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February 28th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

Cappers Info takes a look at the ten most significant upsets in the week that was in the sports betting world…

10: Monday – Connecticut Huskies 73 – West Virginia Mountaineers 62: At the outset of the week, the Huskies had to feel like they were left for dead and headed to the NIT. But a huge win at home against West Virginia helped set the stage for their dramatic return to the bubble. It wasn't that it was an upset of epic proportions, as the hosts were only 2.5-point pups, but without that win, we're still leaving UConn outside of the NCAA Tournament.

9: Wednesday – Notre Dame Fighting Irish 68 – Pittsburgh Panthers 53: Ditto here as well. Notre Dame's win over Pittsburgh was just a tad more significantly because it came without F Luke Harangody in the lineup. The slight 1.5-point upset won't be the only time that you see the Irish on this list…

8: Saturday - New Mexico Lobos 83 – BYU Cougars 81: The Mountain West regular season title was likely decided on Saturday afternoon when the Lobos marched into Provo and secured the season sweep of the Cougars. Though it probably won't ultimately end this way, New Mexico has earned the right to be in the discussion for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if it can run the table and win the MWC Tournament as well. The oddsmakers were off base quite a bit in this one, as the visitors were hefty eight-point underdogs.

7: Tuesday – Phoenix Suns 104 – Oklahoma City Thunder 102: This was a significant road win for the guests, as it snapped Oklahoma City's long winning streak and moved the Suns into a lot sturdier ground for the playoff chase in the Western Conference. It was also a significant game for the psyche of F Amare Stoudemire, who went off for 30 points just a week after not being traded at the NBA trade deadline as requested.

6: Saturday - Oklahoma State Cowboys 85 – Kansas Jayhawks 77: Any time the #1 team in the land takes a tumble, it's noteworthy. But the fact that that 'W' secured up a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the Pokes, it became that much more relevant. The Cowboys really took it to the Jayhawks from wire to wire and won their biggest game of the season as 5.5-point underdogs in Stillwater.

5: Sunday - Ohio State Buckeyes 74 – Michigan State Spartans 67: It's hard to tell if this was a bigger win for Ohio State or a bigger loss for Michigan State. The Spartans have totally fallen down the brackets in recent weeks, and a home loss to the Buckeyes as short favorites didn't help matters any. It was loss #4 in their L/6 games. For the Buckeyes, they moved one step closer towards the regular season Big Ten title, and considering the fact that Purdue is now without F Robbie Hummel for the rest of the year, they could be on track for a #1 seed in the tourney as well. All it's going to take is a Big Ten Tournament title and it'll probably happen, but none of it would've been possible without the upset in East Lansing.

4: Saturday - New Jersey Nets 104 – Boston Celtics 96: Without a doubt, this is the lowest point in the season for the Celtics. Yes, the C's were playing without G Paul Pierce in the lineup, but there just isn't any excuse to lose at home to one of the worst teams in NBA history when you're as good as Boston is. The hosts have had a miserable time playing at Boston Garden all season, but not even the fans in Beantown saw this one coming. HC Doc Rivers has his work cut out for him to get the Celtics in playoff shape.

3: Saturday - Notre Dame Fighting Irish 78 – Georgetown Hoyas 64: As promised, the Irish are back for their efforts on Saturday in our nation's capitol. The Hoyas laid a total egg for the second time this year at home, and though it won't cost them a spot in the NCAA Tournament, it's going to leave them with a sour taste in their mouths and a significantly more difficult matchup. The Irish are almost certainly on the inside of the field right now, and they proved once again that they have the ability to win without Harangody. When the big man comes back, Notre Dame could be a real force to be reckoned with.

2: Friday - Dallas Mavericks 113 – Atlanta Hawks 103: For the second time in the L/2 weeks, the Mavericks traveled half way across the country and took out one of the big boys in the Eastern Conference. This was a show of grit and character for the Mavericks, who have been sending a big notice to the Lakers and Nuggets in the Western Conference of late. They're here, and they're ready to take over as the new bosses of the West with F Caron Butler, C Brendan Haywood, and G DeShawn Stevenson now in tote.

