Saint Peter's vs. North Carolina Elite 8 Betting Preview & Picks

The Cinderella Saint Peter's Peacocks are looking to extend their amazing run in this year's NCAA Tournament all the way to to the Final Four with a victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels in an Elite 8 showdown in the East Region final. Sunday's tip is set for 5:05 p.m. (ET) on CBS.

The ACC's Tar Heels are set as 8.5-point favorites on game's current betting spread and the total line has been set at 137.5 points. The betting consensus on the spread heavily favors Saint Peter's at 69%. The current lean betting the total is towards the OVER at 59%.

Saint Peter's is a perfect 10-0 both straight-up and against the spread in its last 10 games. The total has stayed UNDER in nine of the Peacocks' last 11 games played on Sunday.

North Carolina has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games. The total has stayed UNDER in 13 of its last 16 Sunday games.

Below is a link to Vegas Insider and my complete game preview and free betting play.

2022 NCAA Tournament Elite 8 Matchup: Saint Peter's vs. North Carolina

2022 Louisiana Derby Race Preview & Betting Picks

 The following race preview is reposted via permission of ScoresandStats.com

Field of Nine Set for Saturday’s Louisiana Derby

Saturday’s Louisiana Derby closes out the last Saturday of major graded horse racing in the month of March. This Grade 1 event is the biggest Kentucky Derby prep race of the season at Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.

With $1 million up for grabs in total prize money, nine three-year old contenders have been entered into Saturday’s field. The competition for this year’s title runs deep with just two longshots in the field based on the opening morning line odds. The race will be contested on the dirt track at Fair Grounds covering a total distance of 1 3/16 miles.

Backed by some of the best trainers in the game, the following is a look at my top three picks to finish in the money in Saturday’s featured event.

Saturday, March 26

2022 Louisiana Derby- Fair Grounds Race Course

Post Time: 6:44 p.m. (ET)

Win: Epicenter

Coming off an impressive victory in the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds on Feb. 19, it would be hard to go against the morning line favorite at 7-5 odds. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the three-year old Kentucky-bred colt with break from the No. 6 post on Saturday with jockey Joel Rosario.

The son of Not This Time has won three of his last four races going back to a Maiden Special Weight race at Churchill Downs in mid-November of last year. He started this year by placing second in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds on Jan. 22. His winning time in the Risen Star over 1 1/8 miles on dirt was 1:49.03 past Smile Happy and Zandon.

Place: Call Me Midnight

The Kentucky-bred colt did not run in this year’s Risen Star after winning the Lecomte Stakes in his three-year old debut. With jockey James Graham getting the call on Saturday, he will break from the No. 3 post in this race as a 6-1 third-favorite on the morning line.

Trained by Keith Desormeaux, the Midnight Lute sire posted a winning time of 1:44.36 in the 1 1/16-mile Lecomte. He was able to work his way past Epicenter in that race to set up the head-to-head rematch this Saturday. Busy as a juvenile, Call Me Midnight raced six times last year with mixed results. He finished in the money in two of those events.

Show: Pioneer of Medina

Famed trainer Todd Pletcher’s top entry in Saturday’s field will break seventh with Tyler Gaffalione as his jockey. The son of Pioneerof the Nile has been opened as a 5-1 second-favorite to win. He has the third-highest Horse Racing Nation rating in the field of nine at 5.71.

This Kentucky-bred colt faded out of the money his last time out by taking fourth place in the Risen Star last month. This followed a victory at Fair Grounds on Jan. 22 in his three-year old debut. He won an Allowance Claimer at 1 1/16 miles by covering that distance on dirt in 1:45.21. Pioneer of Medina closed out his two-year old campaign with a victory in a 1 mile 40 yard Maiden Special Weight race at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 22.

One to Watch

Breaking from the favorable No. 5 post, my one to watch in this race is trainer William Calhoun’s Kupuna at 8-1 odds on the morning line. He took second in an Allowance Claimer at Fair Grounds on Feb. 22.

 

Richmond vs. Providence NCAAB Game Preview & Picks

The Richmond Spiders pulled off one of the first big upsets in this year's NCAA Tournament with Thursday's 67-63 victory over Iowa as 9.5-point underdogs. This win followed the Spiders' three-game run to the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament title the week before.

