Follow @SBTSportBetting [Get Exclusive Tips on our Patreon, Ad-Free]
The March Madness brackets are out. The ACC is dominating the brackets with Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina all earning top seeds. Gonzaga, the top team in the country earned the other number one seed. We also had Tennessee, Kentucky, Michigan and Michigan State all earning second seeds.
The First Four play-in games will take place tomorrow and Wednesday before the first round kicks off on Thursday. It should be a great time. For those of you who are filling out brackets, Action Network has a bracket with spreads built in. Just browsing at it and #12 Oregon State over #5 Wisconsin looks like an upset special that will be on tons of brackets.
As we wait for that to start, we concentrate on the NBA and NHL. The playoff races are heating up and teams are making their final pushes. One such team is the Blackhawks in the NHL who are trying to avoid missing the playoffs in back-to-back season for the first time in over ten years.
NHL Betting Tips:
Vancouver Canucks at Chicago Blackhawks: The odds are definitely against the Hawks with ten games left and five points behind the Coyotes (not to mention two teams to jump to get there), but they are doing their best to buck the odds. They have won their past five games and are really playing great with Corey Crawford back in goal. Some trades they’ve made this season have really paid off and, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are eternal. I like this team to stay on the path with a big win here against the lowly Canucks.
Winnipeg Jets at Los Angeles Kings: There is just no reason to think the Kings have a chance here. They are out of the playoffs and looking toward the offseason while the Jets are looking at a top seed in the playoffs. They need to win to keep that spot though as the race is tight and I expect them to easily handle this team.
Bet Jets -115 (to win in regulation)
NBA Betting Tips:
Denver Nuggets at Boston Celtics Betting Tips: I love the Nuggets, but there is something special going on with the Celtics right now. They’ve won five of their past six and are really starting to play like the team that everyone thought they would be heading into the season. They’ve been a great home team all year while Denver is just .500 on the road. This is no knock on Denver, I just think Boston is going to get it done at home tonight.
Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder: No Russell Westbrook for the Thunder tonight and that doesn’t scare me at all. Why? Because Paul George exists. He’s been a real MVP candidate all season and tonight should show you exactly why. There is no one on the Heat who will have a chance at guarding him and he should dominate this one. The Thunder have lost two straight and will be desperate for a win here. No Westbrook means more Dennis Schroeder and that’s just fine as he is one of the most capable backups in the league. All over OKC here.
