3-17-14

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Betting 101: March Madness money management tips
By DOC'S SPORTS

The bettors who have successful NCAA tournaments are going to be the ones who can successfully manage their money through the tournament. Here are four crucial tips for March Madness money management.

Pace yourself

It’s a long tournament: 67 games over three weeks. You don’t need to try to get rich in the Round of 64. So many games are happening at once that it can be tough to effectively handicap all of them. There’s no rule saying that you have to bet on every game.

Instead of going for maximum action, know what you can handle and give yourself the best possible chance of success. There’s nothing worse than having an empty wallet heading into the second week of the tournament. It’s life-or-death for teams to win every game they play. Be sure you don’t put yourself in the same situation.

Don’t fall in love with your bracket

Heading into the tournament you are almost certainly going to fill out a bracket or two. Is there anyone in the country who doesn’t? For bettors, though, it is crucial to separate your bracket from your wagering.

If you’re too tied to your bracket, then you have a preconceived notion of how things will turn out in a given game. That means you will be betting with a bias, and that’s no way to bet successfully. Every game in the tournament is an individual event and needs to be viewed as such. Teams that look ahead past the immediate game in hand almost always get themselves into trouble. Don’t fall into the same trap.

Watch the public

Public interest in college basketball is dramatically higher for these three weeks than at any other time. That means that there’s a whole lot of dumb money thrown at games. For well-informed bettors, that can create tremendous opportunities.

If a high-profile, public team plays a lesser-known squad then the action is almost certain to be skewed. That doesn’t mean you should bet on the unknown blindly, but it could indicate the best value spots in the tournament. There’s no better way to effectively manage your money than to invest in strong value.

Be disciplined

There are few events more exciting than the NCAA tournament, and few that require so much focus from bettors over an extended period. It’s far too easy to get carried away by that excitement, and to let that empty your wallet. You need to establish a firm plan before the tournament starts - the size of your tournament bankroll, unit size, vig you will accept, and so on.

Once that plan is in place, you need to revisit it regularly to be sure you’re sticking to it, and be willing to walk away from betting on the tournament if things go poorly and you have reached your limits. Discipline is the single biggest factor to successful money management in all betting, and that is especially true during March Madness.

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NCAA tournament odds: Spreads for opening matchups

Selection Sunday has come and gone. The field for the NCAA tournament is set and oddsmakers are frantically posting odds on the opening round (play-in games) and the Round 2 action (Thursday and Friday). Here's a look at the opening odds for those games, courtesy of BetOnline.ag:

Play-in Games

Mount St. Mary's vs Albany (-2.5)

Xavier vs North Carolina State (+1)

Texas Southern vs Cal Poly (-2.5)

Tennessee vs Iowa (+2)

Round 2

March 19

Pittsburgh vs Colorado (+6.5)

Dayton vs Ohio St. (-5)

Western Michigan vs Syracuse (-13)

North Dakota State vs Oklahoma (-2.5)

New Mexico St. vs San Diego St. (-6)

Brigham Young vs Oregon (-2)

American U. vs Wisconsin (-10)

Manhattan vs Louisville (-12.5)

Arizona St. vs Texas (-2.5)

Wofford vs Michigan (-14)

Harvard vs Cincinnati (-3.5)

Delaware vs Michigan St. (-13)

St. Joseph's vs Connecticut (-4)

Wis.-Milwaukee vs Villanova (-14.5)

March 20

Stephen F. Austin vs VCU (-8)

Tulsa vs UCLA (-9)

Stanford vs New Mexico (-3.5)

Eastern Kentucky vs Kansas (-13)

Weber St. vs Arizona (-14.5)

Oklahoma St. vs Gonzaga (+1)

Nebraska vs Baylor (-2.5)

Louisiana-Lafayette vs Creighton (-13.5)

Kansas St. vs Kentucky (-4)

Mercer vs Duke (10.5)

Coastal Carolina vs Virginia (-19)

George Washington vs Memphis (-2.5)

North Carolina Central vs Iowa St. (-9)

Providence vs North Carolina (-5)

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Gators head NCAA Tournament field
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE

INDIANAPOLIS -- Florida earned the NCAA Tournament's overall No. 1 seed, while Michigan's bid for one of three remaining top seeds slipped away Sunday afternoon.

The top-ranked Gators (32-2) secured the No. 1 seed in the South after holding off Kentucky for a 61-60 victory in the Southeastern Conference championship game Sunday.

Also earning a top seed in the 68-team NCAA Division I men's tournament is Wichita State (34-0). The nation's lone unbeaten team, the Shockers received their first-ever No. 1 seed. They top the Midwest Region.