1: Sunday – United States of America 5 – Canada 3: For the Americans' sake, this will hopefully only be the second biggest upset of the Olympics. The USA dominated the Canadians from the get go, and save a few hairy moments when Team Canada staged a huge comeback in the third period, the Americans really looked to have the better side. All will be settled today in the gold medal game, where the stars and stripes will go in search of their first gold medals in hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

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February 26th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

College basketball betting action isn't going to get much hotter than it will be on Saturday night at the Carrier Dome! The Syracuse Orange will collide with the Villanova Wildcats in a high-octane Big East bash. Here's at Cappers Info, we've got all of the information that you need to know about the game!

What's At Stake: The Orange can wrap up the regular season Big East title with a win. Villanova knows that it controls its own destiny for the same fate. The winner of this game will also most likely have an inside track towards a #1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. This is also one of the very few clashes of the season between two teams that are in the Top-10 at the same time.

College Basketball Odds: Syracuse -5.5 at Diamond Sportsbook

Syracuse Notes: HC Jim Boeheim has accounted for 825 wins in his illustrious coaching career, but it's arguable that this would be one of the more important regular season victories. The Orange love to fly up and down the court, as they have the #7 ranked scoring offense in college basketball at 81.2 points per game. The team has the #1 ranked team in the land in terms of shooting efficiency at 52.2%. That's quite the contrast from the 39.0% from the floor that the opposition is shooting against Syracuse's patented 2-3 zone. The Orange are a stellar 15-2 SU and 7-6 ATS at home this season, but both SU losses came in conference play. They're coming off of back-to-back road wins and covers against Providence and Georgetown after the stunning 66-60 loss at home to Louisville on February 14th.

Villanova Notes: What once looked like a sure-fire #1 seed in either the East or South Brackets has turned into a bit of a disaster for Villanova. Loss against Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Georgetown in recent weeks have liked chased the Cats down to the #2 line if the tourney was to start today. They looked determined to exact some payback for those recent losses on Wednesday night though, picking up a dominant 74-49 win at home against South Florida. The win snapped a three-game losing streak against the NCAA basketball odds. Villanova is the only team in the Big East that has a more prolific offense that Syracuse does. The Cats are averaging 83.8 points per game, #2 in the country. The defense has come into question a number of times for its 72.0 points per game allowed clip, but a game like the one it had on Wednesday against USF quiets its critics.

Players to Watch

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova: The Wildcats' leading scorer is one of the best guards in the entire nation. He is averaging 19.0 points per game and is coming off of a big 21 point performance against the Bulls. Reynolds has scored at least 18 points in six straight NCAA basketball betting battles.

Wesley Johnson, Syracuse: Not only is Johnson leading Boeheim's bunch in scoring at 15.8 points per game, but he's proving to be the complete package as well. He is a durable player that is averaging over 34 minutes per game. Johnson's shooting percentages are both fantastic (50.2% from the field, 39.4% from downtown), and he is also the team's leading rebounder at 8.7 boards per clash.

Trends of Note

-Villanova is 4-1 ATS in its L/5 games as an underdog of less than seven points
-Villanova is just 2-5 ATS in its L/7 Big East games
-Villanova is a stellar 5-2 ATS in its L/7 road games vs. teams with a winning home record
-Syracuse is 21-8 ATS in its L/29 games against teams with a winning record
-Syracuse is 26-9 ATS in its L/35 games overall and 23-8 ATS in its L/31 games as a favorite
-Syracuse is 10-1 ATS in its L/11 games as a favorite of less than seven points
-The underdog is 5-1 ATS in the L/6 meetings between these Big East rivals

Final Analysis: This game is just going to be too close to call. It isn't the end of the world to either team if it should lose, but the winning team will be full of confidence going into both the NCAA Tournament and the Big East Tournament. When Syracuse gets a chance to set its 2-3 zone, it is a very hard team to score on. However, Villanova is a team that loves to push the tempo of the game and force your defense to play on its heels instead of in a set play. Look for the Wildcats to come out and play inspired basketball for the full 40 minutes, and though it may not ultimately yield an SU victory, sticking within those 5.5 points is the way to go against this college basketball spread.

Selection: Villanova Wildcats +5.5

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February 25th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

That ringing that you're still hearing in your ears on Thursday morning is the wakeup call that the United States' hockey team received on Wednesday afternoon in a 2-0 win over Switzerland.

Yes, we'll give the Swiss some credit. After all, they did push Canada all the way to a shootout in the group stages of this tournament, and they played a whale of a game against the USA.

