Can you trust Kentucky basketball? Plus the Patrick Mahomes prop to go UNDER on

Glad Wednesday! You are now formally midway by way of the week, which implies you are that a lot nearer to the beginning of Tremendous Bowl LV. Do you know that this yr’s Tremendous Bowl is on CBS? It’s, and that is nice as a result of CBS Sports activities is the perfect (and we’re letting you stream for free on any device!). It is also nice as a result of it hopefully means I will get some free Super Bowl swag, and if there’s something it is best to learn about me, it is that I get pleasure from getting free stuff.

It may be one thing I do not want, nor even knew existed. If it is free, and it is despatched to me, I am all about it. As an illustration, as a sports activities author, I am usually on the receiving finish of emails from ebook brokers letting me learn about new sports-related books which might be popping out, asking me if I would like a complicated copy. It would not matter what the ebook is about; I would like it. There is a good probability I will not even learn it, however I would like that ebook.

In my Chicago neighborhood, we now have these “little libraries” which might be like birdhouses crammed with books. You possibly can depart a ebook, or take a ebook. Nicely, the little libraries in my neighborhood are crammed with superior copies of books I by no means learn, however any person is studying them! I do know this as a result of after I verify later, they’re gone.

So, yeah, I like free stuff. Even the stuff I do not need. Like this article. Or these tales so that you can learn.

Since I do know you want free stuff too, listed below are some picks I made only for you!

All occasions Japanese, and all odds by way of William Hill Sportsbook

🔥 The Sizzling Ticket

Kentucky at No. 18 Missouri, 7 p.m. | TV: ESPN2
The Choose: Missouri -4.5 (-110): In our faculty basketball picks on Tuesday — each of which received, no massive deal — I defined that a part of my reasoning was that the groups we have been betting towards have been coming off canceled video games. A type of groups was Texas, which was scheduled to play Kentucky over the weekend, however the sport was known as off due to COVID points with the Wildcats. Nicely, this is that Kentucky crew, occurring the street towards Mizzou crew. It hasn’t performed a sport since final Tuesday, and it has been coping with COVID.

Oh, and it wasn’t precisely good earlier than all of that.

Whereas extra superior metrics counsel that Kentucky is lots higher than its 5-10 report, that is due to its protection, which has been glorious. However this crew can not rating. The Wildcats rank 313th within the nation in efficient FG% (45.7%), 274th from two (46.6%) and 312th from three (29.0%). Mizzou is not an explosive offense, however it’s environment friendly sufficient, and it is sound defensively as effectively. Contemplating the layoff, COVID, and Kentucky’s incapacity to shoot, the Tigers are an apparent play.

Key Pattern: The house crew has lined in eight straight on this collection.

Here is what SportsLine is saying about tonight’s faculty basketball slate: The Superior Laptop Mannequin would not really feel nice about something within the Mizzou/Kentucky sport, however it has a strong lean in one of tonight’s other SEC matchups.

💰 The Picks

🏀 Faculty Basketball

UCF at Memphis, 8 p.m. | TV: ESPN+
The Choose: UCF +11 (-110) — It has been some time since I made you wager on a nasty faculty basketball crew, however we’re again on our BS. This is without doubt one of the finest occasions to do it with as a result of the Memphis crew the Knights are enjoying tonight aren’t precisely juggernauts themselves. Additionally, these two simply performed on Monday. Memphis killed UCF 96-69 whereas capturing 53.7% from the sphere and 48.1% from three. Memphis was a 9-point favourite in that sport, and now it is instantly an 11-point favourite. We’re shopping for again on that line motion, and banking on regression in Memphis’ capturing.

Key Pattern: UCF has lined 4 straight occasions following a lack of 20 factors or extra. I imply, how are you going to not belief that development?

🏈 At present’s Tremendous Bowl LV choose

Chiefs vs. Buccaneers, Sunday, 6:30 p.m. | TV: CBS
The Choose: Patrick Mahomes Beneath 21.5 dashing yards (+115) — I am taking this for a similar cause I took the underneath on Mahomes’ dashing whole within the AFC Championship: his toe. Main as much as the sport this week, Mahomes has stated that his turf toe is “near one hundred pc,” however I do not consider him. It sometimes takes round three weeks to get better from turf toe once you’re resting the damage, and Mahomes has not been resting the damage. He performed by way of it within the AFC Championship, and it clearly hindered his skill and want to run with the ball.

I do not assume every week off will heal the toe fully, and I am anticipating Mahomes to be a bit restricted in his mobility for the Tremendous Bowl as effectively, so I see worth on this whole.

Key Pattern: Mahomes has rushed for under 19 yards whole in Kansas Metropolis’s two playoff video games this season.

🔒 SportsLine Choose of the Day: The SportsLine Projection Mannequin, which has returned virtually $7,900 on top-rated NFL picks since its inception, reveals the best parlay picks for Super Bowl LV.

💸 The DFS Rundown