How good is this? We've got Michigan State-North Carolina at the March Madness championship game. Elsewhere, we've got some of the hottest rivalries you'll find in pro sports today. And it's time for another round of the Beautiful Game at its highest club level. This week's Top 5 betting events have something for everyone; as usual, all listed times are Eastern with the latest lines available at Bodog Sports.
1. NCAAB: No. 2 Michigan State at No. 1 North Carolina (Monday, 9:21 p.m.)
Two of the living legends of college hoops collide when Tom Izzo's Spartans (31-6 SU, 21-12-1 ATS) meet Roy Williams and the Tar Heels (33-4 SU, 16-19 ATS). Izzo is getting most of the press right now for coaching Michigan State into the title game with upset victories over No. 1 seeds Louisville (-6.5) and UConn (-4.5). But the Tar Heels are on a big-time roll, winning all five of their Tournament games by double digits. They're favored by 7.5 points in Monday night's matchup; we'll have live betting for this event as it happens on CBS.
2. NBA: Boston at Cleveland (Sunday, 3:30 p.m.)
The Celtics (58-19 SU, 40-37 ATS) may have called uncle on the Eastern Conference race by deciding to shut down Kevin Garnett and his ailing knee, but the C's have still won four in a row at 3-1 ATS without the Big Ticket. Cleveland (62-15 SU, 46-31 ATS) had a 13-game winning streak snapped with consecutive road losses to Washington (+9.5) and Orlando (-3.5) before coming back to the Q Sunday afternoon and crushing the Spurs (+6) by 20 points. Anderson Varejao missed that game with a bruised right wrist and was considered day-to-day as we went to press.
3. MLB: Chicago Cubs at Milwaukee (Sunday, 8:05 p.m.)
These two teams duked it out for the NL Central last year before the Cubs (97-64, plus-15.45 units) salted away the division, 7.5 games ahead of Milwaukee (90-72 SU, plus-5.89 units). Both teams loaded up on pitching to enhance their playoff chances, but CC Sabathia turned out to be a rental for the Brewers, while Chicago was able to hang onto Rich Harden – although the oft-injured Canadian had an awful spring and may not be fully healthy to start the 2009 season. The Cubs will be better off at the plate with Milton Bradley (.999 OPS last year with Texas) inking a three-year, $30 million deal to play right field.
4. NHL: Montreal at Boston (Thursday, 7:00 p.m.)
Both these Original Six rivals have shaken off recent slumps at just the right time. The 51-17-10 Bruins have locked down the top seed in the Eastern Conference with six straight victories, and they’ve signed goalie Tim Thomas to a fat $20-million contract extension. Meanwhile, the 41-27-10 Canadiens have opened up a small breathing space at the bottom of the playoff race at 5-0-1 in their last six, putting them five points ahead of ninth-place Florida with three games remaining. This could turn into a battle of the back-up goalies; Boston coach Claude Julien says he wants to give Manny Fernandez (.914 save percentage) more playing time down the stretch, while Jaroslav Halak (.916 SV%) started Montreal's last two games in place of flu-ridden Carey Price.
5. Soccer: Arsenal at Villareal (Tuesday, 2:45 p.m.)
This is the tightest of the four UEFA Champions League quarter-final matchups; Arsenal is a slight +155 road favorite, with Villareal priced at +165 and the draw at +220. The Gunners rode the Yellow Submarine out of the 2006 Champions League semis on a 1-0 aggregate. Among the differences three years later: Robert Pires is now with Villareal (the fourth-place team in Spain’s Primera Division), and Arsenal (fourth in the English Premiership) has taken a step back since Thierry Henry's peak years and his eventual move to Barcelona. This is a strong value situation for the draw result with the second leg at Emirates Stadium next week.
Honorable Mentions
NBA: Portland at San Antonio (Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.)
MLB: Boston at L.A. Angels (Saturday, 4:10 p.m.)
NHL: Calgary at Edmonton (Friday, 9:00 p.m.)
Soccer: FC Porto at Manchester United (Tuesday, 2:45 p.m.)
Boxing: Paul Williams vs. Winky Wright, WBO Light Middleweight title (Saturday, 10:00 p.m.)
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