Arizona (30-4) is seeded No. 1 in the West despite being upset by UCLA in Saturday's Pacific 12 Conference final.

Virginia, which won its first Atlantic Coast Conference title since 1976, took the No. 1 seed in the East with a 28-6 record.

"Virginia's total resume was very impressive," said the tournament committee chairman, Wake Forest athletic director Ron Wellman. "They continued to impress us throughout the year."

Michigan appeared in line for the fourth and final top seed but slipped to No. 2 in the Midwest after dropping a 69-55 decision to Michigan State in Sunday's Big Ten tournament final. The Spartans earned a No. 4 seed in the East.

"I think Michigan would have been a top seed had they won," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.

CBS Sports reported that three No. 1 seeds were already set even as the SEC and Big Ten tournament finals were under way. Wellman said that Michigan and Villanova both received consideration for No. 1 seeds. The Wildcats wound up as the No. 2 seed in the East.

The Big 12 has seven entries while the Big Ten, ACC, Pac-12 and Atlantic 10 each earned six tournament berths. Seven at-large bids went to non-power conferences compared to 11 each of the past two NCAA Tournaments.

Defending champion Louisville, which won the American Athletic Conference tournament, is a No. 4 seed.

"They did not fall at all," Wellman said. "You look at the No. 4 and we have some great teams -- UCLA, Michigan State. San Diego State. Louisville is playing as well as anyone. The committee certainly agrees with that. However, we look at the total body of work -- everything they did November through March -- and every time we scrubbed that No. 4 line, Louisville ended up in the same place."

Teams left out of the tournament included SMU, which finished the regular season in the AP Top 25 and had an RPI of 53 but missed the cut. Florida State, Green Bay and Georgetown were also near-misses.

"It was a very difficult decision, and as the committee deliberated about the decision, we went back and forth several times," Wellman said. "(SMU's) non-conference strength of schedule was in the 300s. The next-lowest strength of schedule in the field is 91."

SMU coach Larry Brown addressed a disappointed gathering at what was expected to be the team's selection celebration. The Mustangs went 23-9, but they lost their last two regular-season games (to NCAA teams Louisville and Memphis), and they dropped their opening AAC tournament game to Houston.

"We appreciate you all coming out here and supporting our team. I feel like I let you down," Brown told the crowd in Dallas, which responded by shouting, "No." Brown continued, "I learned a long time ago when things don't go exactly your way, you can either pack it in or use it as a learning experience to get better. We can use this as motivation."

The tournament opens Tuesday and Wednesday with doubleheaders each night in Dayton, Ohio. Those winners feed into four 16-team regional brackets. The rest of the field gets under way with second-round games at eight sites on Thursday and Friday.

The regional semifinals and finals will be held March 27-30 at Memphis, Tenn. (South); Anaheim, Calif. (West); Indianapolis (Midwest) and New York (East).

The Final Four will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with the semifinals on April 5 and the national championship game on April 7.

The Midwest Region is arguably the toughest with not only unbeaten Wichita State but Louisville, the defending national champion and AAC winner, as well as Duke, Michigan and preseason No. 1 Kentucky. The Shockers, Wolverines and Cardinals were all in last year's Final Four.

"I don't care where we're seeded," Michigan coach John Beilein said. "I don't care where we play. I'm just really happy to be in the NCAA Tournament, and I trust those guys over in that hotel room (the selection committee). They work at this time and I trust them.

Izzo expressed surprise that the Big Ten didn't receive more respect.

"I can't think of a conference that prepares you more than this one," he said. "We didn't get a No. 1 seed, and I'm sure people will wonder about that. We had two teams that deserved it, and so did the teams that got it. I'm not politicking here, it's over and I'm not upset about it."

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Florida faves to win the NCAA tourney at 4/1
By ANDREW CALEY

Now that the NCAA tournament brackets are set the Florida Gators are the favorite at 4/1 to be cutting down the nets at Cowboy Stadium April 7.

Other teams with with best odds to be crowned NCAA champions are Michigan State at 9/2, Arizona at 6/1 and Kansas at 8/1.

