Today’s Game Picks and Analysis-ESPN Streak for the Cash, January 26

In today’s ESPN Streak for the Cash game, the Syracuse Orange led by guard Michael Carter-Williams will take on Villanova in one of the early games I like. Get all my picks in today’s jam-packed day right here. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

It’s the last Saturday for Streaking in the month of January as Streak for the Cash flies into the end of a great month with a jam-packed board. With options from African soccer, a Tiger Woods prop, UFC on Fox, and plenty of NBA, College Basketball, and NHL options, there’s something for everyone on today’s schedule. You could have picks active for about 15 straight hours today if you play your picks right. These are the one’s I’m looking at to build my streak before Friday’s reset”

Streak Picks for 1/26

11:02- Syracuse Winning Margin: The Orange are favored by 6.5 as they head to Philadelphia for an early game against Villanova. ‘Nova is coming off their biggest win of the season after knocking off Louisville early this week. They made seven three’s in that contest and 6.5 per game. Syracuse has won their last two games by only four points total, but they did beat the Wildcats in Syracuse by 11 a week and a half ago. I think this will be closer than many people expect, but the Orange should win by 10 while Villanova makes 7 three’s. Confidence Meter: 6

12:03- Any Other Result: This pick is Penn State plus 15 as they host Ohio State. The Buckeyes are favored by 14, but the Nittany Lions are at home and still looking for their first Big Ten win. I don’t think they’ll get it here, but in-conference road games haven’t been easy in the Big Ten all year. At home, Penn State lost to then-#18 Michigan State by 18 last week, and Ohio State hasn’t blown any conference opponent out except for Nebraska when they played the ‘Huskers in Columbus. I think the Buckeyes cruise to a win here, but I think the Nittany Lions get a cover. Confidence Meter: 3

Jan 25, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Tiger Woods tees off on the 15th hole during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

12:40- 68 or more: Tiger shot a 68 in round one on the South Course which he plays on today. He torched the Torrey Pines North Course yesterday, but a 68 would be a solid score and probably keep him in the lead going into Sunday. I think he’ll win the tournament but I don’t think its smart to pick him to go super-low (-5 or lower) Saturday. Confidence Meter: 4

1:00- Algeria win: Algeria and Togo have both struggled to score lately, but need a win to keep their hopes alive. Togo’s defense is suspect, so I think Algeria will manage to get a goal and win 1-0. Confidence Meter: 3.5

1:45- Iowa State: The Cylcones are favored by four at home as they host the #11 Kansas State Wildcats. Streakers right now are going heavily K-State, but ISU is unbeaten at home and were playing exceptionally well before laying an egg at Texas Tech in their last game. K-State is also coming off a loss, theirs was to Kansas at home by 4 snapping their eight-game winning streak. This should be a good game, but I like the home team to rediscover their offense and get the win. Don’t get fooled by the ranking. Confidence Meter: 6

2:05- Alabama: The Crimson Tide head to Tennessee to take on the Volunteers in this SEC matchup. Tennessee is coming off a tough road game Thursday night where they gave #23 Ole Miss all they could handle but lost 62-56. ‘Bama also  had a midweek game and beat UK at home by four. They’ve won their last four in a row including a three-point win over the Vols in Tuscaloosa. Vegas has put Tennessee as 3.5 point favorites at home, but I was impressed by the Tide’s roll over the Wildcats and think Tennessee may be tired after playing such a tough game just two days ago. Confidence Meter: 4

Jan 23, 2013; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Reggie Hearn (11) shoots over Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Joe Coleman (11) during the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Northwestern Wildcats defeated the Minnesota Golden Gophers 55-48. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

3:05- Northwestern Wildcats: Northwestern travels to Lincoln to take on Nebraska in this Big 10 game. Nebraska’s lone conference win came at Penn State last Satureday and they’ve been getting crushed in the rest of their conference schedule. They lost earlier this week at home to Illinois by 20, while Northwestern got a hube win at home against Minnesota. If the Wildcats can get a road win here they’ll be back to .500 in Big Ten play. They’ve provem to ability to go on the road and win, beating then-#23 Illinois and Penn State. Northwestern has been inconsistent though also having lost by 20 at home to Iowa. They enter the day as two-point favorites in this one. Confidence Meter: 6

4:05- Middle Tennessee wins by 15+: The Blue Raiders are dominating the Sun Belt and are 9-1 in conference play. They’ve won their last two home games by 22 and 32 over ULL and UALR with their  only loss coming on the road. Today they’re at home as they take on Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers are 5-5 in the Sun Belt but have lost five of six.  None of those losses were by 15, but none was against a team as good as Middle Tennessee either. Confidence Meter: 4

5:05- Missouri wins by 15+ points: The Tigers went down hard a week ago against Florida but they’ll be at home today as they host the Commodores from Vanderbilt. Missouri got a mid-week win by six over South Carolina. Other than that game, they’ve won by 17 or more in all their in-conference home games. Mizzou averages 75.3 points per game and their pressure defense could cause more confusion today. Vanderbilt has won their last two games after losing five of six but have struggled on the road. They scored just 33 points at Arkansas losing by 23 a couple weeks ago. I hate giving this many points, but I’m not counting on a turnover-prone Commodores team that averages just 59.8 points per game which ranks 320th in the nation. Confidence Meter: 5

