#11 Indiana (17-2) @ #13 Wisconsin (16-3)
9:00PM EST - 1/31/2008
This is a huge match-up, not only in the Big 10, but on the national scale.  Both teams have played well regardless of the venue, but it such an evenly matched contest it’s hard not to like the home team.  Indiana holds the edge in most of the major offensive categories while Wisconsin has relied more on its defense than scoring prowess to get where they are today.  The difference is negligible enough for us to stick with out gut and stick with the home team tonight in a monster Big 10 showdown.

Pick:  Wisconsin -4

That’s all we have for hoops today.  We’ll be back soon with more free picks and analysis on your favorite basketball match-ups.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Proposition bets have become somewhat of a tradition in the Super Bowl.  What is a proposition (prop) bet?  Basically, a sportsbook will present a proposition and give you to bet on the outcome based on the odds they set.  A classic example would be betting on the Player to be named MVP of Super Bowl XLII.  You could take the favorite (most likely to win) with Tom Brady at 4/9, or you have the option to take other, less likely to win candidates like Kevin Faulk at 11/1 or Donte Stallworth at 25/1.  You also have the option to take “The Field” which is representative of all players not listed.  In some situations this might be a good option, but for the Super Bowl you’re most likely going to bet on one of the bigger names playing in the game.  It’s really pretty cut and dry.  If the player you bet on ends up winning the MVP, you win, if they don’t win, you don’t win.  These days online sportsbook have taken prop bets on the Super Bowl to a new level.  You can bet on traditional props like “Who will have the most rushing yards?” or “Which player will score the first touchdown in the game?”.  One proposition that has gained a lot of popularity over the past decade or so has been the coin flip.  Yes, you can bet on heads or tails, take your 50/50 odds and hope for the best.  Bettors can find a wide variety of propositions at any number of online sportsbooks, however, I set out to find the most oddball, offbeat, ridiculous Super Bowl Pro bets I could for Super Bowl XLII, and I’m confident I’ve found the best book to place those bets, if you were so inclined. 

BetUS.com has the most creative Super Bowl XLII bets you’re likely to find online.  Sure, they have hundreds of regular prop bets, but you can find those just about anywhere else.  Check out some of the hilarious options they have for you to bet on this year’s Super Bowl and our picks on them:

Pre-Game Prop
The length, in seconds, of the National Anthem - Over/Under 103.5 seconds 
Pick:  Take the over.  Singing at a normal pace the Anthem comes in at around 80 seconds, the Super Bowl version is always longer.

Fox Commentary
Number of times Joe Buck mentions Peyton Manning - Over/Under 5.5
Pick:  Easily an over.  With Eli playing there will be no shortage of comparisons and passing comments on his big bro.

Half-Time Show (note:  this is where it really starts to get ludicrous)
Odds that Tom Petty smokes a joint on stage during his half-time performance - 100/1
Pick:  There’s really no chance of this happening, but it’s funny that there is actually an option out there to bet on the situation.

“Wacky Props”
Bet on the color of the liquid to be dumped on the winning coach:
Transparent 3/1
Orange 2/1
Red 3/1
Purple 16/1
Pick:  Transparent.  I don’t really know why, it’s just a feeling.  I like how Orange is the favorite.  How did they come up with that?  Is that the most popular flavor of Gatorade in the NFL?  Did they do a study on past Super Bowls that showed the majority were orange?  Sorry, Purple, looks like you’re the big underdog this year!

And my favorite prop bets of Super Bowl XLII…

Britney Spears
To bring her kids to the game 50/1
To streak the field 100/1
Pick:  You obviously don’t want to bet on either of these, but I think someone over at BetUS either has a great sense of humor or way too much time on their hands.  Probably both.

That’s going to do it for our look at Super Bowl XLII Proposition Bets.  We’ll be back soon with more on the actual game, including our pick for this year’s winner!  Good luck and thanks for reading!

Popularity: 13% [?]

