Posted on March 31st, 2008 by JJ Duque
It’s the 2008 Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament!
After the entire March Madness of basketball, eventually it was the top seed of the regionals who eventually advance to the 2008 Final Four to kick off at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas this coming April 5. Representing the East is the No. 1 team in the USA, The University of North Carolina Tar Heels who will be facing off against Midwest Regional Champions Kansas Jay Hawks.
Meanwhile, the South Region will be represented by its champion the Memphis Tigers who will be squaring off against the West Regional champions UCLA Bruins.
Bet on North Carolina vs Kansas
North Carolina, as the No. 1 seed of the NCAA tournament, are the definite favorites over Kansas. Kansas are the No. 1 seed of the Midwest, but their run for the Midwest Regional championships were almost outdone by No. 10 seed of the Midwest Davidson, who had a dream run in the tournament, booking wins against No. 7 Gonzaga, No. 2 Georgetown and No. 3 Wisconsin before losing out to Kansas in the Midwest Regional finals by just two points. It’s not that Kansas wasn’t convincing, it’s just that Davidson really put a lot of heart into the game, and while Kansas may have suffered a slight scare, they are through to the 2008 Final Four, and they have their sights set on taking down No. 1 North Carolina.
North Carolina breezed through most of their competition, winning by at least a 10 point margin in all of their games in the East Regional part of the tournament. Indeed, North Carolina has the big names for this level of college basketball with the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson. Meanwhile, Kansas will be looking to its main assets like Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers.
However, North Carolina are really a strong favorite to win.
The Memphis Tigers have just been on a great run so far in the NCAA Tournament, booking very convincing wins in the South Regional bracket. Their only scare was a 77-74 edge over Mississippi State, but otherwise all the rest of their wins over TX Arlington, Michigan State and Texas were victories with huge margins of 15 plus points or more. In fact, the South Regional finals between Memphis vs Texas was a blow-out with Memphis winning by a solid and convincing 18 points over the No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns.
It hasn’t been quite easy for the UCLA Bruins, who had to sneak out with a 51-49 victory in the second round of the West Regional bracket against Texas A&M. However, apart from that shaky victory, UCLA has been on cruise control winning with 10 points or more against the likes of Mississippi Valley State, Western Kentucky and Xavier. In fact, the West Regional Finals between UCLA vs Xavier was a very lopsided 76-57 victory by No. 1 seed UCLA over No. 3 seed Xavier. Xavier was expected to play a bit better.
In any case, the match-up between Memphis vs UCLA is a tough pick, but Memphis seems to have the edge over UCLA. Memphis will be relying on the likes of Derrick Rose, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Joey Dorsey while UCLA will be hoping to get a spark from key players like Kevin Love, Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook.
Find out the latest NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds
Bet on NCAA Basketball. Bet on 2008 Final Four
Posted on March 30th, 2008 by JJ Duque
Even though Tiger Woods did not win the recent WGC-CA Championship in Doral, Flroida, losing 2 strokes behind tournament champion Geoff Ogilvy, Tiger Woods is still a huge favorite to win the upcoming 2008 Masters Tournament this coming April 2008. After all, Tiger Woods is on a hot streak and seems just invincible in the golf course, winning 5 tournaments out of the 6 he’s played so far. Definitely, such consistency makes Tiger Woods a sure favorite to win the 2008 Masters Tournament, which will be held at the Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia.
2007 Masters Open champion Zach Johnson will be hoping to defend his title against a charging Tiger Woods, and of course against a field of great golfers, which will include the likes of Phil Mickelson and Vijay Singh.
However, of course, Tiger Woods will certainly be a handful to deal with already as he looks to bag the first Major Tournament of 2008.
Bet on Tiger Woods. Bet on Golf. Bet on PGA Tour. Bet on 2008 Masters Tournament.
Posted on March 30th, 2008 by JJ Duque
Serbian tennis sensation Ana Ivanovic is just coming off a huge championship win in the 2008 Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, California, and hopes to continue her winning ways with another championship at the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida. Ana Ivanovic is seeded No. 2 in the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open and looks like she might just be on her way for the championship.
However, she must still survive a few more rounds of tennis, and then perhaps even come across a showdown with World No. 1 and tournament number 1 seed Justine Henin of Beligum. No. 1 seed Justine Henin may not be in top form, having missed out several tournaments of the WTA tour after suffering an injury in the 2008 Australian Open. Justine Henin did play well against Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the second round of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open, winning 6-4, 6-2. The true test of her health and conditioning will still be put to the test as the competition gets stiffer in the later rounds.
Ana Ivanovic has had more tennis conditioning with her participation in several tournaments, and that might just be the advantage she might need over Justine Henin, should the two square off in the finals of the 2008 Sony Ericsson Open. Of course, other players also in top form for a 2008 Sony Ericsson Open title include 2008 Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova of Russia and American Serena Williams, who is the defending champion of the Sony Ericsson Open.
