Wagers to Watch
By Bodog
Will the Cornell Big Red win the NCAA Tournament? Not only are they still alive after two rounds of March Madness, the Big Red were also dominant in their two victories. And the spectre of having to meet No. 1 Kentucky at the Sweet Sixteen doesn’t seem so spooky after what Northern Iowa did to No. 1 Kansas. That’s why they call it Madness. We’re leading off with the Ivy League champions in this week’s wagers to watch.
1. Big Red meets Big Blue
No. 12 Cornell vs. No. 1 Kentucky (Thursday, 9:55 p.m.)
The Big Red (29-4 SU, 18-10 ATS) chewed through both Temple (-3) and Wisconsin (-4.5) to reach the Sweet Sixteen, winning both games by double digits and shooting a combined 17-of-38 (44.7 percent). That’s Cornell’s modus operandi; this is the top 3-point shooting team in Division I at 43.9 percent, enough to make up for a lot of shortcomings on defense. Kentucky (34-2 SU, 19-15 ATS) was even more dominant through two rounds, dropping East Tennessee State (+18.5) by 29 points and Wake Forest (+9.5) by 30 points.
2. Cinderella a favorite?
No. 9 Northern Iowa vs. No. 5 Michigan State (Friday, 9:35 p.m.)
Northern Iowa (30-4 SU, 22-11 ATS) has been on the basketball betting map all season, but beating the Jayhawks straight up as 11-point underdogs? Madness. The Panthers did it with defense, discipline and experience; that’s what we typically expect from Michigan State (26-8 SU, 13-20 ATS), but the Spartans went on an unusual 10-of-18 spree from downtown to edge Maryland (-1) 85-83 in the second round. MSU is 34.3 percent from long range on the season; the Division I average is 34.2 percent. Northern Iowa’s perimeter defense isn’t likely to allow the Spartans to win this matchup from outside.
3. Alamo Showdown
L.A. Lakers at San Antonio (Wednesday, 9:30 p.m.)
The Lakers (52-18 SU, 29-38-3 ATS) and Spurs (41-27 SU, 35-32-1 ATS) have met in the Western Conference playoffs seven times since 1995 – but never in the first round. That could change this year with L.A. leading the West and San Antonio tied with Portland for the last two seeds. The Lakers will try to get by without center Andrew Bynum (sore Achilles) for the rest of the month; Lamar Odom (sore shoulder) only took four shots in Sunday’s 99-92 win over Washington (+12) and made one. With Ron Artest (sprained thumb) also playing hurt, depth now becomes a much bigger issue for the defending champions.
4. Slumping Sharks in the Tank
Vancouver at San Jose (Saturday, 10:00 p.m.)
We’re down to 10 games left in the regular season, and the NHL’s Western Conference playoff race is as wide open as its NBA counterpart. The Sharks (43-19-10, 15.50 units) have come back down to earth by losing the first five games of their current six-game road trip. That included a stop in Vancouver, where the Canucks (44-24-4, 6.80 units) picked up a 3-2 win as –125 favorites; they’re now 6-3-1 since the Olympic break. The other Canucks-Sharks meeting this season was at the Pavilion in a 4-2 victory for San Jose (EVEN). Winger Mikael Samuelsson will miss this game and the next 2-3 weeks for Vancouver with a shoulder injury, while the Sharks welcomed back key defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic (knee) on Sunday after a 17-game absence.
5. Premier Pitch
Everton at Manchester City (Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.)
Manchester City (22 wins, six losses, three draws) have moved past Liverpool into fifth place on the English Premiership table. Five of their remaining eight games are home at Eastlands, starting with Wednesday’s tilt against a tough Everton side (12-9-9, eighth place in Premiership). The Toffees have victories at home this year over Manchester United and Chelsea, but they haven’t been nearly as strong on the road at 3-7-4. City will be looking for revenge after dropping a 2-0 decision to Everton (+190 to win) at Goodison Park.
Honorable Mentions
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 1 Duke (Friday, 9:55 p.m.)
Denver at New York (Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.)
Pittsburgh at Detroit (Monday, 7:00 p.m.)
Sunderland at Aston Villa (Wednesday, 2:45 p.m.)
Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy (PPV starts Saturday at 10:00 p.m.)