March Madness is upon us, with the big conference tournaments tipping off and Selection Sunday mere days away. Hoops will be at the forefront of the sports world the next few weeks with all the NCAA action and the playoff races heating up in the NBA.
NBA TNT Thursday
Cleveland Cavaliers at
Washington Wizards
Both the Cavs and the Wiz are currently in the playoff
hunt with Cleveland as the East’s fourth seed and Washington in the sixth
spot.
The Cavs were one of the big movers at the trade deadline acquiring the
likes of Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West and Joe Smith to aid in
Cleveland and LeBron James’ quest to return to the NBA finals.
Cleveland
hasn’t been too bad in its last 10 either going 7-3 overall and 6-4 against the
spread. While the Wizards are currently in the playoff spot, a string of
consecutive losses could put their visions of the postseason in jeopardy.
In
its last 10, Washington’s SU and ATS numbers have been average. While the team
has been profitable at 6-4 ATS, they’ve been a mediocre 5-5 overall, however,
the Wiz did manage to cover as a 3½-point underdog the last time they met the
Cavs, but just missed out on a straight up win in an eventual 90-89
loss.
NCAA Conference Tourneys
March Madness is so close that you probably can hear the swishes and clanks of the hoop but before the big dance starts the conference tournaments take center stage.
ACC
North Carolina and Duke played a crucial game last
weekend with the Tar Heels upsetting the 1½-point favorite Blue Devils by a
final count of 76-68 in Durham.
Because of that UNC sees itself as the top
seed at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and is listed at -120 to take
the ACC tourney and +450 to win the NCAA title at SPORTSBETTING.COM.
Big
12
Texas is the Big 12’s top seed and warmed up for the conference tournament
by beating Oklahoma State 62-57 but failing to cover as an 11-point
favorite.
Even though listed as the Big 12’s No. 1, the Longhorns are not the
odds-on to take the conference tournament as they are listed at +250.
Kansas
is the big favorite to take the Big 12 tournament listed at -150.
Big
Ten
The top spot in the Big Ten was secured handily by Wisconsin, but the
Badgers only covered by the hairs on their chinny chin chins as they beat the
12½-point spread by ½-point in a 65-52 win.
Wisconsin is also the favorite to
win the conference tournament, listed at +175.
Big East
Georgetown (-3½)
secured the conference title by virtue of a 55-52 victory over Louisville but
failed Cardinal bettors, missing out on a payday by a ½-point.
It mattered
little to the Hoyas who took their second Big East title in a row.
Last year
the Hoyas made the Final Four of March Madness but missed an opportunity to play
in the title game with a loss to Ohio State.
This year the Hoyas are +1200
to win the NCAA championship and +120 to take the Big East
tourney.
Pac-10
When UCLA played Cal last week, the oddsmakers were pretty
much expecting a blowout. Listed at +15½, the Golden Bears headed south to
Pauley Pavilion in L.A. and almost pulled an upset.
Cal gave UCLA all it
could handle covering the 15½-point spread but losing to the Bruins in a game
that ended 81-80.
In futures betting for both the Pac-10 tournament and the
NCAA championship, the Bruins are -120 and +450 respectively.
SEC
The
Tennessee Volunteers are tops of the SEC East, but they could’ve been the No. 1
team in the nation if they had played their cards right.
The Vols seemingly
scored a crucial win against then No. 1 Memphis, beating the Tigers in a game
where Tennessee covered as a 6½-point favorite and won 66-62.
The team
pole-vaulted to top spot but unfortunately, their stint at the top was very
short-lived as the Vols lost their very next game, dropping a game as a 2-point
favorite in a 72-69 loss to Vanderbilt three days later.
However the Vols are
the East’s top seed and are listed at +100 to take the tourney and +1200 to take
the NCAA hoops crown at SPORTSBETTING.COM.
NBA Sunday
Houston Rockets at
Los Angeles Lakers
If you’ve bet on the Houston Rockets on the moneyline the
past nineteen games, you’ve probably been stockpiling your fair share of cash
and even if betting them ATS has been very profitable.
The Rockets haven’t
lost a game SU in nineteen (19-0) (before Atlanta Wednesday night) and have gone
17-2 ATS in that same span as well—did we mention that Yao Ming is gone for the
season?
The red hot Rockets will travel to LA LA land to take on Kobe, Gasol
and the rest of the Lakers, who have been respectable in their own right going
39-22-1 ATS.
It should be a great game.
Do your homework this weekend with
all the college basketball tournaments and get ready for the Madness. 
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