by Pied Piers of NASCAR To bet on NASCAR you have to be a complete degenerate to (not really but my girlfriend believes that only betting the NFL is acceptable) however the Daytona 500 is kind of the exception.  Like the Kentucky Derby or the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 is a fan favorite and everybody loves to get their ‘picks’ in.  Let this be your guide to help you navigate the world of betting on NASCAR’s greatest spectacle. Like betting any other sport, wise guys look for value. In non-restrictor plate races there are typically 10-15 guys that have the equipment, team, and setup to win at each particular track.  Daytona is a completely different animal since there are 25-30 guys (or girl) who could cross the line first, making it among the toughest races to handicap. How does this translate to gambling?  It means you can bet smaller amounts at higher odds because the racing is so unpredictable.  Instead of betting 3 or 4 guys I recommend playing 6-8 guys that have the ability to win.  This year we will see typical Daytona pack racing for the first 99 percent of the race and not the 2 car tandems that spoiled last year’s edition.  Changes to the car will prevent the 2 car draft for more than a lap without water spewing from radiators. The key in 2012 is to be in that lead pack when lap 198 hits because then its time to find a drafting partner for the last 2 laps.  However, getting into the lead cap requires one major ingredient: a good driver.  I fully expect to see the best of the restrictor plate racers out front and I’d be shocked if any of them are pushing the rookies...

By Bruce Friedman (Follow him on twitter @notthefakebruce) BUY: Syracuse (2-25 @UConn, 3-3 Louisville) Amidst a 1-4 ATS streak, Cuse heads to Storrs for a primetime game against the disappointing Huskies who they should handle no problem.  However, we never know what to expect from UConn: the unexpected however the 2-3 zone from the Orange will hamper Uconn’s shooting all night long.  Syracuse then returns home to face the Cardinals who they really want to beat in their own building.  The two teams played to a 1 pt game earlier this month and rest assured the Orange will not be distracted on senior day.  Look for the Cuse to come out swinging in their regular season finale and keep Louisville playing from behind the entire afternoon. SELL: North Carolina (2-25 @Virginia, 2-29 Maryland, 3-3 @Duke) UNC has been on a tear lately but have two games this week that could end up as landmines before finishing the season at Duke.  The Heels travel to Charlottesville today in a game that should be much closer than the experts and general public believe.  Roy Williams and company comes home Wednesday to face Maryland but will have Duke on their minds in an obvious sandwich spot.  To close out the year UNC takes on their bitter rival Duke and although I have them listed as a sell, they could offer some value for that contest if they struggle in their next 2 games. Notre Dame (2-25 @St. John’s, 2-27 @Georgetown, 3-2 Providence) The Irish have been dominant the latter part of the season going 8-1 ATS.  They are coming off a drubbing against the Mountaineers but now have two straight road games against St. John’s and Georgetown before finishing the year at home against Providence.  I feel...

Click here to listen – Part 1 Click here to listen – Part 2 Projecting weekend results, Big East bubble talk, and the very real chance of Oral Roberts receiving an at-large bid to the dance even if they don’t win the Summit’s automatic...

Click here to listen Clay, Brent, and Blaine ask about college basketball futures.  With Kentucky garnering so much attention, who still offers value in the...

Provided by professional sports bettor Payne Insider Follow him on twitter @PayneInsider Missed #25 – #21? Click Here Missed #20 – #16? Click Here Lets get it on… #15-SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS (22-5) A 10 AP Poll: NR, Coaches Poll: NR I love Temple this year, but Rick Majerus and the Billikens are the king of the castle in the A-10 conference. Before you say; “But wait, Temple beat St. Louis and will likely win the conference, how can they be better?” I know, sharp bettors are weird! It’s great you match up well against a specific team but reality is there are 343 other teams in the country, and Saint Louis has been better against them. Temple ranks slightly better than St. Louis in offense, but the Billikens are one of the best defensive teams in the country. Come tournament time you can always rely on defense, but offense at the college level tends to pull a Houdini-act as pressure mounts (just ask Butler after last year’s final). The Billikens aren’t as tested as I would like having only played 2 teams in my top 25, but they weren’t outclassed in those match ups by any means losing both by an average of 4.5 points. St. Louis has racked up 7 wins against my top 100 and I like a team that’s savvy, has some experience, plays defense, and has an all-world coach that can prepare them for the ins and outs of the NCAA tournament. The Billikens are one of the most underrated teams in the country and will offer value on college basketball’s biggest stage. Next Big Game: 2/28 Vs. Xavier Musketeers #14-MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES (23-5) BIG EAST AP Poll 10, Coaches Poll 10 Buzz Williams always has his Golden Eagles swarming...

