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03/15/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas Jayhawks began the 2009-10 college basketball season atop the preseason polls, and so far the voters have been spot on, as the Big 12 champs will carry that top ranking into the NCAA Tournament.
The Jayhawks (32-2) are the top-seeded team in the tourney's Midwest Region, which will play its final games at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. If Kansas is to win its second title in three years, though, it will have to motor through some heady competition to gain its 14th Final Four appearance and fourth NCAA crown.
Bill Self's club does have one major factor going for them going into the first round: experience. Several of his players have been there and done that, defeating Derrick Rose and Memphis in the 2008 title game. The two leaders this season, senior guard Sherron Collins and junior center Cole Aldrich, were both on that squad, and both figure to have a major say in who comes out of the bracket.
"It was anti-climatic to know that we would be a No. 1 seed because we basically knew that going into the day," Self said. "To be the overall No. 1 it is good even though it doesn't mean anything. It will be a good recruiting mail-out this week. We are excited but know that we have a lot of work ahead of us."
The Jayhawks will face off against 16th-seeded Lehigh (22-10) in its opening game Thursday night in Oklahoma City.
Staring at the Jayhawks on the opposite end of the bracket is second-seeded Ohio State (27-7), which boasts National Player of the Year candidate Evan Turner. Turner recently led the Buckeyes through a gauntlet to win the Big Ten Tournament, making an incredible three-point shot to beat Michigan before a double-overtime victory over Illinois and a rout of Minnesota in Sunday's final.
OSU has also tasted some recent success in the NCAA Tournament, and the last time the team won the conference tourney, it finished as the runner-up to Florida in 2007.
The 15th-seed in the Midwest and Ohio State's first-round opponent is the Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (20-9).
The third seed in this region is the traditional power Georgetown (23-10). The Hoyas, who were seeded eighth in the Big East Tournament but managed to come within seconds of beating West Virginia in the title game, are looking for their second Final Four appearance in four years after joining the Buckeyes in the 2007 quartet.
Georgetown's first-round opponent tilted the NCAA field as possibly the biggest bracket buster of Championship Week. That is 14th-seeded Ohio (21-14), which, as a ninth seed, captured the MAC Tournament title. The Bobcats survived an overtime test in their opening round matchup before downing top- seeded Kent State, fourth-seeded Miami-Ohio and third-seeded Akron to earn their first NCAA tourney berth since 2005.
The Bobcats, who have not won a game in the NCAA Tournament since 1983, will get that chance Thursday night in Providence.
"You can't get to this part of the year and overlook anyone," head coach John Thompson III said. "The teams are too well-coached, too poised. They won their league or they're playing well to get an at-large bid - that's what makes (the NCAA Tournament) so special."
Sitting fourth is surprise ACC regular season co-champion Maryland (23-8), which earned its third fourth seed since the 2003-04 season. Since the Terrapins won it all in 2002, the team has advanced past the second round just once.
The Terrapins will play Friday in Spokane against Houston (19-15), which is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992 after a shocking run to the Conference USA title. The Cougars are widely known for the successful "Phi Slama Jama" era from 1982-84, which was highlighted by two runner-up finishes thanks to now-NBA Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.
This Cougars team doesn't figure to make as deep of a run, but should they upset Maryland, it would be the first tourney win for the school since Olajuwon's and Drexler's run to the title game in '84.
Last year's runner-up Michigan State (24-8) is the fifth seed after sharing the Big Ten regular season title. Tom Izzo has had numerous successes with the Spartans during his time in East Lansing and has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in three straight years.
The Spartans will battle with 12th-seeded New Mexico State (22-11), which was a surprise winner in the WAC Tournament over Utah State on Saturday. The Aggies are making only their second tournament appearance since 2000.
In a twist of irony in the Midwest Region, the sixth and seventh seeds -- Tennessee (25-8) and Oklahoma State (22-10) -- represent the only two losses Kansas has endured this season. Luckily for the Jayhawks, those two squads are on the lower half of the bracket and would likely have to beat Ohio State and/or Georgetown to have another shot at the top-ranked team in the country. Having those two teams in the Midwest, though, shows the enormous depth in the region that all these teams face.
Tennessee's opponent in the opening round will be 11th-seeded San Diego State (25-8), which beat a top-10 team in New Mexico before topping the UNLV for the Mountain West Tournament title. The Aztecs are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2005. SDSU has never advanced out of the first round.
Seeded 10th and facing Oklahoma State is ACC Tournament runner-up Georgia Tech (22-12), which is making its first tourney appearance since 2007. The Yellow Jackets have not tasted any success in the NCAAs since a surprise runner-up finish in 2004.
The 8-9 matchup features a pair of mid-majors in UNLV (25-8) and Northern Iowa (28-4). The Rebels, who used to be one of college basketball's big powers, won the entire tournament in 1990 amid a stretch of three Final Four appearances in five years. The team has made somewhat of a return to prominence in recent years, as this is its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons.
Should UNLV get past the ninth-seeded Panthers, who are looking for their first NCAA tourney win since 1990, the Rebels will likely have an opportunity to avenge its 2008 tournament loss to Kansas.
<< Kentucky garners No. 1 seed in the East
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Kentucky, which
scorched the Southeastern Conference in the regular season and won the
conference tourney crown in a tense overtime contest, was named as the top-
seeded
<< Syracuse-Vermont rematch highlights West
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite losing in the quarterfinals of the
Big East tournament and staring at an injury to starting forward Arinze
Onuaku, Syracuse is the No. 1 seed in the West Region as the Orange head into
a much-
<< NCAA Capsules-East Regional
Lexington, 32-2.Nickname: Wildcats. Coach: John Calipari.Conference: Southeastern. Bid: SEC champion.Region: East. Seed: No. 1.Tournament Record: 100-45, 50 years. Last appearance: 2008.Scoring: Team (79.2); John Wall 16.9; DeMarcus Cousins 15.3; Pa
<< NCAA Capsules-South Regional
Durham, N.C., 29-5.Nickname: Blue Devils. Coach: Mike Krzyzewski.Conference: Atlantic Coast. Bid: ACC champion.Region: South. Seed: No. 1.Tournament Record: 88-30, 33 years. Last appearance: 2009.Scoring: Team (78.4); Jon Scheyer 18.7; Kyle Singler
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Gardens a
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
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To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
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