But let's be realistic here… It was Switzerland. Playing that exact same game against one of the powers of the hockey world would've ended in disaster for a team that has the #1 ranking coming into the knockout stages of this tourney.

As long as we're being realistic, we'll take a moment to be realistic about ourselves as well… We're not the best team in the world. We should be happy just to be standing in hockey's version of the Final Four.

The fun and games are over, though. The Americans have really only played one game of an consequence so for in this tourney, yet if you had asked any USA hockey fan at the outset of this tournament would they would if their team was going into a semifinal against Finland, they'd be pretty darn happy.

The Finnish nabbed the silver medals in Torino in 2006 after losing to Sweden in the finale. They know what it takes to reach the next level. This is a squad that grabbed the one wild card berth that issued a free pass to the quarterfinals this year, and went 5-0 and outscored its foes 19-2 in the group stages of the previous Olympic games.

If the Americans are going to stop the Fins, they're going to need yet another strong effort out of G Ryan Miller. Miller has been a demon between the pipes in these games so far, and he has clearly been the best goaltender of the bunch. The star of the Buffalo Sabres has stopped 85 of the 90 shots that he has faced, and even though he only has one shutout to his credit, it's clear that it's going to take quite a bit to beat him multiple times in a game.

What is keeping this American train rolling right now is the fact that someone else is constantly stepping up and making the big play offensively in front of Miller. F Zach Parise was the hero on Wednesday. After going scoreless in his first three games of this tournament, he scored both the game winner and the empty netter for the USA's only two goals of the contest.

For a team that only has 14 goals in the competition, the fact that ten different players have lit the lamp is amazing. There are only five pointless players on the American side, and even D Brooks Orpik has played his critical role, predominantly on penalty kills.

Half way across the world this morning, someone is writing a very similar looking article in Slovakia. The Slovaks are pulling off the same phenomenal feat as the Americans and, just like the USA, Slovakia is facing a daunting task going forward, as it has to face the red hot Team Canada in the semifinals.

Yes, in all likelihood, Slovakia and the United States are going to end up playing each other in Saturday's bronze medal game. But that doesn't have to be the case.

There's a little magic in the air in Vancouver right now surrounding this USA team, and if that wakeup call snapped the little engines that could back into the mindset of "US against the world," the stars and stripes might be the only thing stopping the Canadians from hoisting gold in their Olympics.

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February 23rd, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

 It's not often that you see a sure-fire, first ballot Hall of Famer unceremoniously released from his team at the age of 30. Yet, that's what happened on Monday when the San Diego Chargers cut RB LaDainian Tomlinson after nine years of tearing up opposing defenses.

The release was clearly something that was going to happen after the way LT's career just decayed in his last few seasons. In his first seven seasons, Tomlinson rushed for at least 1,200 yards, carried the ball at least 313 times, and touched it a minimum of 23.4 times per game. In 2008, he "only" rushed for 1,110 yards on 292 carries, and he averaged almost two fewer touches per game from his career-low at that point.

That year was a trip in comparison to 2009. San Diego only ran Tomlinson 223 times and threw him 20 passes in 14 games. His 3.3 yards per carry was easily a career-low, and his 12 total touchdowns was his fewest since his rookie campaign.

Still, when you look at LT's body of work, it's hard to see why the Chargers would cut him loose. Tomlinson has rushed for 12,490 yards and 138 touchdowns, and he also caught 530 passes for 3,955 yards and 15 more scores. You know how many players have scored 150+ touchdowns in their careers? Two: Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.

Pretty good company, eh?

Are you paying attention, Houston Texans?

The Texans have only really had one legitimate running back in their team's history, and the signing of RB Ahman Green never really panned out. The Houston franchise has been around just one fewer year than Tomlinson, and the team's all-time leading rusher is Domanick Williams (aka Domanick Davis).

When you're talking about fans in the Lone Star State, they never forget about their college football. No, Tomlinson wasn't a Longhorn, but he was a TCU Horned Frog and is still an icon in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Remember, we're talking about fan base that booed its own team and cheered when Tennessee's QB Vince Young marched into Reliant Stadium and beat the Texans in his rookie season.

HC Gary Kubiak made no bones about the fact that he hates the running back situation for his team. RB Steve Slaton was benched for his fumbling problem before getting injured at the end of the season. Aside from that, does anyone have confidence in Chris Brown or Arian Foster or any of the other boards with angry faces that Houston is trotting out there behind QB Matt Schaub?

