After a slow start to the season Michigan State has come on and might be the hottest team in the Final Four. That being said experts are still not giving the Spartans much respect as they are the longest shot on the board at 5-1. The good news for Michigan State fans is this teams loves the underdog roll and flourishes when everyone tells them they can’t win.
Some playoff teams are still jockeying for position (a.k.a. how can we avoid the Cavaliers or Lakers in the first round?), but for the most part during the final week or so the members of the Association will partake in a macro version of garbagetime.
Baseball fans in Kansas City and Pittsburgh know what we’re talking about here.
Just 2 ½ weeks ago, coach Ed DeChellis and his Penn State team watched the NCAA Tournament Selection Show with disappointment as they were one of the teams left out in the cold.
Apparently though, the Nittany Lions took this snubbing and used it as motivation to make a postseason run of a different kind, in the NIT Tournament.
The Chicago Cubs‘ “curse” has been running strong for just over 100 years now, and fans and bettors alike are anxious to know if this is finally the season they break the jinx. Sportsbook oddsmakers certainly seem to think they have a shot.
At +450, Cubs odds to win the World Series are telling. Chicago rolled up an impressive 97 wins last year, tops in the National League and tied for second in all of baseball.
In MLB betting, the American League and National League are different beasts. Whereas the Red Sox and Yankees are shoe-ins to contend every year, the NL’s divisional and MLB Wild-Card playoff picture varies wildly. Remember when the Rockies made the World Series in 2007, then went 74-88 the last year?
After starting with a field of 65 of the best college teams in the nation and four rounds of games, we are down to four teams that have survived the challenge. Each team has shown they deserve to be here and now have the chance to play one more game to earn a shot at playing for the 2009 National Championship.
2009 is going to be a season with a big shift in MLB standings compared to last year. Some teams improved via trade and free agency and others didn’t change up much in the off season. There could be a couple teams with massive fire sales mid-year.
Here is how I see this division playing out in 2009.
Three important Kentucky Derby preps at tracks across the country on Saturday will decide the fate of many 3-year-olds hoping to make the 135th Run for the Roses.
It’s strictly a money situation. For example, Imperial Council must upset probable odds-on favorite I Want Revenge in the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct to guarantee a trip to Louisville.
The New York Jets are the leading candidate to land current Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler according to Sportsbook.com.
The Jets, a +300 favorite to land the disgruntled QB, spent loads of cash on their defense this offseason but the need for a quarterback remains if they are to reach the playoffs in an improving AFC East division.
Not many people had UCONN winning it all after they lost key guard Jerome Dyson. Don’t look now they have not only recovered from his injury but are playing there best basketball of the season. Coach Calhoun is one of the best coaches at taking adversity and turning it into motivation. If one thing you can say about the UCONN program is they are fighters and they don’t go down easy.
Odds to Win MLB’s American League West
The AL West has been dominated by the Los Angeles Angels the last several seasons, winning their division four out of the last five years and in 2008 by a whopping 21 games. I do not see things being that easy for them in 2009 as the rest of the teams in the West have worked hard this past off season to try and close the gap.
The Betting Numbers
This game opened at LVSC with Baylor -3 and the total set at 136. It would not be surprising to see this line come down as Penn St. is once again likely to have the majority of fan support at the Garden. Surprisingly, Baylor is favored by more points in the NIT championship game than it was favored by in the semifinal game while Penn St. is getting fewer points this time around which does in fact make sense.
Looking at the National league’s baseball betting odds this season, you have to wonder…could the Big Red Machine be on the way back to glory?
Sure, the Cubs are unparalleled, but the next rung in the crowded NL Central is up for grabs. The Brewers may regress, the Cards should improve, and the Reds may sneak past both of them if everything goes right at the sportsbook. Even with the loss of Adam Dunn, they’ll score plenty of runs and their starting pitching may finally measure up to the young bats.
The Houston Astros were an MLB betting surprise in 2008, staying afloat in the tough NL Central division and winning 86 games. Even though 86 wins doesn’t scream “playoff contender,” I still think that total was a fluke. The Astros are thin on talent, particularly in the pitching department, and they’ll be hard pressed to match last season’s online betting “success.”
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The Final 4 is set with only three games to play to decide the National Champion of the 2008-09 college basketball betting season at BetUS Sportsbook. Without further ado, take a look at how these teams stack up against one another in this sports betting season’s final power poll…