By James Kempton Follow him on twitter @ukbettingpro The transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday January 31st. With that the music started and all the teams began to belt out that Shirley Bassey classic ‘I am what I am’ or in their case: ‘They are what they are’.  All the money in the world (Manchester City), the biggest club in the world (Manchester United), or the wheeling and dealing side (Tottenham) cannot help the three title contenders anymore.  The title chase is far from the two horse race many believe and great betting opportunities will abound between now and May. I was once taught as a youngster the value in a three horse field is always on the darkhorse; will it apply in the EPL? With 13 games left the top of the table is as below : Manchester City         P25 W19 D3 L3 GD 45 Pts 60 Manchester United   P25 W18 D4 L3 GD 36 Pts 58 Tottenham Hotspur P25 W16 D5 L4 GD 24 Pts 53 Both Manchester teams have their fate in their own hands as the gap is a mere 2 pts. They are set to meet on Monday April 30th at the Etihad Stadium and that could serve as the elimination game. To add extra spice, that is the weekend directly following the second leg of the Europa League semi finals. Both clubs remain at present in that competition and have stated their desire to progress as far as possible. This may mean one, or maybe both, will have had a long journey from somewhere in Europe in midweek. Tottenham hosts struggling Blackburn that weekend and despite needing some help to reach the top of the table, could gain solid ground then. With just thirteen games to go though...

Provided by professional sports bettor PayneInsider Follow him on twitter @payneinsider #20 – KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (19-8) BIG12 AP Poll: NR, Coaches Poll: NR Frank Martin has put Kansas State on the map since his arrival in 2006 as an assistant. Many disagree with his on-court demeanor, but you can’t dispute the fact that he’s a master recruiter and gets non-stop effort from his guys. Many were down on K-State this season but failed to realize that their horse, Rodney McGruder, was hampered with injuries during their lull (later became public knowledge). When gauging teams with impact freshman, you must account for larger adjustment gaps as they continue to improve throughout the course of a season. This is the case with freshman guard, Angel Rodriguez – and their top player off the pine in Thomas Gipson. The Big 12 is absolutely loaded this year, so back to back wins on the highway against Baylor and Missouri are extremely impressive in addition to their 6 big time wins against my Top 50. Don’t look now, but if the Wildcats reel off 5-straight conference wins to close out the regular season that momentum should carry over to March. Next Big Game: 2/25 Vs. Iowa State Cyclones #19 – CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (22-6) PAC12 AP Poll: NR, Coaches Poll: NR I will admittedly tell you the Cal Bears are one team that has the sharpest sports betting minds mystified. There hasn’t been much movement on California all season as we’ve been extremely reluctant to move them past this spot. Mike Montgomery’s boys are effective on the offensive end, sharing and shooting the ball well – they can knock down shots with the best of them. Despite Cal in the drivers seat to win a power conference, they...

By Will Gray (Follow him on twitter @Fullmarx12) Handicapping, they say, is about numbers where spotting minor inefficiencies in a generally efficient market yields long term success. To that end, many handicappers explain that they prefer college basketball to its autumnal counterpart – thinking it is easier for books to set lines for 120 football teams playing once per week than to set lines for 250 basketball teams playing 2-3 times per week. The bookmaker’s flaw, after all, is that he is forced to take a position on every game whether he wants to or not. Buried deep in America’s heartland lies a collection of schools that many would struggle to identify on a map, let alone a basketball court. The rosters lack household names, and the arenas are often sparsely populated – it’s tough to lure more than 2,000 into the Dakota Dome mid-winter unless the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State are coming to Vermillion to take on in-state rival South Dakota. Fans probably know the teams for their mascots if anything, many of which seem stolen from the set of Jurassic Park (looking at you IPFW Mastodons). Far from the national radar, these ten programs battle with the kind of noble ambition Mark Emmert dreams about at night. And slowly but surely, I was lured in. I became drawn to the contrast in styles between high-flying South Dakota State and pedantic, methodical Western Illinois, and I watched with interest Reggie Hamilton’s dogged attempt to emulate Allen Iverson’s 2005 stat line on a nightly basis. School ATS Record O/U Oral Roberts 12-15 14-12 South Dakota State 15-5-1 8-12 Oakland 10-12 14-7 North Dakota State 13-9 9-12 Western Illinois 9-10 5-13 IUPUI 9-11 11-8 UMKC 11-10 12-8 Southern Utah 12-11 7-16 IPFW 9-11 8-11...

