Wagers to Watch
By Bodog
It?s February. That might not sound like a big deal from an online sports gambling perspective, but between the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, it?s going to be a very busy month indeed. Let?s get our weekly betting preview off on the right foot with a look at the Big Game itself.
1. Saints vs. Colts (Sunday, 6:25 p.m.)
Super Bowl XLIV is only days away. So far, the Colts (16-2 SU, 12-5-1 ATS) have remained relatively stable as 6-point favorites (-115) with a total of 56.5 points. The Saints (15-3 SU, 9-9 ATS) have a lot of public support, but they were also outplayed by Minnesota in the NFC title game. This is the first trip to the Super Bowl for New Orleans. The Colts have been here before; they also have a stellar postseason pedigree, mashing the NFL odds at 6-2 ATS in their last eight playoff appearances. But it looks like star DE Dwight Freeney (13.5 sacks) could miss this game for Indianapolis with torn ligaments in his right ankle.
2. Nuggets at Lakers (Friday, 10:30 p.m.)
The top two clubs in the Western Conference will square off at Staples Center, although we?re not entirely sure whether this must-see game on ESPN will have its full complement of star power. Carmelo Anthony (31.4 points, 6.9 rebounds per 40 minutes) has missed the last four games with a sprained ankle, but Denver won three of those games to improve to 32-15 SU and 22-23-2 ATS. Anthony was expected to return to action sometime this week, possibly Monday against Sacramento. The Lakers (37-11 SU, 22-24-2 ATS) have won their last four games at 3-0-1 ATS and are coming off a 90-89 triumph at the Garden over the hated Celtics (+1).
3. Villanova at Georgetown (Saturday, 12:00 p.m.)
The Big East continues to roll out the marquee matchups. Villanova leads the conference at 19-1 and a very tasty 15-4 ATS; Georgetown is hanging tough at 16-4 SU and 9-7 ATS. These same two teams met January 17 at the Wachovia Center, with the Wildcats (-4.5) getting the win and the cover on an 82-77 final. The rematch is in Washington, D.C., where the Hoyas are 10-1 SU and 4-4 ATS this year. That includes a critical 89-77 win over Duke (-2) to help wash out the taste of last week?s embarrassing 73-56 loss at Syracuse (-5.5).
4. Devils at Maple Leafs (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.)
The Maple Leafs always draw action from their unwavering fan base, but there will be a special focus on Tuesday?s contest after GM Brian Burke went to the phone lines and acquired both defenseman Dion Phaneuf (22 points in 55 games) and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere (.900 save percentage). These trades will test Toronto?s questionable depth; Matt Stajan (41 points in 55 games) is one of four players headed to Calgary, while underperforming Jason Blake (26 points in 56 games) joins washout goalie Vesa Toskala (.874 SV%) on the plane ride to Anaheim. The OVER was 28-26 for Toronto before the trades were made. The UNDER should get some more play with Phaneuf joining the Leafs; the UNDER is also 32-18 for the Atlantic-leading Devils.
5. Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman, UFC 109 - Updated Odds
This is old school. Couture (age 46) and Coleman (age 45) were supposed to compete 12 years ago at UFC 17, but Couture was injured and unable to perform. Since then, ?The Natural? has won both the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight titles on multiple occasions, while Coleman moved on to PRIDE and enjoyed mixed success in Japan. He?s 1-1 since the merger, losing to Mauricio ?Shogun? Rua before beating up on Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100. Couture is 1-1 since losing the Heavyweight strap to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91.
Honorable Mentions
NBA: Orlando at Boston (Sunday, 2:30 p.m.)
NCAAB: Georgia Tech at Duke (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.)
NHL: Pittsburgh at Montreal (Saturday, 2:00 p.m.)
Soccer: Chelsea at Hull City (Tuesday, 2:45 p.m.)
MMA: Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg, UFC 109 (PPV card begins Saturday, 10:00 p.m.)
