Sports Betting Weekend: Madness Regins
March Madness dominates betting action at the sportsbooks this weekend as the second day of the Round of 64 tips off on Friday.
The Oregon Ducks will be the last No. 1 seed to see action against the Holy Cross Crusaders. Not surprisingly the Ducks are a 23-point favorite at online sportsbook Bovada. In 22 games as a 20-point favorite or higher the Ducks are 22-0 straight-up, but only 10-12 against the spread.
A few other notable Friday games include the No. 10 VCU Rams versus the No. 7 Oregon State Beavers and the No. 8 Cincinnati Bearcats versus the No. 9 St. Joseph’s Hawks. In both matchups the lower seed is favored at Bovada. The Rams are a 4-point favorite and the Hawks are 2-point chalk.
On the Saturday tournament slate the surprising Yale Bulldogs take on the Duke Blue Devils. Yale shocked the Baylor Bears as a 6.5-point underdog in their tourney opener. Dukes took care of UNC Wilmington 93-85 as a 10.5-point favorite.
In the NBA this weekend the Western Conference showdown everyone has been waiting for arrives when the Golden State Warriors visit the San Antonio Spurs.
In their first meeting this season the Warriors easily won 120-90 as a 4.5-point home favorite. In San Antonio, where the Spurs are undefeated this season, it may be a different story. At home the Spurs are 33-0 straight-up and 21-12 ATS. Even with this season’s loss San Antonio is still 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 versus Golden State.
On the ice this weekend the Pittsburgh Penguins have a tough couple of days with matchups against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Pittsburgh defeated Philadelphia 4-3 in January snapping the Flyers' eight-game winning streak against them. The Capitals are 2-0 against Pittsburgh this season and 5-2 in their last seven.
The Sprint Cup Series parks at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California this weekend for the Auto Club 400. Brad Keselowski won this race last season, but he’s a big underdog to repeat at Bovada at +1200. Jimmie Johnson, a two-time winner on the track, is favored at +450, while Kevin Harvick, who won in Phoenix last week, is listed at +500.