at 13-2 and 9-0 at home, while Arizona has run the table since an opening loss at Virginia. This is a tricky spot for Arizona as they will be coming off a high energy, high paced game in an emotional win at Washington. This game will be played at a much different pace than that one, as Washington St. likes to play in the half-court, which isn't Arizona's strongest suit. Washington St. is a very good team, and they are catching Zona at the right time, off of a big road win less than 48 hrs. ago. This dog has some bite.