WEEKEND BETTING PREVIEW AT BETRIVERS.COM AND PLAYSUGARHOUSE.COM
Read below for a detailed breakdown of how BetRivers.com and PlaySugarHouse.com bettors are wagering on the weekend’s biggest sporting events.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: We’re roughly 48 hours away from Selection Sunday, and No. 1 Gonzaga (+250 NCAA Champion) enters the weekend having already locked up an automatic bid thanks to winning the WCC Tournament. The Bulldogs are expected to be the No.1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and are currently backed by 38.3% of the total NCAA Tournament handle, over three times the handle of Michigan (+450 NCAA Champion), the second-most-backed team to win the championship.
Michigan (+175 Big Ten) begin their quest for a Big Ten Tournament championship today against Maryland, and the Maize and Blue are currently backed by a league-best 33% of Big Ten bets and the second-largest percentage of Big Ten handle (25.3%), trailing just Iowa (+425 Big Ten), backed by 26.2% of the total handle to win the Big Ten.
Baylor (+275 NCAA Champion), with the second shortest odds to cut down the nets at the end of March Madness, are backed by the third-most NCAA Tournament bets (10%) and handle (9.8%). The Bears are heavy favorites to win the conference tournament, but take on red-hot Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals on Friday night. Baylor (-167 Big 12) is currently backed by an overwhelming 63% of the bets and 64% of the handle to win the Big 12 Tournament.
PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sergio Garcia (+500 to win) finished seven strokes under par on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass to take a two-stroke lead over Brian Harman (+1600 to win) after the opening round. Garcia entered the event +6600 to win, while Harman entered +16500. Garcia’s strong start led to a big win thanks to a $125 wager on Garcia Round 1 Leader (+700) for a payout of $1,000. Corey Connors (+1800 to win), one of the five most wagered-on golfers in the field, sits just three shots back of the lead after the first round. Collin Morikawa (+1600 to win), the most wagered-on golfer in the field, shot a one-under on Thursday, finishing the first round six shots out of first place. The largest current tournament bet is a $2,750 wager on Morikawa (+2000) that will payout $57,750 with a comeback win.
NBA: The NBA is back from its All-Star break, and although the Lakers remain the favorite to win the Western Conference (+120) and NBA Finals (+260), LeBron & Co. sit 3.5 games out of first place, behind the Utah Jazz (+400 West) and red-hot Phoenix Suns (+1200 West), winners of nine of ten. In the East, the Brooklyn Nets (+130 East) entered the All-Star Break having won nine of ten and sit just a half game back of the Philadelphia 76ers (+500 East). The Nets enter the second half of the season backed by 37% of the Eastern Conference bets and 31% of the Eastern Conference handle, while the Sixers are backed by 23% of Eastern Conference bets and 30% of Eastern Conference handle. The Nets host the Pistons on Saturday while the 76ers face the Wizards on Friday and the Spurs on Sunday.
BOXING: Roman “Choclatito” Gonzalez (50-2, +138 ML) looks to reclaim his WBC and The Ring super flyweight title when he faces Juan Francisco Estrada (41-3, -167 ML) in the main event on Saturday night. Gonzalez, who famously won 48 straight fights until a September 2017 loss, has won four straight fights, three by way of KO or TKO. Estrada captured the WBC and The Ring titles in April 2019, and has successfully defended the belts twice both by way of TKO. The public doesn’t expect the fight to go the distance, with 94% of the O/U bets and 97% of O/U handle backing Under 10.5 (+205). Estrada is currently backed by 82% of the ML handle, but Choclatito is backed by 63% of ML bets. The largest current bet is a $5,400 wager on Estrada ML (-167) that will pay out $8,640 if the champion defeats the challenger.
