Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 3/29/2016

by Doc's Sports - 3/29/2016

North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige

We are down to the Final Four in this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. And while there is only one No. 1 seed left in the field, the other three teams have proven to be legitimate contenders to win the 2016 national title. In this week's discussion with Doc's Sports' expert handicapper Raphael Esparza, we will get his thoughts on each of this Saturday night's semifinal showdowns.

Once known as the Vegas Sports Informer during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry, Raphael rose the ranks to the prestigious position of Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria while honing his talents as an expert handicapper. He got out of that game in 2013, and since then he has been splitting his time between the Las Vegas Strip and the Big Easy in New Orleans running a successful and diverse sports investment service. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: The road to the Final Four took some interesting turns that few bettors saw coming. But starting with a battle between two No. 2 seeds in Villanova and Oklahoma, which team do you like in that matchup?

RE: I am still surprised that both of these teams have gotten this far. This is a pretty even matchup, but I would have to give the slight edge to Oklahoma given the way that Buddy Hield has been playing in this tournament. The top play in this game could be the "over" on the total line if you can get 145.

Doc's Sports: It is an all-ACC matchup in the other Final Four game on Saturday between North Carolina and the surprising Syracuse Orange. The first question is can Syracuse cover as almost a double-digit underdog and, if the answer is yes, do the Orange have any chance to win this game straight up?

RE: Given the recent history between these two conference foes, I would lean towards North Carolina covering the hefty spread if it can run the floor and keep things up-tempo all game long. When they met in Syracuse in the regular season, the Tar Heels successfully did that and came away with an 84-73 win that covered the 7.5 points on the road.

Doc's Sports : Opening Day in Major League Baseball is right around the corner, so to finish up our trip around each of the division races this season, which team do you have winning the highly-competitive NL Central?

RE: This may sound like a homer call, but I really think that Chicago is clearly the best team in what has been a very competitive division the past few seasons. Given the offseason roster moves of the top three teams in the Central, I actually think the Cubs improved by filling some holes, while both Pittsburgh and St. Louis took a step backwards with some of the players they lost.

Doc's Sports : The final MLB division race to cover is the NL West. Last season, Los Angeles won the West by eight games, but there has been a lot of early noise about Arizona and San Francisco is always a threat to make a run. Can you give us your pick to win this division race?

RE: It is an even year, so it must be San Francisco's turn to win the West. I actually have the Giants winning this division followed by Los Angeles and then Arizona. Their pitching staff has not looked all that hot so far, but I do not put any stock in what happens in spring training games. The addition of starter Jeff Samardzija could turn out to be one of San Francisco's best offseason moves in what should be a complete turnaround from last season's disappointing performance.

Doc's Sports: The 2016 Kentucky Derby Trail is starting to really heat up, and we all know what a huge horse racing fan you are. Heading into April's top prep races, which horses do you have your eyes on as solid Derby contenders?

RE : There is a big test for Nyquist as one of the top Kentucky Derby hopefuls in this Saturday's Florida Derby. If he wins as expected, look for that horse to be the Derby Day favorite. I was at the Louisiana Derby last Saturday and I really liked what I saw from Gun Runner. He is now high on my watch list heading into the countdown to the first Saturday in May at Churchill.

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 .

Start:	November 23, 2024 @ 3:30 PM
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