They’re not quite ‘elite’, nor are they considered ‘top contenders’ but the franchises that make up my ‘It Could Happen’ collection of NFL title hopefuls, really do stand a chance of reaching and winning Super Bowl 45.

Better yet, not only do each of these squads stand an outside chance of reaching the big dance, but each of these teams is offering NFL gamblers an enormous am ...  read more

After falling 51-45 in overtime at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals in last year’s NFL betting playoff Wildcard game, the Green Bay Packers are looking for redemption in the 2010-11 NFL betting season.

Packers Strengths

Passing Game

The Green Bay Packers have one of the most potent passing attacks in the league led by quarterback Aaron Ro ...  read more

The Heisman Trophy futures have been posted, and they give us a lot to think about. Anyone who pays attention to the Heisman process knows that the winner very often isn’t being talked about at all right now. That makes it even more fun to speculate and look at the odds that are available. 5Dimes has odds listed for 26 different players. Here’s a look at 10 of the ...  read more

Brett Favre just couldn’t handle being out of the news. Maybe it was all the attention everyone is paying to where LeBron James will play next year. Or maybe he was jealous because Phil Jackson, the second most diva-ish retirement fiend behind Favre, has been gaining headlines surrounding his indecision (although he re-signed with the Lakers yesterday). Or perhaps ...  read more

By: Steve Merril

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Monday afternoon:

GIANTS at BREWERS (-120) – 4:10 pm ET #952

Not an official play, but I would rate the Brewers as a light lean this afternoon.

San Francisco comes to Milwaukee after exhausting their bullpen in a 15 inning loss to Colorado late Sunday afternoon. The Giants hope tha ...  read more

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Sunday afternoon:

ASTROS at PADRES (Under 7, -110) – 4:05 pm ET #911-912

Not an official play, but I would rate the Under as a light lean this afternoon.

The Astros and Padres have had a pair of pitcher's duels the last two nights. They'll wrap up their series on Sunday afternoon in San Diego. Brett Myers g ...  read more

Our second team-by-team NFL schedule breakdown focuses on the second-place team from last season, the Indianapolis Colts. And other than death and taxes there seems to be one sure thing in life: Indianapolis winning at least 12 regular-season games, as it has done for a record seven seasons in a row.

In reality, the Colts haven’t lost a regular season game ...  read more

NBA betting continues to heat up with the Finals swinging back to Los Angeles for Game 6 Tuesday night.

The Boston Celtics took a 3-2 series lead with an inspired 92-86 victory in Game 5 at TD Garden on Sunday. Are the Celtics assured another NBA title, or are the Lakers ready to force a Game 7 showdown? Here's an inside look at Game 6:

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles ...  read more

NBA Game of the Day – Lakers/Celtics (Game 5)

Line Move

The early money quickly came in on the Under as the oddsmakers opened the Game 5 total as high as 189½ and it quickly dropped to 187½ and 187 in most locations. It is not a surprise as the Under is now 3-1 in this series and 5-1 in all six meetings this season.

The oddsma ...  read more

BetUS Sportsbook is back with another round of NBA Finals picks for Thursday night, as the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers duke it out for the fourth time in this best of seven series.

The Lakers have to feel like an accomplished team after Tuesday night's 91-84 victory, as they took a 2-1 series lead and guaranteed that, regardless of whether Boston wins both Games 4 a ...  read more

Those of you that bothered listening to me rant about Ray Allen as the best value in my NBA Finals prediction for MVP, Game 2 was hard nosed proof of why. Allen tied a record with eight three-pointers to amass 32-points and lead the Celtics to a series tying win. Now, the NBA Finals shift back to Boston where Boston will play with all sorts of urgency as they try to prevent this series ...  read more

NBA Game of the Day – Celtics at Lakers (-6, 190) By Steve Merril

Line Adjustment

The Lakers were a 5½-point favorite in Game 1 and they have now been installed as a 6-point favorite in Game 2 after their easy win on Thursday. Los Angeles led by 20 points entering the fourth quarter in their eventual 102-89 win and the oddsmakers have now adjusted the ...  read more

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers are the defending NBA Champions, but last year’s win still left many unanswered questions. What if Kevin Garnett had never gotten hurt, what if the Boston Celtics were in the Finals? Would we see a repeat of the dismantling of the Lakers such as we saw in 2008?

