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.
Sports Columns
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.
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.
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.
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.
Last year, an estimated $300 million was wagered on the 67-game tournament at Nevada sports books.
Top seeds Villanova and Virginia lead a pack of 10 teams with odds of 15-1 or less to win the NCAA Tournament. But MGM Resorts sports book director Jay Rood said there are better futures bets on the board.
No. 10 Butler, a 1-point favorite over No. 7 Arkansas, was the only lower seed favored over a higher seed when Las Vegas sports books posted the opening lines Sunday for the NCAA Tournament, which opens on Tuesday and starts in earnest Thursday.
While handicapper Micah Roberts predicts the Astros will repeat as world champions, the Giants, who won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014, are his sleeper pick at 30-1.
It won’t take a miracle for the U.S. men’s hockey team to win the gold medal this year — when the NHL won’t participate in the Winter Olympics — but the odds are against the Americans (10-1).
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