Doc's Sports has earned a reputation in the sports betting business as being one of the top selection services around, and our results for this college basketball season right through the first three weeks of March Madness only help to hammer this point home. We have remained on top for well over four decades by providing a very loyal customer base with winning picks for all the major sports. One of the main reasons for our continued success and longevity in this very competitive industry has been the ability to surround ourselves with some of the best handicappers in the game.

Raphael Esparza continues to be one of our top performers since he joined the team at Doc's almost eight years ago. He perfected his handicapping skills first hand during a long and illustrious career working behind the counter of some of the biggest sportsbooks in Las Vegas. When he was only known as The Vegas Informer, Raphael rose to the top of his field by holding the highly prestigious position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria.

He has since retired from the sportsbook industry in order to spend even more time tapping into a vast network of key Las Vegas insiders that know the sports betting industry through and through. Raphael has been able to use this "inside edge" as part of his handicapping efforts, but what really separates him from the field is his ability to offer selections for a wide array of sporting events, including the WNBA, horse racing, boxing, professional tennis and soccer leagues all around the globe.

Awhile back, Doc's Sports decided to set up an ongoing weekly Q&A with Raphael to provide our readers with exclusive insight and access to this "inside edge" by covering some of the hottest trending topics in the sports betting industry today. What better source can you find than someone with their ear to the ground in the undisputed sports gambling capital of the world? The following is this week's discussion.

Doc's Sports : The top four teams originally favored to win this year's NCAA Tournament have all advanced to the Sweet 16, with Florida still listed as the overall favorite on most sportsbooks' future odds list. Are the Gators still your pick to win it all, or has one of the other 15 teams left in the field moved to the top of your list?

RE: I really liked the Gators' chances before the tournament started as the most consistent and balanced team in the field, and nothing over the past week has changed my mind. The interesting thing in town is a huge influx of money on Arizona after a strong showing by the Wildcats in their first two tournament games.

Doc's Sports: Before this year's NCAA Tournament started, you were really high on Duke's Jabari Parker as your pick to win Most Outstanding Player. The Blue Devils are obviously out of the picture, so can you give me one player that would be your new favorite to win this year's award?

RE : Simply based on overall performance and not necessarily taking into consideration the particular team, I would go with Michigan State's Andreian Payne as my top pick. If the Spartans do go on to win this year's national title, it will be on his shoulders.

Doc's Sports: We all know what a big fan you are of women's basketball, so as undefeated Connecticut and Notre Dame continue on their collision course with one another in this year's Women's NCAA Tournament, which one of these basketball powers do you have coming out on top when the dust finally clears?

RE: I have not really paid all that much attention to this year's tournament given the fact that it is clearly a two-team race to the title. In a head-to-head matchup I would go with Notre Dame. This team feels it has something to prove after last season's loss to the Huskies in the semifinals, and the Irish have the more physical team this time around, which should carry them to the title.

Doc's Sports : Through Monday night's action in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat are a combined 10-10 in their last 20 games. With a huge matchup on the slate between these two struggling powers in Indiana on Wednesday night, which team do you have winning that showdown?

RE: I would go with Indiana both straight-up and against the spread for Wednesday's matchup, but look for Miami to return the favor at home when they meet again early next month. The problem is that both of these teams have some obvious issues that could drag all the way into the playoffs, while teams such as Chicago and Brooklyn continue to close the gap in overall form.

Doc's Sports : Opening Day in Major League Baseball is less than a week away. Turning to the highly-competitive NL Central, which team would be your top pick to win that division this season?

RE: This will definitely be the most competitive division in the National League with as many as four teams having a chance to win if things fall their way. My top pick would still be the Cardinals as the best all-around team, but Pittsburgh will once again give them a solid run for their money all season long. I see Cincinnati taking a slight step backwards, and my top play would be the "over" on Milwaukee's projected win total of 80 games.

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza's Insider's Page at Doc's Sports for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza's member's picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza. Also be sure to follow him on Twitter @VSIDocsports.