This year KG is healthy, the Lakers and the Celtics meet for the 12th time in ...  read more

Has one player in NBA history ever controlled who his head coach would be more than LeBron James? Sure, Magic Johnson supposedly orchestrated Paul Westhead’s firing in the early 1980s and got him replaced with Pat Riley, but Magic was at least going to be a Laker for a while. The Cleveland Cavaliers don’t even know if James will be on their roster next year. Thus ...  read more

Current Odds

The oddsmakers have made a substantial adjustment on the both the side and total for Game 3. The Lakers were 6½ and 7½-point favorites at home in both Games 1 & 2, but now the Suns are a 2½-point home favorite. This 10-point adjustment is largely due to the fact that teams down 0-2 usu ...  read more

It’s time to make some World Cup group stage predictions with the start of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa just three weeks away. Be sure to check Doc’s Sports homepage each day leading up to the World Cup as we will be previewing many of the games in the tournament (with free betting picks, as well) and we will cover the tournament from every possible angl ...  read more

A - Ainge, Danny. Boston's GM learned a lesson he should already have known this week - you can't get away with anything in an era when everyone is watching everything you do. On Monday Ainge was having some fun at his team's game against the Cavs, and he threw a towel in the air to distract J.J. Hickson on a free throw attempt. It turned into a much bigger deal t ...  read more

NBA Game of the Day

by Steve Merril

Phoenix Suns at San Antonio Spurs (-3½, 207) – 8:05 pm ET (TNT)

Opening line

Despite trailing 3-0 in this playoff series, the early money quickly came in on San Antonio when an opening line was posted on Saturday morning. Oddsmakers initially made the Spurs a 2½-point home favorite and ...  read more

While there is still a lot to be determined in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, it’s never too early to look ahead to Round 2, and some potential basketball bets that can be made there.

With just one second matchup set, let’s look at it, as the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers host the No. 4 Boston Celtics this Saturday, May 1 in Cleveland. Here’s everything you need to kn ...  read more

The NFL Draft is in the books and there were, as always, plenty of successes and failures. As always, we won’t be able to accurately assess how each organization managed until about three or four years from now, but based on value, addressing need, and overall talent hauled in I have put together my 2010 NFL Draft grades.

In the meantime they overlooked a ...  read more

With their postseason party nearly over, the Charlotte Bobcats will look to cover the NBA betting odds and survive for another day when they host the Orlando Magic in Game 4 of their first round playoff series which gets underway at Time Warner Cable Arena tonight at 8 PM ET.

The Magic beat the Bobcats 90-86 at Time Warner Cable Arena Saturday to take a 3-0 series lead while ...  read more

Every NBA playoff team took to the floor this past weekend in their opening playoff contest and pro basketball betting aficionados everywhere should be jumping for joy as each matchup uncovered a lot of information about what NBA bettors can expect over the remainder of each series.

This recap of each NBA opening postseason contest will give NBA gambles just the insight they ...  read more

We all know that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers are going to be the cream of the crop in the NBA playoffs. While the MVP debate is an open and shut case, betting the NBA playoffs has always been chalk full of surprises. Which teams are flying in under the radar as the regular season comes to a close? My two choices are probably going to surprise you.
...  read more

The Cleveland Cavaliers remain the odds on favorite to win the Eastern Conference crown with 10/19 odds to win the NBA Title with odds of 19/10. While the Eastern Conference appears to be foregone conclusion, the Western Conference is getting a little messier and harder to predict.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been in ...  read more

After 2480+ minutes and 62 games, in all comes down to the final 40 minutes and one more game for the NCAA Basketball National Title. The Duke Blue Devils have been here before, 14 times and they have won the national title three times. This will be the Butler Bulldogs first national title appearance and with this appearance they hold the hopes and dreams of every Cinderella team that h ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

Baseball begins this week and below is a list of play-on and play-against pitchers for the 2010 MLB season.

Five Pitchers to back:

Wade Davis (Tampa Bay)

This 5th starter made six starts last year for the Rays going 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA on the season. Davis started his career giving up one run and three ...  read more

Duke returns to the Final Four for the first time since 2006 and none of the current Duke players have made it this far. The seniors on the 2010 Blue Devils, Brian Zoubek, Jon Scheyer and Lance Howard have lost in the first round (2007), second round (2008) and the sweet 16 (2009), so you could say they’ve improved each year. However, for a school with such a rich tradition of winning a ...  read more

We are just days away from opening pitch of another baseball season.

But before the games get underway, why not place a few Major League Baseball prop bets? Here are a few of the best you can make, when evaluating regular season player matchups.

Miguel Cabrera (-6 ½ hits) vs. Matt Kemp -110: When evaluating these regular season player matchups, let’s first loo ...  read more

Forget point spreads and over/unders, the real betting action this weekend will be in the Final Four prop bets. Let’s take a look at a few of the best one’s in the Duke-West Virginia game.

First Points of the Game Are on A Free Throw (+700): Obviously it’s more realistic that the game will start on a two or three point field goal, but for the odds you’re getting, this ...  read more

The NCAA Tournament continues on Saturday, as the Butler Bulldogs, Michigan State Spartans, Duke Blue Devils, and West Virginia Mountaineers fight it out for college basketball's biggest prize. Check out BetUS Sportsbook's five burning questions for Saturday night's duels to determine who will be playing for the whole enchilada on Monday night!

