The first week of April brings the rare crossover between four major sports, as the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NCAA hoops all collide. But before we look ahead at the week that will be, here at Bankroll Sports, we’re analyzing the week that was and giving all sorts of heck to those that have drawn our ire as sports betting fanatics.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
Philadelphia Eagles HC Andy Reid, who looks angrier than ever about the fact that his franchise quarterback, Donovan McNabb was traded for peanuts in his own division.

There’s no better place to start than in the NBA this week, and boy, would we love to give a piece of our mind to the New Orleans Hornets. You get G Chris Paul, your pride and joy, back in the lineup after he missed what felt like an eternity to this franchise, and you promptly come out and beat the Lakers on your home court. Great, right? After all, it’s not often that you can give up 31 points to G Kobe Bryant and 26 points and 22 rebounds to F Pau Gasol and live to tell about it. However… What gives after that, Hornets? As 9.5 point favorites, the Wizards came into New Orleans Arena and spanked the Hornets 96-91. That was followed up by a nine point loss in Memphis, which we deem to be excusable. But losing to the Nets? By four touchdowns? The 115-87 win for Jersey was clearly its biggest ‘W’ of the season, and it came at the expense of a team that just looks like it has given up. Don’t worry, the laughs aren’t over quite yet if you missed this embarrassing one in Jersey. Minnesota is still on the schedule!

This may not have a heck of a lot to do with gambling at this point, but is there any doubt that the Philadelphia Eagles are getting smacked by the Washington Redskins twice this season? Apparently, making it to five NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl wasn’t enough for QB Donovan McNabb, so the Iggles shipped him out of town. Ok, no problem, right? After all, guys get traded at the end of their careers all the time. But to send him to Washington??? You’re just asking to get whooped up on, Philly. And this blogger, who notoriously hates the Redskins, is going to love watching McNabb come back into the City of Brotherly Love and beat the snot out of your team this season.

The bullpen for the New York Yankees is already off to a flying start this year. You’d figure in and amongst all of the money that this team spends that they’d learn that eventually, a bullpen is going to help you out, right? But no, apparently having leads of 5-1 and 7-5 aren’t good enough. It’s not bad enough that David Robertson allowed his only inherited runner to cross home plate, but then Chan Ho Park proved once again why the Yanks have no clue how to spend their bucks by giving up three runs (two earned) in a three-run seventh. Don’t worry Joba Chamberlain, we’re not forgetting the three hits and a run you gave up in your 1.1 innings worked either. The final stat line for the New York pen? 2.2 IPs, 4 runs (3 earned), 6 hits, 2 walks, 1 K, 1 HR allowed. That’s a WHIP of 3.00 and an ERA of 13.50. Stellar job, boys. Stellar.

List of Final Four Odds & Latest Odds to Win The NCAA Tournament Can Be Found Below!

Last weekend, it was once again proven that the madness of March can claim any team at any moment. Only two of the so-called “favorites” to win the NCAA Tournament remain going into the Final Four in Indianapolis, as the Duke Blue Devils opened up as +600 favorites, while the West Virginia Mountaineers began at +800. You could’ve found the Michigan State Spartans at +5000 and the Butler Bulldogs at +7500 at the outset of the tourney as well. Here’s our look at the last four teams standing with their odds and our predictions for how they’ll fare in the Final Four.

Duke Blue Devils

Odds: +145 at 5Dimes
Analysis: If you were told at the beginning of March Madness that there would only be one #1 seed make it to the Final Four, the Blue Devils almost certainly would’ve been your final guess. However, thanks to a relatively weak bracket and some strong defense, the Dookies have not only gone 4-0 SU to make it to Lucas Oil Stadium, but they’ve also gone a perfect 4-0 ATS to boot.
Keys to Victory: The Dookies absolutely know that they need their Big Three to keep on scoring and scoring at will to win it all. G Jon Scheyer, F Kyle Singler, and G Nolan Smith are averaging a combined 53.2 points per game this year, but Singler is coming off of the first game of his career in which he was held without a field (0/10 vs. Baylor). It’s not the defense that needs to keep up, it’s the offense, and Coach K probably knows it.
The Last Word: It hasn’t been a good thing to be a favorite in this tournament, and it’s going to be absolutely no different for the Blue Devils. West Virginia provides a type of test that hasn’t been seen this year by this team, and the ACC Champs are going to succumb to the defensive pressure and bow out one step away from the championship game.

