Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 3/28/2017

by Doc's Sports - 3/28/2017

The college basketball season draws to a close with this Saturday's Final Four Round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament followed by next Monday's National Championship Game, and in this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will find out just how much he is touting a Gonzaga vs. Oregon showdown title game. We will also be checking in on some of his early contenders for next month's Kentucky Derby.

Raphael worked his way to the top of the list as one of the best sports handicappers in the nation at the same time he was working his way through the ranks of the Las Vegas sportsbook industry during a long and successful career. Once known in Las Vegas betting circles as the Vegas Sports Informer, he held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement from the sportsbook industry in 2013. These days he focuses all of his attention on running a successful and diverse sports investment service from both Las Vegas and the Big Easy in New Orleans. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: Last week we talked about the Las Vegas sportsbooks coming out on top against the betting public through the first two rounds of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Given the recent results from both the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight Rounds of the Big Dance, who were the big winners heading into the Final Four?

RE: The books in town cleaned up last week to add to their modest gains earlier in this tournament. Arizona going down was big for the books along with the big gains they took in on South Carolina's run to the Final Four. Gonzaga also paid off big with the public fading the Bulldogs in favor of Xavier and the 8.5-point spread.

Doc's Sports: It is no secret that you have been high on Gonzaga all season long as one of the best teams in the nation. While we know that you are not going against the Bulldogs straight up this Saturday night against upstart South Carolina, do you have them covering as 6.5-point favorites with most books in town?

RE: You are right in saying that I would not go against Gonzaga, but I am probably going to sit this one out against a veteran South Carolina team that does have the ability to keep this game close.

Doc's Sports: You have also been touting Oregon out of the Pac-12 as one of your top teams. And despite an injury to starter Chris Boucher before this tournament ever got underway, the Ducks have been resilient enough to work their way into the Final Four. Oregon comes into Saturday's other Final Four matchup as a 4.5-point underdog against the ACC's North Carolina Tar Heels, so how do you see this game playing out?

RE: As much as I would love to go with the Ducks in a SU upset, I still believe that North Carolina's overall advantage in size will end up being the difference come Saturday night. The Ducks are going to have to shoot lights out to keep things close since they are not going to get too many second chances against the top rebounding team in the nation. I may be looking a bit closer at what the total line does in the next few days in what I see to be a high-scoring game.

Doc's Sports : April marks the running of some huge Kentucky Derby prep races, including this Saturday's Florida Derby and next Saturday's Santa Anita Derby. Can you give us two or three horses that have already caught your eye as legitimate contenders to win this year's Kentucky Derby?

RE: One three-year old filly that caught my eye was Tapwrit with her victory in the Tampa Bay Derby earlier this month, but overall it remains a wide-open field of contenders given just how many upsets we have already seen in some of the earlier prep races. I still feel that the winner of this year's Kentucky Derby will come out of either this Saturday's Florida or Louisiana Derby or next Saturday's prep race at Santa Anita.

Doc's Sports: This is a busy time of year with a new season of MLB starting up next week, while both the NBA and NHL regular seasons continue to wind down towards the playoffs. We already know that you have all the mainstream sports covered with your handicapping service, but is there anything else a bit off the beaten track on the betting radar right now?

RE : I just finished an article for Doc's on this Sunday's WrestleMania 33 in Orlando with a full complement of picks in what should be one of the most entertaining professional wrestling shows in recent memory. There are quite a few big names on the card, and I would not be surprised to see a couple of guest celebrities also make an appearance. As far as an early upset special, I would go with The Miz and Maryse as 6/1 underdogs against John Cena and Nikki Bella.

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 .

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