Money Line Odds

The hotly contested Big East Conference this season will see many of the teams with several losses on their way to the NCAA Tournament in 2011-2012. It is debatable that the Big East is the best college basketball conference in the country but no one denies the conference has another chance to lock up eight or nine possible NCAA Tournament spots.

1. Connecticut Huskies
Will the Huskies better themselves from last year? They must be careful not to look past the Notre Dame’s and Villanova’s as they continue beating the best teams.

2. Syracuse Orangemen
Syracuse is the one team that can unseat UConn especially if Kris Joseph can make everyone forget about losing Rick Johnson this season.

3. Marquette Golden Eagles
With the ball bouncing the right way, and a little luck, Marquette could win this conference now that Buzz Williams is back.

4. Louisville Cardinals
When Big East play begins in January Pitino will get this team in perfect form as the Cardinals are deep and a cohesive team.

5. Pittsburgh Panthers
Simply needing to make the NCAA Tournament Pittsburgh is a team that can do damage now that Ashton Gibbs is back and impressive as ever.

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame impressed last season but stumbled down the stretch. With Tim Abromaitis returning he will lead the Golden Domers to be hopeful better outcome this season.

7. Cincinnati Bearcats
Leading the returning players is Yance Gates and the Bearcats should be strong.

8. Villanova Wildcats
Villanova is a contender in the Big East with Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns leading this group of returning players. The Wildcats will be tough on the top teams in the league this season.

9. West Virginia Mountaineers
The Mountaineers, lead by Kevin Jones, can easily improve this year and should climb higher than 9^th rank.

In a interesting turn of events, top seeded Caroline Wozniacki crashed out of the French Open -1 6-3 loss to 28th seed Daniela Hantuchova. The 20-year-old world number one stunned everyone in despair, as she was short of power to trouble Hantuchova. The world No.1 was favorite to win the match. The moneyline odds for Caroline Wozniacki were +500.

In the second set Wozniacki did rally from 0-4 to 3-4. She had difficulty and was not able to discontinue Hantuchova from setting up a fourth-round clash with Svetlana Kuznetsova. Wozniacki never looked comfortable on the clay, although she has won four titles this season. She struggled to enforce herself against her Slovakian challenger.

Until the second game of the second set, the Dane did not manage a single winner and she was unable to live with the precision and pace of Hantuchova’s groundstrokes. It was like altogether different Wozniacki into play.  In the past, Hantuchova has had hitches closing out matches but that never happened in the match against Wozniacki, even though Dane broke back during a three-game run midway through the second set.

Since the Open era began in 1968, this is the first time that the Nos. 1 and 2 women’s seeds have not succeeded to reach the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam event. There were times when it felt as if the No. 3 seed, too, will easily walk out of the tournament.

In recent years, Wozniacki is not the lone one among reigning No. 1’s without claiming a Grand Slam singles title. The list includes the names of players like Dinara Safina and Jelena Jankovic, who are still to make it big. Clijsters and Amélie Mauresmo are the two, who eventually have made it to the title.

Boston holds a three games to zero lead in the best of seven second round series, just like last year when the Boston Bruins played the Philadelphia Flyers.  Though, Bruins are hoping for a different outcome than last year’s playoff collapse this time around. The Flyers became the third team in NHL history to come back from a three games to none deficit and win a playoff series last spring. I would not bank on the Bruins failing to put away the Flyers this year with last season’s collapse fresh in their memories.

The Bruins have cruised to this commanding three game lead using a combination of excellent goaltending along with a high powered offense. In order to take a commanding lead in the game and ultimately the series, the Bruins jumped on the Flyers with two quick goals in game three’s first sixty three seconds. It will be hard to envision Philadelphia making another comeback like they did last season against the Bruins so long as the Bruins do not let their guard down.

In online free picks, the Bruins are a -170 moneyline favorite and the over/under total is 5.5.

Friday night at eight o’clock the game four is scheduled for. The Flyers will need to play a much better all around game and get more production out of their team leaders if they hope to stave off elimination.  If they hope to extend their season for another game, the Flyers goal tenders will also have to step up and play their best game of the playoffs.

In the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal, Manchester United overwhelmed Schalke 04, 2-0 Tuesday with the assist of two perfect second-half goals by Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney. In the first leg of their Champions League semifinal at the Veltins-Arena, Manchester United dictated Schalke 04.

To reach the May 28 final at Wembley against Real Madrid or Barcelona, Rooney set up one goal and scored another two minutes later Tuesday, putting United in strong position. The second leg is next week at Old Trafford.

According to European soccer’s governing body, the 37-year-old Giggs became the oldest player to score in the competition.

After the triumph, United manager Alex Ferguson said that Giggs is an amazing man and his peak form has lasted for a very long time. He added that Giggs at 37 does not show any signs of receding.

