Good morning Pickswise Nation and welcome to another busy day of sports. We have college football bowl games and NHL action today, plus NBA and college basketball, so let’s get straight to making your next bet better!
About Last Night
Super Bowl champions eliminated from playoff contention
Super Bowl champions the Los Angeles Rams were eliminated from the race for this season’s playoffs with their 24-12 loss to the Green Bay Packers. At 4-10 they are the first champions to suffer double-digit losses since the 6-10 Denver Broncos in 1999. It was a great result for the Packers (6-8), who kept their own season alive, and also for Pickswise as our picks of Packers -6.5 and under 39.5 both cashed.
Strong night in the NBA
The Pickswise team went 7-2 against the spread in the NBA on Monday, The Cavs won for the 15th time in 17 home games, beating the Jazz 122-99, but the Raptors made the 76ers fight, taking the 7.5-point favorites to overtime, where Philly won 104-101. The Hornets upset the Kings in the last game of the night, winning 125-119 as 9-point underdogs.
4 OT games in the NHL
Overtime was needed in half of Monday’s 8-game NHL slate, with the Capital, Predators and Canadiens winning in OT, while the Avalanche beat the Islanders in a shootout after a goalless game. The Bruins beat the Panthers 7-3, but the Golden Knights lost 3-2 to the Sabres.
Thundering Herd cover in bowl game
Marshall (-12.5) covered against UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl, winning 28-14 after marching into a 28-0 lead.
Today’s Slate
NBA doubleheader on TNT
There are 5 NBA games tonight, with a doubleheader on TNT as the Warriors play the Knicks at 7:30 pm ET followed by Grizzlies vs Nuggets at 10:00 pm ET.
It’s Potato Bowl Day!
We have two college football bowl games on the menu today. The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl is Eastern Michigan vs San Jose State at 3:30pm ET on ESPN, while it’s Liberty vs Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, also on ESPN at 7:30pm ET.
8-game NHL slate
It’s another solid day in the NHL, with 8 games including Devils vs Hurricanes, Rangers vs Penguins and Lightning vs Maple Leafs, all at 7:00 pm ET.
Top teams in NCAAB action
There are host of top teams in action on the college hardwood, with UConn, Alabama and Gonzaga among those playing today.
Best Bet of the Day
NCAAF: Toledo Rockets -3.5 over Liberty Flames
7:30 pm ET, ESPN
It’s a battle of 8-win teams in the Boca Raton Bowl as the Liberty Flames meet the Toledo Rockets. Toledo ended the season as champions of the MAC, and another win would help to show just how good they were. Averaging over 32 points per game on the year, the Rockets are led by their dominant rushing attack that amassed a robust 236 yards in their conference championship game. They’ve really shined on the defensive side of the ball and can make things rough for a boom-or-bust Liberty offense. Liberty has dropped 3 in a row and covered just twice in the last 7 outings.
Enhance your sports betting knowledge by watching our daily sports betting show Let’s Bet It at 10:00 am ET.
Lauren Jbara and Jared Smiith are your hosts today, and they will be joined by Nick Alberga (@thegoldenmuzzy) host of Leafs Morning Take on The Nation Network and co-host of NHL Fantasy On Ice podcast, to talk NHL. The team will also discuss what we saw on MNF, assess whose stock is up or down around the league and take a look at today’s college football bowl games before revealing their Plays of the Day.
Check it out at our YouTube channel at https://youtube.com/c/Pickswise and remember you can also access the show through Spotify and Apple Podcasts (search for Let’s Bet It Presented By Pickswise).
Stat of the Day
The Warriors have won just 3 of their 17 road games this season.