The Kentucky Wildcats and Connecticut Huskies met earlier this season at the Maui Invitational, and little did we know that this team that would go on to have a horrible record on the road and the other, which was unranked at the time, would be playing for the right to go to the National Championship Game. Check out how the Final Four odds stack up in this one!

Trends Of Note
Considering the fact that both of these teams ended up winning their conference tournaments this year, it’s no wonder why both have a heck of a lot of March Madness trends on their side in this one.

Kentucky has gone 5-1 ATS over the course of its last six games overall, and its only ATS loss in there was that escape from the Princeton Tigers in the first round of the tourney. UK is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 NCAA Tournament games as favorites. It is also 16-5-1 ATS in its last 22 games against Big East teams.

Connecticut has played six neutral site games in which it has been the underdog since the Big East Tournament, and it is a perfect 6-0 in those games. The Huskies are also 8-1 ATS since that magical run in the Big East Tournament started, and the lone failed attempt at a cover came against the Arizona Wildcats in the Elite 8. UConn is 7-2 ATS in its last nine NCAA Tournament odds battles and is 23-8 ATS in its last 31 games as an underdog. Head Coach Jim Calhoun and company are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 neutral site games overall and are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 against the SEC.

We’ve already mentioned the 84-67 win for UConn in this series at the Maui Invitational earlier this year, but there are also two other meetings that these teams have had since 2006. Kentucky won 64-61 at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic last season at Madison Square Garden, while the Huskies pulled out an 87-83 win in the NCAA Tournament when these teams met in 2006.

Players To Watch
For Connecticut, this is a simple game plan. Get the ball in Kemba Walker’s hands and let him do his thing. Walker can really do anything and everything that is asked of him. He has averaged 23.9 points, 5.3 boards, and 4.5 assists per game this year, and he already has 74 swipes of the rock as well on the defensive end of the court. This is the leading scorer amongst players left standing in this tournament, and save for perhaps BYU Cougars’ Jimmer Fredette, there is no man in this entire tournament that is more feared than Walker. He also has played all but six minutes during the dance for Calhoun and company.

There are really only six men in the rotation for the Wildcats this season, and though men like Brandon Knight and Doron Lamb tend to get all of the accolades, Josh Harrellson is really the difference maker this year on this team. For a man that, for all intents and purposes, was nothing more than a stiff at the outset of the season, Harrellson has come on strong and averaged 14.8 points and 9.0 boards per game in the dance. He’s coming up with the big plays in the paint over and over again, and Calipari knows that his team would be forgotten if not for the play of Harrellson.

Keys to the Game
Connecticut has to find some players to step up aside from Walker. Jeremy Lamb, just a freshman, has really matured beyond his years in the postseason this year. He carried the team in the win against the DePaul Blue Demons, and since that point, he has had nine straight double digit scoring games. Lamb is a heck of a shooter, and he is likely going to end up being the man that has to take this team over after Walker is gone, and whether it is him or Alex Oriakhi that is picking up the slack, one of them just has to help out Walker.

For Kentucky, the trick is going to be staying out of foul trouble. When Walker is cutting to the basket on a regular basis, he tends to be able to lure some fouls out of some of the most disciplined teams in the nation. The Wildcats just cannot afford to do stupid things, because the team just isn’t deep enough. Calipari complained about turnovers and dumb fouls about this team all season long, and if those issues rear their ugly heads again in this one like they were at times this year, the Cats are in a ton of trouble.

The NL West is one of the more interesting divisions this year in the game, as always. There really aren’t any teams that you can totally count out of this mess, but there aren’t any that you’d think are a surefire lock either. Check out the NL West odds and our NL West preview!

The San Francisco Giants (1.30 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) are the defending World Series champs, and they largely have the exact same team that they did last year. However, what we have to remember about this team is that it just barely got into the second season last year, and the hope is that it can do a heck of a lot better and get into the dance with plenty of games to spare this year.