Butler Bulldogs

Odds: +415 at 5Dimes
Analysis: Not only has Cinderella found the perfect fitting slipper, but now she gets to go to the ball that will played essentially on her home court. The Bulldogs have clearly been the mid-major that has stood out above the rest all season long, and now, they’re going to the Final Four, which will be played just seven miles from their campus. Butler is riding a 24 game winning streak, the longest in the nation by a country mile.
Keys to Victory: Defense brought Butler here, and defense is going to have to be what takes it to the next level. The Bulldogs have held their foes to just 59.6 points this season, the best mark of the four teams remaining. Don’t just say that those great numbers are thanks to a lack of competition, though. Ask Kansas State and Syracuse, both of which were averaging right around 80 points per game this year, just how tough it is to play these guys. The Dogs held each of them under 60 points.
The Last Word: Even though Butler is going to be favored against Michigan State, the party is probably over for it. The Bulldogs are cute and clearly have the ability to beat the best teams in the nation (after all, they already have a win against Ohio State to boot this year), but teams like this just don’t win National Championships. It’ll be a hard fought battle, but the clock will ultimately strike midnight on this Cinderella on Saturday.

Michigan State Spartans

Odds: +475 at 5Dimes
Analysis: Losing G Kalin Lucas has only seemed to make this team stronger. HC Tom Izzo knows what he’s doing, as demonstrated by the fact that he has been to six Final Fours in the L/12 seasons. This probably isn’t his most talented team, but it is a team that has truly come together for a common goal in spite of the fact that its leading scorer has been shelved with an Achilles tendon rupture.
Keys to Victory: It’s hard to just say that there is one key for this team. The Spartans don’t have a ton of size or speed, but what they do have is a lot of heart and effort. They’re also going to be the best coached side in this tournament. They’ll have a chance because of Izzo, and as long as they remain charismatic and show the ability to nail clutch shots and win games down the stretch, they’ll be a tough team to oust no matter who the foe really is.
The Last Word: Sparty came up just short last season, and unfortunately for them, that’s probably going to be the way that it works this year as well. MSU’s heart can carry it past an equally gritty Butler team, but it’s just not going to have enough no matter who the foe is on the other side of the bracket. Always a bridesmaid, but never a bride. That’s going to be the theme once again in East Lansing.

West Virginia Mountaineers

Odds: +250 at 5Dimes
Analysis: They say that surviving in the Big East is a great preparation for the NCAA Tournament. Though that didn’t hold true for a ton of teams from this conference this year, it did for the champs of the league, as the Mountaineers have used the momentum from their Big East Tournament triumph to lead them into the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Keys to Victory: The bigs for the Mountaineers have had a great tournament, and they’re going to have to continue that way to take care of Duke and either Michigan State or Butler to win it all. F Da’Sean Butler, F Kevin Jones, and F Devin Ebanks are combining to score 43.1 points and bring in 21.7 rebounds per night, both of which are incredibly hefty numbers. Even though the backcourt play is clearly going to be missing something if G Darryl Bryant can’t play, the frontcourt should be good enough for this team to beat anyone in the country.
The Last Word: Athleticism is the key to beating Duke, and that’s what is going to carry the Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament Final. At that point, there’s going to be a relatively undersized team that is waiting in the wings. If West Virginia can successfully knock off the powerful Wildcats, who are stacked both on the inside and on the outside, it can certainly take care of any of these teams that are left standing to win the entire tournament. Look for the blue and gold to be cutting down the nets on Monday night.

