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Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
The crash of two Korean speed skaters on the final turn of Saturday night’s race that allowed American
Apolo Ohno to take the silver medal and prevented South Korea from sweeping the podium.

I could just rant all week about the Big East. We’ll start with you, Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I thought you wanted to really go dancing at some point so that you could say that you didn’t totally waste four years of having C Luke Harangody on your roster. At least you stuck in front of the college basketball betting line against Seton Hall, but what gives about losing at home to the Johnnies? You’re not exempt of this one either, Louisville Cardinals. Yeah, yeah, that win against Syracuse was really nice on Sunday, but truth be told, that only made up for your complete 74-55 dud against St. John’s on Thursday. Speaking of upsets that make no sense whatsoever… Hey Connecticut Huskies, how do you ever expect to make March Madness when you’re only score 48 points at home against Cincinnati? Your four top scorers should be worth more than that every single night! Finally, Georgetown Hoyas, you just stink. Rutgers is awful. Period. A-W-F-U-L, awful! There’s no excuse, even on the road, for you to be losing to a team like that. And you think you’re a #2 seed in the dance? The only thing you’re number two in right now is my doghouse.

Man, Houston Rockets… You were the probably the worst of the worst last week down in South Beach. How do you only score 66 points in an NBA game? I mean seriously, how is that possible? Yeah, fine. So you were without Gs Kyle Lowry and Trevor Ariza. I get it. You were shorthanded. Me and four other boards with angry faces could probably shoot better than 30.2% from the field for a game, and I’m only 5’7″ on a good day. Oh, by the way… Don’t think that I’m not looking at you G Aaron Brooks. You can’t shoot 3/16 from the floor by yourself in a game.

How’s about a little more effort here, Air Force Falcons. Ok, so you were 22.5-point underdogs going into Provo against BYU on Saturday. Fine. At least try to pretend like you can win the game. Instead, you got rolled up, getting outscored 53-20 in the first half and ultimately losing 91-48. Your 22 turnovers made you look like a circus out there on the court. The Bad News Bears may have done better than that.

Nice week, G Antero Niittymaki. There’s a reason that the Lightning just can’t quite seem to get over the hump once and for all and crack back into the Eastern Conference postseason. After putting up a stretch of games that had everyone in Tampa Bay holding up “Getting Niitty With It” signs, he gave up four goals in the first period of Thursday night’s game against the Bruins, and followed that up by conceding five two nights later against the Islanders. Oh by the way, G Mike Smith, you’re not exempt from this one either. Giving up four against the Rangers on the final day of the regular season before the NHL hockey season took a hiatus for the Olympics wasn’t swift either.

The NBA All-Star Game tips off on Sunday night at the brand new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in “Big D.” Basketball’s brightest stars all come together in this fantastic spectacle between the best in the Eastern Conference and the best in the Western Conference. Bankroll Sports takes a moment to look at the odds for and predict the All-Star Game MVP, which is a job that has become a lot harder since last year’s winner and three-time All-Star Game MVP, G Kobe Bryant won’t be playing in the game. Last season’s co-MVP C Shaquille O’Neal didn’t make the Eastern Conference roster.

On Tuesday night, the Tennessee Volunteers were dismantled by the Vanderbilt Commodores 90-71. No, it wasn’t a loss that is totally going to shake the core of the entire city of Knoxville the same way that HC Lane Kiffin’s departure for USC did, but it could be a sign to come for a team that may be set to freefall through the SEC standings.

Maybe HC Bruce Pearl shouldn’t be smiling so much. After all, he dismissed G Tyler Smith from the basketball team 11 games ago, and since then, the team has only averaged 71.2 points per game, which is a far cry from the 76.7 for the duration of the season.

It’d be hard to picture an NCAA Tournament without the Volunteers, but let’s take a look at their resume right now just for fun, shall we?

Sure, there are some pretty good conference wins over Florida and Ole Miss, but all in all, a 6-3 record with only two road wins isn’t remarkable. Outside of SEC play, a win against Kansas is going to go a long way, but just like a lot of other major conference schools, there really aren’t any legitimate road wins on the slate.

The only really shameful losses as of right now were to Southern California and Georgia.

An SOS of 36, an RPI of 19, and an 18-5 record looks pretty solid, right?

