Bruce Marshall’s daughter went to Loyola-Chicago, but the handicapper’s wife won’t be rooting for the Ramblers and Sister Jean — America’s favorite 98-year-old nun — in Saturday’s NCAA semifinals.
Betting
Yes, I’m going against Sister Jean during Easter weekend, but I’m not completely on my own. Remember this bit of history: Villanova was named after St. Thomas of Villanova.
The Group 2 UAE Derby — part of a stellar Dubai World Cup card — and the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park make for a challenging handicapping challenge, part of which involves getting up early Saturday.
The Westgate sports book opened Giancarlo Stanton’s total at 39½, and it had soared to 43½ as of Tuesday — two days before all 30 Major League Baseball teams take the field Thursday for Opening Day.
When Kansas defeated Duke 85-81 in overtime Sunday as a 3½-point underdog, it capped a 16-4 ATS streak for ‘dogs — including 11 outright wins — in the past 20 NCAA Tournament games.
Raise your hand if your bracket had No. 1 seed Virginia, No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 3 Tennessee, No. 4 Arizona and No. 5 Kentucky losing before Saturday’s South Regional final in Atlanta.
With just six weeks until the Kentucky Derby, give or take a day, most horses being aimed for the race are going to run just once more to try to secure a spot in the starting gates.
Westgate sports book manager Ed Salmons and Boyd Gaming sports book director Bob Scucci reported taking sharp action on Kansas State, a 5½-point underdog to Kentucky after the line climbed as high as 6½.
Underdogs dominated Sunday, going 7-1 ATS with four outright wins as No. 1 Xavier, No. 2s North Carolina and Cincinnati and No. 3 Michigan State all were eliminated.
What if Las Vegas sporting events were seeded like the March Madness bracket? Here is how one might look.
A CG Technology bettor lost a $20,000 three-team money-line parlay to win $870 on Purdue, North Carolina and Virginia when the Cavaliers became the first No. 1 seed ever to lose to a No. 16 seed.
The NFL always has been a copycat league. When a team storms to a Super Bowl victory as the Philadelphia Eagles did, every team studies the blueprint and follows accordingly.
Popular favorites Villanova, Kansas and Duke covered double-digit spreads, and there were buzzer beaters, bad beats and countless roars from the crowd on the first day of the NCAA Tournament.
The Bob Baffert-trained colt has been spectacular in the first two races of his career, but his lack of seasoning raises questions about whether he’ll be ready for the moving mosh pit that is the Kentucky Derby.
Last year, an estimated $300 million was wagered on the 67-game tournament at Nevada sports books.