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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.
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.
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.
Controversial bid
When the 34 at-large teams were announced for the NCAA tournament, the most controversial bid went to Arizona which extended Wildcat’s NCAA-leading streak of tournament appearances to 25 in a row. Arizona was just 19-13 straight-up and many felt that a non-BCS team such as San Diego State, St. Mary’s-CA, or Creighton should have been dancing.
Thursday
Connecticut (-7) vs. Purdue – Strong defense tends to thrive in the tournament, and both of these teams have top-rate defenses – in the Top 5 by defensive efficiency. The difference here is going to be the pace of play. UConn plays a far more up-tempo style that capitalizes on their size advantage over virtually everyone they play.
With the 2009 NCAA Tournament entering the SWEET 16 round, let’s take a different perspective in analyzing the teams that have arrived. It pertains specifically to teams that are returning to the SWEET 16 for the 2nd straight year. Do they perform like a team with experience and panache, or do they execute like CEO’s expecting cushy bonuses while steering a sinking ship? Let’s take a look.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Friday March 27, 7:27 PM ET
Memphis, TN FedEx Forum – South Region
Syracuse is on an unbelievable 9-1 run ATS. They are 5-1 ATS on neutral courts and 9-3 ATS is the last contests vs. Big 12 teams. The over is 4-0 in the last 4 as an underdog overall. It is 14-2 as an underdog of .5-6.5 points.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Friday March 27, 10:07 PM ET
Memphis, TN FedEx Forum – South Region
Gonzaga is 1-7 vs. non conference opponents in the last 8 games. They are on a 4 game ATS losing streak in the NCAA Tournament. In the tournament the Zags are beating opponents by an average of 7.5 points.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Friday March 27, 9:37 PM ET
Indianapolis, IN Lucas Oil Stadium – Midwest Region
Kansas is an impressive 26-8-1 ATS in the last 35. They are 6-0 on neutral sites and underdogs. But they have lost the last 7 ATS vs. Big 10 opponents. The under is 8-2 on neutral courts and 9-1 in the last 10 in the NCAA Tournament.
