Mario Gutierrez, I’ll Have Another head to Preakness Stakes

The story of jockey Mario Gutierrez is one of the best Cinderella tales to come along in thoroughbred horse racing in ages.

Gutierrez, of course, was the surprise winner at the 2012 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, riding I’ll Have Another to victory. I’ll Have Another went into the Run for the Roses as a mid-level longshot in Horse Racing odds, at 15-1, beating the favorite, Bodemeister, a 4-1 favorite.

And it wasn’t just the fact that an unknown jockey from Mexico, by way of Canada, won the Fastest Two Minutes in Sports, it was the way he did it.

Bodemeister stormed out of the starting gate and led down the stretch, but Gutierrez and I’ll Have Another caught up in the final 100 yards and won by one and half lengths.

Just like his horse at the Derby, Gutierrez came out of nowhere and stepped into the spotlight.

His story is incredibly inspiring. His father was also a jockey, and encouraged him to following his footsteps. He began riding quarter horses in his native Veracruz, and then moved on to Mexico City. All of that by the age of 14.

He moved to Canada in 2006, seeking a better shot at a career in horses racing and a better life overall. He raced at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver, and was one of the top jockeys there.

He moved on to Santa Anita, where he was noticed by I’ll Have Another owner J. Paul Reddam of Windsor, Ont., and trainer Doug O’Neill, who tapped him to ride the horse in the San Anita Derby.

And now Gutierrez will try to win the second leg of the Triple Crown when he rides I’ll Have Another in this Saturday’s 137th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.

This time, he’ll be one of the favorites, at 5-2 in Preakness Stakes Odds.

That’s right behind Bodemeister, which sportsbooks have at 2-1 in Horse Racing Betting.

Went the Day Well, another Derby favorite, is at 5-1.

Pau Gasol proves his worth

While Kobe Bryant always gets the lion’s share of the adulation, his Los Angeles Lakers’ teammate Pau Gasol showed Saturday why he deserves more credit for the team’s success.

He certainly deserves most of the credit for getting the Lakers into the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

The Lakers were embroiled in a heated battle with the Denver Nuggets in the deciding Game 7 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at the Staples Center. Bryant, still not 100 per cent from the effects of a stomach virus, could only contribute 17 points.

But Gasol took over, and was a man possessed. Those close to the court said he was literally growling after nailing baskets or pulling down a rebound.

The 7-foot Spaniard finished with 23 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots. Talk about a monster game.

The Lakers now face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinal, with Game 2 on Wednesday.

NBA Odds have the Lakers at 9-1 to win the NBA Championship, while the Thunder are at 15-4.

Chicago Bulls might need major changes

It may seem like a crazy idea to trade an NBA MVP like Derrick Rose, but with the Chicago Bulls on the verge of elimination, largely because of Rose’s absence, I think it might not be such a bad idea this offseason.

While his torn ACL isn’t exactly his fault, Rose is proving to be quite injury prone.

Rose has missed a large number of games over the past two seasons, and this latest injury could not have come at a worse time. The Bulls entered the playoffs as one of the top favorites to win the NBA title at most sportsbooks, and on Tuesday they are facing elimination at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series.

If the No. 8 seed 76ers knock off the No. 1 seed Bulls, it will be just the fifth time a top seed has been knocked out by a bottom seed in the first round since 1984.

And the Bulls have very few options to get out of this hole, what with Rose out and their emotional leader, Joakim Noah, on the limp.

NBA Odds at Legends have the Bulls as 5-point favorites to stay alive in Game 5, and at 75-1 to come all the way back and win the NBA championship.

No reason to panic for St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks

When the President’s Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs by the Los Angeles Kings two weeks ago, my first reaction was shock followed by a feeling that some heads should roll.

After all, the No. 8 seed Kings had just knocked off the No. team in both the Western Conference and the league.

And then the Kings went on to eliminate the West No. 2 seed St. Louis Blues – in a four-game sweep, no less.

Now my feels have been tempered. I still think the Canucks need changes, especially addressing their passive style of play in a tough sport. They need more physicality in their top nine forwards – players who can play hockey, and play a gritty style. And that’s no easy task. It could involve moving some major, major pieces from the team that went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season.

I just don’t think the Canucks need to fire head coach Alain Vigneault or General Manager Mike Gillis. Given their hugely successful records with the team, that would be foolish.

It’s much easier to accept the Canucks’ finish this season after watching the Kings dismantle the Blues.

And even easier when you see the NHL Betting Odds, that now have the Kings as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup at 2-1.