By Bodog
It?s February. That might not sound like a big deal from an online sports gambling perspective, but between the Super Bowl and the Winter Olympics, it?s going to be a very busy month indeed. Let?s get our weekly betting preview off on the right foot with a look at the Big Game itself.
1. Saints vs. Colts (Sunday, 6:25 p.m.)
Super Bowl XLIV is only days away. So far, the Colts (16-2 SU, 12-5-1 ATS) have remained relatively stable as 6-point favorites (-115) with a total of 56.5 points. The Saints (15-3 SU, 9-9 ATS) have a lot of public support, but they were also outplayed by Minnesota in the NFC title game. This is the first trip to the Super Bowl for New Orleans. The Colts have been here before; they also have a stellar postseason pedigree, mashing the NFL odds at 6-2 ATS in their last eight playoff appearances. But it looks like star DE Dwight Freeney (13.5 sacks) could miss this game for Indianapolis with torn ligaments in his right ankle.
2. Nuggets at Lakers (Friday, 10:30 p.m.)
The top two clubs in the Western Conference will square off at Staples Center, although we?re not entirely sure whether this must-see game on ESPN will have its full complement of star power. Carmelo Anthony (31.4 points, 6.9 rebounds per 40 minutes) has missed the last four games with a sprained ankle, but Denver won three of those games to improve to 32-15 SU and 22-23-2 ATS. Anthony was expected to return to action sometime this week, possibly Monday against Sacramento. The Lakers (37-11 SU, 22-24-2 ATS) have won their last four games at 3-0-1 ATS and are coming off a 90-89 triumph at the Garden over the hated Celtics (+1).
3. Villanova at Georgetown (Saturday, 12:00 p.m.)
The Big East continues to roll out the marquee matchups. Villanova leads the conference at 19-1 and a very tasty 15-4 ATS; Georgetown is hanging tough at 16-4 SU and 9-7 ATS. These same two teams met January 17 at the Wachovia Center, with the Wildcats (-4.5) getting the win and the cover on an 82-77 final. The rematch is in Washington, D.C., where the Hoyas are 10-1 SU and 4-4 ATS this year. That includes a critical 89-77 win over Duke (-2) to help wash out the taste of last week?s embarrassing 73-56 loss at Syracuse (-5.5).
4. Devils at Maple Leafs (Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.)
The Maple Leafs always draw action from their unwavering fan base, but there will be a special focus on Tuesday?s contest after GM Brian Burke went to the phone lines and acquired both defenseman Dion Phaneuf (22 points in 55 games) and goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere (.900 save percentage). These trades will test Toronto?s questionable depth; Matt Stajan (41 points in 55 games) is one of four players headed to Calgary, while underperforming Jason Blake (26 points in 56 games) joins washout goalie Vesa Toskala (.874 SV%) on the plane ride to Anaheim. The OVER was 28-26 for Toronto before the trades were made. The UNDER should get some more play with Phaneuf joining the Leafs; the UNDER is also 32-18 for the Atlantic-leading Devils.
5. Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman, UFC 109 - Updated Odds
This is old school. Couture (age 46) and Coleman (age 45) were supposed to compete 12 years ago at UFC 17, but Couture was injured and unable to perform. Since then, ?The Natural? has won both the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight titles on multiple occasions, while Coleman moved on to PRIDE and enjoyed mixed success in Japan. He?s 1-1 since the merger, losing to Mauricio ?Shogun? Rua before beating up on Stephan Bonnar at UFC 100. Couture is 1-1 since losing the Heavyweight strap to Brock Lesnar at UFC 91.
Honorable Mentions
NBA: Orlando at Boston (Sunday, 2:30 p.m.)
NCAAB: Georgia Tech at Duke (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.)
NHL: Pittsburgh at Montreal (Saturday, 2:00 p.m.)
Soccer: Chelsea at Hull City (Tuesday, 2:45 p.m.)
MMA: Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg, UFC 109 (PPV card begins Saturday, 10:00 p.m.)