There's a reason that Schaub threw the ball 583 times last season. Houston ranked 30th in the NFL in rush offense.

GM Rick Smith was one of the many that came over from the Denver Broncos when Kubiak was hired in Houston. Everyone on this team is familiar with what LT can do.

This is a match made in heaven. Houston, this is your man.

Don't be surprised if that dark visor and the infamous #21 are playing in Houston when the NFL kicks off in 2010.

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February 22nd, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

As a part of our MLB betting previews for the 2010 season, Cappers Info poses ten questions that should be on the minds of all baseball fans as they prepare to make their MLB picks for the year.

Check Out all of the AL East Teams Odds to Win the World Series at the Bottom of this Post

1: How much will losing Jason Bay cost the Red Sox… Considering the fact that the Red Sox really didn't do much else to bolster their lineup in the offseason, this could be a huge factor. Bringing in Mike Cameron to replace Bay in the outfield just isn't the same, and unless 3B Adrian Beltre has that much better of a year than the third base platoon did last season for the Sox, finding the pop to replace Bay's team-high 36 home runs is going to be difficult.

2: Was the acquisition of SP Kevin Millwood worth it for the Orioles… It certainly can't hurt, that's for sure. The O's had the worst pitching staff in baseball by a country mile, posting an ERA that was a tenth of a run high than any team in baseball (5.17). Look for Millwood to bring at least a little bit of stability to the Baltimore rotation, as he put together a 13-10 season with a 3.67 ERA for Texas in '09.

3: Who has the better rotation, the Yanks or the Sox… Tough call. Throwing out there CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Andy Pettitte, and Javier Vazquez seems to be unstoppable, but for my money, if they're all healthy, seeing Josh Beckett (in a contract year, no less), Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and John Lackey, and Clay Buchholz (or Tim Wakefield) is the best in baseball. In a short series, Sabathia is the man that you want on the hill twice, but for the duration of 162 games, Boston gets the nod.

4: Can Toronto piece together a pitching staff without Roy Halladay… Considering the fact that it couldn't really keep a staff together with Halladay, it's hard to see how Toronto plans on doing it without Doc throwing every fifth day. Unless Ricky Romero is set to become an ace, the Jays probably have the worst staff in the division.

5: Do the Rays really have the horses to stick around in this division again… As long as they don't become sellers at the trade deadline, they probably do. Figure that they won 84 games last season without having any starting pitcher log more than 13 wins and with BJ Upton batting under his weight for the majority of the season. Carlos Pena also didn't ultimately bat his either. Upton is in a contract year, so he may turn into trade bait, but for now, Tampa Bay should have both the Yanks and Sox on notice.

6: Did the Yanks make the right move to bring in Curtis Granderson… Heck yes! Granderson may not be your prototypical leadoff hitter, as he's probably not going to bat much higher than .250, if that. But what he does bring to the Big Apple is the ability to hit home runs, steal bases, and play solid defense. With those short fences to shoot at, manager Joe Girardi could turn the former Detroit Tiger into a 30/30 guy in a heartbeat.

7: Is the real David Ortiz the one from the first half of the season, or the one from the second half… Boston had better hope that Big Papi doesn't get off to the same start that he did last year, or something is going to have to be done. If you look at Ortiz's holistic numbers, seeing 28 homers and 99 RBIs is nothing to be ashamed of for a man that played in 150 games. But the Sox need him more than ever without any major protection like he has had in the past around him.

8: Can Adam Lind and Aaron Hill both knock 35 dingers again this year… All together now: Who are Adam Lind and Aaron Hill? If you're not a fantasy baseball guru, you probably had no clue that the Jays had two 35+ HR hitters last season. Considering that the only "major" off-season signing for this team came in the form of C Jose Molina, it goes without saying that Toronto needs to get everything that it did and more from Lind and Hill this year, but it's highly unlikely that either is going to put up numbers anywhere near as good as they did a year ago.

9: Will the trade for Rafael Soriano pay dividends for the Rays' bullpen… When Tampa Bay went to the World Series, it was really on the strength of its bullpen. Last year, even though their numbers weren't bad, the Rays felt like a jumbled mess in the pen. Now that Soriano joins the fold as the closer of this team, that may put guys like Grant Balfour, JP Howell, Dan Wheeler, and Lance Cormier in defined roles, which manager Joe Maddon hopes will solidify the unit.