So why am I wasting my time putting down the Vols? Just check out what’s left on this schedule…

Away @ Kentucky, Home vs. Georgia, Away @ South Carolina, Away @ Florida, Home vs. Kentucky, Home vs. Arkansas, Away @ Mississippi State, SEC Tournament

Hmm… A team that was 18-4 coming into yesterday will almost certainly be 18-6 by the time this weekend is over. There are only two games on this schedule that feel like absolute wins (Home vs. Georgia, Home vs. Arkansas), but the Hogs have already proven that they can play anywhere in this conference when they went on the road and took out Ole Miss in Oxford. A slip up in that game and a few road follies, and the Vols could suddenly be a 20-10 team going into the SEC Tournament and possibly needing a victory in that tourney to nail down a ticket to the dance.

For our money though, we’re far more concerned about how badly the Vols have been against the college basketball spreads. Tennessee dropped to just 1-5 ATS in its L/6 games, and it still only has one cover away from Rocky Top in the SEC. UT has also only scored 80+ points once in conference play this year after pulling that feat off five times in ’08-’09. This is also a squad that is struggling from beyond the arc on the season, shooting just 33.1%. That won’t get it done in the SEC, and it certainly won’t accomplish anything in the postseason either.

The oddsmakers haven’t really caught on quite yet, and before they do, it’s time to capitalize. Keep rolling against the boys from Rocky Top!

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Complete List of 2010 Daytona 500 Odds Can Be Found At The Bottom of This Post

NASCAR will officially kick off the 2010 season with the 52^nd running of the Daytona 500 this Sunday afternoon from Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona 500, known as the Great American Race, is the epic race for the top drivers in NASCAR at possibly the most exciting speedway on earth. 51 year old Mark Martin surprised everyone in 2009 by winning 5 races after coming out of retirement to finish 2nd to Jimmie Johnson in the points standings. Martin is off to another great start after winning the pole for the Daytona 500 and he will lead the field to the green flag this Sunday. Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr will be on the outside of Martin in the number 2 starting spot and will be trying to shake off a disastrous 2009 season. Earnhardt has always run really well at the restrictor plate races and NASCAR’s most popular driver is long overdue for another victory.

The starting positions for the rest of the 43 car field will be determined Thursday in the Gatorade 125 Duel races. The unique aspect of the Daytona 500 is only the front row is locked in on qualifying times. The rest of the cars are split into two groups based on those qualifying times and will run 125 miles to determine the starting positions this Sunday. While qualifying is not a major concern at the restrictor plate races due to the amount of ground a driver can make up easily in the draft, history tells us that a strong starting position goes along way in the Daytona 500. Nearly 90% of all Daytona 500 winners have come from the top 15 starting positions and nearly half of those winners have come from the top 5 starting positions. However, it is still a restrictor plate race and any driver can have a chance. Just ask Brad Keselowski who captured his first victory last year at Talladega, a track similar to Daytona based on the use of restrictor plates, in just his 5^th career start.

One of the big changes involving the Great American Race this year is the change in the size of the restrictor plates. Over the last two seasons, the racing at restrictor plate tracks Talladega and Daytona have suffered in competition. The restrictor plates were keeping the field bunched up and making it chess match to get out front using the draft. However, bigger restrictor plates used this year will not only increase horse power but also increase throttle response for the drivers. This change should put a little more control into the driver’s hands and I believe you will see the premier restrictor plates racers up front this Sunday. Therefore drivers like Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr, and Jeff Gordon should be some of the top picks to win the Daytona 500. In fact, Tony Stewart is the leading favorite to win the Daytona 500 at +700 odds. Stewart has never won the Daytona 500 even though he has proven to be among the best restrictor plate drivers in NASCAR. Stewart did win the July Coke Zero 400 at Daytona last year and has 4 other super speedway wins during his career.

Kyle Busch has also been lights out at the super speedways entering the race as a +800 favorite. Busch and the #18 team do have a new crew chief on board with Dave Rogers. Busch possibly is the most talented driver in NASCAR outside of Jimmie Johnson, but I would not encourage betting on a new team in a race of this magnitude. Speaking of Johnson, he will be starting his run at a 5^th consecutive championship. Johnson already broke all NASCAR record for winning 4 straight championships, but he has not faired too strong in the Daytona 500 despite winning the event in 2006. Johnson will be receiving +1000 odds this Sunday. Outside of the previously mentioned drivers, I would love to touch on a number of other possible contenders this Sunday but that could be everybody. Instead, I have listed a couple of possible bets for you to consider for the Daytona 500 this Sunday that I have listed below.