Here is a complete list of the odds for all the teams in the Big Dance (odds courtesy LVH Superbook):

FLORIDA 4/1
MICHIGAN ST 9/2
ARIZONA 6/1
KANSAS 8/1
WICHITA ST 15/1
VIRGINIA 15/1
DUKE 15/1
SYRACUSE 15/1
LOUISVILLE 15/1
WISCONSIN 20/1
MICHIGAN 25/1
VILLANOVA 25/1
CREIGHTON 25/1
IOWA ST 35/1
UCLA 35/1
KENTUCKY 40/1
NORTH CAROLINA 50/1
OHIO ST 60/1
OKLAHOMA ST 60/1
SAN DIEGO ST 75/1
VCU 75/1
ST LOUIS 100/1
BAYLOR 100/1
CINCINNATI 100/1
OKLAHOMA 100/1
U CONN 100/1
OREGON 100/1
NEW MEXICO 100/1
TEXAS 100/1
GONZAGA 100/1
MEMPHIS 100/1
PITTSBURGH 100/1
IOWA 100/1
TENNESSEE 100/1
U MASS 200/1
STANFORD 200/1
PROVIDENCE 200/1
KANSAS ST 300/1
ST JOE'S 300/1
ARIZONA ST 300/1
XAVIER 500/1
COLORADO 500/1
GEORGE WASHINGTON 500/1
BYU 500/1
NEBRASKA 500/1
DAYTON 500/1
NC STATE 1000/1
HARVARD 1000/1
NORTH DAKOTA ST 1000/1
FIELD 100/1

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NBA

Hot teams
-- Charlotte won six of its last seven games. Hawks won last three games, all by 5 or less points.
-- Indiana won its last three games, by 11-7-8 points.
-- Brooklyn won seven of its last nine games. Suns won last two games, covered seven of last nine.
-- Bulls won seven of their last ten games.
-- Mavericks won four of their last five games.
-- Clippers won their last ten games (7-2-1 vs spread). Nuggets are 4-3 in last seven games; they covered six of last nine.

Cold Teams
-- 76ers lost their last 20 games (4-16 vs spread).
-- Thunder lost four of its last six road games.
-- Houston lost last three games, by 8-24-9 points. Jazz lost nine of their last ten games (2-5-1 vs spread last eight).
-- Celtics lost last four games, but covered six of last nine.

Series records
-- Bobcats lost their last ten games with Atlanta.
-- 76ers are 0-2 vs Indiana this season, losing by 8-7 points.
-- Nets won their last four games against Phoenix.
-- Bulls lost their last four games with Oklahoma City.
-- Rockets won their last four games with Utah.
-- Mavericks won six of last seven games with Boston.
-- Clippers lost three of last four games with Denver.

Totals
-- Under is 4-1-1 in last six Atlanta games.
-- Six of last seven Philly games stayed under the total.
-- Six of last seven Brooklyn-Phoenix games went over total.
-- Seven of last nine Bulls-Thunder games stayed under.
-- Seven of last eight Utah-Houston games stayed under.,
-- Under is 19-13 in Celtic road games this season.
-- Under is 6-1-1 in last eight Clipper games.

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NHL

Hot teams
-- Bruins won their last eight games, allowing 12 goals.
-- Lightning won last two games, after losing previous five.
-- Blues won seven of their last eight games.
-- Coyotes won five of their last seven games.


Cold teams
-- Minnesota lost four of its last five games.
-- Canucks lost six of their last nine games.
-- Winnipeg lost six of its last seven games.
-- Kings lost last two games, after winning previous eight.

Totals
-- Over is 3-1-1 in last five Boston games.
-- Six of last eight Tampa Bay games went over.
-- Over is 6-3-1 in last ten St Louis-Winnipeg games.
-- Four of last five Phoeix games stayed under total.

Series records
-- Bruins lost last two games with Minnesota, scoring one goal.
-- Lightning won three of last four games with Vancouver.
-- Blues won six of last seven games with Winnipeg.
-- Kings lost three of last four games with Phoenix.

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Falcon Sports

Boston Bruins -180

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Today's NBA Picks

Phoenix at Brooklyn

The Suns come into Brooklyn tonight carrying a 7-0 ATS record in their last 7 games versus Atlantic Division teams. Phoenix is the pick (+4 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Nets favored by only 1. Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+4 1/2). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, MARCH 17 Time Posted: 10:30 a.m. EST

Game 501-502: Philadelphia at Indiana (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Philadelphia 99.722; Indiana 117.608 Dunkel Line & Total: Indiana by 18; 207 Vegas Line & Total: Indiana by 20; 203 Dunkel Pick: Philadelphia (+20); Over

Game 503-504: Atlanta at Charlotte (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Atlanta 113.505; Charlotte 125.455 Dunkel Line & Total: Charlotte by 12; 195 Vegas Line & Total: Charlotte by 2 1/2; 200 Dunkel Pick: Charlotte (-2 1/2); Under

Game 505-506: Phoenix at Brooklyn (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 119.408; Brooklyn 120.646 Dunkel Line & Total: Brooklyn by 1; 212 Vegas Line & Total: Brooklyn by 4 1/2; 206 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+4 1/2); Over

