by @cruz0210 Wednesday, January 25 Lakers vs Clippers Lakers -4 Final Score: Lakers 96-91 Like any seasoned NBA gambler knows the cover is normally determined in the games waning moments.  The Lakers held a 6 point lead with 8 seconds left after stretching their margin outside the number with 21 ticks left for the first time in the quarter.  With 4 seconds left, Blake Griffin took it straight to the rack cutting the Laker lead to 4. Despite the outcome of the game essentially decided, the Clippers fouled Pau Gasol with 1 second left! Gasol promptly stepped to the line and hit 1 of 2 freebies giving the Lakers a 5 pt win but more importantly the cover. Lakers and Clippers 4th quarter play by play Thursday, January 26 Magic vs Celtics Magic -10 / 174.5 Final Score: Boston 91-83 The Magic dominated the Celtics in the first half building a 27-point lead.  However, all the hard work evaporated during an epic  2nd half Magic meltdown. The Celtics outscored the Magic 54-25 in the second half including 27-8 in the 4th quarter giving Boston a 91-83 win  However, over bettors had the biggest gripe since it was the Magic’s offensive futility that kept the game under the total by a mere half point. Play by play of the 4th quarter collapse Saturday, January 28 Marquette vs Villanova Marquette -3.5 Final Score: Marquette 82-78 Villanova came out of the gates hot jumping out to a 21-7 first half lead and appeared poised to win a blowout at home. At the half, Villanova maintained their 10 pt lead and kept Wildcat bettors very happy.  Fast forward to 12 min left in the 2nd half and a 12-0 Marquette run gave the Golden Eagles their first lead...

Click here to listen Marty Tirrell and Trent Condon ask the questions all bettors need to know about line movement, prop bets, and the most powerful name in the business.  I have to give Marty credit, he gives me props for my academic background although his praise for my secondary schooling is only be recognized by a Massachusetts man.  I offer a NCAA hoops longshot for this year’s national title even though I can’t share an official big game prediction...

by @govolx Evolution in…handicapping Anytime a game is mentioned the first words out of your mouth refer to the point spread, total, and what side you were on since you obviously bet it. It doesn’t matter if the game was yesterday or five years ago or how obscure the teams were, the vivid memories feel like life changing events.  It could be the Southland Conference Semifinal from 2008 when you remember having Stephen F Austin as a big favorite that blew a 14 pt lead against Northwestern St . The way you rationalize the meltdown?  It was only a one unit play and back then you’d didn’t bet large sums of cash. Doug Gottlieb, Matt Norlander, Jeff Goodman, and Andy Glockner’s twitter feeds are jammed up on game day because you’ve asked them questions about 17 different games and its not even 10am yet.  Your desire to get the insider angle on SIU Edwardsville vs Tennessee St is eventually what will get you blocked by each high profile sports personality. Friday is usually a miss work day for you if you’re behind on capping the full card.  It’s not that you’re  sick or anything, it’s just that all of the ESPN Radio guys give out their plays that day and you pray certain personalities don’t mush your best bets. Evolution in…research methods You are the only person you know who has actually been to a real physical newsstand because it’s the only place to find The Gold Sheet and Power Sweep during football season.  Just to make sure they don’t run out of the three copies they actually stock, you tip the clerk and extra 20 to protect yours. Marc Lawrence’s Playbook is your Bible and instead of looking forward to vacations or major...

By @Peej__ As we hit the unofficial hockey mid-season mark, there’s still plenty of jockeying left to be done for 16 post season births.  Here’s how we see the chase for Lord Stanley playing out the rest of the way 30: Columbus Blue Jackets One word to describe them: DREADFUL – On the bright side the Buckeyes are only 218 days away from the start of their season and the beginning of the Urban Era. At least there will be talent on the ice next year wearing home sweaters…in the 2013 All-Star game 29: Carolina Hurricanes They’re only 10 pts out of a playoff spot but having to jump 7 teams to get into the tournament is absolutely unheard of in the NHL.  Carolina’s biggest problem? Only one player on the roster has compiled more than 30 pts this year. 28: Edmonton Oilers The young talent in Edmonton is starting to bloom and the PP is among the league’s best.  The problem? Youth will hold them back until this team gets more seasoning and veteran leadership.  The future looks bright for the Oilers, it just won’t be realized in 2012. 27: Tampa Bay Lightning All the talent to make a run for the playoffs with the league’s premier goal scorer in Steven Stamkos however something seems to be lacking in Tampa this year – desire? Maybe, but a league worst 165 goals allowed is  more to blame for their current place in the standings 26: Montreal Canadiens If they expect to make the playoffs they will have to stiffen up at home.  Montreal’s goal differential of -4 says they’re capable of making a run if they get timely scoring and get a few bounces the 2nd half of the year although I think they’ll...