The recent victory over Schalke 04 has made Sir Alex Ferguson believe that this was one of Manchester United‘s preeminent ever performances in Europe. The win impressed the Scot so much that he compared it to one of United’s famed victories, against Juventus in 1999.

Schalke 04 now heads back to Old Trafford in eight days. They very well know that they will need to revive their form once again that has seen it score 21 times in this season’s competition, if it’s to have the slightest of chances of reaching the final.

On 4 May 2011, Manchester United will be facing Schalke 04 all over again in the second leg of the UEFS Champions League Semifinals. Soccer odds have United as the favorite one to win and move into the finals against Real Madrid or Barcelona. Soccer betting odds for Manchester United are 1/2 and Schalke 04 at 11/2.

In the Family Circle Cup WTA tournament, Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza moved forward to the quarterfinals with a straight-set triumph over Sabine Lisicki of Germany.

Through the qualifying rounds, Sania made it to the main draw beating the German wildcard entrant 6-4, 6-4 in the second round singles match of the clay court event. She will now meet 11th seed Shuai Peng of China. In another second round match, Peng upset seventh seed Russian Nadia Petrova 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.

With partner Elena Vesnina of Russia, Sania has also accomplished the quarterfinals of the doubles. In another second round match, Peng had upset seventh seed Russian Nadia Petrova 6-3 5-7 6-2.

By getting rid of the second seeds and strong competitors Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymonds with a straight-set win in the first round, the unseeded Indo-Russian duo had pulled off a big upset. They will take on the Russian-Australian combination of Alla Kudryavtseva and Anastasia Rodionova, in the doubles quarterfinals.

After coming through the last 16 match in 83 minutes, Sania said that when she played Lisicki last, she lost 7-6 in the third set. She knew the match was going to be hard one. She added that she had a hard match too and Sabine was coming in after thrashing Bartoli.

Meanwhile, in US Men’s Clay Court Championship, Houston Somdev Dev Varman did not succeed to reach the quarter final Houston.

The sportsbooks are offering great tennis betting odds. Peng seems to be the favorite to win the match. The best odds for Sania Mirza are +4.5 and Shuai Peng -4.5.

On Saturday the Colorado Avalanche will head to Los Angeles to battle against the Kings.

With Avs on the verge of missing the NHL Playoffs and the Kings at 75-1, both teams are non-factors in NHL online betting Odds in terms of Stanley Cup Futures.

When playing at home the Kings are 21-12-3 this season. Even though things are extremely tight in the playoff race, the Kings are currently the 5th best team in the Western Conference. The Kings are also part of a 6 team group that is fighting for the final 4 spots in the Western Conference playoff hunt while they could climb further up the standings with a strong finish to the season.

At this point the Avalanche is not in nearly as good of a position as the Kings are. Colorado will start their off season a lot earlier than many of the teams in the league as they are one of two teams in the Western Conference that has already been statistically eliminated from playoff contention.

This season the Avalanche has been terrible on the road. They look like they will be the heavy underdogs against Kings as they have managed a record of 13-19-4 this season. Hockey is the type of game where any team can pull out a victory if they have a good night, this being said. For every team that they face for the rest of the season look for Colorado to try to ruin the season.

Even though the Kings should be able to score goals against the Colorado Avalanche defense as their defense is among the worst in the NHL, they do not have a fantastic offense.

This weekend the Miami Heat will battle against the Denver Nuggets. Both these teams should both make the playoffs barring a collapse from the Nuggets to finish the season as they are both within the playoff picture. In the Eastern Conference the Miami Heat have clinched a spot in the playoffs.

To win the NBA Championship, NBA Futures Odds have the Heat at 4-1 and the Nuggets at 20-1.

In this game the Miami Heat are the home team and they are 45-21 on the season. While playing at home this season the Heat are 24-9. Even though the Nuggets have been terrible while playing on the road, they are 39-27 on the season. While playing away from Denver this season the Nuggets are 12-20.

Since the departure of Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets have really been playing strong. They have won two games in a row as of Monday as they have won 8 of their last 10 games. After a losing streak the Heat are starting to bounce back. It appears that they are on track to make a run into the playoffs as they have now won 2 games in a row.

The Denver Nuggets lead the league with 108 points per game on the season and they are a high scoring team. They struggle on defense while they can really put the ball in the basket and they surrender 104 points per game.

By allowing 95 points per game, the Heat are a very good defensive team. Which team dictates the pace of the game it will be interesting to see? The Nuggets should be able to challenge the Heat if they can run the court. The Heat will be the favorite in this game if they make the Nuggets slow down.

