Figuring out where it all went wrong for the Suns this season is like examining the McCain-Palin campaign. A mid-season coaching change and a complete offensive makeover haven’t been able to staunch the bleeding in the desert, and when the Western Conference regular-season music stops in a little over a week, the Suns will be the ones without an NBA playoff chair.
2009 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Action
Sunday March 29, 2:20 PM ET
Indianapolis, IN Lucas Oil Stadium – Midwest Region
Michigan State has won ATS in the last 5 non-conference games but is just 2-5 vs. Big East opponents. The under is 10-4 in the last 14 and 22-6 as an underdog between .5 and 6.5. Michigan State was behind most of the game against KU but pulled out the win. Kansas went away from Cole Aldrich in the middle.
2009 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Action
Sunday March 29, 5:05 PM ET
Memphis, TN FedEx Forum – South Region
Oklahoma is an impressive 3-0 ATS in this tournament with an average margin of victory of 17 points. But they are 2-6 on neutral courts as underdogs and 4-12-1 as underdogs between .5 and 6.5. College Basketball Player of the Year Blake Griffin is what makes this team go.
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.
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 NL Central has been dominated by the Chicago Cubs the last two seasons as they have clearly been the class of this division. While there have been some significant player moves by the rest of the teams to try and close the gap, it remains to be seen if it will enough to dethrone the Cubs.
Chicago Cubs -200: While shuffling their line up somewhat, this year’s team remains basically intact from last season’s team that won 97 games.
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.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Friday March 27, 7:07 PM ET
Indianapolis, IN Lucas Oil Stadium – Midwest Region
Arizona is 11-4 ATS in the last 15 games which includes a 2-0 record in the tournament. They are also 8-2 in the last 10 non conference matchups. The over is 11-4 overall with a 5-1 record in non-conference and neutral sites as an underdog.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Thursday March 26, 10:07 PM ET
Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium – West Region
Missouri is 13-2 ATS in the last 15 and 7-2 on neutral courts this year. But they are just 1-4 ATS in the last 5 vs. Conference USA opponents. The under is 4-1 in the last 5 and 5-1 in the last 6 neutral court games.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Thursday March 26, 10:07 PM ET
Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden – East Region
Villanova beat down a fairly decent UCLA team in the 2nd round after struggling vs. American in the opening round. They are 5-2 in the last 7 vs. ACC opponents. They are also 8-3 following an ATS win.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Thursday March 26, 7:27 PM ET
Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden – East Region
Xavier is 6-3-1 ATS in the last 10 games and 6-2 ATS in the last 8 as underdogs. They are 4-0 ATS vs. the last 4 non-conference opponents. The under has hit in the last 7 neutral site games and the last 4 games overall.
2009 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Action
Thursday March 26, 7:07 PM ET
Glendale, AZ University of Phoenix Stadium – West Region
Purdue is 6-9 ATS in the last 15 games overall and 3-5 in the last 8 neutral court games. They are also 3-6 ATS in the last 9 non conference contests. The over is 8-3 in last 11 neutral games and 8-2 in last 10 as underdogs.
The NL East has basically been a two team battle the last few seasons with the Mets and the Phillies going down to the wire. The question this year is can anyone else in the division stay in the race long enough to challenge for the top spot.
Here is a look at the current odds to win the NL East.