by @notthefakebruce BUY: Gonzaga(2-2 @BYU) Only one game on tap for the Bulldogs this week as they make their inaugural trip to Provo amidst a major ATS losing skid.  Gonzaga has been hit or miss this season but like always finds themselves overvalued in WCC conference play.  BYU is the second “leg” of a three game road swing that’s key because the Bulldogs have a week between games.  They should be ready to embrace the hostile atmosphere and actually offer value as road underdogs against the Cougars. Connecticut(1-29 Notre Dame, 2-1 @Georgetown) UConn has been one of the most unpredictable teams in the country this year but I believe I have them figured out this week.  Notre Dame is coming off an eye-opening win over Syracuse which they followed up with an outright win as a sizable underdog at Seton Hall.  Uconn handled the Irish in their first meeting at Joyce and am pretty sure they can do it again based on huge match-up advantages at all the key positions.  After hosting Notre Dame, UConn travels to G-Town in what should be a tremendous matchup between two teams fighting for the league’s second seed.  I like Uconn in this spot if the Hoyas end up winning at Pittsburgh on Saturday but if Town enters off a loss, value will be diminished. SELL: San Diego State(1-28 @Colorado State, 2-1 Boise State) Has there been a team in the nation burying point spreads faster than San Diego State?  Now it looks as though they have two cupcakes on their plate this week but they catch CSU at exactly the wrong time; fresh off back to back drubbings at Wyoming and at New Mexico.  I don’t feel that I’ll have value here with the Rams, I know...

Click here to listen Mark and I break down the muddled BigXII conference hoops race and dissect early line movement for this year’s Superbowl and what it means to bettors

Click here to listen The 3HL crew and I cover all the sports gambling news from Superbowl line movement to proposed prop bets and the changing landscape of baseball with Prince Fielder to the...

We asked and the twitter community responded with some pretty surprising results.  No drum roll necessary for this list of great sports movies although I’m a little disappointed Major League didn’t fare any better.  As for the 40 of you who voted Hoosiers  the all time classic, I promise not to block you moving forward. Honorable Mentions: Dead Solid Perfect, Moneyball, Blind Side, Kingpin, Let it Ride, Ladybugs, Visionquest, Happy Gilmore, Babe (John Goodman not the pig), Hoop Dreams, Space Jam, Invincible, Last Boyscout, Breaking Away. Surprising Omissions: It Happens Every Summer, Blades of Glory, Cutting Edge, Days of...

Here are my updated projections and spin on industry leader Joe Lunardi’s bracket prognostications.  Amazing what one week’s worth of games can do to the power 16 seeds and as a result written analysis accompanies the elite teams while lines 5-16 highlight those squads improving their seeding while others are playing to secure a spot on the always precarious bubble. 1: Syracuse, Kentucky, Ohio State, Kansas I feel much more comfortable with Joe’s top line this week than I did 7 days ago.  Syracuse, Kentucky, and Ohio State are the three best teams in the country in my opinion and barring a collapse between now and selection Sunday, will find themselves here going into the dance.  Kansas has exceeded expectations thus far but I’m still not ready to sign off on the Jayhawks elite potential just yet.  The home and home series with Missouri along with road trips to both Baylor and Kansas State will tell us more about the Jayhawks post-season prospects over the next few weeks Stock falling:  Kansas 2: Missouri, North Carolina, Duke, Baylor There wasn’t a single team that had a more impressive win this past week than the Missouri Tigers.  The veteran team from Columbia went into Waco and owned the Bears right from the opening tip.  I’m still of the belief they may be the best team in the entire conference (Yes, above Kansas) while Scott Drew continues to amaze me with his inadequacy as a head coach despite top tier talent at Baylor.  As for Duke, they won’t draw my ire this week yet this team is a far cry from previous editions and there will be other ACC losses in the coming weeks. Stock rising: Missouri Stock falling: Baylor, Duke 3: UNLV, West Virginia, Georgetown, Michigan...

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Click here to listen Doug and I discuss conference championship weekend and provide all the trends and factoids bettors need to know for the NFL’s final 4

By @aussportsguys UEFA Champions League play is Europe’s premier club soccer competition where the best sides on the continent are invited to participate in the yearly event. Competition starts with three qualifying rounds followed by a play-off round before the final 8 groups of 4 teams are determined. In pool play teams play a home and home with each other where the top two teams in each group advance to the knockout stage. During the knockout phase the 16 advancing teams are drawn against an opponent (8 games in total) to determine a winner over two “legs” (a game at home, and a game away). Winners during the knockout phase are determined by the aggregate score of their two games. If there is a tie, the team that scores the most away goals advances. If the tiebreaker still doesn’t separate the teams then the second leg will also include extra time (and possibly a penalty shootout) until a winner has been determined. The remaining two teams play in the final, a one game championship at a pre-determined neutral venue that will take place in Munich this year. Teams earn prize money over the course of the tournament for each win, draw, and advancement through the various stages. The eventual winner of the final can expect to accrue $65 million (50 million Euros) in prize money. Given the lucrative nature of this tournament, the Knockout Phase becomes strategic and often very defensive. Every goal is crucial but those scored on enemy turf become even more valuable in this stage of the tournament. Any team that scores early in the first leg may clamp down defensively to prevent any chance their opponent has of scoring since they’ve gained a huge advantage. If the away team has...