The blog has undergone a transformation over the last few months, as most of my posts focus on handicapping sporting events. As money management has never been my best asset, I'm going to use my sports knowledge to post the best plays of the day (instead of betting on them), and I'll keep a running tally of my record. My goal is to have a 55% record picking the games (52.5 percent is the break-even point), and I hope that my readers can profit from my work.

NBA:

Magic (-1) at Bucks: The Magic beat the Bucks 98-73 last Wednesday, and they continued to roll with a 119-86 thumping of the Nets on Friday night. While the Magic lost the next night to the Knicks, that can be attributed to playing three games in four nights. Meanwhile, the Bucks will again be without leading scorer Michael Redd. Since Redd's injury, the Bucks are 2-13 overall and 5-10 ATS. While they have a respectable 10-9 record this season at home, they are just 1-4 in Milwaukee since Redd went down. The Magic have stumbled a bit in the last 10 games (3-7 ATS), but last week's surge is evidence that they have enough firepower to beat the struggling Bucks.

Clippers at Knicks (+1): In 2007, the Knicks are 11-5 ATS, including 6-1 ATS at Madison Square Garden. Meanwhile, the Clippers are just 7-15 overall on the road this season. The Knicks lost by 10 to the Clippers in LA on New Year's Eve, so they'll be looking to return the favor tonight. Plus, the Knicks are slightly more rested than the Clippers.

Rockets (-3) at Grizzlies: Houston's 4-1-1 ATS in its last six games, and they're still smarting from their offensive no-show on Saturday night. PG Rafer Alston's penetrating ability will break down the Grizzlies' poor defense, freeing SG Tracy McGrady for open looks. The Grizzlies are only 9-16 overall at home, while the Rockets are 13-11 on the road. Considering that the Rockets don't have many points to cover, it's hard to pass up this one even though the Rockets are playing their third game in four nights.

College:

LSU at Tennessee (-5): LSU's 2006 Final Four appearance has the public willing to place money on them despite this year's mediocre performance. LSU enters the game just 1-6 ATS on the road, while Tennesse has been terrific at home (9-0 straight up; 8-1 ATS). Moreover, the Volunteers could be getting a huge lift from the return of top-scorer Chris Lofton, although he'll only see limited action tonight if he does play. I have this one as Tennessee -8, so this play is highly recommended.

Nebraska at Texas Tech (-7): This game presents a great psychological situation for the Red Raiders. After losing on the road to Oklahoma on Saturday and at home to Texas last Wednesday, Bobby Knight's squad is in dire need of a conference win. Meanwhile, Nebraska's coming off an upset road victory over Missouri on Saturday, so they'll be susceptible to a letdown. Plus, Nebraska's a perimeter team, which presents fewer defensive problems for the disciplined yet undersized Red Raiders, who have had some trouble against big men in the lanes (Oklahomas' Longar Longar and Texas' Kevin Durant caused terrible matchup problems). Also, if you can find a first-half line at Texas Tech -3.5, I would jump on that because I believe the situational psychology factors play themselves out better in the first half than in the entire game.