But even so, there is apparently some panic in St. Louis, just as there has been in Vancouver.

And just like in Vancouver, I feel the Blues should be far from panic mode, especially with head coach Ken Hitchcock heading into a full season with the team next fall. After Hitchcock took over from Davis Payne on Nov. 6, St. Louis went 43-15-11 the rest of the way.

When a team is down 2-0 in a best-of-seven playoff series, it’s normal for the players to feel frustrated. They have their backs against the wall and face a huge challenge, having to win two straight games just to even the series, and four of five to win it.

But when a team is down two games to none after losing the first two games in the opponent’s barn, there is usually some hope and positive vibes because they know they are headed home, and stand a decent chance of winning both their games on their own turf.

That’s why it is perplexing to witness the reaction of the New York Knicks’ Amar’e Stoudemire, who on Monday went toe-to-toe with a pane of glass and, apparently, lost.

The Knicks are being badly outplayed in by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the rest of the Miami Heat in their first-round NBA Playoffs series. The Knicks lost 104-94 in Game 2 on Monday night, and trail the heavily favored Heat 2-0 in their best-of-seven series.

The Game 2 loss came after a 33-point rout in Game 1, and Monday’s final score didn’t reflect how badly the Knicks were outplayed.

New York is now 0-5 SU against Miami this season.

So, there is certainly reason to be down, but the Knicks are headed back to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4. The biggest concern might be that one of their top players, Amar’e Stoudemire, now has his left hand in a sling after cutting it following the Knicks’ loss.

A clearly frustrated Stoudemire punched a fire-extinguisher case on a wall in the hallway leading to the Knicks dressing room. His would was so bad, paramedics were called into the New York locker room.

Needless to say, Stoudemire seems likely to miss Game 3 of this series on Thursday, and as if that’s not bad enough for a team that’s down two zip, there is a good chance he could be gone for the series. That, as much as the play of the Heat, will finish off New York.

Sure, the Knicks will have Carmelo Anthony, who had 30 points on Monday, but New York will need more than Melo.

As is now pretty much the norm with high-profile, supposedly professional athletes, Stoudemire did not discuss the incident with the gathered news media, but instead opted to hide behind his smartphone and addressed the issue through Twitter.

Against NBA rules, the Knicks kept the locker room closed for 35 minutes after the game. Presumably, that was so paramedics could treat Stoudemire. None of his teammates would discuss the issue, the injury or the circumstances that led to it.

“I am so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start,” he tweeted.

Big deal.

The damage is done, both to Stoudemire’s hand and his team, and the sporting world witnesses yet another selfish, stupid act by a pro athlete.

It was beautifully ironic, but at the same time pretty sick, when Metta World Peace slammed his elbow into James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Lakers’ double-overtime win last Sunday.

The irony, of course, stems from Artest’s ridiculous adopted name. Here’s guy naming himself “word peace” who, while supposedly celebrating a basket, delivered a blow to the side of Harden’s head that resulted in a concussion. The sick part is, well, just watch the incident and you can figure that out.

So Artest gets a 7-game suspension for his aggressive actions, and what perfect timing. The Lakers must play most of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets without him, as the NBA Playoffs open this weekend.

It might be time for the NBA to look at some kind of punitive action that is more permanent, or at least lengthier, than the 7-game suspension, because this is far from the first time Artest has given a player – of a fan, or the league – a black eye.

Most NBA fans will remember that Artest was the recipient of the longest ban for an on-court-related incident in NBA history, an 86-game suspension in 2004 in a game against the Detroit Pistons. Artest jumped into the crowd to attack fans after someone dumped beer on him at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit.

And his violence and volatile temper don’t stay on the court. Artest was also arrested and charged for domestic violence. That criminal charge resulted in a lengthy suspension from the Sacramento Kings.

And even last season, after yet another claim from Artest that he was a changed man, he slammed into J.J. Barea of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

And worse that claiming to be a changed man, he also claims to be an inspirational player. He has actually referred to himself as a “role model.”

But the reality is he still has “issues,” at the very least, and one gets the feeling that he could go over the edge again, and perhaps even further over the edge than he’s ever gone before.

What may help really send a message to Artest is that even his team, like those he’s played for in the past, are getting sick of his act. The Lakers, in fact, did not support this latest act and did not appeal the suspension. Maybe they realize that without Artest in the lineup, the team might action be more focused as they take on the Nuggets in the best-of-seven first-round NBA Playoffs series, with Game 1 on Sunday at the Staples Center.

