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April 12th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Washington Capitals (-210 at SportsBet) vs. New York Rangers – The Rangers limped into the playoffs and needed some help from Tampa Bay to get into the Stanley Cup playoffs, while the Capitals finished the season as one of the hottest teams in hockey, winning 16 of their last 20. If New York hopes to advance, it will be on the shoulders of G Henrik Lundqvist who has been one of the top goaltenders during the regular season. However, Alex Ovechkin and the Caps will probably just be too much for the Rangers and Lundqvist to handle. Stanley Cup Playoff Picks: Capitals in 5

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres (+140 at SportsBet) – Philadelphia was one of the best teams in hockey before the loss of D Chris Pronger. Since Pronger went down, the Flyers have been reeling and went from being a lock to win the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference to barely holding on to the Atlantic Division crown. Without Pronger, the Flyers are vulnerable and at risk of an early exit from the NHL playoffs at the hands of the Sabres. Buffalo is led by Team USA goaltender Ryan Miller who is one of the most talented in the game. Miller has the ability to shut the door on any team and will keep this one close. Stanley Cup Playoff Picks: Sabres in 7

Boston Bruins (-200 at SportsBet) vs. Montreal Canadiens – The combination of Tim Thomas and Zdeno Chara and can beat anyone in hockey when those two are on top of their games. Thomas and Chara are both prime candidates for postseason awards after fantastic regular seasons and make the Bruins one of the favorites to make it through the East. Don’t count out the Canadiens just yet though. Montreal went 4-2 against Boston this year in their six meetings and is very familiar with their division rival. This should be a tight series, but our hockey picks have the Bruins ultimately prevailing. Stanley Cup Playoff Picks: Bruins in 6

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (+133 at SportsBet) – Without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, many thought that the Penguins would sputter down the stretch. Head Coach Dan Bylsma pulled all the right strings though and the Pens responded by almost catching Philadelphia for the No. 2 seed. Pittsburgh will rely on Jordan Staal, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury to get past the Lightning. Tampa Bay has plans of their own though thanks to the young Steven Stamkos. Stamkos is already drawing parallels to Crosby and is one of the best finishers in the NHL. Most NHL playoff picks have the Pens advancing, but don’t count out the Lightning. Stanley Cup Playoff Picks: Lightning in 7

Vancouver Canucks (-210 at SportsBet) vs. Chicago Blackhawks – Vancouver is the overwhelming favorite on the odds to win the Stanley Cup and their NHL Championship odds are a scant 3 to 1 at most sportsbooks. The Canucks were the most dominant team in the regular season and finished first in both goals scored and goals allowed. The twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin combine with Roberto Luongo to form one of the most balanced teams in the league, but it has its hands full with the Blackhawks. Chicago won the Stanley Cup last year and knocked off the Canucks in the Western Conference Finals but haven’t looked the same as last year’s juggernaut. Stanley Cup Playoff Picks: Canucks in 5

San Jose Sharks (-260 at SportsBet) vs. Los Angeles Kings – If Anze Kopitar was healthy, San Jose would be a popular pick from NHL betting fans not to advance past the first round. However, Kopitar going down doesn’t give the Kings much of a chance against the powerful Sharks, despite the reputation San Jose has to choke in the postseason. San Jose is led by Jumbo Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau and will be looking to finally reach the Holy Grail after years of postseason failures. The Sharks should be able to cruise past the Kings and reach the conference semi-finals. Stanley Cup Playoff Picks: Sharks in 4

Detroit Red Wings (-185 at SportsBet) vs. Phoenix Coyotes – It’s hard to find a match-up with bigger polar opposites than the Coyotes and the Red Wings. Phoenix has only made the playoffs a handful of times and has never gotten out of the first round, whereas Detroit is the most decorated team in hockey over the last two decades with four Stanley Cups and playoff appearances every season. Phoenix has gotten it this far thanks in large part to veteran Shane Doan, while Detroit has used their veterans to again win the division and reach the postseason. Detroit is a -185 series favorite per the NHL playoff odds and should advance to the next round, and it’s very much so justified. Stanley Cup Playoff Picks: Red Wings in 5

Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators (+117 at SportsBet) – Anaheim has been one of the hottest teams in the West over the past month thanks to Corey Perry, who has been electrifying in the Ducks’ pursuit of a playoff spot. Perry was the NHL’s only 50 goal scorer this season and is one of the most dangerous threats in the playoffs. As for Nashville, the Predators are paced by goalie Pekka Rinne, who has been lights out between the pipes despite having one of the weakest offenses in all of hockey. The Predators dominated the regular season series and they should handle the Ducks. Stanley Cup Playoff Picks: Predators in 5

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April 8th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Though we already know who 15 of the 16 teams will be in the playoffs (and will be sure to add No. 16 to that list by the time the weekend is said and done with), there is certainly plenty of jockeying for positioning going on to complete the NBA playoff picture. Check out the best games of the week and our NBA picks for how things are going to shake down this weekend!