2008 Sony Ericsson Open Betting. Bet on Women’s Tennis. Bet on Ana Ivanovic .
Posted on March 29th, 2008 by JJ Duque
Spanish La Liga defending champions Real Madrid are still on top of the Spanish La Liga standings with 62 points with Barcelona trailing at the second spot with 58 points. Barcelona were able to close the gap with Real Madrid following a 4-1 victory against Valladolid at the Nou Camp in Barcelona. Scoring goals for Barcelona were Samuel Eto’o, Andres Iniesta and 2 goals by Bojan Krkic. And the lone goal of Valladolid came from Jonathan Sesma Gonzalez.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid slipped to a 3-2 loss against Valencia at the Bernabeu in Madrid. Real Madrid captain Raul Gonzalez scored 2 goals for Real Madrid while Valencia got 2 goals from David Villa and a last minute winner by Javier Arizmendi.
For the upcoming fixtures this week, Barcelona hope to close the gap with an away victory against Real Betis at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. Real Madrid hope to protect their lead for the Spanish La Liga Championship with a home match against Copa del Ray Champions and UEFA Cup Champions Sevilla.
Spanish La Liga Fixtures for March 29 and March 3, 2008 are:
Posted on March 28th, 2008 by JJ Duque
THE DUBAI WORLD CUP - one of the biggest purses in horse racing!
The prestigious Dubai World Cup is happening this weekend. Even though most horse racing fans, at least North Americans, are all gaga about the Triple Crown Races, the rest of the world - wait for this day when Godolphin Racing and the beautiful country of Dubai puts on the greatest spectacle in horse racing with the Dubai World Cup.
The purses are absolutely outrageous which is why a lot of American trainers and jockeys make the trek to Dubai in order to run and ride in these races. The Americans do very well, actually, as nobody has ever beaten an American in the Dubai Golden Shaheen, the 6 furlong dirt sprint down a straight-a-way.
The Americans usually win the Dubai World Cup as well. Sure, Godolphin has had Street Sense and Dubai Millenium, but we Americans have had Silver Charm and Pleasantly Perfect and Roses in May. Last year the Dubai World Cup was won by a horse that America adopted - Invasor.
This year us Yanks have the BetUS 4 to 11 favorite in Curlin. Is there any way to beat Curlin? Actually, yes, but before we get to that race, I want to highlight two other races on the Dubai World Cup card that could provide huge profits for horseplayers and horse racing bettors.
UAE Derby - - 1 1/8 miles on dirt - - Purse $2,000,000
American horses do okay in this race. The problem is that the Southern Hemisphere horses, like Invasor back in 2006, are considered three-year olds but according to American breeding tradition are four-year olds. Strange, huh? Yes, it is confusing. I’m still trying to understand it myself. Suffice to say that Invasor lost this race - - as a Southern Hemisphere 3-year old - - but went to the United States and won the Breeders’ Cup Classic as a four-year old in the same year. Anyhow, I do like a somewhat long-shot in this race. His name is Massive Drama and he broke his maiden like a monster last year before having to take his game to the artificial surfaces in Southern California. He gets a chance to show his stuff on the dirt again. This guy is one fast puppy and look who’s on him? Garret Gomez, friends! The BetUS odds on Massive Drama right now are 10 to 1. Bet on Massive Drama.
Wager: Massive Drama at 10 to 1 odds.
Dubai Golden Shaheen - - 6 furlongs on the dirt - - Purse $2,000,000
It’s a good idea to always go American in this race. Godolphin got tired of losing so they bought an American horse, Diabolical, and then prepped him in two Grade IIIs. In the first one, Diabolical finished fourth. In the second prep Diabolical finished first. Diabolical ran 1:09 for the 6 furlongs in the second prep. His American form is actually really good. There’s a reason that he’s going off at odds of 3 to 1. The favorite is Benny the Bull who’s going off at odds of 3 to 2. Benny is a closer. This race is on a straight-a-way. Once a horse gets a lead, it’s awfully tough to run it down. I don’t like Benny but I don’t like Diabolical either. I’ve got another long-shot in this one. That horse is Esperamos. The odds on Esperamos right now are 33 to 1. That’s not a misprint. Why do we like Esperamos? Well, he has run 1:09 going six furlongs in his last two races. Both of the tracks he ran them at, Hawthorne and Oaklawn Park, are not known for providing incredibly fast times. Esperamos not only won both of those races but he won them easily by 9 and 7 lengths respectively. He’s also switching barns from McLean Robertson to fantastic Southern California trainer Wesley Ward. Oh, yeah, guess who his jockey is? Right! Garret Gomez! Take a swing!