1: Will Kyle Singler rebound fr ...  read more

Despite the lack of NBA Draft lottery talent and the biggest-named teams, there are still a whole lot of reasons why this Final Four is at least as interesting as several we have seen before. At or near the top of that list is the set of coaches that are leading their teams into Indianapolis. There's a bit of everything here - from the legends to the future star. ...  read more

And there was one (top-seed). The dust from the turbulent Sweet 16 and the insanely paced Elite Eight has settled and with Syracuse and Kansas already out of the picture, it seemed like the rest of the way should be a cake walk for either Duke or Kentucky. As you know by know the Wildcats were walloped by West Virginia in a thriller to mark their early exit. That leaves Duke standing as ...  read more

The Northern Iowa Panthers have already pulled off two huge upsets to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

College basketball betting buffs that like the Panthers to win the Midwest region and advance t the Final Four could make a ton of money by picking the Panthers to win – and the team coming through for them.

Northern Iowa +425
Michigan State +375
Tennessee +35 ...  read more

College basketball bettors that are looking to boost their annual college basketball betting bankroll before the end of the annual NCAA Championship Tournament and official completion of the 2009-10 regular season will enjoy this look at the value-packed odds surrounding the winner of the West Region.

With just four teams remaining in each bracket as the Sweet Sixteen approache ...  read more

The top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats have steamrolled their two NCAA Tournament opponents so far while generally looking like ‘locks’ to reach the Final Four out of the East region.

Kentucky -170, West Virginia +210, Washington +700, Cornell +1200

Of course, the Wildcats will have to get past the fiery 12th-seeded Cornell Big Red in their Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday bef ...  read more

Northern Iowa did more than just pull off a miracle on Saturday night - they also exploded a stunning number of March Madness brackets. The stats are beyond belief - 98 percent of the 4.8 million people who filled in a bracket on ESPN.com had Kansas in the Sweet 16, almost 60 percent had them in the Final Four, and more than 40 percent had them winning it all. The ...  read more

It’s a part of American life to fill out a bracket sheet on the day after Selection Sunday. Right now, a nation is busy comparing seeds, draws, and frivolous things such as the nicknames of the 65 teams that are playing in everyone’s favorite single-elimination tournament. Even if you think you know a lot about college basketball, every March Madness event seems to destroy your bracke ...  read more

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March Madness is the U.S. college basketball championships, also known as the NCAA Tournament. It covers both men's and women's NCAA college tournaments, which take place throughout March to determine the men's and women's college basketball champs in the U.S. The tournament starts with 64 teams and after each round of play, the number of teams is whittled down until only two men's and two wome ...  read more

The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats have won eight straight games and will be looking to take another step toward securing an outright SEC championship title when they visit the struggling Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena today at 12 PM ET.

Saturday, February 27, 12:00 PM ET
Kentucky Wildcats (27-1 SU, 15-11 ATS, 13-12 O/U)
Tennessee Volunteers (20-7 SU, ...  read more

As the month of February wraps up, teams continue to jockey for positioning in their upcoming conference tournaments. At-large bids change hands every day this time of year, and BetUS Sportsbook asks five burning questions regarding the March Madness picks of the future.

1: When the dust settles this Sunday, who will be on the #1 line?

It sure seems like a giv ...  read more

Eastern Conference

This could end up being a banner year for the Eastern Conference. It looks like the requirements to get into the playoffs in the East have just gotten a little stricter. Currently, the top eight teams in the East are all at least .500 ball clubs. That is something that could not have been said the last few years at the end of the regular ...  read more

Kansas is the best team in the nation, but there is not much value at 2/1 to win the NCAA Championship. Below are 3 long-shots that could make some noise next month.

West Virginia

Opened 15/1 Current 30/1

There is excellent value with West Virginia at 30/1 as their odds have doubled since the start of the season, due mainly to their recent two-game losing str ...  read more

I've analyzed the last five years of the mid-February mid-major hoops orgy known as Bracket Buster Weekend to see if I could establish any useful betting angles or trends. Instead of working over every single "official" Bracket Buster game I squared my focus on the ones that featuring the mid-major conferences that were routinely wagered upon. That includes the ...  read more

To the casual college basketball fan, this week is just another of many in the season. To the avid fan though, this is a chance to see some of the smallest giants of the NCAA basketball world pitted against each other in rare matchups.

This event is known as "Bracket Busters," and BetUS.com poses five burning q ...  read more

Four seeds are typically ones that are prone to first round upsets in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Some teams are moving on up towards that #3 line, while others are starting to crash down. Check out BetUS Sportsbook's March Madness Picks for the #4 seeds in the dance, including what bracket they would be playing in if the tourney started today and how they rank against each other ...  read more

It was another great NFL betting season at Doc’s Sports and I couldn’t leave it without a wrap-up of thoughts on another excellent Super Bowl. So here is a special edition of the Ferringo Report on Super Bowl 44:

- Whenever I talk to people before the Super Bowl they still all say the same thing, “I just hope it’s a good game.” It’s as if the blowouts of ...  read more