As the No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region bracket, Richmond will face the No. 4 Providence Friars in Saturday's 6:10 p.m. tip at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. The winner of this game will advance to next week's Sweet 16 round of the Big Dance.

The Spiders have been opened as three-point underdogs against the Big East's regular season champions. The total line for this game is set at 134.5 points.

Richmond is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games against a team from the Big East and it is 4-1 ATS in its last five games closing as an underdog. The total has stayed UNDER in six of the team's last eight games overall.

Providence has won 13 of its last 16 games SU and it is 4-2 ATS in its last six outings. The total has stayed UNDER in five of its last six games against a team from the Atlantic 10. It has also stayed UNDER in five of its last seven games played in March.

This should be one of the closer matchups on Saturday's slate with the Spiders playing at a high level while also bringing quite a bit of momentum into this game. Providence went 14-3 straight-up in the Big East this season but a troubling loss to Creighton in the conference tournament opens the door for another big upset by the Spiders later this Saturday afternoon.

The link below to Vegas Insider, as the ultimate betting resource for this year's NCAA Tournament, contains my complete game preview and "best bet" pick.

                                                        Richmond vs. Providence 

Betting Saturday's Essex Handicap at Oaklawn Park

 This race preview/picks is reposted via permission of ScoresandStats.com

Oaklawn Park’s Essex Handicap Highlights Saturday’s Betting Action

The 2022 Kentucky Derby prep schedule takes a break this weekend ahead of a fantastic finish leading up to the annual Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 7. However, Oaklawn Park in Arkansas is the place to be this Saturday for some major graded racing action featuring a solid group of veteran Thoroughbreds.

This year’s Grade 3 Whitmore Stakes gets things started on Saturday’s card as the first featured event. Open to horses four years and older, this six-furlong sprint on the dirt track at Oaklawn offers a total prize purse of $200,000.

The featured graded stakes event on Saturday’s card at Oaklawn is the $500,000 Essex Handicap. Open to Thoroughbreds four and older, this Grade 3 race covers 1 1/16 miles on the dirt. There are eight horses list as entered in what would have to be considered a field deep in talent.

Going through all eight entries for this year’s Essex Handicap, the following three are my personal “best bets” to finish in the money.

Saturday, March 19

2022 Essex Handicap- Oaklawn Park

Win: Plainsman

Backed by a victory the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap on February 12 at Oaklawn, this seven-year old horse immediately caught my eye as the top choice for Saturday’s main event. On paper, he is not the best horse in the field according to Horse Racing Nation ratings. However, he has been able to finish in the money in his last six races including three winning efforts

Starting from gate No. 4 with jockey Joel Rosario, the son of Flatter is one of two entries in this race trained by Brad Cox. With the win his last time out, Plainsman has now either won or finished second in three of his last four races at Oaklawn Park.

Place: Warrior’s Charge

Also trained by Brad Cox, this six-year old Florida-bred veteran race horse will break from the No. 3 post for this race with jockey Florent Geroux leading the way. He has not raced since late January where he won a 1 1/16 mile Allowance Claimer at Oaklawn.

Over the course of an extended racing career, the son or Munnings has had a great deal of success at Saturday’s track. Going back over his last seven competitive events dating back to September of last year, he has finished in the money in five of those seven races. Given the level of experience Warrior’s Charge brings into this race gives him a significant edge in this field.

Show: Popular Kid

Rounding out my top three entries for this race, I decided to go with another horse that has a strong history of success at this track. Trained by Shawn Davis, he will break from the favorable No. 5 post on Saturday with Franciso Arrieta as his jockey. As one of the older horses still racing competitively, this eight-year old still has excellent speed and stamina.

He placed third in last month’s Razorback Handicap after closing out last season with a victory in the ungraded Jeffery A. Hawk Memorial Stakes at Remington Park. In that victory, he covered the 1mile, 70 yard distance on dirt in 1:43.35. Sired by Popular, his best performances over the course of an extended racing career have come at the 1 1/16 miles distance of Saturday’s event.