Game 507-508: Oklahoma City at Chicago (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Oklahoma City 118.156; Chicago 128.471 Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago by 10 1/2; 200 Vegas Line & Total: Oklahoma City by 3; 193 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Chicago (+3); Over

Game 509-510: Utah at Houston (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Utah 110.617; Houston 120.946 Dunkel Line & Total: Houston by 10 1/2; 209 Vegas Line & Total: Houston by 13 1/2; 204 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Utah (+13 1/2); Over

Game 511-512: Boston at Dallas (8:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Boston 110.539; Dallas 125.484 Dunkel Line & Total: Dallas by 15; 199 Vegas Line & Total: Dallas by 11; 202 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Dallas (-11); Under

Game 513-514: LA Clippers at Denver (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: LA Clippers 128.323; Denver 118.357 Dunkel Line & Total: LA Clippers by 10; 227 Vegas Line & Total: LA Clippers by 4 1/2; 221 Dunkel Pick: LA Clippers (-4 1/2); Over

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Today's NHL Picks

Phoenix at Los Angeles

The Coyotes visit Los Angeles tonight to face a Kings team that is coming off a 2-1 loss to Anaheim on Saturday and is 3-8 in its last 11 games when playing with 1 days rest. Phoenix is the pick (+160) according to Dunkel, which has the Coyotes favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+160). Here are all of today's picks.

MONDAY, MARCH 17 Time Posted: 7:00 a.m. EST

Game 51-52: Vancouver at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Vancouver 11.503; Tampa Bay 10.653 Dunkel Line & Total: Vancouver by 1; 5 Vegas Line & Total: Tampa Bay (-175); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Vancouver (+155); Under

Game 53-54: Minnesota at Boston (7:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Minnesota 11.184; Boston 13.024 Dunkel Line & Total: Boston by 2; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Boston (-200); 5 Dunkel Pick: Boston (-200); Over

Game 55-56: Winnipeg at St. Louis (8:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Winnipeg 9.727; St. Louis 12.507 Dunkel Line & Total: St. Louis by 3; 5 Vegas Line & Total: St. Louis (-250); 5 1/2 Dunkel Pick: St. Louis (-250); Under

Game 57-58: Phoenix at Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Phoenix 11.775; Los Angeles 10.842 Dunkel Line & Total: Phoenix by 1; 6 Vegas Line & Total: Los Angeles (-180); 5 Dunkel Pick: Phoenix (+160); Over

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NCAA Basketball Picks

Holy Cross at Brown

The Crusaders open the CBI Tournament tonight against a Brown team that is coming off a 98-93 loss to Harvard and is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games after scoring more than 90 points in their previous game. Holy Cross is the pick (+3 1/2) according to Dunkel, which has the Crusaders favored by 1. Dunkel Pick: Holy Cross (+3 1/2). Here are all of today's games and the play-in games for Tuesday and Wednesday.

MONDAY, MARCH 17 Time Posted: 10:30 a.m. EST

Game 567-568: Holy Cross at Brown (7:00 p.m. EST) Dunkel Ratings: Holy Cross 51.233; Brown 50.211 Dunkel Line: Holy Cross by 1; 140 Vegas Line: Brown by 3 1/2; 134 1/2 Dunkel Pick: Holy Cross (+3 1/2); Over

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Ecks and Bacon

Ben lee lost on Sunday in college basketball with Florida -4/Kentucky.

E&B have Np for Monday.

Ben lee is 70-89-2 -$1973 through twenty weeks.

All E&B selections will be for $50 unless noted

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Hockey Crusher
Winnipeg Jets + St Louis Blues UNDER 5.5
(System Record: 75-2, lost last game)
Overall Record: 75-61-1

Basketball Crusher
Phoenix Suns +4.5 over Brooklyn Nets
(System Record: 61-7, won last game)
Overall Record: 61-72-5

Soccer Crusher
Lanus + Quilmes OVER 2
This match is happening in Argentina
(System Record: 537-19, lost last game)
Overall Record: 537-462-79

Here are the rest of his hockey and basketball plays for today...


Hockey
Minnesota Wild + Boston Bruins OVER 5
Phoenix Coyotes + Los Angeles Kings UNDER 5
Tampa Bay Lightning -170 over Vancouver


Basketball
Charlotte Bobcats -2.5 over Atlanta
Indiana Pacers -19.5 over Philadelphia
Denver Nuggets +5 over LA Clippers

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Cappers Access

Bobcats -2.5
Nuggets +5

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Gamblers Data

Free Plays Monday

Clippers -5

Jazz – Rockets over 203.5