The up and coming team on the NL West odds is the Colorado Rockies (2 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook). The Rockies really didn’t do a heck of a lot in the offseason this year, but they did wrap up a ton of their young players to incredibly long contracts. Colorado still has a great starting rotation, anchored around Ubaldo Jimenez, who looked like he had a chance to win 30 games last year before he fell off in the second half of the campaign.

We’re really not so sure why the Los Angeles Dodgers (3.90 to 1 @ BetUS Sportsbook) are in the same sort of discussion right now as the Giants and Rockies. Sure, Manager Don Mattingly is certain to bring in a new flare to the team this year, but when push comes to shove, there just weren’t enough moves that were made to keep this team competitive in all likelihood.

The San Diego Padres (13.50 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) were the upstart team down the stretch last season, and they really went for it to get into the playoffs. As we know, they didn’t succeed, and they really don’t have that impressive looking of a team. However, it wasn’t all that sharp looking last year either. Now that Adrian Gonzalez is gone though, this isn’t really the best looking team in the world. Don’t really look for the rebuilding Arizona Diamondbacks (20 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) to compete either, though we know that this team has a great nucleus of young hitters like Stephen Drew and Justin Upton to build around.

Odds to Win NL West @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Arizona Diamondbacks 20 to 1
Colorado Rockies 1.75 to 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 3 to 1
San Diego Padres 10 to 1
San Francisco Giants 1.25 to 1

Betting Lines to Win NL West @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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San Francisco Giants 1.30 to 1
Colorado Rockies 2 to 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 3.90 to 1
San Diego Padres 13.50 to 1
Arizona Diamondbacks 20 to 1

2011 NL West Odds @ Hollywood Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Arizona Diamondbacks 18 to 1
Colorado Rockies 1.80 to 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 2.75 to 1
San Diego Padres 10 to 1
San Francisco Giants 1.50 to 1

The NL Central is a wide open division this season, and there are legitimately four teams that could ultimately end up making the playoffs out of this bunch. Check out how we stack up the NL Central odds this season.

The favorites to win this division this year are the Milwaukee Brewers (2.05 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook). We know that Zack Greinke isn’t going to be in the lineup on Opening Day, but he really has the ability to win 20 games this year for this team. This is largely the same type of squad that made the postseason a few years ago with CC Sabathia, and now, the Brew Crew have the use of Greinke for the whole year. Yovani Gallardo is a great No. 2 starter, while John Axford should be able to anchor the bullpen. Prince Fielder, in a contract season, could be in line for a great year, and if he gets off to a great start, this team really could be a terror on the rest of the division.

The defending champs on the division are the Cincinnati Reds (2.35 to 1 @ Hollywood Sportsbook). Joey Votto in an unheralded star, and Manager Dusty Baker has a great set of bats and arms at his disposal as well. Was Cincy a one year wonder last year in the postseason? We’ll soon find out. However, one thing is for sure, and that’s that the rest of the division is a heck of a lot better this year.

The team that suffered the worst break of the offseason was the St. Louis Cardinals (3 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook). Not only did the team not ultimately end up winning the race with Albert Pujols to get a contract done, but then it lost Adam Wainwright in Spring Training for the year as well. It would be a tremendous accomplishment for this team to make it into the second season this year, and if it doesn’t, don’t be surprised if both Pujols and Manager Tony LaRussa end up flying the Cardinals’ coup.

The team that could be the real upstart this year out of nowhere is the Chicago Cubs (5 to 1 @ Hollywood Sportsbook). The Cubbies were one of the teams that raided the Tampa Bay Rays in this offseason. They picked up both Carlos Pena and Matt Garza in the winter, and those acquisitions really might make up for a number of bad signings over the years. This is the longest shot of the realistic teams that can get the job done, but we aren’t counting out the North Siders yet.

Both the Houston Astros (33 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (45 to 1 @ Sportbet Sportsbook) really have no shot to do that much damage. You can bet that the Pirates are good for yet another season below .500.