But the reality is it will probably take further actions from the league, or at least closer monitoring, for Artest to finally get it. Maybe with all this time off, and being forced to watch the playoffs from the press box, he’ll realize what he’s done, and that he’s actually pretty lucky to even still be playing in the NBA.

If not, the NBA may be dealing with an even bigger, uglier incident in the not-too-distant future.

Just last week, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Vancouver Canucks entered the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top two favorites to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals.

What a difference a week can make.

Not only is it unlikely that either team will make it to the final, the Canucks and Penguins are both on the verge of being swept in the first round of the NHL Playoffs. Both are down 3-0 in their best-of-seven series, the Penguins facing elimination against the Philadelphia Flyers and the Canucks against the Los Angeles Kings.

And what a difference a week can make in NHL Betting Odds.

The Penguins were the favorite to win it all in NHL Picks, as handicappers had them at 9-2 odds. The Canucks were right behind at 6-1 to win the Stanley Cup.

Now, Pittsburgh and Vancouver are both among the longest of longshots, at 35-1.

The Penguins are facing a very physical Flyers team and the rough stuff has clearly rattled them, especially star Sidney Crosby. He shares the team lead in scoring, with five points, but he has become completely preoccupied with the physical goings-on, as was evidenced in Game 3 on Sunday, when he was involved in several skirmishes.

He was more concerned with swatting away a Flyers player’s glove, pushing and shoving after the whistle, and otherwise allowing the Flyers to take him off his game.

Sid the Kid has spent nine minutes in the penalty box in the first three games of the series, putting him sixth in penalty minutes on his team.

The dominance the Flyers have shown over the No. 1 Stanley Cup favorite has now made them the top pick to win the NHL championship, as sportsbooks have them at 4-1 in NHL Odds.

The Canucks are also getting pushed around in their series with the Kings, but there are other issues.

Vancouver is also suffering the complete loss of its power play, a trend that started more than three months ago. Since the Canucks beat the Boston Bruins in the rematch of their 2011 Stanley Cup Final series in early January, Vancouver’s power play is an abysmal 16-for-134.

As well, some of their top players are not only playing well below their capabilities, their play is so poor it’s actually directly leading to Kings’ goals and big momentum changes.

Chief among them is defenseman Alex Edler, who’s been a train wreck all over the ice. If that’s how your so-called No.1 defenseman plays, you’re doomed.

And Vancouver’s lack of toughness, be it individual or “team,” has once again become an issue.

In Game 3, LA captain Dustin Brown leveled Canuck captain Henrik Sedin with a devastating hit. And just like when Henrik’s brother Daniel was concussed on a hit from the Chicago Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith last month, the Canucks’ response was ineffective and hardly threatening.

But at least the Canucks, like the Penguins, will have plenty of time this spring, summer, and early fall to figure out exactly where it all went wrong.

While most upsets involve No. 7 seeds against No. 2s, and No. 6s against No. 3s, rather than 1s against 8s, one series that could see an upset is the No. 1 New York Rangers vs the No. 8 Ottawa Senators

The Senators have shown they can fill the net this season, especially with defenseman Erik Karlsson leading the attack. There is also the head-to-head record, as the Sens went 3-1-0 against the Rangers, and not only won the past two meetings, but outscored the Rangers by a combined score of 7-1.

That being said, the Rangers should win this series, but don’t be surprised if it goes the full seven games, and when you get to a 7th game, anything can happen.

NHL Odds have the Rangers as a -230 favorite to win the series, and the Senators a +190 underdog.

Another series that could see the underdog coming out on top is the No. 2 Boston Bruins vs. the No 7 Washington Capitals.

Here again, the underdog, that being the Capitals, pretty much owned the favorite this season, as Washington went 3-1-0 against the Bruins during the regular season.

The Caps are also healthy, with Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green back from injuries, and superstar (when he wants to be) Alexander Ovechkin playing like a superstar. Washington played some of its best hockey down the stretch, and teams that get hot late in the season often carry that momentum into the postseason.

There’s also the potential sideshow of Bruins goalie Tim Thomas returning to the nation’s capital after snubbing President Barack Obama during the team’s visit to the White House earlier this season. Thomas has not been consistent ever since that media firestorm, and having to travel to the capital up to the three times could make things even worse.

Boston should win, but don’t be shocked by a six- or even seven-game series.

The Bruins are a -220 favorite to win the series and Washington a +180 underdog.

