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On the season in college basketball Zack is 66-25-3 ATS. Today he is just on one play, and it involves a late-night capper. Get it under today’s picks for just $29.

Today I perceived both the NBA and NCAA basketball board as a cautionary board. It’s my personal opinion and other cappers may believe it to be an enticing board. There is one game I would caution all against and that is my —-Stay Away Game Of The Day between Syracuse and Georgia Tech—.

Both of these teams have flirted with both disaster and greatness this season. Syracuse has bounced back nicely in the wins category but still flirted with letting big leads evaporate into losses. They almost blew an early season matchup against Iowa in the final minutes, Louisiana Tech recently, and allowed Virginia Tech to erase a 19 point halftime lead in their latest game. In between all of that was a blown win at Villanova that could cost Syracuse down the road if they end up on the bubble.

Georgia Tech is a new style team that has young talent intermixed with Maryland transfer Charles Mitchell in the low blocks. They’re play has been erratic and inconsistent but the capability of defeating a top 25 team is there on any given night.

The point spread in favor of Syracuse by four is clearly an high indicator that the linesmakers do not believe Georgia Tech can attack Syracuse’s zone effectively. I’m not sure they can either with limited experience in the backcourt and an edge in the post with Rakeem Christmas of Syracuse. Christmas though has been known to get in foul trouble early. Syracuse sharp shooter Trevor Cooney has also been known to go through his hot/cold stretches. Currently he has been on a hot stretch which has aided Syracuse’s offense immensely. But is that poor shooting night smack dab in front of us?

There are too many red-flags for me to lay the points with Syracuse on the road against Georgia Tech, and I can’t trust Georgia Tech’s on-court chemistry to befuddle the Syracuse zone.

This could be one of those games where the lead changes five to ten times. Keep this one off your board as the stay away game of the day.

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The 2014-2015 NFL season has flown by in quick fashion. This weekend the divisional round of the playoffs will occur. In Las Vegas and offshore the current point spread on the Denver Broncos is -7 against the Indianapolis Colts. See who Zack, Shaun, and John envision winning the cash in this playoff matchup.

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Breakdowns in the final minutes of college basketball are a frequent part of the game. Teams can go on a cold drought when the spread was well in hand and instead push the moneyline bettors on the brink of a loss. Coaches also can harm a point spread by protecting a lead the wrong way. Offensively they may get too conservative which plays into the hand of the other team. Conservative effort on offense by dribbling the air out of the ball often leads to lackluster effort defensively.

The top dagger though will always be free throw shooting. Coaches across America have practiced to foul early to prolong a game. Sometimes the opposing team is not in the double bonus yet, and can be set for three to four one and one situations. Once the free throws start to miss it’s a snowball effect for the entire team.

It’s hard to predict the exact scenarios that those instances will happen, but betting college basketball you need to realize you’ll be on the good side and bad side of at least five to seven of those instances. Knowing which teams are likely going to suffer from the free throw line in late situations, can help you decide to pass on a game ATS.

Here are current top 25 teams that you should be leery on in late game situations.

Utah–Rank–241—66%
Utah has been winning games with better offense than expected. Defensively they can shut down an opposing team for stretches to surge past a spread. Lately though they’ve been favored by steep lines, which can be troublesome because of their team woes at the free throw line. The Pac-12 is a bit down this year but still has plenty of scorers. In a game where Utah may end up shooting between 15-25 free throws, there could be an ATS loss suffered because of their struggles.

Arizona—Rank–250–.659
This should be no secret at Arizona being one of the worst in the top 25 at free throw shooting. The athletes and mold of Sean Miller’s teams have never fit the bill for solid free throw shooting. There will be some heart breakers for backers of Arizona because they have not lit up the scoreboard offensively and are still being heavily favored in games.

West Virginia—Rank–259–.657
West Virginia is a bit shocking because of their solid guard/forward heavy contributions. They shoot the ball well from the perimeter and can keep pace offensively with any team in the country. Sometimes when offense is the main catalyst as it is for West Virginia it can lead to a lack of concentration at the free throw line. I’d expect their free throw shooting to rise and get better as more emphasis is put on it.