10: Bottom Line: How will the standings look in the AL East when the season is said and done… This is the question that we will pose for all six divisions and is the one of greatest importance. It's hard to see how anyone is running down the Yankees, but expect to see Tampa Bay and Boston battling it out for the second position and the Wild Card slot in the American League. When it's all over with, look for the standings to look like this… Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Orioles, Jays.

Odds to win World Series at BetUS Sportsbook (as of 2/22/10)
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New York Yankees +300
Boston Red Sox +700
Tampa Bay Rays +2500
Baltimore Orioles +10000 
Toronto Blue Jays +12000

 

2010 World Series Odds @ Diamond Sportsbook (as of 2/22/10)
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New York Yankees +350
Boston Red Sox +575
Tampa Bay Rays +1475
Baltimore Orioles +7000 
Toronto Blue Jays +8000

 

Current Odds To Win The World Series @ 5Dimes (as of 2/22/10)
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New York Yankees +350
Boston Red Sox +700
Tampa Bay Rays +1700
Toronto Blue Jays +12500
Baltimore Orioles +15000

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February 21st, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

Cappersinfo.com begins its new bi-weekly installment of the Top 10 Teams across all of sports that you should be wagering against religiously.

Teams ranked by Score Coefficient Ranking (SCR), which takes the amount of money earned/lost over the course of the season and divides it by the number of games played in relation to games that will be played. Must have 20 games played to qualify.

1: Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks (College Basketball) (3-19-1 ATS, -$1,790) (SCR: -71.6) The Skyhawks are off the charts miserable against the college basketball betting lines this season. They dropped two more ATS this week to fall to just 3-19-1 on the season. In comparison, last season's worst ATS squad, Fordham, at least went 6-20 ATS.

2: Pepperdine Waves (College Basketball) (6-16-1 ATS, -$1,160) (SCR: -46.4) Pepperdine ran into a "tidal wave" of sorts last week when they faced an angry Gonzaga team off of its loss to Loyola-Marymount. The Waves fell behind 40-19 early and never really found any traction to give them a chance in the second half. Thank goodness that this season is just about over for Pepperdine.

3: Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (College Basketball) (6-15-2 ATS, -$1,050) (SCR: -42.0) UALR's nightmarish season is fortunately almost over as well. The Trojans were crushed 83-65 at North Texas on Saturday for their fifth straight SU loss (1-4 ATS). They good news is that their only games left in the regular season are at home. The bad news is that they're just 2-5-2 ATS there.

4: Tulsa Golden Hurricane (College Basketball) (7-16-1 ATS, -$1,060) (SCR: -37.9) The Golden Hurricane may have visions of March Madness dancing in its head, but it hasn't treated NCAA basketball betting fans well at all. SU losses to UTEP and Marshall this week dropped Tulsa to 0-9 ATS in its L/9, which has it plummeting towards the top of this list and falling towards the NIT just as quickly.

T-5: Cincinnati Bearcats (College Basketball) (6-14 ATS, -$940) (SCR: -37.6) Same for you, Cincinnati! That win you had at UConn last weekend was the only real thing you've had going for you in quite some time. You're just 4-6 SU and 2-8 ATS in your L/10 games, all in Big East play.

T-5: LaSalle Explorers (College Basketball) (6-14 ATS, -$940) (SCR: -37.6) LaSalle's six-game ATS slide came to an end over the course of the week in a 68-54 loss at Dayton. It feels like this team has alternated good defense efforts and miserable ones for weeks now. Just look at the Explorers' L/5 games… 68 vs. Dayton, 103 vs. Duquesne, 68 vs. St. Louis, 90 vs. Rhode Island, 64 vs. Temple… If the Bonnies are paying attention to this trend, they should be going for at least 80 come Sunday!

7: North Carolina Tar Heels (College Basketball) (8-17 ATS, -$1,070) (SCR: -36.9) The abortion known as the 2009-10 season for the defending national champion UNC Tar Heels took another body blow on Saturday in the form of a 71-67 loss at Boston College. That's 1-6 ATS now in Carolina's L/7 overall.

8: South Alabama Jaguars (College Basketball) (9-17-1 ATS, -$970) (SCR: -34.6) The Jaguars may have that win against Florida earlier this season to fall back on, but lately, things in the Sun Belt have been terrible. South Alabama dropped its two games this week by a combined 57 points. Yikes!

