“March Madness” is in full swing as the NCAAB Picks Elite 8 kicks off today with the East and West Regional finals. Although last night produced some minor surprises the fact of the matter is that all #1 seeds are still alive to make it to the final four! So now we’re down to the final 8 contestants of the tournament.
2009 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Action
Saturday March 28, 7:05 PM ET
Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden – East Region
Villanova is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 and an underdog. The under has hit in the last 4 games as an underdog on neutral courts. Villanova looked good against a mediocre Duke team.
2009 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Action
Saturday March 28, 4:40 PM ET
Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium – West Region
Missouri is 6-0 ATS in their last 6 outings. They are 9-2 ATS in their last NCAA Tournament performances. The over has played in the last 7 NCAA Tournament games as an underdog. On neutral courts the over has hit in 8 of the last 10.
The playoff picture is getting clearer and clearer but we still have some great power trends this weekend to help you cash-in.
On Saturday, drama is aplenty when the desperate Phoenix Suns visit the Utah Jazz. Phoenix goes into the weekend trailing the 8th spot in the West by 3.5 games. Unfortunately, in their last two trips to Utah, they were beaten by 12 and 22 points respectively. Plus, Utah is again a sterling 30-6 straight-up and 21-15 ATS at home.
The Elite Eight teams will battle it out Saturday and Sunday for a trip to the Final Four in Detroit and we have the historical betting trends to help you out.
Click here for the latest Elite Eight odds and make sure to get your bets in early at Sportsbook.com.
The Big East is dominating Saturday night’s Elite Eight, with three of the four teams representing the conference.
And while two of those are top seeded Pittsburgh and Connecticut, underdogs Villanova and Missouri both got wins over higher seeds in the Sweet Sixteen and have the ability to do it again.
In MLB betting, the type of champion varies from year to year. Sometimes we see a dominant franchise rule the roost wire to wire and take the World Series odds; the 2007 Boston Red Sox come to mind. Sometimes we see good but not great teams overcome their flaws to play their best baseball in October and win it all. The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals come to mind, and so do the 2008 Phillies.
Atlanta used to be an MLB betting certainty to win the National League East, as it took the division 11 straight years. After three years of third and fourth-place finishes, the Braves have reloaded and are looking to challenge New York and Philadelphia in the East.
The Braves scored 770 runs last year, and they got rid of slugger Mark Teixeira late in the season, which definitely hurt their offense.
The Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament gets going Saturday and betED.com has odds available for the first two tilts.
The first game features the Missouri Tigers taking on the No. 1-seeded Connecticut Huskies in the West Regional Final (4:40 pm ET, CBS).
The Huskies are 5.5-point favorites and the over/under is 149.5 in March Madness Betting Odds at betED.com.
In one of the better division pennant races from last season, the Dodgers outlasted the Diamondbacks to win the NL West by 2 games. With Manny Ramirez aboard for the whole season, LA should be able to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the division.
Something tells me this isn’t going to be the case, as the NL West could be more competitive this season than most people think.
The South Region in the NCAA Tournament has been very form full thus far with all four of the top seeds thru to the sweet 16. This region also finds the overall tournament favorite in North Carolina Tar Heels. Hope all of you has checked out Craig’s breakdown of the East bracket. Today Craig will give you his breakdown of the bracket and his underdog value play.
The 2009 WBC is over, the MLB preseason is underway, and Scott Orgera weighs in with his weekly MLB Power Rankings article for the 2009 MLB baseball season.
1. New York Yankees – 2008 Record – 89-73
Coming out of camp, this team boasts the strongest, most balanced starting rotation in the game.
Race: Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 – Martinsville Speedway
Date: Sunday, March 29, 2009
Time: 2:16 PM EST (scheduled Green Flag)
TV: 2:00 PM EST on FOX
Preview: NASCAR drivers might need some Goody’s Headache Powder by the time Sunday’s race on the Martinsville “paperclip” is over.
March Madness isn’t the only game in town tonight with a good TNT Doubleheader in addition to the L.A. Lakers (-8.5) at Detroit.
Sportsbook.com is your home for all basketball wagering, so check out the Live Lines Page now.
Miami (+5.5) at Chicago – 8 pm ET
Miami (38-33, 33-38 ATS) has the same number of losses as Philadelphia and is situated in the number five slot in the Eastern Conference.
We know what to expect entering 2009 MLB betting for the NL East. The Marlins are in the middle of their typical five-year cycle: dismantle World Champion roster, acquire boatloads of prospects, slowly develop them, become competitive, sign a couple free agents for playoff push, win World Series, rinse and repeat.
While MLB betting fans will never mistake the Washington Nationals for the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays or even the 2009 Kansas City Royals, things may finally be looking ever-so-slightly up for them this season. While only a die-hard online sports betting player knows anything about their obscure pitching staff, it definitely looks like this team will hit in 2009. Think of them as the Baltimore Orioles of the NL East.
