Big Al

Big Al's Daily Angle: NCAA Basketball, NBA and NHL Preview

by Big Al Staff

Friday, Feb 12, 2021
The Friday sports card features action in NCAA basketball, the NBA, and the NHL.

The college basketball card tips off at noon ET with Illinois-Chicago visiting IUPUI as a 1.5-point road favorite with the total set at 143 (all odds from BetOnline). 

Virginia Commonwealth hosts St. Bonaventure on ESPN2 at 7 PM ET. The Rams are 14-4 this season with a 7-2 mark in the Atlantic 10 conference. VCU won their fourth straight game on Tuesday with their 76-67 victory at Dayton as a 1.5-point favorite. The Bonnies have won eight of their last nine games to improve to a 10-2 mark. St. Bonaventure is 8-2 in A-10 play after their 86-73 victory against La Salle as a 13.5-point favorite on Tuesday. The Bonnies won the first meeting between these two teams on January 20th with a 70-54 victory as a 3-point favorite. VCU is a 3-point favorite in this rematch with an over/under of 135.

Akron visits Miami (OH) on ESPNU at 7 PM ET. The Zips are 11-4 with a 9-3 mark in the Mid-American Conference. They upset Kent State, 72-61, on the road as a 2.5-point underdog for their seventh win in their last eight games last Friday. The Redhawks have lost three of their four games to fall to 8-7 and 5-5 in the MAC. They last played on Saturday in an 88-64 loss at Buffalo as an 8-point underdog. Akron is a 4.5-point road favorite, with the total at 142.5.

Cleveland State plays at home against Detroit on ESPNU at 9 PM ET. The Vikings are 14-3 with a 14-2 mark in the Horizon League. They won their fourth game in a row with their 80-78 victory at Oakland as a 1-point favorite on Saturday. The Titans have won five in a row with their 83-56 win against IUPFW as a 6-point favorite on Saturday. They are 8-8 with a 7-5 record in the Horizon. Cleveland State is a 3-point favorite with an over/under of 137.5.

Eleven games are on the NBA card headlined by a doubleheader on ESPN. Dallas hosts New Orleans in the ESPN opener at 7:35 PM ET. The Mavericks have won four of their last five games with their 118-117 victory against Atlanta as a 3.5-point favorite on Wednesday. The Pelicans had their four-game winning streak end on Wednesday in a 129-116 upset loss at Chicago as a 2.5-point favorite. Dallas is a 2-point favorite with the total at 233.5.

Memphis visits the Los Angeles Lakers in the ESPN nightcap at 10:05 PM ET. The Grizzlies snapped their four-game losing streak on Wednesday in a 130-114 loss to Charlotte as a 3-point favorite. The Lakers won their sixth in a row on Wednesday with their 114-113 win against Oklahoma City as an 11.5-point favorite. 

Two games are on the NHL docket. Boston visits the New York Rangers at 7 PM ET as a -166 money line road favorite with the total set at 5.5. St. Louis travels to Arizona at 9 PM ET as a -135 money line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.