9: Toronto Maple Leafs (Hockey) (27-34 ATS, -$2,760) (SCR: -33.7) It's hard for an NHL or NBA team to crack into this list considering how even the teams are on a nightly basis, but the Maple Leafs got the job done! Toronto is just 2-9 in its L/11 games and allowed at least four goals in six of the 11. The All-Star Break couldn't have come at a better time for this team.

10: Washington Huskies (College Basketball) (9-17 ATS, -$970) (SCR: -33.5) It should come as no surprise that at least one Pac-10 team made an appearance on this list, and it's only fitting that it is a Washington team that was picked to be a big time team out of this conference doing the deed. The Huskies beat the snot out of UCLA this weekend, but that loss to USC as 9.5-point favorites didn't help matters any.

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February 20th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The year was 1980. The United States hockey team ran into the heavily favored Soviet Union in the semifinals of the Olympic games in Lake Placid, New York. The American scrubs, who were all amateurs knocked off the entire team of professionals from the USSR 4-3. The call from Al Michaels arguably made his broadcasting career.

"Do you believe in miracles?"

Let's get one thing straight about Sunday's clash between the USA and Canada 30 years later. This isn't the "Miracle on Ice," nor would it be the most stunning development in the world if the Americans pulled off the upset.

However, this shouldn't be downplayed, either. The United States has come a long way since the Torino Games all across the board. There is a good chance that the stars and stripes will ultimately win the medal count at these Games, which would be proof that American winter sports are starting to come a long way towards catching the Russians, Canadians, and other "winter oriented" countries.

One look at the standings shows just how important this game is for the good old U-S-of-A. The Americans have captured the maximum number of points from their first two games (6), and they're a point ahead of the Canadians for the top slot in Group A. A win of any kind would lock up the ground and assure that the USA would grab one of the four automatic bids into the quarterfinals of this tournament.

Even though a loss of any kind would give Canada the group, a bye can still be procured in one of the following two scenarios…

-A USA overtime or shootout loss + a Finland/Sweden non-overtime game
-A USA regulation loss, a Czech Republic win of any kind + a Finland/Sweden non-overtime game

Winning the group and getting into one of the top two seeds in the next round is of paramount importance though, as that will guarantee that the US doesn't have to take on either Canada, Finland, Sweden, or the Czech Republic until the semifinals.

Unlike the American team in 1980 that ultimately went on to beat Finland and take the gold medal at the Lake Placid Games, this one is full of NHLers. This is the youngest team in the field (with the average age being a shade over 26 years old), and is highlighted by names like Tampa Bay's Ryan Malone, Buffalo's Ryan Miller, Detroit's Brian Rafalski, Chicago's Patrick Kane, and several others.

Though these names are all nice up-and-comers in the NHL that have made a bit of an impact, the Canadian team is simply stacked with All-Stars and future Hall of Famers all over the ice. Just listen to some of these names… Morrow, Marleau, Iginla, Heatley, Richards, Thornton, Staal, Getzlaf, Nash, Crosby, Pronger, Niedermayer, Brodeur, Luongo… In terms of talent, many think that this may be one of the best teams ever assembled. Knocking them off is going to be incredibly difficult.

Many thought that this version of the United States Olympic Ice Hockey team was doing nothing but gaining some experience for the 2014 Games. However, a win against Canada on Sunday can show the rest of the world that the stars and stripes are here to stay.

It may not be a miracle, but Team USA can beat the Canadians on their home soil, they'll absolutely be proving that they're not aiming at a medal in 2014.

They're shooting at the gold in 2010.

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February 18th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

With the NBA's trading deadline just a few hours away, there have already been sweeping changes from coast to coast. And I'll bet with the headline of this post, you think I'm talking about Caron Butler or Antawn Jamison or Kevin Martin or Amare Stoudemire…

Guess again. 

I'll be the first to admit it… As I was sitting down and watching ESPN on Wednesday night and I saw, "Breaking News" come across the Bottom Line and then saw that the New York Knicks had reached an agreement to trade… I immediately stopped, looked back down at my computer, and continued my work. I figured that this was finally the T-Mac deal that everyone was talking about that would send the former All-Star to the Big Apple.

 "Good for him," I thought.  I should've thought twice.