In the West, one series that looks promising for an upset is the No. 3 Phoenix Coyotes vs. the No. 6 Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago actually had the better regular-season record, finishing four points ahead of Phoenix, who got the third seed because it won the Pacific division. A playoff series win would be the Coyotes’ first since moving from Winnipeg in 1996, where as the Blackhawks still have much of the core that went all the way and won the Stanley Cup two years ago.

And it seems sportsbooks agree an upset could be in the offing in this series: Stanley Cup Odds have the Blackhawks as the favorite at -130 and the Coyotes at +110 to win the series.

In MLB Baseball, meanwhile, the first controversy of the young season has erupted, as the Miami Marlins on Tuesday suspended manager Ozzie Guillen for five games after he said liked and admired Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Five games for expressing an opinion about a (former) foreign leader? This is baseball, not politics.

By B. Sharps / Head Linesman

Hello players! We will discuss the last week’s sports wagering action to see how the books and players faired.

On Monday in the NBA, the players did well with the Orlando Magic -5.5, Boston Celtics -6.5, and the LA Clippers covering the 10.5 but the house came back with Indiana Pacers +3.5, Utah Jazz +1.5 (people were playing against Utah because of all the extra time they’d put on this road trip it’s figured into the line of course but apparently not enough for some players but luckily the books won it easy), and Denver Nuggets +8 beating the Chicago Bulls to start off Monday with a winner for the house.

On Tuesday in pro basketball betting, the players won small games with Memphis Grizzlies -4.5, San Antonio Spurs -1.5, and their big win with Oklahoma City Thunder -5. The house squeaked out a win on the Golden State Warriors +8, giving the players a good betting night. In the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), the players also won with Stanford Cardinal -2.5 and the house won small with Minnesota Gophers +1; winning day for the players overall on Tuesday.

Wednesday on the NBA board the players picked up wins on Detroit Pistons -1.5, Chicago Bulls -3.5, San Antonio Spurs -4, and the LA Clippers -7. Meanwhile, the house won with New York Knicks +1.5, Toronto Raptors +3.5, and Jay Z’s New Jersey Nets +6.5 to book a small winner for the night in the NBA. Luckily the Minnesota Timberwolves – Charlotte Bobcats game that landed 5 was a small action game so the middle was small. In the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) tourney, the house won small with Washington State Cougars +9 and the under 129 to have a small winning day.

Thursday, again in basketball, the players won with Miami Heat -8 and the house countered with New Orleans Hornets +9; the LA Lakers – Dallas Mavericks game was a high volume coin flip that the house made the vig on, making it a small winner for the house overall in NBA hoops. In the NIT Stanford Cardinal blasting Minnesota Gophers was a winner for the books, and overall a small winner for the day for the books.

Friday the players had a nice chalk run in the NBA with Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and Chicago Bulls all covering. We are lucky Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t play, I guess. The house managed to win with Portland Trail Blazers +9.5 to help a little bit late but still a good night for the players. In the CBI final, the players won with Washington State Cougars +7 to have themselves a winning day overall.

Saturday in the NBA the house won with New Orleans Hornets +12 and the players had no big wins in a blah NBA board so the house gladly takes a day like that. In the NCAA basketball semis the house won with Louisville Cardinals +8.5, a wash, pushed out but overall more Kentucky Wildcats at -8.5 here. Other books may vary, as do many of these high volume tourney games, it all depends on your player base. In the second game we juiced out as some of our bigger guys had Kansas Jayhawks +2.5; most books did better but, same as the first game, it depends on your core players, but overall great results for the two games and a good day for the house.

Sunday the players won with by far their favorite team to bet this year – Oklahoma City Thunder -6 – and luckily lost with their second favorite team to bet – Miami Heat -4 – so we split those two key games for the day to hold our lead and have a good week heading into the baseball regular season.

Want to get in on this week’s action? Check out the current lines at Legends. And check back with us next week to see how your betting dollars impacted the week’s outcome.

Good luck to you players; talk to you next week!

Headlining this week’s betting action sees a battle of Blue tonight, as the NCAA men’s college basketball championships go off tonight, as the Kentucky Wildcats are the big favorites to win their 8th National Championship when they take on the Kansas Jayhawks.

Major League Baseball starts up this week with a full slate of games starting on Thursday, as the boys of summer heat up the spring. The league opener is Wednesday evening, as the Miami Marlins host the St. Louis Cardinals. The NBA and NHL seasons are winding down now, with the National Hockey League playoffs starting up in just over a week, while the pro hoops post season starts up at the end of this month.

