This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z
by Ricky Dimon - 4/2/2014
A. Arthur Chu
. Chu took "Jeopardy" by storm last month, winning 11 times before finally going down. He made additional headlines for his seemingly reckless style of
jumping all over the board in search of daily doubles. Whatever the case, Chu got the job done-but not quite to the extent of Ken Jennings' record
74-win streak in 2004.
B. Kurt Busch
. Busch did not just win last weekend in Martinsville, but he also did so by taking down perennial favorite Jimmie Johnson. The No. 41 was passed by
Johnson with 17 laps to go but returned the favor with 10 left before holding on for victory. Additionally, Busch threatened to rearrange Brad Keselowski's
face during a pit-road confrontation. Good times. Johnson is a +240 favorite to capture the Sprint Cup title, per GT Bets.
C. Chelsea
. The Blues somehow managed to lose at Crystal Palace, which is 16th on the Premier League table, 1-0 last Saturday. Chelsea is now in second
place, two points back of Liverpool. Manchester City, which has played two fewer matches than the top duo, is just two points south of Chelsea.
D. DeSean Jackson
. Amidst allegations of gang participation, Jackson was released by the Eagles last week. Philadelphia completely dogged out its former star receiver, but
there could be a silver lining in Jackson's playbook: he signed a three-year deal with NFC East rival Washington, which gives him at least two shots at his
old team every season. Philly is +1000 to win the NFC Championship at Bovada Sportsbook.
E. Eric Young Jr.
The Mets' left fielder kicked off his season with the ol' golden sombrero on Opening Day. Yes, Young went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in what was an
otherwise hitters' game as New York fell to Washington 9-7 in 10 innings. But how's this for a rarity? Young recorded the infamous golden
sombrero but still notched an RBI in the process (he hit a sacrifice fly in the second inning). The Mets are +120 home underdogs on Wednesday against Washington, according to
BookMaker.
F.
Frank Kaminsky
. Kaminsky has scored 19, 19, and 28 points in his last three NCAA Tournament games to lead Wisconsin to the Final Four. The seven-footer has an impressive
perimeter game, but he could have an epic battle down low against Kentucky's Julius Randle on Saturday. The Badgers are +2 underdogs at against the
Wildcats.
G. "Good Morning America"
. Josh Elliott is hitting the road from ABC's morning show to NBC Sports. It must have been an acrimonious departure, too, because Elliott is reportedly
taking a considerable pay cut to make the move. If Bob Costas' eyes act up again at the Rio Olympics in 2016, it could be Elliott to the rescue!
H.
Aaron Harrison
. What. A. Shot. The Kentucky guard (freshman, but that goes without saying) buried a 24-footer with 2.3 seconds left and with Michigan's Caris LeVert
completely in his face to send the Wildcats past the Wolverines 75-72 and into the Final Four.TopBet has Kentucky at +240 to win the National Championship.
I. Kyrie Irving
. Cleveland's all-star point guard has been cleared to return for practice after missing eight games due to a biceps injury. But it could be too little,
too late, as the Cavs trail the eighth-place Hawks by three games for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot.
J. Phil Jackson
. Despite an "awful" (Jackson's own words) road loss to the Lakers on March 25, the Knicks are a respectable 6-3 since hiring their new team president. New
York is just one game back of Atlanta for a place in the playoffs with seven games remaining on its regular-season schedule. The Knicks are -2.5 favorites over visiting Brooklyn on Wednesday, according to Carbon Sports.
K. Kain Colter
. Kain may be able to change the NCAA landscape, and he may be able to do it sooner rather than later. The former Northwestern quarterback is spearheading
the charge to allow college athletes to unionize, and he scored a major victory last Wednesday, when the regional director of the National Labor Relations
Board in Chicago, Peter Sung Ohr, ruled that Northwestern football players are university employees and are entitled to an election that will determine if
they can form a union.
L. Losing streak
. The streak is no more, although the Philadelphia 76ers may have already started another one. Philly lost 26 games in a row, tying the NBA's (and all of
major professional sports) all-time record for consecutive losses. The Sixers finally won last Saturday (123-98 over Detroit) but then fell at Atlanta
103-95 on Monday. 5Dimes Sportsbook has them as +8 home underdogs vs. Charlotte on Wednesday.
M. A.J. McCarron
. McCarron may not be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, but he may be No. 1 at life. The former Alabama quarterback proposed last week to Katherine
Webb, who needs no introduction. For those out of the loop (nobody reading this), Webb was Miss Alabama in 2012 and finished in the top 10 of Miss USA
later that year. Sportsbook has Johnny Manziel at +800 to be the top pick in the NFL Draft.
