Case of the Mondays: Dream Dies for Florida, Wisconsin
by Ricky Dimon - 4/7/2014
Florida and Wisconsin looked poised to play on Monday. The Gators led their Final Four showdown against Connecticut 16-4, and the Badgers stopped a Kentucky run to snag a five-point advantage of their own late in the second half. Instead, the National Championship will pit the Huskies against the Wildcats.
All odds provided by Sportsbook.ag.
Scottie Wilbekin
. There is no shame in getting outplayed by Shabazz Napier, but that was drastic. Wilbekin, who was hampered by cramps on Saturday, finished with four
points on 2-for-9 shooting while going 0-for-3 from 3-point land. Napier scored a modest 12 points, but he did it on just six shots, and he also
contributed six assists and four steals. UConn prevailed 63-53 for its second win over Florida this season. That's right; 66.7 percent of the Gators'
setbacks in 2013-14 came at the hands of the Huskies. Connecticut is a +2.5 underdog against Kentucky.
Wisconsin
. Bo Ryan's first trip to the Final Four appeared to be on its way to extending into Monday, but then Aaron Harrison struck-again. Harrison delivered his
third game-winning 3-pointer in as many games with a 5.7 seconds remaining as Kentucky prevailed 74-73. Traevon Jackson's last-second attempt to answer
Harrison's heroics just barely rimmed out. It was a heartbreaking end for the Badgers, who had trailed for much of the second half but had taken a
five-point lead with fewer than six minutes remaining. Harrison is a +325 third choice to win Most Outstanding Player honors; Julius Randle is +130, and
Napier is +160.
Miami (FL)
. Spring football practice is off to a rough start in South Beach, where rising senior quarterback Ryan Williams suffered a torn ACL last week. Williams
had been considered the leading candidate to start for the Hurricanes next season. He played in nine games over the past two seasons after transferring
from Memphis, a spot that saw him garner significant playing time as a freshman in 2010. Miami is now using redshirt freshman Kevin Olsen and third-string
sophomore Gray Crow at quarterback. The 'Canes are +10000 to win next year's National Championship; Florida State is a +500 favorite.
Indiana Pacers
. Just when you thought the Pacers could not go any lower, Sunday happened. That's when they lost 107-88 at home to an Atlanta team that is clinging to the
eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and had dropped seven of its last nine games. The Pacers trailed 33-11 after one quarter and 55-23
at halftime en route to their eighth loss in 11 games. Six of those eight setbacks have come by double-digits. Indiana seemed to have a stranglehold on the
East's top seed throughout the regular season, but it now trails Miami by one game and by two in the loss column. The Pacers are +260 to win the Eastern
Conference and +800 to win the NBA Championship.
Arizona Diamondbacks
. The Diamondbacks won on Sunday, but they will have to do a lot more of that in order to overcome what was their worst start in franchise history (1-7
after Saturday's loss at Colorado). Arizona is still a terrible 2-7 despite prevailing 5-3 at Coors Field to at least end a disastrous week on a positive
note. The team is in last place in the entire major league standings, and its seven losses are three more than any other ballclub has in that column. The
D-Backs -21 run differential is worst in the bigs, with 10 runs to spare. Colorado (Lyles) is a -135 home favorite over the White Sox (Paulino) on Monday.
Matt Duchene
. Duchene may not be a big name, but his loss could be a huge one for the Colorado Avalanche. The team's leading scorer may be sidelined up to four weeks
with a knee injury. Colorado's first playoff appearance in more than four years will likely begin without Duchene, and its bid for a top four seed in the
Western Conference and home-ice advantage in the first round has taken a blow. The center forward, who was injured in his first shift on Saturday, has 23
goals and 47 assists for the season. The Avs are +1800 to win the Stanley Cup; Boston is a +350 favorite.
Tiger Woods
. It's Masters week, which usually means springtime, great golf, green jackets, and a whole lot of Tiger Woods. For the first time since 1994, however,
Augusta National will not feature the latter. Tiger will miss the season's first major tournament, and he may even be sidelined through the summer
following last week's back surgery. The world No. 1, who is a four-time champion of the Masters, has not won a major since the 2008 U.S. Open. Rory McIlroy and defending champion Adam Scott are +1000 co-favorites to win the Masters.
Arsenal . Arsenal occupied the top spot for much of the Premier League season, but its tumble down the standings continued on Sunday with a 3-0 loss to Everton. The Gunners, who have 64 points, are now 10 points back of first-place Liverpool. A title is just about out of the question, but they still have a lot to worry about. Now in fourth place, Arsenal is barely inside the cut for Champions League qualification. Everton is in fifth with 63 points, and it has played one fewer match than Arsenal. Manchester City is a -137 favorite to win the EPL title.
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