Back to tonight’s big tilt, as college mens’ basketball pent-ultimate game see the Wildcats as 7-point favorites, or -355 if you are not looking to lay any points. But that’s a lot of juice to be giving away, even though the Wildcats look like they could give a few NBA teams a run for their money. And what’s that? Oh, yeah, they have five first round picks on their roster, so maybe that’s not too much to give away. If you are a Totals guy, then your Over/Under goes off at 138.

The one thing that really jumps out to me in terms of the early power rankings for the 2012 MLB season is that the top six teams are all from the American League. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, LA Angels, and Detroit Tigers are ranked at the top. Do we just hand the World Series trophy off to the AL and just let them decide the winner with the ALCS? Seems that way, but I think 162 games might have something more to say.

Over on the ice, most pundits feel that this year’s Stanley Cup Champions sit among the New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators. One thing to remember if you are looking at betting a future bet on who will win the Cup: no team has finished outside of the top 7 overall standings other than the 1995 New Jersey Devils, who were 9th. So if you are taking a team outside of the top 6 or 7, forget about it!!

The hardcourt playoffs of the NBA begin at the end of April, and the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat look to be the teams to play in the East, while newcomer Oklahoma City along with the San Antonio Spurs head the cast over in the West. The LA Lakers and Kobe Bryant are always going to be a team to consider when betting who will win the NBA championship.

By B. Sharps / Head Linesman

Hello players! I’m going to share some thoughts on March Madness and how it’s turned out for the sportsbooks, as well as some Masters Derby and baseball talk.

This year’s NCAA March Madness basketball tournament has been the busiest I can recall in recent memory and while the action has been great, the volume has been above expectations. In regards to future wagering we will take a small hit if Kentucky holds its form and wins the title; any of the other 3 would be good for us. As for today’s games I will need Louisville +8.5 and Ohio State -2.5 as of now and I don’t expect much change, though maybe OSU / Kansas will tighten up a bit. The tourney has had a few early surprises – obviously Norfolk State beating Missouri – but in the end we have 4 marquis teams in the Final Four, even though Louisville was a 7 seed they won the Big East tourney which set them up for a solid run and they deserve to be here. I’ll be rooting for them for financial reasons, plus I’ve loved this team since the Darrel Griffith days.

In golf, Tiger is the talk of the Masters of course and, like him or not, it has gotten golf back to the front pages. Golf needs Tiger to play well and win another major and he might be primed to do just that. It would be a ratings coup to have him and Rory paired the final day for the title; golf will be better for it if Tiger competes at Augusta next week.

In horseracing, the Kentucky Derby will have a major prep today in the Florida Derby with Union Rags meeting El Padrino plus a very talented third choice in Take Charge Indy. If Union Rags runs like he did last time, he will win and be the favorite heading to Kentucky. In Dubai today, Daddy Long Legs ran impressive in winning the UAE Derby and will also be pointed for Kentucky by his connections in what is shaping up to be a great field with Hansen, last year’s Juvenile winner, and Creative Cause, the third place finisher in the very live Juvenile, also doing well and heading for Kentucky.

It’s always nice to have baseball back; we love opening day (I didn’t count the Oakland A’s – Seattle Mariners as that day though). The action does die down a bit but baseball is a stats geek’s paradise and that’s why I like it so much; we all have opinions and such and I enjoy studying the bases and making some decisions based of off my numbers at times if I feel I have an edge against the current market price. And because the action is much less than other major sports until the playoffs, it’s a nice way to create some action.

Want to get in on this week’s action? Check out the current lines at Legends. And check back with us next week to see how your betting dollars impacted the week’s outcome.

Good luck to you players; talk to you next week!

By B. Sharps / Head Linesman

Hello players! Once again we will take a look back on the previous week to see how the books and players faired and evaluate the key games in sports betting.

On Monday, February 27th, there was no NBA due to the All-Star Break, but in the NCAA basketball there was decent action with the NBA absent as the players won small with Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks -9 and, staying in the Big 12, Baylor Bears -19.5. The house won with Georgetown Hoyas -6 as the players liked the dog, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in that contest. In the extra games the sharps did well with Radford Highlanders +8 and Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils -7 but there was enough two way action to make the games profitable as long as they didn’t fall on the number which they didn’t, so Monday ended up about a draw to start off the week.

