Art Aronson

This is a 10* on COL -1.5 (Puck Line)

Colorado lost last night in Los Angeles, 4-1. That was a very shocking result when you consider the Avs were -230 on the money line and had just beaten the Kings two days earlier. Now it’s onto Anaheim where they’ll face a Ducks team that has scored a league-low six goals in four games. Considering the Avalanche scored eight goals in one game, this would appear to be a severe mismatch. Colorado had a 2-0 lead last night after jumping out to a 3-0 lead the game before. We expect them to win this one by multiple goals. Anaheim’s top two lines are really struggling right now and when you look at the preseason projections, you’ll see Colorado was pegged for the top of West while the Ducks were expected to be at the bottom. The Avs have won the last five times they’ve been off a game where they scored two goals or less. Play on COLORADO -1.5

AAA

This is a 10* on OVER

Denver has won back to back games only two times this season. That’s what they’ll be trying to do tonight in Phoenix as the Nuggets are off a 119-101 win against Oklahoma City on Tuesday. They’re now 7-7 SU on the year and going by point differential, you’d think they should be better than that. Phoenix picked up right where it left off in the bubble with a 5-1 start, but has gone just 3-4 since. Yet they too are off a win as it was 109-103 at Houston Wednesday, ending a five-game trip on a positive note. The Suns only broke 110 points once on that trip and have done that just twice in the past nine games. But they average 111.7 at home and we look for an offensive breakthrough tonight. At the same time, Denver is averaging 116.8 on the road. So this total appears to be way too low. The Over has hit six of the last seven times the Nuggets have been an underdog. It’s 38-17-3 their last 58 overall. Play on OVER

AAA

This is a 10* on UC IRVINE

Cal Poly is not a good team, something that should be readily apparent via their 2-8 won-loss record. The Mustangs show up tonight on a six-game losing streak and the last five (losses) have all come by at least 13 points. They are also 0-5-1 ATS during the losing streak. Their only two wins were against a non-board team (Bethesda) back in November and San Jose State last month. San Jose State is a dreadful team and they only won that game by 4. The Mustangs have five losses by at least 17 points this year. So Cal Irvine has to be licking its chops Friday as they look to continue to a four-game win streak.This is the Anteaters first game in almost two weeks, so they’re fresh. Meanwhile, Cal Poly lost twice at home last week. On the road, they are barely scoring 50 points/game! Cal Irvine is 4-0 at home, averaging 84.2 points while giving up only 58.0. Expect a very one-sided affair. Play on UC IRVINE

AAA

This is an 8* on UT ARLINGTON

Texas Arlington watched its three-game win streak come to an end last Saturday as they fell into a huge halftime hole against Louisiana and never recovered. Now 3-3 in the Sun Belt, the Mavericks are tied with the team they face tonight, Little Rock, in the West Division. Little Rock has dropped three of four including two to first place Texas State last weekend. Three of those four games, including the one win, were decided by four points or less. But the pointspread won’t be a factor tonight and we don’t think the Trojans have enough offense to keep pace. They are 1-6 ATS playing with five or six days rest. They are also 4-13 ATS off their last 17 conference losses. TX-Arlington averages 87.8 points/game at home this year so they must be respected here and we don’t see them losing for a third time this season to Little Rock. Those first two games, played at the start of 2021, were played in Little Rock. The Trojans starting PG (Nowell) is suspended. Play on UT ARLINGTON

AAA

THIS IS A 10* ON UNDER

Though it’s an early start time Friday (Noon local), we expect Wright State to “show up” for this Horizon League tilt. Despite its current second place standing, the Raiders are probably the best team in this conference as they demonstrated last week when they crushed 1st place Cleveland State by 36. WSU allowed just 49 points in that game and shouldn’t have much trouble slowing down an IUPUI team that averages only 60.0 points at home. But the “catch” here is that IUPUI is only allowing 63.3 points/game at home. The Jaguars upset Northern Kentucky twice last week, winning 74-69 and 65-63 as an underdog of eight and seven points respectively. Those wins came on the road too. They’ve played just seven games because of COVID and the last two at home were played three weeks ago, both vs. Cleveland State. They allowed 59 and 65 points those two games. The Under has hit in all three IUPUI games this season. From a field goal percentage standpoint, Wright State’s defense is as good as it gets, limiting foes to 37.6. This should be a low-scoring, early game. Play on UNDER

AAA