Doc’s Sports Service has gained a reputation for being the premier sports selection company in the gaming industry as a result of providing our loyal customers a steady stream of winners for well over 40 years. The key to our success over such a length of time is the commitment to enlisting the services of some of the top handicappers in the business. One of Doc’s shining stars for close to five years now has been the Vegas Sports Informer. He has quickly established himself as one of the best by combining the ability to breakdown matchups with the competitive edge that comes from spending the last 15 years behind the counter of one of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. The Informer has been able to use this insider’s edge to consistently provide winners in a number of different sports.

Doc’s Sports jumped at the opportunity to sit down with The Informer and “pick his brain” each week. Our goal is to provide our customers with a first-hand, behind-the-scenes glimpse at what is really going in the Las Vegas books as well as gain insight into some of the hottest trending topics in the sports gaming industry. The following is this week’s discussion.

Doc’s Sports: With the NBA regular season on hold because of the all-star break, what sporting events caught the attention of the betting public in Las Vegas this past weekend?

VSI: Without the NBA games, pretty much all the action last weekend at the Las Vegas sportsbooks gravitated to college basketball. Overall, things were rather slow, making it that much harder for the books to lay off the all the weekly action from the wise guys, which rarely if ever slows down.

Doc’s Sports: Speaking of college basketball, as the regular season begins to wind down, does the winner of Tuesday night’s Indiana vs. Michigan State game become the prohibitive favorite to win the Big Ten regular season title this year?

VSI: The Big Ten title does appear to be a two-way race between these teams with the winner of tonight’s game getting a leg up on the other. This will turn into a major advantage if Indiana pulls off the regular-season sweep with a win. If I had to make a pick, I would go with the Hoosiers in this game, especially if Victor Oladipo is ready to go.

Doc’s Sports: The stretch run to the NBA playoffs gets underway this Tuesday night as well. While Miami in the East and San Antonio in the West appear primed to lock up the top seed in their respective conference, which two teams would be your top choice to bet with (or against) over the remainder of the regular season?

VSI: When it comes to the two teams you already mentioned, I would lean towards going with Miami the rest of the way as you should be able to benefit from some soft lines here and there. I normally go against the Spurs down the stretch as they tend to back things down the closer they get to the start of the playoffs. Indiana is a team I have loved all season long, and if the Clippers can add some veteran help before this Thursday’s trade deadline, they could be another team to bet on from here on in.

Doc’s Sports: When your favorite NHL team, the Chicago Blackhawks, jumped out to fast start, you did not think it would last. Now that they are 12-0-3 heading into Tuesday night’s clash against Vancouver, have your long-term thoughts on the team changed?

VSI: I did think the fast start was somewhat of a fluke, but the more I watch this team play, the more I become convinced they could be the class of the entire NHL. The key has been the ability to score first, which seems to give the defense more and more confidence to set the pace as the game wears on. It also helps that they have quality goaltending in Corey Crawford and Ray Emery as a backup.

Doc’s Sports: Last week we talked about both Los Angeles teams, the Angels and the Dodgers, as two of the favorites to win the World Series this season. If you had to pick two ‘under the radar’ teams to defy the odds and win it all, who would they be?

VSI: It may sound crazy, but a small play on an all-Ohio World Series could be well worth the risk. Cleveland continues to improve, and, if its starting pitching holds up, would be my sleeper in the AL. Cincinnati is still one of the better teams in the NL and not much of a longshot to win the pennant, but this could be its year to go all the way coming out of a very watered-down Central Division.

To keep up on all the inside information from Las Vegas be sure to follow VSI on Twitter @vsidocsports. Also, if you have any questions for The Informer that you would like us to cover in future articles please email them to askvsi@docsports.com and we will do our best to add them into the mix.