Tuesday in the NBA the players did well with Indiana Pacers -6, Philadelphia 76ers -3.5, and the popular Minnesota Timberwolves +6.5; meanwhile, the house countered with Toronto Raptors +9.5, Washington Wizards +7.5 and Avery Johnson’s Darren Williams-led New Jersey Nets +10.5 to make a little profit in the pro ball for the night. In college hoops the players picked up wins on Kansas State Wildcats -4.5, Vanderbilt Commodores -3.5, Wyoming Cowboys -8, and Butler Bulldogs -10 and the house won with Indiana Hoosiers +2.5 and Providence Friars +5; even though the players won more games it was still a good night for the house as Indiana and Providence were decent sized wins.

Wednesday, the last day of February, the players won with Oklahoma City Thunder-3 (the most popular team amongst the public this year) led by All Stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Motown’s Detroit Pistons -6, New York Knicks -10 (now with Lin, Melo, and Amare all in the lineup), and Chicago Bulls as a dog +2. To counter, the house picked up small wins on Golden State Warriors +7 and Memphis Grizzlies -2, but overall it was a big night for the players as the Thunder and Bulls cashed a lot of parlay tickets. In college the players picked up wins on Purdue Boilermakers -11, North Carolina Tar Heels -18 plus the over 151 in their game, New Mexico Lobos -16, and Tennessee Vols +1.5; the house won with South Florida Bulls +8, Cincinnati Bearcats pick, and Northwestern Wildcats +7. However, due to NBA it was a small winning day for the players.

Thursday, March 1st saw the players do it again with the NBA’s best team – Oklahoma City -1 – in combination with D-Wade and Lebron’s All-Star Miami Heat team -3.5 and the 2012 Los Angeles Clippers -4; suffice it to say the result was a disaster night for the house in NBA and the public hit all gimmicks to have a BIG night. In college hoops the players won with Michigan Wolverines +2 (who tied to win a share of the Big 10 title, first time in over a decade), Washington Huskies -7.5, and UCLA Bruins -9.5. The house came back small with Florida State Seminoles +4 and Virginia Tech Hokies +7 but, because of NBA chalk, another big night for the players.

Friday the streak continued for the players as they did damage in the NBA with Raja Rondo not letting the trade rumors affect his game leading the Boston Celtics -6, Chicago Bulls -10, and All-Star Iguodala’s Philadelphia 76ers -7.5. The house came back with New Orleans Hornets +7, Utah Jazz +5, and Sacramento Kings +10 to finally have a winner in the NBA. The Kings have secured their future in Sacramento thanks to former Phoenix Suns star, and now Sacramento mayor, Kevin Johnson, who along with the Maloofs concluded a deal that will keep the Kings in town and playing in a new $400 million arena. There were no big games to speak of in NCAA hoops.

Saturday in the NBA the players won with Orlando Magic -9, Memphis Grizzlies -8, Indiana Pacers -6, and Minnesota Timberwolves +6.5 while the house won with Atlanta Hawks +6 and Utah Jazz +7.5 to push it around for the night. On the big college board we will just highlight big wins or losses, remember though that the volume (unless a lot of numbers land) should always pull the book through on big board Saturdays. The players won with U Conn Huskies -5.5 (happy to have Calhoun back on the sidelines), Minnesota Gophers -9, Marquette Golden Eagles -4.5, New Mexico Lobos -14, Tennessee Volunteers +1, Syracuse Orangemen -8.5 (landed 9), UCLA Bruins -5 (rough beat there), and San Diego State Aztecs -2.5 in overtime. Small winners for the house were produced by West Virginia Mountaineers +2, Mississippi State Bulldogs +2, DePaul Blue Demons +5.5, and Valparaiso Crusaders +1.5.

On Sunday the players won with the LA Lakers +3 (public was mixed and sharps loved Lakers) and Chicago Bulls -3.5; the house faired a little better winning with Boston Celtics -2, New Orleans Hornets +4, and a ‘don’t quit’ Denver Nuggets team +7 to have a winning day in the NBA for the books. On the NCAA board, the players won with Florida State Seminoles -7.5 (fell 8 so buyback pushed), Michigan Wolverines -5.5 (fell 6, another bad one for the books), Wisconsin Badgers -9.5, and of course we can’t forget Kentucky Wildcats -5, they steamroll the house every time they play. The books won with Stanford Cardinals +1 and Indiana Hoosiers -6 to have a small winning day overall but a loser in the college baskets.

Overall, it was just a washout week.

Want to get in on this week’s action? Check out the current lines at Legends. And check back with us next week to see how your betting dollars impacted the week’s outcome.

Good luck to you players; talk to you next week!