6:05- Temple wins or single-digit loss: Butler hosts Temple and the Bulldogs are favored by just 5.5. Butler had climbed into the top ten but lost to La Salle mid-week. They should get a boos from the return of Rontei Clarke, their top scorer, but they could have their hands full with the Owls. Temple is 13-5 this year and only their first two losses (to Duke and Canisius) were by double digits. They’re a well-tested team having knocked off Syracuse on a neutral court and gone to Kansa and losing by just seven. I think they’ll be able to keep this within double digits and possibly knock off Butler if they come out flat as they did in their last game. Confidence Meter: 4

7:05- New York Knicks: The Knicks got a nice road win in Boston on Thursday and look to continue their winning ways as they welcome Raymond Felton back against the 76ers in Philadelphia. The Knicks have won three of their last four overall and both games these teams played earlier this season. The Sixers have lost three of their last four and are just 11-10 at home despite usually having one of the best home court advantages in the league. The Knicks are favored by three and have dominated the recent series so I think ‘Melo and company will be able to get the win on the road. Confidence Meter: 7

January 24, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) makes a save against the Philadelphia Flyers during the third period at the Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers defeated the Rangers, 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

7:05- New York Rangers: Of all the Hockey on the board, the Rangers are the heaviest favorite at -170. The Rangers have started with a tough schedule and come in at just 1-3 and the Leafs have started out playing well on the road (2-0 beating the Habs and Pens). Toronto just got beatdown by the other New York team 7-4 on Thursday and will need to step up their defense if they want to stay with New York. In a close, low-scoring game, I’ll take New York. Confidence Meter: 4

7:30- Minnesota Timberwolves:  The Timberwolves take on the lowly Bobcats in Charlotte. Minnesota has dropped six in a row on the road and 10 of their last 11, but Charlotte has lost 16 straight at home. Neither team is playing well, and the Wolves lineup is severely depleted by injury. I’ll still take Minnesota on the road, but stay away from this one if possible. Confidence Meter: 2

8:00- St. Louis Blues: The Blues have looked like one of the best teams in the league to start the season behind a fast start from rookie Vladamir Tarasenko. The Blues travel to Dallas tonight to take on the Stars looking to win their fourth in a row in the series. The Stars just signed Jamie Benn, but he’s not expected to be on the ice tonight. I think the Blues continue their early season roll against a Stars team that didn’t look good as they fell in overtime at home to Chicago in their last game. Confidence Meter: 5

8:05- Florida wins by 20+: The Gators are 20 point favorites as they head to Mississippi State to take on the Bulldogs. Obviously,  20 is a ton of points to give, but MSU has been that bad in SEC play. When they faced Arkansas on Wednesday they lost by 26 and fell last week by 15 to Tennessee. Their last home game was also a bad one as they lost to Alabama by 32. Florida knows about beatdowns like that, but from the other side of things having won their last seven all by 17 or more. They’ve won by 20+ on the road at LSU and Texas A&M, but Georgia did cut the lead to 17 in their last game. It’s a lot of points, but the Gators should roll in this one. Confidence Meter: 4

9:30- Indiana Pacers: The Jazz are usually lights out at the EngergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City as evidenced by their 14-4 home record. They come into today favored by 2.5 but just last night got beat badly in LA by the stumbling Lakers. The Pacers won the first time these two teams met dominating Utah by 20, but they’ve struggled on the road this year. Since the game is in Utah, the Jazz are a good pick, but I think the Pacers are going to pull the upset since they’ll be fresher and match up well against Utah. Confidence Meter: 3

10:00- Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers travel to Calgary coming off a 2-1 start with a nice home win over the LA Kings in their last game. The Flames don’t have a win yet this year and haven’t looked good  giving up over 3 1/2 goals per game. Edmonton was the worst team in the league last year, but they’re a young team that looks good early while the Flames are more of a fading team with players on the downside of their career. Confidence Meter: 4

10:30- Nashville Predators: The Predators have dominated the recent series with the Ducks and last night Anaheim looked awful as they fell 5-0 to Vancouver. Nashville has only one win this season, but they’ve dropped two games in shootouts. The Preds are underrated in my opinion and the Ducks looked pretty bad last night. I don’t think they’ll be able to turn it back around in time to beat Nashville tonight. Confidence Meter: 5 1/2

Jan. 3, 2013; Provo, UT, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Tyler Haws (3) shoots against the Loyola Marymount Lions during the first half at the Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Douglas C. Pizac-USA Today Sports

10:32- BYU wins by Double Digits: The Portland Pilots host the BYU Cougars in WCC action in the final pick of the day. BYU is favored by 12 despite their loss by 20 at Gonzaga on Thursday. It was their second conference loss while Portland is just 1-5 in WCC play. The Pilots have struggled to score all year and lost their last three games all of which were at home and two of which were 20+ point blowouts. I think BYU’s high-scoring offense will be able to bounce back in this one and get the win and the green in this one.  Confidence Meter: 6

January Scoreboard

Yesterday’s picks: 4-6 

Overall Record: 132-125

Confident Picks (5+): 46-30 

Current Personal Streak: L1 (had Anaheim at home who lost to Vancouver)

Longest Personal Streak of January: W5