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March Madness Odds: Four Teams Receive Automatic Bids

Four NCAA basketball teams clinched automatic bids in the 2010 March Madness tournament. Saint Mary’s, Old Dominion, and Siena all return to the NCAA’s, while little-recognized Wofford reaches the tournament for the first time in its history. Wofford joined the Southern Conference in 1997 and had never won a regular-season title or a conference tournament before dropping Appalachian State 56-51 Monday night for its first bid. Old Dominion earned the Colonial Athletic Association’s bid, beating William & Mary 60-53. Saint Mary’s upset number 14 ranked Gonzaga 81-62 for the West Coast Conference championship, and Siena topped Fairfield 72-65 for its third straight Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title.

MLB US Sportsbook Review: Twins Lose Closer Nathan For Season

With less than a month to go before opening day in Major League Baseball, the Minnesota Twins have learned they could be without their starting closer for the entire season. Joe Nathan has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and will have to make a decision with the team over the next couple of weeks on whether or not to have surgery. Nathan will rest the arm over that period, and then attempt to pitch again at the end of the two-week period. If the injury has healed enough that he can pitch then Nathan, who pitched a career-high 47 saves last season, will put off surgery until the end of the year. The loss would be huge for a team expected to contend for the AL Central title this season.

NBA Betting: Iverson Suffering From Multiple Issues

Allen Iverson’s name is in the NBA headlines again on Tuesday in response to several allegations the former All-Star guard is dealing with alcohol and gambling issues that contributed to his release from the Sixers and has harmed his life away from the game. The four-time NBA scoring champion left Philadelphia in late February to spend time with his daughter who is suffering from an illness, and later revealed he would not return to the team. However Iverson’s wife, Tawana filed for divorce on March 4, the same day Philadelphia officially released its former star, and now reports out of Philadelphia are stating that Iverson has been suffering from gambling and alcohol related issues. Iverson has denied the allegations via twitter, but has not spoken with the media.

Hockey Odds: Head Shots Focus Of GM Meetings

The NHL general managers began their annual meetings yesterday in Boca Raton, Florida, where hits to the head that can cause concussions were the primary issue. A two-year independent medical study on hits to the head was presented yesterday, including a video of several hits to the head that resulted in serious injuries over that span. The study revealed there have been 200 concussions reported by the players. In 21 games reviewed from this season, there was an average of 22 contacts to the head per game. Shoulder hits to the head are currently legal, regardless of vulnerability to injury. The NFL, the other major contact sport, has taken measures in recent seasons to protect its players from concussions.

By Betonline

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Sportsbook Reviews: Kurt Busch Captures Kobalt Tools 500 Victory

Mile and a half tracks continue to be friendly to the number two Miller Lite Dodge. Kurt Busch persevered Sunday to capture the checkered flag at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for a second consecutive spring, and third time overall. His last three Sprint Cup Series wins have come on tracks one and a half miles long. Matt Kenseth sped to a second place finish, Juan Pablo Montoya finished third. It appeared as though Montoya might have caught Busch in the race’s final five laps before Carl Edwards clipped Brad Keselowski, flipping the number 21 car and drawing a caution that halted Montoya’s charge. On the first restart a seven-car collision forced a second restart, and Montoya dropped to third. After consecutive first-place finishes the last two races Jimmie Johnson placed 12th. Kevin Harvick came from way back to finish tenth, and remain atop the overall points standings after four races.

NBA Betting: Lakers Struggles Continue In NBA Finals Rematch

The Lakers struggles continued last night as they wrapped up a three-game road trip with a 96-94 loss to the Orlando Magic. Los Angeles dropped all three decisions away from home, including losses to Miami and Charlotte on back-to-back nights Thursday and Friday. The Lakers fall to 4-7 overall against the other four teams ranked in the top-five in the NBA standings, including finishing with a split in the season series against last year’s NBA finalist Orlando, who the Lakers topped 98-92 at home in mid-January. The gold and purple are 2-2 this season against Dallas, 1-2 against Denver, and winless in two meetings against Lebron James and the Cavaliers.

Golf Betting: Villegas Captures Honda Classic

Camilo Villegas shot a final-round 68 to win the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic Sunday. Villegas scored a five-shot victory over Anthony Kim for his third career PGA Tour first-place finish. His 13-under 267 registered as the lowest 72-hole score since the tournament moved to PGA National in 2007. The win bumps the Columbian up to number 12 in the world rankings. 29-year old Justin Rose placed third at seven-under, while Vijay Singh and Paul Casey finished seven shots back of the leader at six-under. Villegas joins Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, and Sean O’Hair as players under 30 years of age with at least three PGA Tour wins.

Bet Hockey: Headshots Front and Center at GM Meetings

The issue of hits to the head will demand attention today at the NHL general managers meetings in Florida. Already one of the issues expected to be discussed at the league’s gathering, the topic should be front and center after it was in the headlines again last night. Boston’s Marc Savard took a blindside shot to the head from Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke late in the third period of a 2-1 Penguins’ victory on Sunday, leaving the Bruins’ star center motionless on the ice. Savard was briefly unconscious before being taken off on a stretcher, and was later diagnosed with a concussion by Bruins’ medical staff. Cooke was not penalized on the play. The incident is one of several which have cast a shadow over the league’s physical play this season.