Driver to win the Daytona 500

I really think this is the year for Tony Stewart to pull off the victory. Stewart has been all too close in recent years and he knows how to stay in front of the pack. Consider he has led each of the last 7 Daytona 500’s including leading the most laps in two of those events and it is easy to see why he is due for the ultimate win in racing. The only downside is that Stewart is listed as the favorite to win the event and it has been 6 years since the last favorite won the Daytona 500 (Dale Earnhardt Jr 2004). However, still with the new rule changes it will benefit the best restrictor plate racers. Dale Earnhardt Jr and Kyle Busch come to mind, but their teams have not been very strong especially compared to Stewart’s. I believe those factors will come together and crown Stewart the winner of the Daytona 500 this Sunday.

Pick – Tony Stewart (8 to 1 @ Oddsmaker)

Long shot to win the Daytona 500

 There are a couple drivers that deserve a lot of attention due to their lack of respect from the line makers. Kevin Harvick just won his 2^nd straight Budweiser Shootout last week not to mention he is a previous Daytona 500 Champion and is receiving very profitable +1500 odds. Another driver I think should deserve some attention is Jamie McMurray. McMurray took over the #1 Bass Pro Shops machine this year and looked very strong in the Shootout last week. Not to mention former Dale Earnhardt Inc cars have always run well at the super speedways even though they are now a merger making Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. Still, McMurray should be a driver to consider at +2200 odds. However, the driver I like is an even bigger dark horse. Brian Vickers had a great season in 2009 making the Chase over Kyle Busch by just 19 points. Vickers first career victory come at Talladega, another super speedway, and he was another driver that stayed at the front during the Budweiser Shootout. Vickers ran up front at both Daytona and Talladega in 2009 scoring 2 top 10 victories despite some trouble in the Daytona 500. However, I believe he is a guy that is going to hang around the front this Sunday and if he hangs around long enough he just might drive into victory lane. Plus to put some icing on this long shot, consider incredible +3500 odds if that predictions happens to come true.

Pick – Brian Vickers (30 to 1 @ Oddsmaker)

Duel 1 Race Match-Up

Mark Martin vs. Jimmie Johnson

One thing that was apparent from the start of practice last Thursday is that Mark Martin had the fastest car in the field. He came out and topped the charts in his first two laps and did the same during his two lap qualifying run. His position may already be locked in, but that will not stop him from trying to win the Gatorade 125. Starting out front, Martin already has the advantage not to mention again the fastest car. Plus Jimmie Johnson did not appear all too comfortable with the handling on this #48 Lowes Chevrolet. Expect the old man to get the job done.

Pick – Mark Martin

Duel 2 Race Match-Up

 Kasey Kahne vs. Martin Truex Jr.

 Neither of these two drivers is expected to be dominating forces at Daytona this weekend, but both have the talent to contend. Kasey Kahne finished 2^nd at the Amp Energy 500 at Talladega last season after scoring a top 15 at the Coke Zero 400 in Daytona. Also, Richard Petty Motorsports has made some solid strides to getting back to a competitive level. However, Michael Waltrip Racing who owns the car that Martin Truex Jr will be driving has not shown that type of strength. In fact, all the MWR cars appeared a bit underpowered last week including Michael Waltrip who has always run well at Daytona considering he is the only driver to have 2 Daytona 500 victories in the last decade. I expect Truex and company to struggle in this event and Kahne to have another solid run.

Pick – Kahne

Current & Latest Odds To Win The Daytona 500 @ Oddsmaker Sportsbook:
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Kyle Busch +800
Denny Hamlin +1200
Jimmie Johnson +1000
Dale Earnhardt Jr +800
Juan Pablo Montoya +1500
Carl Edwards +1500
Ryan Newman +2500
Jamie McMurray +2500
Martin Truex Jr +3000
Brian Vickers +3000
Kasey Kahne +2500
Greg Biffle +4000
Marcos Ambrose +5000
AJ Allmendinger +5000
Casey Mears +6000
Bobby Labonte +6000
Scott Speed +10000
Tony Stewart +800
Jeff Gordon +1000
Mark Martin +800
Kurt Busch +1200
Kevin Harvick +1200
Matt Kenseth +2000
Clint Bowyer +3000
David Ragan +3000
Joey Logano +2500
Jeff Burton +3000
David Reutimann +4000
Brad Keselowski +3000
Sam Hornish Jr +5000
Michael Waltrip +5000
Elliott Sadler +6000
Paul Menard +10000
Field (Any Other Driver) +3000

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The NFL betting season came to a close on Sunday night when the Indianapolis Colts beat the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV. There was plenty to rant about in the week that was in the world of sports, so here at Bankroll Sports, we’ll pose these two words to the worst teams, players, coaches, and situations over the last seven days: C’mon Man!!!

