As the betting public turns its full attention to all the madness of March, Doc’s Sports Service remains at the forefront of the action as the premier selection company in the sports gaming business for well over 40 years. We have gotten to this lofty status by providing our loyal customers a steady stream of winners in a number of different sporting events with the help of some of the best handicappers around. One of the best of the best for close to five years now has been the Vegas Sports Informer. He has been able to rise to the top of the ranks by using his ability to break down matchups in combination with the competitive edge that comes from spending the last 15 years behind the counter of one of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. By incorporating this insider’s edge into all of his selections, The Informer continues to consistently produce winners for a wide selection of sports.

A few months back, Doc’s Sports decided to start up a weekly dialog with The Informer in order to provide our readers with a first-hand, behind-the-scenes glimpse at what is really going in the Las Vegas books. Over the course of these interviews we have all been able to gain valuable insight into some of the hottest trending topics in the sports gaming industry today. The following is this week’s discussion.

Doc’s Sports: Las Vegas has to be booming even more than usual this week with the arrival of the WAC, MWC and Pac-12 college basketball tournaments. Which team do you see coming out on top in each of these conferences?

VSI: Starting with the WAC, Louisiana Tech garnered most of the attention this season, but I think this is Denver’s tournament to lose as long as it does not get tripped up in one of the earlier rounds. The hometown UNLV Rebels should be my choice as the favorite in the MWC, but I am going with San Diego State as a very mild longshot. Right now, UCLA is one of the hottest teams in the Pac-12 and my pick to win its tournament with Shabazz Muhammad returning home to put on a show for the local fans. 

Doc’s Sports: The rest of the majors are also holding their conference tournaments this week in preparation for the start of the NCAA Tournament next Tuesday. Which teams do think will claim the title in the hotly-contested ACC, Big East and Big Ten?

VSI: All three of these conferences remain fairly wide open with as many as four or five teams in each having a legitimate shot to win. In the ACC, I really like NC State’s chances to make a statement by knocking off fellow in-state rivals North Carolina and Duke. If you are looking for a mild sleeper in the Big East, stick with a team like Marquette to shake things up. Finally, turning to the Big Ten, I think it is Michigan’s turn to bask in the limelight after Indiana stole the show during the regular season.

Doc’s Sports: Before the NHL regular season got underway, you believed that scoring would be higher than normal in the early going due to the long layoff. At the halfway point there are seven teams averaging over three goals a game after just three accomplished this feat last season. Will the defenses ever catch up, or is this elevated scoring trend going to continue right into the Stanley Cup Playoffs?

VSI: This was definitely the trend earlier, but over the past few weeks you are starting to see more and more of the top goalies in the league finally return to form. Teams like Pittsburgh and Chicago are going to continue to find the back of the net on a regular basis, but the overall trend should begin to shift towards lower scoring games from here on in.

Doc’s Sports: The Miami Heat extended their current winning streak to 18 games by blowing out Indiana this past Sunday night. Looking at their schedule moving forward starting with Tuesday night’s home game against Atlanta, how long do you think this streak can go on?

VSI: The big test will be Miami’s upcoming five-game road trip starting this Wednesday in Philadelphia. The first stumbling block could be in Milwaukee on Friday or in Boston next Monday. At the very least, take the Bucks and Celtics with the points in both of those games. If the Heat do get by Boston, it should be clearly sailing all the way to a March 31 showdown against San Antonio.

Doc’s Sports: The NFL’s free agent market opens for business this Tuesday. In your opinion, who are a few of the players that could make the biggest impact on a team’s fortunes next season?

VSI: The starting point for any NFL team is taking a hard look at the top offensive and defensive lineman that might be available. Off the top of my head, this list should include Jake Long on offense and maybe Desmond Bryant on defense. For any team in need of a boost to its running game, Stephen Jackson would be the player at the top of that list. Despite the fact that he is 30 years old, I still think he has enough left in the tank to make a major impact somewhere next season.

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.