Expert Basketball Picks and Previews

The CSUN Matadors and UC Irvine Anteaters meet Friday night at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, with tip set for 9:00 PM ET on ESPNU. It is a Big West tournament matchup on a neutral floor, but the number still leans toward UC Irvine. The Anteaters opened as 5.5-point favorites with a -198 moneyline, while CSUN comes back at

The Cleveland Cavaliers (40-26) travel to the American Airlines Center this Friday night to face off against the Dallas Mavericks (22-44). Cleveland enters as the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference, looking to regain momentum after a high-scoring loss to Orlando. Despite their strong record, the Cavs have found the road a bit more challenging than home ice, but they

The New Orleans Pelicans travel to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets this Friday night in a Western Conference clash that features two teams at opposite ends of the standings. New Orleans sits at 22-45 on the season and is currently ranked 13th in the conference. Despite the record they have been playing much better basketball lately

The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to the Chase Center this Friday night for a 10:00 PM tipoff against the Golden State Warriors. Both teams enter this contest on three game losing streaks, creating a high pressure environment for two squads that were hoping to be trending in the opposite direction this late in the season. Minnesota currently sits at 40-26, holding

Utah Tech and California Baptist meet Friday night at 11:30 PM ET from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, with a trip deeper into the WAC tournament on the line. It is a neutral-floor setting, but California Baptist enters in better overall shape at 23-8, while Utah Tech comes in at 19-14 after an 80-74 win over Abilene Christian on Thursday.

Cal State Fullerton and Hawaii meet Friday night at 11:30 PM ET in the Big West tournament at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. It is a neutral-floor semifinal, but it still carries a strong conference feel because both teams know each other well and both have already shown they can score in this matchup. Hawaii enters 22-8 and laying

The New Mexico Lobos and San Diego State Aztecs meet Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, with tip set for 11:59 PM ET on CBSS. It is a Mountain West tournament matchup that feels tighter than the number suggests. San Diego State is laying 1.5 points with a -120 moneyline, while New Mexico comes back

The Utah Jazz travel to the Moda Center this Friday night to face the Portland Trail Blazers in a Northwest Division clash. Tipoff is scheduled for 10:00 PM as Utah looks to snap out of a difficult stretch that has left them at 20-46 on the season. Portland is currently sitting at 31-35 and fighting for positioning in the Western

The Chicago Bulls head to the Intuit Dome this Friday night for a 10:30 PM tipoff against the Los Angeles Clippers. Chicago currently sits at 27-38 and is looking to build on the momentum of a gritty overtime victory earlier this week. The Clippers have been playing some of their best basketball of the season and enter this game with