Betting Picks

A full field of 11 three-year-old colts chasing the 2018 Kentucky Derby dream will take to the Sunland Park track on Sunday for the running of the (G3) $800,000 Sunland Park Derby. Run at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt, the race is a Kentucky Derby qualifier, offering 50 points to the winner.

While not one of the best known race tracks in North America, on Sunday all eyes will be on Sunland Park in El Paso, Texas as the track hosts qualifying races for both the 2018 Kentucky Derby and Oaks. First up is the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks for fillies, racing 1 1/16 miles on the dirt track.

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.