elite 8
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Las Vegas - If you like the revenge angle, check this out. Clemson flew into Tuscaloosa back in November and whipped Alabama on its home court by nine points, 85-77. Does that mean 'Bama automatically advances to the Final Four with revenge on the table? Not necessarily, but certainly one factor to keep in mind. At that point in the season, the Crimson Tide were struggling, losing four of five. The other three losses were against Purdue (#1 seed), Arizona (#2 seed) and Creighton (#3 seed). Around that same time frame, the Tigers were on an insane roll. Clemson started the season with a 9-0 run, and the Tide was one of the victims. After shutting down the #3 offense in the country, Arizona, on Thursday night, Clemson gets to face the number #1 offense, Alabama. The Tigers held 'Zona to 5 of 28 from downtown, and that ain't gonna happen against 'Bama. The Tide made 11 of 26 3s against the Tar Heels and should be able to find the twine at close to 40% once again. Nothing crazy, but gonna roll with the Tide.
And gotta splash a little cash on the NHL ice and take OVER 5.5 goals in the Rangers/Coyotes game.
For all our horse lovers that are starting to get ready for the Kentucky Derby, our MAIN/ONLY horse guy, Martin Calia, is back to breakdown the races in Florida and Arkansas...take it away Marty...
Let’s start with the Florida Derby from Gulfstream Park. I really like the 8/5 favorite, #10 Fierceness, to move forward in his second start of 2024. The Todd Pletcher trainee and Breeders Cup Juvenile Champ was 3/4 lengths wide in the Grade 3 Holy Bull. After also being bounced around he weakened in the stretch to finish 3rd behind Hades (7/2) and Domestic Product who won the Tampa Bay Derby. Winning from post 10 will be tough but he has the class advantage over this field. A bullet work on March 22nd (47.2) shows he is ready to roll! A win today gives him five weeks rest until the Kentucky Derby and enough time for Pletcher to get ready for the first Saturday in May. Looking at the possible Kentucky Derby favorite with a win in this spot. The bet will be #10 Fierceness $100 WPS and a $5 exacta wheel 10 with all.
The Arkansas Derby is a tough race. Bob Baffert sends Muth across country to tackle favorite Timberlake. The later is trained by all time leading trainer Steve Assmussen and winner of the Rebel Stakes in his first start back as a 3 year old. That being said, I’m going with #9 Mystik Dan. The Ken McPeek trainee won the Southwest Stakes in the slop over this track with a 101 speed Beyer rating, which easily tops this field. I did a little research and found that when Smarty Jones won the Southwest it was run at one mile. Dan ran a mile and a sixteenth, but his mile time was .2 off of Smarty Jones win time! So the bet is a sizzling Benjamin Lee ($100) across the board on #9 Mystic Dan and a $5 exacta wheel 9 with all. Good luck.
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*ECKstats*
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For your wagering pleasure, here are your spread stats for the West Regional final in Los Angeles tonight. Alabama comes in with a 24-11 straight up record and 20-15 against the spread. The Crimson Tide are 8-10 on the road and have a 17-9 record as a favorite. On the totals board, they have gone Over 26 times and Under 9. Clemson comes in with a 24-11 straight up record and 20-14-1 against the spread. The Tigers are 12-5 on the road and have a 9-1 record as an underdog. On the totals board, they have gone Over 17 times and Under 18.
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