Louisville—Rank–284–.65
Louisville has been a bit of a conundrum with their on court performances lately. They’ve had big leads in plenty of games but have had mental lapses that have cost ATS wins for them. Free throw shooting I wouldn’t say has been the main detriment in those letdowns, but it has been a slight contributor. This is another team that’s free throw shooting percentage should rise with increased emphasis by Rick Pitino. Out of all the teams on this list I would have the most confidence in Louisville at the stripe in late game situations.

VCU—Rank–321—.628
VCU will not be a team that improves at the free throw line as the season stretches. Key players such as Briante Weber, Treveon Graham, and others all have their struggles at the line. I’ve seen plenty of games last year in-conference where their free throw shooting cost point spreads in the final minute. Be very cautious as a VCU backer in-conference as point spreads in their games will likely be -6 or higher throughout conference play.

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Watch as Shaun Hess, Zack Cimini, and John Cranton break down the National Championship game between Ohio State and Oregon. They give their analysis ATS from a Las Vegas perspective.

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The first month and a half of the 2014-2015 college basketball season is in the books. Rigors of conference play are upon us and shall cause a typical frequent disruption in the current top 25 rankings. Finding value of top 25 teams that may fall out weekly rankings can be a gold mine for sports bettors. College basketball is one of the best sports where true metrics can be of a high value. A lot of teams have shielded their deficiencies with unbalanced non-conference scheduling. Here are a few teams that I believe are ranked above what their current play perceives with the eye-test.

Wichita State
The Shockers have one of the deeper backcourts in the country with Ron Baker, Fred VanVleet, and Tekele Cotton. But since their lost to Utah the team has been in disarray. Poor shot selection from their three guards and even poorer team defense should be exposed in an above average Missouri Valley Conference. The loss of CleAnthony Early is proving to be more troublesome than anticipated. The Shockers need to find an inside presence to lighten the load off poor perimeter shots. Struggles against Detroit, George Washington, and Drake.

Utah
Every year there are 2-3 teams that play a few notches higher in non-conference play than they will in-conference. Utah will likely be one of those teams. Their team defense and key upper classmen bode for disadvantages against non-conference opponents. In conference though there will be no secrets. Coaching staffs know the ins and outs of this Utah team. With Jordan Loveridge still out for a length of time, you can expect Utah to have their issues in-conference play.

St. Johns
The Johnnies already lost in their Big East opener to Seton Hall. Unless De’Angelo Harrison and the group of seniors on this team change their attitude of team defense you can expect a continued plummet. The spark to build a big lead or give up a big lead is always there with this St. John’s team. Offensively they never truly seem to have a rhyme or reason to their offensive half-court sets. It usually involves one on one shot creations from Phil Greene, Harrison, or Rysheed Jordan. They’re as dangerous as any team in the country when they play together. In-conference play though you can expect this team to lose their focus and have a poor stretch of 3-5 games.

Colorado State
Transfer U will have their hands full as they step into the thick of true conference play. Unblemished currently, Colorado State escaped a handful of games in non-conference play. In their first game against an undermanned Boise State ball club they found themselves down 28-13. They were able to surge a comeback but I do not see this team having the fire power on offense to sustain being a top 25 team. JJ Avila and Daniel Bejarno are solid seniors to have on any team but are not capable of leading a team to a high level of play. By mid to late February expect this team to have 5-6 losses.

Wisconsin
I don’t expect Wisconsin to fall out of the top 25 but the bruising nature of the Big Ten is tough to escape for anybody. This goes back to coaching staffs knowing the strengths and weaknesses of every starter on Wisconsin. Defense rises in conference play. The team concept of Wisconsin is fantastic when the team is clicking on all cylinders. But a hiccup thwarts that concept without the reliance of 1-2 go to scorers on a bad night. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a young team like Indiana give this Wisconsin team trouble.

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Watch as Shaun Hess, Zack Cimini, and John Cranton discuss the Ravens vs Steelers Wild Card matchup for the first round of the AFC Playoffs. The current line is Pittsburgh -3. See what sides all three believe action should be placed on in this game.