 

All Time Top 10 NCAA Tournament Upsets

 This year's NCAA Tournament for men's college basketball gets underway on Tuesday with the first of four play-in games. Each Division I program in this 68-team field has its sights set on winning a national title. 

In the end, only one team will be cutting down the nets at Caesars Superdome as winners of the national title game on Monday, April 4. Along the way, there are bound to be a few major upsets as a big part of why this annual single-elimination tournament is referred to as March Madness.

Going back over the illustrious history of the annual NCAA Tournament, here is a look at 10 of the biggest upsets that rocked the betting public over all of those years. Originally posted on Vegas Insider as the ultimate sports betting site for March Madness, below is the link to bracket busting list of the All Time Top 10 NCAA Tournament upsets.

All Time Top 10 NCAA Tournament Upsets

Big East Tournament Championship: Villanova vs. Creighton

 This season's Big East conference tournament wraps up later this afternoon with the championship game at Madison Square Garden. The No. 2 Villanova Wildcats will face the No. 4 Creighton Bluejays for the Big East title at 6:30 p.m. on FOX.

Villanova has been opened as a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 129.5 points. The Wildcats split their season series against Creighton with each team winning big at home early in the season. 

Villanova has gone 9-1 straight-up in its last 10 conference games with Creighton posting a SU 9-2 record in its last 11 Big East games. The Wildcats has a 14-3 SU edge in their last 17 games against the Bluejays and the total has stayed UNDER in five of the last seven meetings.

As part of my ongoing college basketball coverage for Vegas Insider, below is a link to my "best bet' pick for this game.

Villanova vs. Creighton

Tampa Bay Derby "Best Bet" Picks

 The following post was reprinted via permission of ScoresandStats.com

Tampa Bay Downs Features Saturday’s Top Kentucky Derby Prep

The deeper we get into the month of March, the bigger the Kentucky Derby preps become on each Saturday’s racing schedule. This Saturday is no exception with the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs.

The official field for this race is still coming together but the final list of entries should be deep. You can expect to see more than a few talented three-year old Thoroughbreds vying for the crucial qualifying points that could lead to a spot in the 20-horse field for the 2022 Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May. 7.

The fact that this Saturday’s featured event at Tampa Bay Downs has a total prize purse of $400,000 is another big plus for the trainers and owners entering a colt in this race.

Working through the list of probable entries for the 1 1/16 miles run on the dirt track at Tampa Bay Downs, I have come up with my top three picks to finish in the money.

Saturday, March 12

Tampa Bay Derby- Tampa Bay Downs

Win: Major General

My top choice to win Saturday’s Tampa Bay Derby will be making his three-year old debut. Trained by Todd Pletcher, this Kentucky-bred colt closed out his juvenile campaign by winning the Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 18. He covered the 1 1/16 miles on dirt with a winning time of 1:44.88.

The long layoff should not impact his performance in this race. Pletcher has been waiting for the right race to get his prized colt back on the track and the son of Constitution is ready to make his mark as a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender. Major General started his racing career with a victory in a Maiden Special Weight race at Saratoga last summer.

Place: Classic Causeway

I have been following this colt since his third-place finish in last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 9. He went on to place second in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill to further bolster his two-year old racing resume.

Making his three-year old debut in this year’s Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, the Kentucky-bred colt won that 1 1/16 miles run on dirt with an impressive winning time of 1:42.80. Trained by Brian Lynch, the Giant’s Causeway sire could easily win this race as well if he is in top form. The betting recommendation would be to box my first two choices in an exacta wager.

Show: Shipsational

As my “best of the rest” in a projected field of 10 entries, this New York-bred colt has posted three victories in the first five events of his racing career. He closed out his two-year old season by winning the ungraded Sleepy Hollow Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 30. This followed a victory in the ungraded Bertram F. Bongard Stakes at Belmont in late September.

Trainer Edward Barker entered the son of Midshipman into this year’s Sam F. Davis and he did not disappoint with a second-place finish behind Classic Causeway. Volcanic was the show horse in that race. With a strong pedigree that goes back to Unbridled, Shipsational has the ability to run with the best this three-year old class has to offer.