I’m tired of all of these teams in the NCAA basketball betting world falling victim to sandwich games. I’m looking at you Georgetown Hoyas and Duke Blue Devils. G’Town looked awful in a home loss to South Florida, which was stuck between wins against both Duke and Villanova. The Dookies fell victim as well, barely beating Boston College in Chestnut Hill. They beat Georgia Tech in a huge revenge spot right before the BC game, and have North Carolina next week in Chapel Hill. Aren’t you supposed to bring it every single night? These aren’t the only two teams in this situation, but the Hoyas and Blue Devils are the ones that are guilty this week. C’mon Man!!!

What’s going on with the North Carolina Tar Heels? Who are these imposters wearing baby blue right now? North Carolina lost to both Virginia Tech and Maryland this week, and that loss to Maryland came by 21 points. The Tar Heels are now sitting in tenth place in the ACC, and they’re only a half game in front of being in dead last. Why is this team even remotely being talked about for the NCAA Tournament? Teams that are 13-10 are just trying to make the NIT. For you, the defending national champs, you only have two words coming your way: C’mon Man!!!

The Miami Heat are in really bad shape right now. They have lost five straight games and are only 1-4 ATS in those five. Don’t blame G Dwyane Wade. Flash is scoring 26.8 points per game this year and has averaged just under that in those five games. The problem? There are only two players in those five NBA betting battles that have scored more than 16 points in a game. F Jermaine O’Neal put up 24 against the Bulls on Saturday, while F Michael Beasley put up 21 on the Cavs earlier in the week. Wade, you’re exempt from this one. But for the rest of you: C’mon Man!!!

Yes, it was QB Peyton Manning that threw the pick that ultimately handed the Super Bowl to the Saints, but let’s take a minute to blame the special teams of the Indianapolis Colts. This was a unit that missed a field goal, only averaged 22.2 yards per kick return, and committed the biggest gaffe of the day, allowing New Orleans to recover the onside kick to start the second half. Indy took the lead in the third quarter after the Saints hit them with the onsider, but K Matt Stover’s missed field goal is what really broke the camel’s back. There are three facets to every football game, and the Colts failed miserably at the third one, which proved to be the most important. C’mon Man!!!

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Long before there was gambling on the Super Bowl or NBA basketball or Major League Baseball, there was horse racing. For thousands of years, gamblers have been banking on which horse could run a certain distance or a certain track the fastest. Things have gotten a lot more sophisticated for the “Sports of Kings” in the last four millennia, but the news for the equestrian world has been grim over the last several years.

News out of New York in December was the worst of all. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) may be in a position where it can’t make payroll, which could effectively shut down the storied Belmont Racetrack, as well as all of the other racing circuits in the Empire State. The Triple Crown would never be the same again, as the third leg, the Belmont Stakes, would be compromised.

Every year, it feels like horse racing is ready to take off once again behind a new story and a new super horse. But alas, every year, the winner of the Kentucky Derby has fallen in one of the next two Triple Crown races. The sport hasn’t had an icon win its most illustrious three jewels since Affirmed did it in 1978.

Enter Zenyatta, the super filly who has successfully won all 14 races in her career, including the Breeder’s Cup Classic at Santa Anita last year over horses such as Mine That Bird (who won the Kentucky Derby), Summer Bird (who won the Belmont Stakes), and Colonel John. That made her the first filly ever to win the Breeder’s Cup Classic. Zenyatta finished runner-up for Horse of the Year honors in 2009, but was also finished second to Serena Williams for the AP’s Female Athlete of the Year last year to boot.

However, even though Zenyatta has all of the accolades in the world, there’s still one horse that she hasn’t conquered.