Looking over the College Basketball schedule today there are a total of 9 games that include at least one team in the top 25.  Of those 9 games, three feature two teams in the top 25 playing each-other.  It’s a big day to say the least.  No analysis today, but below are the odds on each game plus our leans on every match-up.

Odds by Sportsbook.com

1/30/2008

7:00PM ET
St. Louis @ #19 Dayton -8
Pick:  Dayton -8

7:00PM ET
#18 Villanova @ # 17 Pittsburgh -7.5
Pick:  Villanova +7.5

8:00PM ET
#1 Memphis @ Houston +9.5
Pick:  Memphis -9.5

8:05PM ET
Creighton @ #23 Drake -3.5
Pick:  Drake -3.5

9:00PM ET
#12 Texas @ #16 Texas A&M -3
Pick:  Texas A&M -3

7:00PM ET
#9 Georgetown @ St. John’s +9
Pick:  Georgetown -9 

8:00PM ET
#2 Kansas @ Kansas State +7
Pick:  Kansas -7

8:00PM ET
#13 Vanderbilt @ #15 Mississippi -5
Pick:  Vanderbilt +5

9:00PM ET
Illinois @ #10 Michigan State -9.5
Pick:  Illinois +9.5

Good luck today!  Remember, today’s picks are just leans, nothing we feel totally solid about.  We’ll see you tomorrow for more free college basketball picks!

Popularity: 10% [?]

#8 Tennessee (17-2) at Alabama (12-8)
9:00PM EST - 1/29/2008
Just one game on our radar in College Hoops tonight as The Alabama Crimson Tide hosts the Tennessee Volunteers.  Looking back at the past few seasons, this series has been really one-sided.  Tennessee picked up a win last year, but before that the Tide had won 7 in a row and 8 of the last 9 when these teams square-off.  We’re predicting more revenge this season as Tennessee has all the tools to get this win tonight.  The Vols travel extremely well, and while Alabama does have a winning record, they have not been all that impressive this season, particularly at home where they are just 9-5.  Granted, they play in a tough conference, but if you can’t protect that home court there is no way you are going to have a very successful season.  Tennessee took the first step last season by finally getting past Bama, and this year they take it a step further and dominate the team that used to dominate them; on their home-court no less.

NCAA Basketball Tip:  Tennessee Vols -5.5

Popularity: 7% [?]

San Antonio Spurs (28-15) at Seattle Super Sonics (9-35)
10:00PM EST - 1/29/2008
Seattle can’t stop losing.  They’ve lost 14 in a row and Tuesday night it’s not looking good for them to break their streak as they host the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.  If the Spurs do have a weakness this year it has to be when they play on the road as 10 of  their 15 losses have come away from home.  Seattle is going to give their best effort, nobody wants to keep losing and this streak is their best motivation, it’s just too bad they aren’t a good enough team to get past the Spurs.  San Antonio is too good on offense and too deep on the bench for the Sonics to keep this game close.  Expect the streak to extend to 15 games for Seattle tonight.

Free NBA Pick:  San Antonio Spurs -7.5

Toronto Raptors (24-19) @ Washington Wizards (23-19)
7:00PM EST - 1/29/2008
The Washington Wizards have played surprisingly well without the services of their best player, Gilbert Arenas, who was averaging around 22 points and 7 assists per game.  I did not expect them to be much of a factor without Agent Zero, but they’ve come out and proven they can win without him.  Caron Butler has really stepped into the roll as the #1 scorer on the team and I think the key match-up in this game is going to be Butler against Chris Bosh.  If you look up and down these teams they are very  similar.  They also come into tonight with almost identical records.  The smart play is on the home team in this situation.  Washington should pick up their 24th win of the season over the Raptors tonight.

Free NBA Pick:  Washington Wizards -2

That’s it for the NBA today.  Check back daily for our free NBA picks! 

Popularity: 8% [?]