Current March Madness Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook(as of 3/30/10):
(Get a HUGE 50% Bonus at 5Dimes Sportsbook When Using This Link)

Duke +145
West Virginia +250
Butler +415
Michigan State +475

The sports betting world has taken more twists and turns over this past week, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re taking some time to rant of the worst from the week that was in the gambling world.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
F DeMarcus Cousins and G John Wall, who wrapped up their collegiate careers by getting embarrassed in the dance by West Virginia on Saturday night.

Boy, can you totally stick it for that lousy performance you put up on Saturday, Kentucky Wildcats! After watching the mighty Jayhawks and Orange fall before you, how dare you come out so flat against a very dangerous West Virginia team with a berth in the Final Four on the line! You had crushed your previous three foes by an average of 25.7 points per game in this tournament, and everyone was still waiting for the best games out of F Patrick Patterson, G John Wall, and F DeMarcus Cousins.

Never happened. Oops. Now, HC John Calipari has to go back to the drawing board, as he is likely losing his four best players to the NBA Draft this year, and in spite of the fact that he has totally ruined a number of schools with recruiting violations over the years, he still doesn’t have any National Championships to boast about on his resume.

Speaking of teams that have been incredibly upsetting, what the heck happened to everyone in that so-called “powerful” Midwest Bracket? The #1 Kansas Jayhawks, #2 Ohio State Buckeyes, #3 Georgetown Hoyas, and #4 Maryland Terrapins have all long since been forgotten, and the two teams left standing in this region on Sunday were arguably the two that went through the most chaos all year long. Tennessee had to deal with the whole New Year’s Day fiasco that got G Tyler Smith kicked off the team. Michigan State had injury woes with G Kalin Lucas suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the second round of the tourney. Yet, experience has ruled the day once again, as HC Tom Izzo is laughing at his other “great coaches” out of this bracket, as he has the final laugh with his second straight trip to the Final Four.

Our attention is turned to the NBA betting world as well this week. Hey Denver Nuggets, what’s going on with you guys? You’ve got one of the best offenses in the NBA at 107.1 points per game, but over your L/2 weeks, you’ve only averaged 97.7 points per game. No wonder why you’re 0-6-1 ATS in those seven games! Now, the punishment is that you’re sitting in the #3 hole coming into tonight’s game with Dallas, and you could fall all the way down to #8 by the time this is said and done, as the Trail Blazers are only 3.5 games behind you with eight to play. Guess who else is on your slate this week as well on the road?

List of Current Odds to Win The NCAA Tournament Can Be Found Below!

In spite of the fact that there was carnage for the duration of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the Sweet 16 saw many of the so called Cinderella squads bow out from the dance.

The one exception appears to be the #5 Butler Bulldogs, who pulled off the biggest upset in the third round of March Madness betting action by taking down #1 Syracuse and opening up the West Bracket in a big way. Their fellow mid-majors, the #12 Cornell Big Red, #11 St. Mary’s Gaels, and #9 Northern Iowa Panthers were all dismissed.

Still, there is a nice mix of conferences remaining amongst the last eight teams standing. The SEC and Big XII both have a pair of squads left, while the ACC, Big East, Horizon League, and Big Ten are all still represented as well.

The favorite to win it all is still the Kentucky Wildcats (+245 at 5Dimes). Even though HC John Calipari still steps up to the microphone following every single game and praises the work of his young freshmen and sophomores and downplays their abilities on the court, anyone watching this squad still knows that the best is probably yet to come. That’s saying something for a team that has posted an average margin of victory in this tournament of more than 25 points per game! G John Wall, F Patrick Patterson, and F DeMarcus Cousins just haven’t caught their stride yet on college basketball’s biggest stage, as the three have combined for just one 20+ point outing between them. If Big Blue is playing defense like it did against Cornell when it held the Big Red to just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor, this is going to be the hardest team left to topple in the tournament.