See Rachel Alexandra, who was the filly that bested all of the boys and Zenyatta for the Horse of the Year award in 2009. She was the only Triple Crown race winner that wasn’t in the Breeder’s Cup Classic, because her owners didn’t want to see her run on the synthetic track at Santa Anita. Rachel Alexandra marched into Pimlico last year as a favorite over Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and put both him and the rest of his mare counterparts to shame by taking the Preakness Stakes just two weeks after walking away from the rest of the field in the Kentucky Oaks by a whopping 20 lengths. That made her the first filly in 85 years to win the second leg of the Triple Crown.

How is it possible to separate two unbeaten horses? Experts have clamored all year about the prospects of seeing a Rachel/Zenyatta duel, and now, someone has come to the table with the money to make it happen. Oaklawn Park is offering a $5 million purse for a prospective race between the top horses in the sport.

The art and sport of horse racing clearly needs a superstar. Neither the six-year old Zenyatta nor the four-year old Rachel Alexandra can successfully do it by themselves, especially since their races will largely go unnoticed outside of the Breeders Cup. But with the Kentucky Derby just looming a month after the prospective race between these two behemoths, it may be just the kick needed to get horse racing back on the map.

As sports betting fans, we should all be dying to see this happen before it’s too late. It’s often that you get to see any matchup between two unbeaten people, horses, or teams, especially not ones that have been so dominant and look totally unflappable.

The race, as they say, must go on.

Any time you can say that you’re in line to set all-time records in a league that has been around for over 60 years, you’ve truly done something special… unless you’re the New Jersey Nets…

Yep, that pretty well sums it up. Is there any other way to watch a game at the IZOD Center than with a bag over your head right now unless you’re cheering for the other team? Remember when this team was competing for Eastern Conference crowns and NBA Championships? But the days of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, Kenyon Martin, and Kerry Kittles are long since gone.

Ever since getting rid of G Jason Kidd, everything has seemed to be all downhill for this once-proud franchise. Kidd was dealt right at the ’08 trade deadline for what amounted to be a bag full of peanuts to the Dallas Mavericks. Even then, keeping together the tandem of Carter and Jefferson appeared like it had the potential to be exciting in ’09-’10. Aside from that, the hopes of building a new stadium in Brooklyn gave Nets fans from the Big Apple something to possibly be excited about.

But coming into this year, there was no stadium. There was no Jefferson. There was no Carter. And basically, there was no hope.

Just check out what this lineup looks like on a regular basis… G Devin Harris is probably the only player on the team that might have a chance of cracking the starting five on another NBA roster. Jarvis Hayes, Yi Jianlian, Brook Lopez, Courtney Lee, Kris Humphries… Who are these guys???

So why should we be so surprised that this team is off to a 4-43 start to the NBA betting season coming into Wednesday night? Jersey’s offense ranks dead last in the league in points per game (89.8) and shooting percentage (42.2%), and it is getting outrebounded by a pitiful 5.6 boards per contest. The Nets put together a very impressive 19-game losing streak to start the season, which ultimately cost HC Lawrence Frank his job. To Frank, it must’ve felt like a blessing to be exiled from hell on earth.

The ’72 Philadelphia 76ers set an NBA record for futility with just nine wins on the season. Not only are the Nets on a pace to beat that mark, but they could legitimately obliterate it if they don’t figure out how to string some ‘W’s together in the weeks to come.

What’s worse is how little it appears as though anyone on this team really cares. It feels like every time you look up at the New Jersey bench, guys are cracking jokes or have their heads hung down. The boys just don’t play hard, and it’s really telling on the NBA wagering lines. Just look at some of these spreads this year that the Nets have had on their side! Recently, they were whopping 16.5-point underdogs in Utah, and they lost 116-83, failing to come anywhere near that hefty number.

If you’ve been betting on the Nets every night at JustBet Sportsbook, you’ve only gone a miserable 16-31 ATS. If that keeps up over the remaining 35 games of the season, Jersey is looking at finishing just 28-54 ATS. There’s only one team in the last 14 years that has put up a worse ATS record in basketball betting action, and that was the ’03-’04 Orlando Magic, who went just 27-54-1 ATS in the year before they landed C Dwight Howard with the #1 pick in the NBA Draft.

One thing is for certain, and that’s that the Nets can’t go anywhere but up. The new hope is that F LeBron James or one of the other high-priced free agents to be ultimately signs in New Jersey and starts to resurrect the franchise.

But if things for Jersey fans go as well next year as they have this year, another season of futility is in the cards.