There aren’t any NBA games jumping out for us today.  There are only four games and the lines appear to be pretty tight.  If you do plan on wagering today, it’s important that you shop around for the best lines available.  I understand a lot of people have loyalties to local guys or to a certain online book, but sometimes those loyalties are going to cost you money, an the goal here is to make money, not friends.  We’re posting our odds from SportsBook.com below.  If they have better odds than you can get at your book you should really give them a shot.  Please note that these are not picks, simply the posted odds for the day.

NBA Odds by SportsBook.com

Indiana Pacers @ Miami Heat PK

Philadelphia 76ers @ Charlotte Bobcats -5

L.A. Clippers @ Memphis Grizzlies -3.5

New Orleans Hornets @ San Antonio Spurs -5.5

Good luck on your NBA wagers today!  I will say that the Pacers were close to being a play today, but the Heat just have to be playing their tail off trying to avoid extending that amazing losing streak!  Check back soon for more picks and odds!  Thanks!

Popularity: 8% [?]

There are a bundle of quality college basketball games today.  We have 7 free picks Saturday.  With some of the games starting as early as 12PM EST we are going to forgo the write-ups today and get straight to the games we think have the best value.

Gonzaga +12 @ Memphis

Kansas -21 vs. Nebraska

Washington State - 2.5 @ Arizona State

Oregon State +16.5 vs. UCLA

Georgetown +3 @ West Virginia

Georgia +13 @ Tennessee

UConn +9 @ Indiana

Those are our top NCAA Basketball picks for Saturday!  Check back soon for more free picks and updates.  Good Luck!

Popularity: 10% [?]

Orlando Magic (27-17) @ Detroit Pistons (30-13)
7:00PM EST - 1/25/2008
Friday night two of the best teams in the NBA’s Eastern conference square off as the Detroit Pistons host the Orlando Magic.  Having the home court definitely works in Detroit’s favor as they are 14-4 in home games this year, but you also have to consider that the Magic have been awesome on the road this season.  So where can we find an edge?  The Magic are an offensive-oriented team, the Pistons are more of a defensive, physical team.  Normally, you’d use the old adage, “Defense wins championships”, but in this case you have to look past the pure defensive numbers and look at things like rebounding, which Orlando has a huge advantage in, especially with Dwight Howard playing in his break-through season and rebounding like a man possessed.  I just think that 7.5 points is too much for this marquee match-up.    (more…)

Popularity: 8% [?]

There are three huge games in College Hoops Thursday and all three involve Top 10 teams.  #3 Duke hits the road against Virginia Tech, a team that is undefeated at home.  #7 UCLA is also on the road in a key Pac 10 match-up against 12-6 Oregon.  Perhaps the most interesting match-up of the night also comes in the Pac 10 with #6 Washington State squaring off against a very good Arizona team with a lot of pride on the line.  No standout picks on the board for Thursday, but we would like to give you a glimpse of what the odds are on the night’s key games.

Odds By SportsBook.com

7:00PM EST
#3 Duke @ Virginia Tech +8.5

 8:30PM EST
#6 Washington State @ Arizona -1.5

 10:30PM EST
#7 UCLA @ Oregon +3.5

Leans on Arizona, UCLA, and VA Tech.  Good luck today!  Check back soon for more tips, odds, and info!

Popularity: 8% [?]

Have you ever been to a really rancid Super Bowl party?  Have you ever hosted one? Odds are you’ll be able to answer yes to at least one of those questions (whether you know it or not is another question).  In today’s  article we’ll give you a few tips to make sure your Super Bowl XLII party is a monster hit.

I’ll get #1 out of the way quickly.  Don’t plan to meet a bunch of friends at a bar for the Super Bowl and call that your Super Bowl party, that’s weak.  Plus it sucks.  It’s usually way too crowded, you can’t have a conversation with anyone, and most people do have to work the next day and you don’t need to add to your odds of getting a hangover. (more…)

Popularity: 23% [?]