N. Nikki Ferrell
. Ferrell and Juan Pablo Galavis are reportedly still an item even though Juan Pablo did not propose to her at the end of "The Bachelor." In other reports,
JP is having drinks thrown on him in Atlantic City, and Ferrell's ex-boyfriend wants her back. And you thought the drama ended with the final episode….
Yeah right.
O. Overexposed
. Justin Bieber topped Forbes' list of most overexposed celebrities last month. All three Kardashian sisters are in the top 10, as is their mom, Kris
Jenner. To say Bieber is keeping up the Kardashians would be an understatement; he's surpassing them.
P.
Patrick Beverley
. In news that won't break Russell Westbrook's heart, Beverley suffered a partially-torn meniscus last week and will likely miss at least two weeks. The
good news for Beverley, who injured Westbook last year and forced the Oklahoma City guard to miss the playoffs, is that he will not require season-ending
surgery. Houston is +1000 at Carbon Sports to win the Western Conference.
Q. Quits
. With two years remaining on his contract, California men's basketball head coach Mike Montgomery is calling it quits. Montgomery, 67, spent six seasons
at Cal. The Bears went 21-14 during the 2013-14 campaign and lost to SMU in the quarterfinals of the NIT.
R. Rafael Nadal
. Nadal has won just about everything during his career, but the Miami tournament still eludes him. The top-ranked Spaniard competed in his fourth Miami
final on Sunday but remains winless after getting blown out by world No. 2 Novak Djokovic 6-3, 6-3. Nadal is a -150 favorite at BetOnline Sportsbook to win the French Open.
S. Serena Williams
. Serena had little trouble with Li Na on Sunday en route to her seventh career triumph in Miami. The world No. 1, who won the final 7-5, 6-1, also took
care of Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3 during semifinal action.
T. Jonathan Toews
. Toews got blasted into the boards by Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik on Sunday during the Blackhawks' 4-1 loss to the Penguins. In typical NHL-speak, the
center sustained what is only being disclosed as an upper-body injury, and he is listed as day-to-day. Chicago is +650 at Bovada Sportsbook to win the Stanley Cup.
U. UConn
. The Huskies upset every expert's champion pick, Michigan State, 60-54 last weekend. Connecticut is the first No. 7 seed to reach the Final Four since the
NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Next up for Kevin Ollie's squad is Florida. Incidentally, the Gators' last loss came on Dec. 2 to none other
than UConn. Shabazz Napier nailed a buzzer-beater at the end of a wild sequence to give the Huskies a 65-64 victory. The Huskies are +6 underdogs on Saturday, per Sportsbook.ag.
V.
Valero Texas Open
. Someone named Steven Bowditch won last weekend in San Antonio for the first PGA Tour title of his career. That someone will also be participating in the
Masters, which is more than Tiger Woods can say. Tiger underwent back surgery on Monday and could be sidelined for several months. Rory McIlroy is a +900
favorite at WagerWeb to win this week's Shell Houston Open.
W. Andrew Wiggins
. Wiggins confirmed on Monday what we already knew: he is bolting Kansas for the NBA after one college season. The 6-foot-8 Canadian endured an up-and-down
campaign that ended on a sour note (as many turnovers as points-four-in a second-round loss to Stanford), but he set a KU freshman record with 17.1 points
per game.
X. "X"
. That's what any amateur golfer would have put down on the scoreboard prior to going all the way through with what befell John Daly last month during
second-round action at the Valspar Championship. Daly carded a 12 on the par-4 16th hole en route to a 90. Somewhat surprisingly given that it's
Daly we're talking about, the 90 was the worst single-round score of his tumultuous career.
Y. Patric Young
. After lackluster performances against Pittsburgh and UCLA, Florida's big man made his presence felt in an Elite Eight win over Dayton. He scored 12
points on 5-for-9 shooting and also contributed six rebounds, four blocks, and two steals. The "over/under" is 126.5 for Florida-UConn showdown, according to TopBet.
Z. Zack Greinke
. Greinke conveniently sustained a calf injury (that should probably be in quotes) to prevent him from making last month's trip to Australia for a two-game
set against Arizona to begin the regular season, something he made no secret about wanting to avoid. The righty made his season debut on Tuesday and got
the win in a 3-2 Dodgers' victory over the Padres after giving up two runs in five innings. BookMaker
has L.A. (Dan Haren) as a -115 favorite at San Diego (Tyson Ross) on Wednesday.
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