Betting Picks

There was a time when the Detroit Red Wings were the NHL's dominant franchise, and the Toronto Maple Leafs were mostly also rans at best. Today, it's the Wings, at the Air Canada Centre to face the Leafs on Saturday, who will miss the playoffs for the second straight season, while the Leafs look to be serious Stanley Cup contenders for the first time in nearly two decades.

On an excellent Saturday of racing from Fair Grounds in New Orleans, some of the best three-year-old fillies in the country will take to the track for the running of the $400,000 (G2) Fair Grounds Oaks. The winner will pick up 100 qualifying points and clinch a spot in the Kentucky Oaks on May 4.

If you were to base the outcomes solely on spread wagering, you would agree with the experts and peg the Villanova Wildcats to win the East Regional and reach the Final Four. Villanova has covered the spread 23 times this season, one behind Michigan for the most in the NCAA. Next with 22 wins against the spread are the Duke Blue Devils, one of four left in the Midwest Regional.

On paper, Saturday's $1 million (G2) Louisiana Derby will be one of the most competitive races for Kentucky Derby qualifying points so far this season. The 1 1/8 mile run on the Fair Grounds dirt course has drawn a field of 10, with four of those very closely matched in the morning line odds.

When it comes to betting on the spread, the Michigan Wolverines are the gold standard. The Wolverines and Villanova Wildcats are the NCAA's best teams against the spread in 2017-18, both sporting 23-12-1 records. But what's even more enticing about the Wolverines as a spread wager in the NCAA Tournament is that they are an impressive 11-4-0 against the spread away from Crisler Arena.

There was plenty of criticism that the 23-13 Syracuse Orangemen weren't worthy of consideration for the 2018 NCAA Tournament, even as a First Four participant. They finished 11th overall in the ACC after all, with an 8-10 slate. But coach Jim Boeheim has his 11th-seeded squad playing like world beaters, with wins over the No. 6 (TCU) and No. 3 (Michigan State) seeds in the Midwest Regional.

You'd have to think that the Washington Wizards were really pulling for Hillary Clinton to win the U.S. Presidency in 2016. After all, they had a vested interest. The Wizards haven't defeated the Spurs in San Antonio since a 99-89 verdict on Dec. 11, 1999, when Bill Clinton was serving in the White House. Yes, you are absolutely right. That was a very long time ago.

Seeding? We don't need no stinking seeding. In a year where brackets are being broken as if they were made of glass, nowhere is the March Madness more maddening than in the South and West Regions. The top four seeds in the South have all been sent packing, leaving fifth-seeded Kentucky as the top contender. In the West, both No. 1 Xavier and No. 2 North Carolina are done.

A year ago the Columbus Blue Jackets were the surprise team in the NHL regular season, and the Ottawa Senators the surprise team of the Stanley Cup playoffs. This spring, it's conceivable both could be watching the postseason on TV. Ottawa is already out of the running, while the Blue Jackets cling to a wildcard spot in the East, watching the hard-charging Florida Panthers in the rear-view mirror.