05/08/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia defenseman Kimmo Timonen will miss at least the Eastern Conference finals after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his left ankle.
Timonen blocked a shot during Game 4 of the club's semifinal series against the Montreal Canadiens, and played through pain in the clinching Game 5 last Saturday.
An MRI taken Wednesday revealed no damage, but a vascular surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania found the clot during an examination on Thursday. Timonen will be placed on blood thinners to try and dislodge the clot, and his return for the series is in doubt.
The 32-year-old Finn recorded six assists in 12 postseason games.
The Flyers open their conference final against the Penguins on Friday at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh.
<< Atletico moves closer to Champions League berth
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan scored as
Atletico Madrid defeated Espanyol, 2-0, on Thursday in Spain's La Liga to move
back up to fourth.
Atletico slipped to fifth Wednesday when Sevilla defeated Racing
<< Sweden, Canada victorious at Worlds
Quebec City, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hockey powerhouses Sweden and Canada each
posted wins on Thursday at the 2008 World Hockey Championship.
The first game of the day in Quebec's capital saw Sweden avenge its
surprise loss to S
<< Toronto's Eckstein, McDonald go to DL
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays placed infielders
David Eckstein and John McDonald on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, after
the two players were both injured in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to Tampa Bay.
Eckstein (st
<< Four-run first helps Rockies cruise past Cardinals
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Atkins and Chris Iannetta each drove in
a pair of runs as Colorado salvaged a split with a 9-3 win over St. Louis in
the finale of a four-game set from Coors Field.
Matt Holliday added four hits and s
Cavs' Wallace leaves game with dizziness >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers big man Ben Wallace was
forced out of Tuesday's Game 2 Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against
Boston with bouts of dizziness.
Wallace left early in the first quarter and nea
McKay leads at Kingsmill; Sorenstam, Ochoa lurking >>
Williamsburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mhairi McKay fired an eight-under-par 63
Thursday to take the lead after the opening round of the Michelob ULTRA Open
at Kingsmill.
McKay, who is winless on the LPGA Tour, tied the course record wit
Lo Duca, Estrada to go on DL >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals are expected to
place a pair of catchers, Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada, on the 15-day
disabled list on Friday.
The club is also expected to recall catcher Jesus F
Barcelona fires coach Rijkaard >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona fired coach Frank Rijkaard on
Thursday, less than three years after he guided the club to the UEFA Champions
League title.
Rijkaard will officially step down on June 30. He will be replaced by
MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?
Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).
Midwest
#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler
The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.
#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV
As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.
East
#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown
“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.
#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC
The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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