Though McGrady was traded from Houston on Wednesday, it wasn't to New York. It was to Sacramento. Instead, the Knicks pulled off the move of the century.

In what probably amounted to be the least interesting and least impactful trade in the history of sports as we know it, Darko Milicic was traded to the Timberwolves for Brian Cardinal.

All together now: "Woohoo"

Remember when Darko was considered the next big thing on the international scene? Some people thought that he should've been the #1 overall pick that year… over some guy named LeBron. Oops. Instead, the Pistons grabbed Milicic with the #2 pick in front of stiffs like Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade.

Has there ever been a less relevant draft pick crammed in and amongst as many superstars as Darko? We all know the story of how Milicic started his career on HC Larry Brown's bench and never really emerged as anything more than a mop up player. Now, he's the butt of basically every joke in the league, including this one.

Just last month, Milicic demanded to be released from his contract, but not without collecting on his cool $7.5M. He told the New York Post that, "I would be the happiest guy if I was home with my baby." Now, just over a month later, he was sent to a version of basketball's purgatory: Minnesota.

Maybe it's a good idea to go home, Darko. You're still young, yet as the #2 overall pick in the draft… a draft position that has often provided franchises with the players that have changed their entire team history… you've only managed to be bounced around through Detroit, Orlando, Memphis, New York, and now Minnesota, and you've been dubbed, "The Human Victory Cigar," because you're only on the court for whatever team you're playing for when games are out of reach.

Truth be told, we don't even really know if Darko can ball or if he's just another prototypical big, goofy looking stiff. Maybe the opportunity is finally there for him.

While the other members of that draft class are all entering their free agent seasons and will be signing huge contracts in the summer, Milicic needs to head home and go try to reinvent himself as a player. Maybe then, someone will prove that he truly is wanted in basketball.

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February 15th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Just one week after ESPN's "Rivalry Week," the small schools take center stage in the annual "BracketBusters" festivities. Butler and Northern Iowa are both schools that are almost certainly going dancing regardless of what happens for the remainder of the season. However, for many of these teams, this weekend is their last chance to try to impress the Selection Committee in the event that they don't win their conference tournaments. Cappers Info has all you need to know about the teams that are trying to bust brackets this weekend!

Old Dominion Monarchs (20-7, 12-3 in Colonial Athletic)
Key Wins:  vs. William & Mary, vs. Charlotte, @ Georgetown
Key Losses: @ Virginia Commonwealth, @ George Mason
RPI: 33
SOS: 79

If the Monarchs don't capture the auto-bid from the CAA, they're probably in a heap of trouble. The Selection Committee realizes just how good this conference is, but it's hard to justify taking ODU without one more truly marquee win. Heading into UNI is probably the most difficult task that any team has to take on this weekend, but for Old Dominion, it is a test that it must embrace and not fear. The Monarchs already proved that they were good enough to win at Georgetown this year, and a victory against the Panthers would probably get the job done. They've won four straight and gone 3-1 ATS in their L/4 "BracketBuster" appearances, but none are more important than the one this Friday night.

Siena Saints (22-5, 15-1 in Metro Atlantic)
Key Wins: vs. Northeastern
Key Losses: @ Niagara, @ St. John's
RPI: 34
SOS: 123

The good news for the Saints is that they may be the biggest college basketball favorite on the board for a small conference tournament when they take on the rest of the MAAC in a few weeks. The bad news is that their resume, though littered with plenty of wins, doesn't really look like one of a tourney team. HC Fran McCaffery was begging for a battle with Butler or one of the other big schools this week, but he may have gotten more than he bargained for. With four returning starters from last season's Sweet 16 team, the Saints are sure to give the Bulldogs a run for their money in a game that they absolutely have to have in all likelihood to steal an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament if that's what it comes down to. Siena won last season's BracketBuster battle at home against Northern Iowa, but lost on the road against the Panthers earlier this season in the return battle.

Wichita State Shockers (21-6, 10-5 in Missouri Valley)
Key Wins: vs. Northern Iowa, vs. Texas Tech
Key Losses: @ Evansville, @ Drake, @ Creighton, @ Illinois State
RPI: 47
SOS: 120

Wichita State should be happy that it is going on the road for BracketBusters. As you can tell, there isn't a heck of a lot to this resume aside from some nice home wins. A victory at Utah State wouldn't be the most impressive thing in the world, but it would prove to the Selection Committee that the Shockers are capable of playing away from their home court. Right now, they may be the most intriguing side in the entire country, as the Valley's strong history in the dance will probably come into play come Selection Sunday. Still, WSU is going to have to play its way into the field one way or the other, and the far easier route will be a win on Saturday night against the Aggies.