Wager: Esperamos at 33 to 1 odds
Dubai World Cup - - 1 1/4 miles on dirt - - Purse $6,000,000
Curlin is a super-horse. There’s no doubt about it. I don’t know how he lost that Belmont to Rags to Riches, but he came back and throttled everybody in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He also beat down Lawyer Ron in the Jockey Gold Cup in his Breeders’ Cup prep. That makes him a very special horse, but 3 to 5 odds on a horse that doesn’t like to take the lead scares me in the Dubai World Cup. Closers don’t do well in this race. Curlin can stay close, but the odds just aren’t there for me to put money on him. He’s in a foreign country and even though he has had time to acclimate to things, this is only his second race of the year. He has an electric turn of foot, but man, that straight-a-way at Dubai is rough. You really have to keep your momentum in order to catch a quality horse. The quality horse I like in this year’s Dubai World Cup is also a very classy animal. Its name is Premium Tap and if the name sounds familiar then it should. Premium Tap finished second to Invasor in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Classic. Then, he won the Grade I Clark Handicap. King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Sons bought him after that and brought him to Dubai. He ran in the 2007 Dubai World Cup and again finished second to Invasor. He’s a definite long-shot at BetUS odds of 16 to 1, but he’s got a much better post, number 6 as opposed to Curlin’s post 12. From post 6, Premium Tap should be able to lay close to the pace, heck, maybe even take the lead, and then win this thing. Okay, maybe should is a strong word, but stranger things have happened and this old-timer can put them away with a good trip. Our man Garret Gomez won’t be riding him, but that’s okay. Tap can still bring it home!
Wager: Premium Tap at 16 to 1 odds
Horse racing with BetUS Racebook Online Racebook. We’ve got up to date lines and odds on 85+ racetracks.
Join BetUS today to get in on the action.
Posted on March 28th, 2008 by JJ Duque
No. 3 seed of the East Regional Bracket
Louisville Cardinals will square off against No. 1 seed
North Carolina Tar Heels for the finals of the East Regional bracket of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with the winner of the Louisville vs North Carolina game advancing to the 2008 Final Four to be held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
North Carolina, also the No. 1 ranked team in the country, has been impressive throughout the tournament, posting big wins with big margins against the likes of Mount St. Mary’s (113-74), Arkansas (108-77) and Washington State (68-47). However, North Carolina faces their biggest opponent yet with Louisville, who have been on an impressive streak of their own in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament.
Louisville breezed through Boise State 79-61, and then crushed Oklahoma 78-48 before giving a big upset to No. 2 ranked Tennessee 79-60!
North Carolina will be looking to its star player Tyler Hansbrough to deliver the goods for the North Carolina Tar Heels while Louisville will be seeking the support of David Padgett to provide the win for the Louisville Cardinals.
North Carolina are strong favorites to win against Louisville, but then we can’t disregard the coaching prowess of Louisville’s Rick Pitino, who just recently slayed the giants of Tennessee.
NCAA Betting Tips on North Carolina vs Louisville: Bet on North Carolina to win straight up, but bet on Louisville to win against the spread. Bet on the total score to go UNDER 160.
Find out the latest NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds
Posted on March 28th, 2008 by JJ Duque
Top-seeded
Ana Ivanovic wins the 2008 Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, California, after defeating No. 2 seed
Svetlana Kuznetsova in the finals 6-4, 6-3.
Serbian Ana Ivanovic claimed her sixth career WTA Tour title with another blazing forehand winner after 81 minutes. Svetlana Kuznetsova lost her third final of the season, following Sydney and Dubai. The Russian, a former U.S. Open champion, has lost eight of her last nine finals, and the lone title last August at New Haven came on an injury retirement.
Ana Ivanovic, the 20-year-old Serb who reached the Australian Open final, pushed Svetlana Kuznetsova twice off the court into forced errors for the 5-4 break then served a love game for the first set.
“It’s a great victory for me,” Ana Ivanovic said waving the Serbian flag. “When I managed to break her on 4-all it gave me confidence, and I went strong from that point on. That game I stepped up a little bit more, and I realized that’s what I had to do.”
In the second, the two traded early breaks but Svetlana Kuznetsova was under increasing pressure and lost the last four games.
“She wasn’t giving me any free points and she was attacking,” Svetlana Kuznetsova said. “You feel like it’s her day, like everything goes her way. I was trying to be there and play every point, and she just played better today.”
Svetlana Kuznetsova, runner-up to Daniela Hantuchova last year, ended Maria Sharapova‘s 18-match winning start to this season in the semifinals on Friday. She has a career mark of 9-15 in tour finals.
“It’s always painful to lose, but I prefer to get to the final losing than to lose in second round,” she said. “”I still played a retty good tournament.”