Sports Betting Games To Bet On – Jan. 26 Edition
You might have heard about the football game they’re playing on Sunday. Super Bowl XLIII is the highlight of the year in both sports and sports gambling, and it’s the main event on this week’s Top 5 betting list. All times are Eastern; for current lines, visit sports.bodog.com.
1. NFL: Pittsburgh vs. Arizona (Sunday, 6:20 p.m.)
One week into the Super Bowl betting market, and the Steelers are hanging on as 7-point favorites, with the juice moving all the way to even money – bet $100 to win $100. Market surveys have the Cardinals still with a slight edge in action at about 55 percent, which has been enough so far to keep the line from tipping to Steelers –6.5. There has been some speculation about the health of Steelers WR Hines Ward and his sprained knee; Ward says he will play, but has been downgraded from probable to questionable. Arizona LB Travis LaBoy (bicep) is in the same boat, although he’s not nearly as important to the Cardinals as Ward is to the five-time Super Bowl champions.
SuperBowl odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.
2. NBA: San Antonio at Phoenix (Thursday, 10:30 p.m.)
The Suns (24-18 SU, 14-26-1 ATS) have been the most unprofitable team in the league up to this point, but they pulled out of a 1-6 tailspin (0-6-1 ATS) on Sunday with a 104-99 road win over the Hawks, cashing in as 4-point puppies. San Antonio (29-14 SU, 19-23-1 ATS) hasn’t been paying for anyone’s college fund either; Sunday’s 99-85 loss to the Lakers (-7.5) leaves the Spurs at 5-3 SU and 2-6 ATS in their last eight. Each team has won and covered on the other’s home court once this season. The most recent matchup, featuring two healthy teams and Jason Richardson in the Phoenix lineup, was the thrilling 91-90 Spurs victory on Christmas Day when Roger Mason hit the game-winning 3-pointer for San Antonio (+2.5) at the buzzer.
3. NCAAB: Notre Dame at Pittsburgh (Saturday, 12:00 p.m.)
The Fighting Irish have been tremendous fade candidates this year at 12-6 SU and 4-8 ATS. But their betting value may have run dry after Notre Dame’s first home loss of the season, 69-61 to the UConn Huskies (-2). On the other hand, the Panthers remain a strong and yet undervalued team at 18-1 SU and 8-5-1 ATS. Pittsburgh is coming off a 79-67 win over West Virginia (-1) in Morgantown. The court is tilted in favor of the Panthers; they run the No. 3-ranked offense in Division I, while Notre Dame counters with the No. 134-ranked defense.
4. NHL: N.Y. Rangers at Pittsburgh (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.)
Sidney Crosby may have skipped the All-Star Game to rest his ailing knee, but he’s expected to be right back on the ice for the games that count in the standings. The Penguins need him; they’re only in fourth place in the Atlantic at 23-21-4. The Rangers are a point out of first at 28-16-4, but there is very little difference in the performance levels of the two teams at the halfway point of the season. New York has a goal differential of plus-2 (127-125). Injury-laden Pittsburgh has a goal differential of minus-2 (144-146). The Pens blanked the Rangers 3-0 last week at the Igloo after New York won their first three meetings of the season – all in the Big Apple.
5. MMA: Georges St-Pierre vs. BJ Penn (Saturday, PPV at 10:00 p.m.)
The feature bout at UFC 94 (MGM Grand, Las Vegas) is for the Welterweight strap, and it’s a rematch of the narrow split decision two years ago that saw St-Pierre earn a title match against Matt Hughes, whom he eventually beat. St-Pierre is 6-1 in the Octagon since defeating Penn (17-2 overall), the only blemish coming against Matt Serra at UFC 69. Penn is 3-2 (13-4-1 overall); the Hawaiian native fell to Hughes in his first fight after St-Pierre, but is currently on a three-win streak and is one of the few men to give his opponent Saturday a run for his money. St-Pierre is a –175 chalk for this bout.
Honorable Mentions
NBA: Boston at Detroit (Friday, 7:00 p.m.)
NCAAB: Georgetown at Marquette (Saturday, 2:00 p.m.)
NHL: Washington at Boston (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.)
Soccer: Arsenal at Everton (Wednesday, 3:00 p.m.)
MMA: Lyoto Machida vs. Thiago Silva (Saturday, PPV at 10:00 p.m.)
Tennis: Late-round Australian Open action, all week.