Northeastern Huskies (17-9, 12-3 in Colonial Athletic)
Key Wins: vs. Utah State, vs. Kent State, vs. Old Dominion
Key Losses: vs. Drexel, @ Western Michigan, @ Drexel, vs. Providence, @ Boston
RPI: 62
SOS: 81

One look at this resume, and you're probably thinking to yourself, "How the heck is this team on the bubble?" True, on one glance, the Huskies don't have a great gripe to be a March Madness pick next month. However, the Selection Committee has always asked the question, "What have you done for me lately?" That's where Northeastern thrives. It is 15-2 in its L/17 games, most of which have come against solid CAA foes. The Huskies can play their way into the field if they win out in the regular season and go all the way to the Colonial title game in all likelihood, but a tough test against the WAC's Louisiana Tech stands in their way. Not only does Northeastern have to be good enough to win, but it may have to be incredibly impressive on Saturday to help persuade the committee if it can't take care of business itself.

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February 14th, 2010 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

Cappersinfo.com begins its new weekly installment of the Top 10 Teams to bet on across all of sports that you should be betting on religiously this season.  We breakdown the top teams ATS, combine all sports, and rank them. Teams ranked by Score Coefficient Ranking (SCR), which takes the amount of money earned over the course of the season and divides it by the number of games played in relation to games that will be played. Must have 18 games played to qualify.

1: Oregon State Beavers (College Basketball) (14-5 ATS, +$850) (SCR: 34.0) The Beavers continued to roll for college basketball betting fans by taking a 63-55 SU win at Arizona on Saturday and covering ASU by the hook on Thursday.

2: Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (College Basketball) (14-5 ATS, +$850) (SCR: 34.0) Watch out for Southern Miss! The Golden Eagles have covered eight out of nine, including roadies at UTEP, UAB, Houston, and now Tulsa. A 66-50 win against Rice was more than enough to beat the spread on Saturday.

3: North Texas Mean Green (College Basketball) (13-5-1 ATS, +$750) (SCR: 33.9) North Texas' win over Denver on Saturday helped keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. A 68-46 win at New Orleans on Thursday was far more impressive.

4: Syracuse Orange (College Basketball) (15-6 ATS, +$840) (SCR: 31.2) Any time you can say that you've won ten straight Big East games and are 7-3 ATS in those games, you've done something special. Syracuse gets a pass for "only" beating Connecticut by five as ten-point favorites.

5: Kansas State Wildcats (College Basketball) (13-5-1 ATS, +$750) (SCR: 30.0) KSU's romp over Colorado erased the memory of a close call against Iowa State of two weeks ago. That's four out of five for what may be the Big XII's second best squad.

6: Villanova Wildcats (College Basketball) (16-7 ATS, +$830) (SCR: 28.5) The Cats won't mind not covering Providence this week, especially after going into Morgantown and absolutely demolishing the Mountaineers.

7: Northwestern Wildcats (College Basketball) (14-6 ATS, +$740) (SCR: 28.5) A loss to Iowa midweek probably signaled the end of the season for the Wildcats. More defeats like that one will send Northwestern off of this list as well.

8: New Mexico Lobos (College Basketball) (16-7-2 ATS, +$830) (SCR: 27.6) Here's a team on the rise. The Lobos spanked UNLV midweek to assert itself as the top team in the MWC. They nearly blew it against Utah on Saturday, but a 68-65 win at least salvaged an ATS push.

9: Washington Capitals (Hockey) (33-29 ATS, +$2,000) (SCR: 24.3) The Caps slumped to three straight losses after posting 14 straight victories. Still, as long as the offense is averaging 3.9 goals per game and has scored at least three in 21 straight, the Caps are probably going to hang on to a spot on this list.

10: San Jose Sharks (Hockey) (31-31 ATS, +$1,908) (SCR: 23.3) San Jose only covered twice in this wicked five-game road trip right before the NHL's sabbatical for the Winter Olympics. The Sharks have a slew of home games coming up, and a lot of those will need to be multi-goal victories to move up on the power polls.

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