Las Vegas bookmakers have been at odds for years with the NCAA selection committee, but there was only one instance Sunday in which a higher seed was favored over a lower seed.
Todd Dewey
Todd Dewey covers sports betting for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
tdewey@reviewjournal.com … @tdewey33 on Twitter. 702-383-0354
Since 2002, when Ken Pomeroy started KenPom.com, 17 of the 18 NCAA champions have ranked in the top 20 in his offensive and defensive efficiency ratings.
Arkansas (20-5, 16-7-1 ATS), guided by fiery former UNR coach Eric Musselman, is listed at 70-1 odds at William Hill to win its first NCAA title since 1994.
Perhaps based on a belief that Deshaun Watson will be traded to the Jets, sharp bettors at William Hill wagered on New York to win the AFC East, AFC and the Super Bowl.
The Westgate opened the Dodgers at 103½ wins and William Hill at 104½ — which ties the 1999 Yankees for the highest total since 1990, according to sportsoddshistory.com.
LeBron James, at age 36 and in his 18th season, has played in all 26 games for the Los Angeles Lakers and appears to be on a mission to win his fifth NBA MVP award.
Perhaps more improbable than Tom Brady leaving New England after 20 years and leading Tampa Bay to a Super Bowl title in his first season there was the manner in which the Buccaneers beat the Chiefs.
William Hill released 1,218 ways to bet on the Super Bowl at 2 p.m. Thursday, and the video wall at the Westgate lit up at 7 p.m. sharp with more than 1,000 wagering options.
Kicking is for losers. That’s a favorite saying of Westgate sportsbook director John Murray, and it was never more true than on the NFL’s conference championship Sunday.
Based on numbers, Tom Brady wins 2020 and the debate against Bill Belichick over who won the “divorce.” But Las Vegas bookmakers and bettors were split in their opinions.
Kansas City is a 3-point home favorite over Buffalo in the AFC title game and Green Bay is -4 over Tampa Bay in the NFC championship game at Lambeau Field.
New Orleans will try to top Tampa Bay for the third time this season on Sunday after rolling to routs of 34-23 and 38-3 in the regular season.
Bettors at BetMGM won big Sunday on the Saints, Ravens and Browns, with a $500,000 winner on Cleveland, a $200,000 winner on Baltimore and two wagers winning $360,000 on New Orleans.
If the poker pros who won the Westgate SuperContest were to go all-in on one of the six wild-card games, they said their best bet would be the Bills (-6½) over the Colts.
Favorites won 14 of 16 games as bettors cashed in on countless money-line parlays and teasers and dealt the books a rare losing day in Week 17 of the season.
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