If you’re banking on long shots, the three longest odds on the board are all playing on the same half of the draw, and in all likelihood, one of the three will be playing for the National Championship. Either the #5 Michigan State Spartans (+1600 at 5Dimes) or #6 Tennessee Volunteers (+1200 at 5Dimes) will see their stock increase in value dramatically, particularly if the #5 Butler Bulldogs (+1500 at 5Dimes) can pull off the upset of the #2 Kansas State Wildcats (+435 at 5Dimes) in the Elite 8.

The other #1 seed remaining, the Duke Blue Devils (+355 at 5Dimes) continue to fly under the radar just a bit, as they’re being overshadowed by what Kentucky is doing in the East Region and all of the other upsets that have occurred in the dance thus far. However, even without getting anything really significant out of G Jon Scheyer in this tournament, Coach K has his club playing well enough on the defensive side of the ball to be able to make life absolutely hellacious for his opponents.

His Dookies will take on the final team that we have yet to discuss, the #3 Baylor Bears (+985 at 5Dimes), who are going to be playing essentially behind a home crowd at the Toyota Center after annihilating one of the Cinderella teams in this field (St. Mary’s) on Friday night.

Current March Madness Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook(as of 3/27/10):
(Get a HUGE 50% Bonus at 5Dimes Sportsbook When Using This Link)

Kentucky +245
Duke +355
Kansas State +435
West Virginia +785
Baylor +985
Tennessee +1200
Butler +1500
Michigan State +1600

Just 16 teams remain in the NCAA Tournament! There are a ton of juicy prop bets that are still available as we enter the second week of this three week spectacle, and BetUS Sportsbook has all of the ins and outs covered for you as you boost your bankrolls with the biggest tournament of the year!

Prop Bet #1 – Will all three #1 seeds reach the Elite 8?: Let’s just do some simply math at this point, shall we? If you take the best three lines you can find anywhere on the internet on the three #1 seeds to win on Thursday and Friday, you’ll come to just about +105 odds. By parlaying the Duke Blue Devils (-450), the Syracuse Orange (-290), and the Kentucky Wildcats (-500) on the moneyline at BetUS Sportsbook, you’ll come up with about -103 odds. Under that premise, there’s no reason to lay -115 with this prop, but there’s also no reason to wager no either. However, we do like the idea of assuming that the #1s are all getting through this weekend. Unlike Kansas, who was tested by #16 Lehigh for a little while before ultimately pulling away, the Cats, Dookies, and Orange have just come out and throttled their opponents so far in the dance. There’s no reason to think that an undermanned Purdue team is going to be able to stop the mighty Blue Devils, and certainly no reason to believe that a bunch of Ivy Leaguers are going to be able to stop a John Calipari coached team with almost a full week of preparation. That leaves Syracuse playing Butler. The Orange have probably been the most impressive of the #1 seeds after having rocked Gonzaga in the second round, and even though we’re not so sure that they’re the right choice against the six point spread, we are convinced that getting -103 odds on the moneyline for them is a fantastic price. So ignore the prop line, but run with the idea.
Selection: Parlay Kentucky, Duke, and Syracuse on the moneyline (-103) at BetUS Sportsbook. (100% Deposit Bonus by clicking This Link.)

Prop Bet #2 – Odds to win the South Region: It’s pretty clear that the Blue Devils are the favorites to win this bracket and go to the Final Four, but is that really justifiable at -145 odds? What you’re saying is that Coach K’s team is going to be at least three, if not four point favorites in a prospective Elite 8 matchup with Baylor? That doesn’t feel like what’s going to happen, especially if Duke even remotely struggles with #4 Purdue or the Bears obliterate #10 St. Mary’s. Don’t rest on the talent level on this Baylor team. G LaceDarius Dunn dropped 26 points on Old Dominion in the second round, and he has the ability to go off for 30+ on just about every team that he faces. Yes, this test against St. Mary’s is probably going to be a lot harder than it looks on paper with a #3 going against a #10, but if the Bears survive that one, you’ve got some fantastic odds on them to go to the Final Four.
Selection: Baylor Bears +225 at BetUS Sportsbook. (100% Deposit Bonus by clicking This Link.)

