Hello once again fellow card sharks and dice guppies! Miles O’Malley here with the latest all-in’s and crap out’s of sports betting! I hope your bracket is faring better than mine; I’m down my third pair of shoes but I still have my thumbs thanks to the good people at Pawn Rooks King and their ready cash. Anyway, let’s get to this week’s action!

NCAA Men’s Basketball

What Combination of Teams will be in the Championship Game?

Villanova vs. Michigan: 3/1

Villanova vs. Loyola Chicago: 7/1

Kansas vs. Michigan: 4/1

Kansas vs. Loyola Chicago: 9/1

MO: Loyola has gotten blessedly far on what I assume are collective thoughts and prayers. They also have one of the best winning percentages of a final four team in modern history, so I’m inclined to take the ‘Nova-Loyola line. The Lord doth guide His flock.

National Football League

Where will Johnny Manziel land for the 2018-19 season?

Obscurity: 1/5

Rehab: 2/1

Dancing with the Stars: 9/1

A Color Commentary position: 20/1

A CFL Team: 35/1

An NFL Team: 50/1

MO: Thank ESPN for this line even existing. With nothing to do but fill time and hemorrhage journalists, they’ve opted to try to make this a story. I don’t buy it, but I will say this is an easy line: He can’t dance, has a bad reputation, and former issues with substance abuse: he’ll obviously get paired with Spero Deeds on CBS.

National Hockey League

Hot Game: San Jose at Nashville (3.29)

Predators: 1/3

Sharks: 5/1

MO: A poetic matchup, considering neither team has won the Stanley Cup and both lost in the Finals to Sidney Crosby over the past two years. Nashville has the better team, but San Jose has the need to clinch a postseason berth. I suspect the Preds will play Rinne but rest some of their playmakers in front of him, so it might pay to jump on the Sharks. Put extra money on this one going past regulation.

National Basketball Association

Hot Game: Toronto at Cleveland (4.3)

Raptors: 3/4

Cavaliers: 4/3

MO: Here’s a potential playoff preview nobody saw coming. Toronto and Cleveland have both clinched, so this is more about sending a message. This one all comes down to whether or not LeBron will be too jet-lagged to play; I’m betting so (he tends to need his rest this time of year) so take the Raptors.

Professional Golfers’ Association

Who will win the Masters Tournament?

Rory Mcllroy: 8/1

Tiger Woods: 17/2

Jordan Speith: 12/1

Donald Trump: 25/1

Bowser: 27/1

Ackel McDangeldong: 30/1

Rannulph Junuh: 35/1

Shooter McGavin: 45/1

Lee Carvallo: 50/1

Ed Bighead: 55/1

MO: A lot of people are talking up Tiger, but considering he’s not in this week’s Houston Open and he didn’t qualify for WGC-Match Play, I’m not sold. The rumor mill has both Junuh and McGavin off the wagon, the latter never having coped with his Tour Championship loss. Carvallo’s putting is legendary, but he’ll need more than that to take this field. The safe bet is Mcllroy. For a long-shot, I’m taking Ed Bighead; he’s faced some accusations of cheating, but nothing’s stuck. The Frog may pull off another stunner next weekend.

Studs & Duds

The Houston Rockets (James Harden specifically) are on a tear, having lost two games since January 18th. Their last games in March are against the Bulls and the Suns, so their winning streak will in all likelihood continue. The Grizzlies are another team making things easy for us. They’re so delightfully bad that betting against them is a great way to make your laundromat money.

The University of Virginia choked even sooner than I expected, which trashed no small number of brackets. My Lyft driver canceled on me the other night, so anyone betting on them to get me home fastest will be disappointed. The delightfully nonikered Bubba Wallace is still underperforming in NASCAR, having finished 34th at Martinsville yesterday. As my wife once said “One day you’ll come through like you used to.” I forget the context of that statement.

Harness Racing Hot Tips

Here’s the latest ‘Ness News! Driver Tim Tetrick is red hot right now, having just driven five winners (including Very Dark in the featured trot) to victory at Dover Downs. Classicality took a 4th straight win at the Meadows to the tune of $18,000. Point Somewhere Weslynn Dancer and Freddie Mac were all winners as well. On a sadder note, I’m sorry to say that Keith “Red” Ross Sr. passed away at 81 on Thursday March 22nd. I had a chance to meet him at the Cleveland Orchestra’s performance of Schumann’s Symphony Number 1. He loved his horses and harness racing, as do we all.