Written by professional sports bettor Payneinsider (Note: This poll was structured entering week 16 so won’t be updated to account for games played this week) When talking polls and rankings it’s essential to remain mindful of the agenda from the person(s) doing the ranking. The landscape of college athletics has changed dramatically from the moment 7-figure contracts became common place. One of the fundamentally flawed systems in use is the coaches poll and it’s critical to factor in the word “agenda” when discussing it’s merits (or lack thereof). Coaching trees, alliances, conference favoritism, and a bundle of other ingredients make the coaches poll laughable. Consider this: why wouldn’t a coach rate the teams within his conference or on his schedule greater than their absolute value? As a result conference power rankings see a boost, strength of schedule improves, and suddenly at years end you wind up with a far greater seed in the big dance than you rightfully deserve. Glancing at the latest coaches poll I noticed Notre Dame ranked 18th!? Great story since Mike Brey is one of the nations best — and he’s done more with less than anyone, but there are roughly 30 teams in the country better right now this second than the Irish. When large money is involved, you can bet an agenda in rankings is the fastest way to bleed your wallet. Next, we have the Associated Press Poll acting as a thermometer for the general public always gauging the nation’s hottest teams. No question this is the lesser of two evils, as it’s comprised of local beat writers throughout the country that sit in on practices and interact with players and coaches. Can you see how that could create a bias, though? Interacting with players and coaches...

The Detroit Redwings are on an unprecedented home ice winning streak.  When you win 23 straight games in your own building, bettors catch on and reap the benefits.  Below you’ll find a breakdown of the exact earning potential had you been aboard the wave and started with a $100 bet.  Of course keep in mind books aren’t taking high 5 figure bets on hockey but what’s the point of reality getting in the way of a good story?   DETROIT RED WINGS 23 GAME HOME WIN STREAK Bet Amount Opponent Spread Win Amount $100 Anaheim -147 $68 $168 Colorado -161 $104 $272 Edmonton -165 $165 $437 Dallas -172 $254 $691 Calgary -169 $408 $1,099 Nashville -132 $832 $1,931 Tampa Bay -180 $1,072 $3,003 Phoenix -156 $1,925 $4,928 Winnipeg -224 $2,200 $7,128 Los Angeles -173 $4,120 $11,248 St. Louis -166 $6,771 $18,019 St. Louis -152 $11,853 $29,872 Phoenix -183 $16,310 $46,182 Chicago -145 $31,847 $78,029 Buffalo -250 $31,212 $109,241 Columbus -318 $34,351 $143,592 St. Louis -140 $102,525 $246,117 Edmonton -224 $109,867 $355,984 Anaheim -169 $210,386 $566,370 Philadelphia -163 $347,185 $913,555 Dallas -207 $441,247 $1,354,802 Nashville -142 $1,002,553 $2,357,355 San Jose -150 $1,569,998 TOTAL VALUE AFTER 23 GAMES...

By Matt L’Heureux Follow him on twitter @EL_Apostrophe We’ve all been there before: the dreaded sports loss decided by a half-point. Included in these gut wrenching losses are cases where an underdog misses the cover in overtime when a single point in regulation – one way or another – would have prevented the extra period. It’s brutal, but more importantly, it leaves a lasting memory ingrained in our gambling psyche. There is no league where a loss by the hook is more excruciating than professional basketball. It’s a sport where teams score approximately one point per possession and possess the ball nearly 100 times per game. Without breaking a sweat, you can recall a dozen shots that rattled out (or in), questionable foul calls, and a toe on the line negating a three point shot. The phrase “game of inches” comes to mind. By now you are nodding in agreement spouting out half-point NBA losses like they were bad beats at the poker table. (Translation: No one wants to hear about them) But how often does it really happen? Some argue that the NBA side market is too efficient to beat but I just think that the memories of losing basketball plays last longer and negatively alter our perception of reality. For example, there have been 467 games played in the 2011-2012 NBA season through February 19. When comparing the final score to the prevailing closing line, 14 were decided by exactly a half-point. In fact, the average discrepancy between final score and closing line is a whopping 9.35 points through nearly two months in this lockout shortened season. This is roughly in line with what we’ve seen over recent years in the NBA, and guess what, it will continue to be around this...