In today’s SportSense Entertainment Newsletter sponsored by ParlayPlay…

There were plenty of predictions to go around yesterday across the NFL, NBA, and NHL, with our model focusing in on two of those predictions in our Featured Matchups. Those predictions went 2-1 overall, and you can see how each of the models performed below.

Money Line Predictions: 1-0

Over/Under Predictions: 0-1

Spread Predictions: 0-1

Featured Matchup: 0-1

Money Line Predictions: 5-4

Over/Under Predictions: 3-6

Spread Predictions: 6-3

Featured Matchup: 1-0

Money Line Predictions: 7-7

Over/Under Predictions: 10-4

Puck Line Predictions: 10-4

Featured Matchup: 1-0

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Two conference championships will take place tonight, with those being the Conference USA and Pac-12 Championships. Our model’s predictions for tonight’s games can be found below.

Oregon Ducks @ Washington Huskies

Model Predicts- Oregon ML, UNDER 65.5, Washington +10

The Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies will square off in the Pac-12 Championship this evening, a game set to take place in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Oregon enters tonight’s matchup with an 11-1 record, with the Ducks’ only loss of the season coming against Washington back in October. Meanwhile, Washington sits at a perfect 12-0, despite some close calls over the last few weeks.

Washington won the first matchup 36-33 on its home field, but our model likes Oregon to get revenge today at a neutral site. Let’s take a look at why that is.

Oregon Ducks

• Arguably best offense in country

  • Rank 2nd in yards per play (7.85) and points per game (45.6)

  • 57% success rate on all downs, 43% on passing downs

  • Very explosive- 40 plays of 40+ yards this season (cfbstats)

• Led by Heisman Trophy favorite Bo Nix

  • Leads al FBS quarterbacks in completion % (78.6%), pass yards. Second in QB Rating and passing TDs

• Boast strong defensive unit

  • Hold opponents to 25% success rate on passing downs

  • Rank 12th in yards per play (4.83)

Washington Huskies

• Have struggled since beating Oregon

  • Have won two games by double digits. Last two games have been won by three points or less

• Offense is just as strong as Oregon’s

  • Rank 3rd in yards per play, 52% success rate on all downs

  • Led by Michael Penix- 302 yards and 4 TDs against Oregon earlier this season

• Defense is major weak point

  • Rank 58th in yards per play (5.48)

  • Opponents own 45% success rate against Washington

  • Vulnerable to explosive plays- 22 plays of 40+ yards

What’s the Play?

Our model says to back Washington on the spread here, predicting a final score of roughly 35-28. However, we are going to take the under in this spot.

Oregon’s defense is one of the stronger groups in the nation, especially when it comes to defending the pass. The Ducks have held opposing QBs to a 59% completion rate and 25% success rate on passing downs this season, which will give a Washington team that throws the ball on nearly 59% of plays some trouble.

Washington looks like it has run out of gas in recent weeks, barely squeezing out victories over Oregon State and Washington State due to a decrease in offensive production. It won’t get much easier to score today, which should keep the total below 65.5 liked our model predicts.

The Play: Under 65.5 (-110)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Liberty- 12-0 overall this season, 8-0 against conference opponents

• Oregon Ducks- 11-1 overall this season, 6-0 in last six games

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Oregon- Under is 7-5 this season with average total of 61.17

• Washington- Under is 6-6 this season, 2-0 in last two games

Spread Trends ➕➖

• Liberty- 8-4 against the spread (ATS) as a favorite this season

🔄 UCLA’s Moore enters transfer portal. UCLA's freshman quarterback, Dante Moore, is set to enter the transfer portal, as confirmed by a source to ESPN. Moore, initially the second-ranked prospect in the 2023 class from Detroit, had originally committed to Oregon before switching to UCLA and signing with the Bruins. Throughout this season, as a true freshman, he participated in nine games, accumulating 1,610 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

🐊 Graham Mertz to return to Florida. Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz made it known through a social media post that he intends to extend his college football career for a sixth and final season with the Gators. Mertz, who started 11 games in the recent season after transferring from Wisconsin, displayed strong performance stats, throwing for 2,903 yards, 20 touchdowns, and merely three interceptions while boasting a completion rate of 72.9%. His decision to return provides the Gators with an experienced figure in the quarterback position, especially with the anticipated arrival of freshman five-star quarterback D.J. Lagway.

The lengthy NBA season will continue on Friday, with twelve teams scheduled to take the hardwood. Our model’s predictions for all of tonight’s matchups can be found below.

Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns

Model Predicts- Nuggets ML, OVER 225.5, Nuggets -2.5

The Denver Nuggets will become December with a three-game road trip, with the first stop coming in Phoenix to take on the Suns.

Denver enters tonight’s battle with a 13-6 record and on a three-game winning streak, propelling the Nuggets to the second position in the Western Conference. Phoenix has also found some success this season despite dealing with significant injuries, posting an 11-7 record through 18 games.

The last time we saw Denver and Phoenix square off came in last season’s playoffs, a series the Nuggets won 4-2. Our model sees a similar outcomes happening tonight, so let’s dive into it.

Denver Nuggets

• Have been one of best teams in NBA across many metrics

  • Rank 7th in Net Rating (+5.0)

  • Efficient offense- shooting 49.1% overall and 36.8% from three

• Have been even better during three-game win streak

  • Net Rating has jumped to +10.5

  • Averaging 126.3 points per game while shooting 44.1% from three

• Getting healthy again

  • Jamal Murray returned to court last game, but could still be without Aaron Gordon

Phoenix Suns

• Elite team on offensive end

  • Rank 7thin Offensive Rating (117.5)

  • Strength is three-point shooting- hitting 38.7% of three point attempts (3rd in NBA)

• Plenty of struggles defensively

  • Rank 18th in Defensive Rating (113.9)

  • Rating spikes to 117.8 when playing at home

• Still missing some key players

  • Bradley Beal is sidelined, Devin Booker is questionable

What’s the Play?

The Phoenix Suns may have some extra motivation tonight after being bounced by the Nuggets last postseason, but we agree with our model that Denver should win this game outright.

The Suns’ defensive struggles are holding the team back, and the potential absence of Booker won’t make things better on either end of the floor. Phoenix is allowing opponents to shoot 47.3% overall and 37.8% from three while at home, splits that will likely get worse against an efficient offense like Denver.

Additionally, the Nuggets have tons of momentum and a slight health advantage here, which is obviously a benefit. Our model likes Denver on the spread tonight, but we’ll grab the Nuggets on the money line.

The Play: Nuggets ML (-135)

Money Line Trends 💰

• Orlando Magic- 13-5 overall this season, 8-0 in last eight games

• Philadelphia 76ers- 12-6 overall this season, 5-3 as the away team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• Dallas Mavericks- Over is 13-5 this season, 7-3 as the away team

• Phoenix Suns- Over is 12-6 this season, 7-1 as the home team

Spread Trends ➕➖

• New York Knicks- 9-7-2 against the spread (ATS) this season, 5-3-1 ATS as the away team

🤕 LaVine sidelined with foot soreness. Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine will sit out for a week due to soreness in his right foot, as announced by the team on Friday morning. LaVine was absent during the team's recent 120-113 overtime win against the Milwaukee Bucks and also missed a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder last week due to the same injury. Despite being a two-time All-Star, LaVine has faced challenges in finding his usual form in the first 18 games of this season, averaging 21 points while shooting at 44.3%, his lowest figures since the 2017-18 season.

💪 Young dominates in tight win over Spurs. Trae Young's exceptional fourth-quarter performance, marked by a season-high 45 points, helped propel the Hawks to a 137-135 comeback win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday. Dejounte Murray also contributed with 24 points and five steals against his former team, proving that Atlanta possesses one of the strongest backcourts in the NBA. The loss was the 13th straight for the Spurs, the second-longest in the NBA behind the Pistons.

Only two NHL games are scheduled to take place today. Our model’s predictions for both matchups can be found below.

There is no NHL Featured Matchup today.

Money Line Trends 💰

• New Jersey Devils- 11-9-1 overall this season, 3-0 in last three games

• Ottawa Senators- 8-9 overall this season, 2-2 as the away team

Over/Under Trends ⬆️⬇️

• San Jose Sharks- Under is 15-6-2 this season with average total of 5.61

• Ottawa Senators- Over is 9-5-3 this season with average total of 7.00

Puck Line Trends ➕➖

• Columbus Blue Jackets- Puck line is 15-9 this season

💰 Canadiens sign Montembeault to three-year extension. The Montreal Canadiens have inked goaltender Samuel Montembeault to a new three-year contract extension worth an average of $3.15 million per year. Acquired by the Canadiens in October 2021 after being waived by the Florida Panthers, Montembeault assumed the starting goaltender role following Jake Allen's injury. Montembeault, 27, has appeared in 10 games for the Canadiens this season, tallying a 5-3-1 record with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.