Prop Bet #3 – Odds to Reach NCAA Championship Final: We’re keying in on the left hand side of your bracket in the West and Midwest Regions. It’s pretty clear that the Midwest Bracket opened up a ton when #9 Northern Iowa knocked off overall #1 seed in this tournament, Kansas. Any of the four teams could still represent that region in our opinion. That leaves a date with most like either Syracuse or Kansas State in the Final Four. Why not take a stab on the Panthers at great odds in this situation? It’s basically a coin flip that they take out Michigan State, and we like our chances of Sparty getting bounced without G Kalin Lucas in the lineup. Yes, it could be a very difficult #2 Ohio State squad in the Elite 8, but it could just as easily be an overrated #6 Tennessee team as well. You may look up next week and see that you’ve got great odds on a mid-major team to win just one more game on the grandest stage in college basketball.
Selection: Northern Iowa Panthers +3000 at BetUS Sportsbook. (100% Deposit Bonus by clicking This Link.)

List of Current Sweet 16 Odds to Win The NCAA Tournament Can Be Found Below!

March Madness. That’s why we all watch and love the NCAA Tournament. Because no lead is ever safe and no favorite is every assured anything. It doesn’t matter if you’re favored by a single point or two dozen. Any team can, and quite frequently does beat anyone.

Ask the chalks of this tournament, the #1 Kansas Jayhawks out of the Midwest Bracket. At some sportsbooks, they were as low as +200 to win the entire tourney coming into play on Saturday, and they were sizeable favorites to take out the Missouri Valley champs, the #9 Northern Iowa Panthers.

Nobody told that to G Ali Farokhmanesh, who stood like a warrior at the three point line, stared the mighty Jayhawks in the face, damned the fact that his team had absolutely no business playing with the top team in the land, and let a brown dagger fly through the sky. When that dagger flushed through the twine, Farokhmanesh was immediately placed in lore in tiny Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Forget about the fact that Farokhmanesh’s shot really had no business being taken. It defied all logic. After all, the Panthers were up a point with the ball with less than 30 seconds to play, and any conventionally thinking person would’ve dribbled around and waited to get fouled.

But defying logic is what makes this tournament great. And now, #1 is no more.

The beauty of this tournament this season is that there are 11 conferences represented in the Sweet 16 and only the Big Ten has three representatives. Fans from all across the country will have a relatively local team to latch onto, which could make this a very, very interesting four days of basketball coming up this weekend.

The new favorites of the field are the #1 Kentucky Wildcats (+250 at 5Dimes Sportsbook. The Cats have looked great in two tourney games so far, winning against both #16 East Tennessee State and #9 Wake Forest by 20+ points apiece. Stopping G John Wall, G Eric Bledsoe, F Patrick Patterson, and F DeMarcus Cousins seems like a nearly impossible task, especially for some lowly #12 seed out of the Ivy League… but beating names like Aldrich, Morris, Morris, and Collins didn’t seem likely for a bunch of Missouri Valley guys either.

As for those Valley dwellers, they’re still the second longest shot to win the tournament on the board at +6600 at 5Dimes Sportsbook, and there’s reason to believe that those odds are simply too long. UNI draws #5 Michigan State in the Sweet 16, a team that is going to be playing without G Kalin Lucas for the remainder of the season courtesy of a ruptured Achilles tendon. Without Lucas this year, the Spartans looked like an average team at best, and an extraordinary performance once again by the men clad in purple and gold could lead to yet another upset and a date with either #2 Ohio State or #6 Tennessee in the Elite 8.

Both the #1 Duke Blue Devils (+450 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) and the #1 Syracuse Orange (+475 at 5Dimes Sportsbook) have relatively easy draws to get to the Final Four for top seeds, as the Orange must beat #5 Butler and then either #2 Kansas State or #6 Xavier, while things have opened up particularly nicely for the Dookies, who get #4 Purdue this week and will finish the weekend with either #3 Baylor or #10 St. Mary’s.