NASCAR, for its Sprint Cup Series cars in 2012 revealed it plans to replace carburetors with fuel injection systems. To develop and integrate fuel injection systems, the sanctioning body has collaborated with McLaren Electronic Systems, headquartered in Woking, England. At Daytona International Speedway, Freescale Semiconductor and McLaren Electronic Systems will also provide the processors for McLaren’s engine control units. McLaren also supplies teams in Formula One and the Izod IndyCar Series.

In NASCAR‘s top-tier series, since its inception in 1949, carburetors have been used. To test the technology during this season, NASCAR will work with teams, with the anticipation of the systems being rolled out next year.

Throughout the 2011 season, teams will test the new fuel injection system, with an eye on full-scale implementation in 2012, though that target date is not set in stone.

Robin Pemberton, NASCAR’s vice president of competition said that NASCAR is already two years in development and it needs to be more relevant. Pemberton added that this is a positive step that will maintain the same great competition seen on the racetrack while providing greater fuel efficiency.

Managing director for McLaren Electronic Systems, Peter van Manen said that with the restrictor plates that are used to keep cars below 200 mph at the longest, fastest tracks on the circuit, fuel injection would give NASCAR “more in their armory” to tinker. Van Manen said fuel injection would allow for “great flexibility as you change fuels, with a move to E15 this season expected to be the first step towards more alternative fuels.”

The largest U.S based producer of automotive electronics, Freescale, as a result gets a marketing plug as “Official Automotive Semiconductor of NASCAR.” McLaren is now the “Official Electronic Control Unit of NASCAR.”

With the running of the Daytona 500, the 2011 NASCAR season is set to get underway next week. On Saturday night, this weekend though at Daytona International Speedway, will be the running of the Budweiser Shootout, with the winner getting a sizable payout in this exhibition.

On the running of the Bud Shootout, Online sportsbooks are fielding wagers, with Bodog Sportsbook installing NASCAR betting lines for the drivers involved.

In the line of betting favorites to win the event, Tony Stewart leads the way. Online sportsbooks are fielding wagers on the running of the Bud Shootout, with Bodog Sportsbook installing betting lines for the drivers involved.

Tony Stewart leads the way in the line of betting favorites to win the event by 8/1. The odds for few other drivers are as follows: Carl Edwards 14/1, Clint Bowyer 16/1, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. 10/1, Denny Hamlin 10/1, Greg Biffle 25/1, Jamie McMurray 10/1, Jeff Burton 20/1, Jeff Gordon 11/1, Jimmie Johnson 12/1, Juan Pablo Montoya 20/1, Kasey Kahne 25/1, Kurt Busch 12/1 and Kyle Busch 8/1.

This Saturday in a game between two teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation, the Texas A&M Aggies will take on the Kansas State Wildcats. The Aggies are having a fantastic season sitting at 10^th whereas the Wildcats are the 24th team in the nation.

For this matchup NCAAB Betting Odds are not yet available.

An extraordinary guard in Jacob Pullen is leading the Wildcats. Pullen has not been the knockdown shooter for them that he was last season that is the problem for the Wildcats. Last season there were times, when it looked like Pullen was unstoppable.

Pullen is shooting just 43 percent overall this season as well as 33 percent on three point shots. In this one the Aggies will need to keep Pullen off of his game. The Wildcats are good enough to beat anyone if Pullen finds a rhythm.

Even though the Aggies are solid at everything they are not particularly good at any one thing. They will have to take on 11th ranked Texas Before playing against the Wildcats. In opposition to the Wildcats this game will likely have a large effect on the play of the Aggies. The Aggies will have a lot of momentum going into their game on Saturday, if they win. The Wildcats will have some film to look at to exploit the Aggies, if they lose.

The other team will have a hard time in this one if either team is able to find a player that can dominate the boards whereas neither team has a guy that grabs a lot of rebounds per game.

On Sunday at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots meets the New York Jets in AFC divisional playoff game.

The total is sitting at 45.5 whereas NFL playoff betting odds have the Patriots listed as 9-point favorites.

On Saturday in an AFC Wild Card game, New York won its last outing 17-16 against the Indianapolis Colts. As a 2-point underdog, the Jets covered in that game and the 33 were under the total of 44.

The Patriots beat the Miami Dolphins 38-7 at home in their season finale. The score made it over the total of 44 as they covered the 4-point spread as favorites.

New England is 14-2 SU, 10-5-1 ATS whereas New York is 11-5 SU, 9-7 ATS.

On the road the total has gone over in 9 of the NY Jets last 10 games. In their last 16 games overall, the jets are 12-4 SU whereas 12-3 SU in their last 15 games on the road.

In its last 5 games at home New England is 5-0 SU whereas 5-0 SU in its last 5 games overall. In 5 of New England’s last 5 games at home, the total has gone over as well as in 9 of New England’s last 10 games.