Odds to Win NL Central @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Chicago Cubs 5 to 1
Cincinnati Reds 2 to 1
Houston Astros 25 to 1
Milwaukee Brewers 1.75 to 1
Pittsburgh Pirates 40 to 1
St. Louis Cardinals 2.75 to 1

Betting Lines to Win NL Central @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Milwaukee Brewers 2.05 to 1
Cincinnati Reds 2.35 to 1
St. Louis Cardinals 3 to 1
Chicago Cubs 4.85 to 1
Houston Astros 33 to 1
Pittsburgh Pirates 45 to 1

2011 NL Central Odds @ Hollywood Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Chicago Cubs 4.50 to 1
Cincinnati Reds 1.80 to 1
Houston Astros 40 to 1
Milwaukee Brewers 1.80 to 1
Pittsburgh Pirates 100 to 1
St. Louis Cardinals 3 to 1

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The NL East is going to be one of the toughest divisions in baseball this year, and the favorites on the odds to win the World Series are clearly in this division. Check out how we stack up the five squads for our NL East preview.

Even though they didn’t look all that dominating in Spring Training, the Philadelphia Phillies (1 to 2.60@ Sportbet Sportsbook). The Phils really made the coup of the offseason by swiping Cliff Lee from the grasps of both the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees. Lee really was a huge difference maker for this team in the half season that he spent with the Phils two years ago, and he loved his time in the City of Brotherly Love so much that he elected to come back. The man that he was traded for, Roy Halladay is still here, and so are Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton. Sure, Jayson Werth is gone, but the rest of this lineup in still intact. There are some concerns injury wise, most notably Brad Lidge and Chase Utley, and if these two can’t get the job done, they’re in some trouble. If the much maligned bullpen pulls it together though, the Phils won’t be touched in this division.

The Atlanta Braves (4 to 1@ Hollywood Sportsbook) are the one team that really could make a stink this year as well. This is the first time in decades that Bobby Cox isn’t with the team. However, he didn’t leave the cupboard bare, as the starting lineup is still fantastic and the pitching staff is still full of youngsters that are up and coming. The question is going to be whether this very young bullpen is going to keep it together this season. The playoffs aren’t a guarantee.

It seems as though the Florida Marlins (10.25 to 1@ Sportbet Sportsbook) are the team that proves to be the pain in the backside every single season, but when push really comes to shove, they almost always end up falling short. The Fish have one of the best and most underappreciated players in the game in Hanley Ramirez, and they really have one of the best starting pitchers in the game as well in Josh Johnson. Leo Nunez anchors a fantastic bullpen with a ton of arms in it as well. Is it enough to win this division? Probably not. However, we have to believe that there is at least a 10 to 1 shot that the Fish get the job done.

The New York Mets (25 to 1@ Sportbet Sportsbook) and the Washington Nationals (37 to 1@ Sportbet Sportsbook) are a long, long way out of the division race right now. New York just wasn’t able to make any splashes in the offseason due to tight money conditions with ownership, and though Washington did sign Jayson Werth, it also let Adam Dunn get away. Both teams are missing stud pitchers this season as well, as Johan Santana won’t be ready until at least July, while Stephen Strasburg is out for the entire season following Tommy John surgery.

Odds to Win NL East @ BetUS Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Atlanta Braves 4 to 1
Florida Marlins 10 to 1
New York Mets 18 to 1
Philadelphia Phillies 1 to 3.50
Washington Nationals 25 to 1

Betting Lines to Win NL East @ Sportbet Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Philadelphia Phillies 1 to 2.60
Atlanta Braves 3.25 to 1
Florida Marlins 10.25 to 1
New York Mets 21 to 1
Washington Nationals 37 to 1

2011 NL East Odds @ Hollywood Sportsbook (as of 3/30/11):
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Atlanta Braves 4 to 1
Florida Marlins 8 to 1
New York Mets 25 to 1
Philadelphia Phillies 1 to 4
Washington Nationals 60 to 1