Current Sweet 16 Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook (as of 3/23/10):
(Get a HUGE 50% Bonus at 5Dimes Sportsbook When Using This Link)

Kentucky +250
Duke +450
Syracuse +475
Ohio State +825
West Virginia +850
Kansas State +950
Baylor +1800
Michigan State +2500
Tennessee +3300
Butler +4000
Xavier +4500
St. Mary’s +5500
Washington +5500
Purdue +6000
Northern Iowa +6600
Cornell +7500

List of Current Odds to Win The NCAA Tournament Can Be Found Below!

The NCAA Tournament is through its first round, and there has been plenty of madness to go around.

The Big East has taken a major, major hit, as only Villanova, Syracuse, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh remain from a conference which had eight bids (seven of which were Top-6 seeds) at the start of this tournament. Survival also wasn’t easy for the Wildcats, who went from +800 at the outset of March Madness to +2500 after narrowly beating lowly #15 Robert Morris on Thursday afternoon.

Many find the #10 seed in this bracket, the St. Mary’s Gaels to be a team to watch out for. The South Region is probably the weakest region left, and if there is a #10 seed that can come out of nowhere and go to the Final Four, this may be it. C Omar Samhan was mired in foul trouble for the majority of the Gaels’ game against the Richmond Spiders on Thursday afternoon, but he still picked up 29 points and 12 rebounds. St. Mary’s has a team that can stroke the three-ball like none other in the country (41.2%), and that has led it into the Round of 32 in the dance.

There are a few other teams that may be worth taking a flier on because of the strength (or lack thereof) of their upcoming games. The #3 New Mexico Lobos may be an underdog to the #11 Washington Huskies on Saturday, but catching a #3 seed at +6600 after one round seems just too good to pass on. HC Steve Alford’s club may have struggled just a bit with their #14 seed in the first round of this tournament, but make no mistake about it. This is a team that can play with anyone in America. A potential date with #2 West Virginia is going to be difficult, but at these types of odds, the Mountain West regular season champions are going to be worth a look.

On the other side of the bracket, things appear to be set up quite nicely for the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Midwest. Yes, Ohio State knows that two rounds from now, it is probably going to have to face #1 Kansas, but #3 Georgetown and #7 Georgia Tech have both already been dismissed from this tournament, which really could set up the stage for an easy waltz for the Bucks to the Elite 8. Considering grabbing their stock at +1400 while that number is still available, because they clearly have better than a one in 14 chance of winning this tournament right now.

All that the chalk holding up in the West Bracket did was set up the stage for Syracuse to continue to march on. No one expects #8 Gonzaga to give the ‘Cuse a game, and with Vanderbilt already dismissed from this region, a trip to the Elite 8 seems like a formality. Yes, there are four very nasty teams sitting on the other side of this bracket, but the Orange are going to be favored no matter who they play, and if they reach the Elite 8, having +700 on a #1 seed at that stage is having a fantastic price.

Current March Madness Odds @ 5Dimes Sportsbook(as of 3/20/10):
(Get a HUGE 50% Bonus at 5Dimes Sportsbook When Using This Link)

Kansas +250
Kentucky +475
Syracuse +700
Duke +750
West Virginia +1200
Ohio State +1400
Kansas State +1500
Villanova +2500
Baylor +3000
Pittsburgh +4500
Michigan State +4500
Butler +4500
BYU +4500
Wisconsin +5500
Maryland +5500
Tennessee +5500
New Mexico +6600
Texas A&M +6600
Purdue +7500
Xavier +7500
California +7500
Washington +7500
Gonzaga +8000
Missouri +10000
Georgia Tech +10000
Wake Forest +12500
St. Mary’s +12500
Northern Iowa +15000
Cornell +15000
Old Dominion +20000
Murray State +22500
Ohio +25000