NBA Matchup: Denver Nuggets @ Oklahoma City Thunder (Friday, 8:00 ET)
This one is so important, not so much because it will probably have an effect on the way that the seedings break down in the West, but because this really could be a playoff battle in the first round. OKC knows that it can still move up as high as No. 2, while Denver is more or less just stuck at No. 5, and a win by the Nuggs would basically ensure that these two teams will meet starting next weekend in the playoffs. The Thunder will get the job done on their home court though, keeping the pressure on both Dallas and LA.

NBA Odds: Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers (Friday, 7:30 ET)
The truth of the matter is that this game really isn’t all that sexy, but a win for the Bulls would ensure that they have home court advantage throughout the entire postseason in the Eastern Conference, and it would guarantee that they avoid both the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat until the Eastern Conference Finals. Don’t be shocked if Head Coach Tom Thibodeau and company lay the smack down early and just wrap up this top seed without any further issues.

NBA Betting Matchup: Los Angeles Lakers @ Portland Trail Blazers (Friday, 10:00 ET)
This is another one of these potential first round playoff battles. The Lakers still need three more wins to make sure that they are going to be the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference this year, while Portland is trying to move up as high as the No. 6 seed in the West. The Blazers have played well this year at home, and they’ll take down a slumping bunch from Tinseltown.

Pro Basketball Matchup: Chicago Bulls @ Orlando Magic (Sunday, 1:00 ET)
We already know that the Bulls are going to be playing the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the playoffs, and anything less than a sweep would be surprising. We also know that the Magic are going to take on the Hawks in the first round, and last year when these teams met, it was the most lopsided postseason series ever in NBA history. Expect tempers to be flaring in this probable second round playoff date. Orlando is in trouble without the suspended Dwight Howard, who is going to miss this one after picking up his 18th technical foul of the season earlier this week, and Chicago should make a huge statement for its 60th win of the year.

NBA Preview: Boston Celtics @ Miami Heat (Sunday, 3:30 ET)
Hide the women and children from this one, my friends. This is going to be a bloodbath. The winner of this game is going to have a huge advantage in the race for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. These two teams are level going into play on Friday night, and gaining the edge on the other is paramount, not so much for the sake of taking on some No. 7 seed instead of a No. 6, but to have home court advantage on the other in the second round of the playoffs. Dwyane Wade has been out of the lineup resting his sore thigh, but there’s no way that he’s missing this one. He and the Heat come up big and knock off the big, bad Celtics in South Beach.

Pro Basketball Betting Battle: Oklahoma City Thunder @ Los Angeles Lakers
Last year, the Thunder were knocked out of the playoffs because they couldn’t figure out how to take a game in Tinseltown. This year, things could be significantly different. Of course, these two teams aren’t likely foes in the postseason until the Western Conference Finals, but you can bet if this gap gets any tighter before Sunday between OKC and LA, these two are going to be scrapping for the full 48 minutes. The Thunder are going to keep this one close, but in the end, this is still the type of game that Kobe Bryant and company live for. If the No. 2 seed in the West hadn’t essentially been decided before this point, it will be when this one is said and done. Don’t be surprised if the Thunder hang inside of the number, though, as this one should be touch and go the entire way.

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April 5th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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Handicapping the Masters can be one of the most frustrating things in the world because there are just so many golfers to choose from. Though at this will seem a lot like a crapshoot, there are definite ways to handicap golf odds in a great light. Remember that these picks are all based upon percentages of winning plays. A man that is 100 to 1 only needs to win this event one out of 100 times to make us a winner. There are a number of different golfers that strike our fancy this week at one of the biggest events of the year. Here are our picks to win the green jacket in Masters betting action!


We have to start by saying that we hate these odds on Tiger Woods. Sure, we know that getting 8.50 to 1 at BetUS Sportsbook is probably about as good as you’re going to get on Tiger, especially with his history, but the bottom line is that he is just done. There’s no way that he is all of a sudden going to win this event one out of eight times after not winning anything in two full years. We just have no confidence in Tiger right now, and though he has a great history of Top 10 finishes here at the Masters, this probably won’t be the week that he suddenly busts out. On the same type of note, we think that the odds to win the Masters on Phil Mickelson are blown out of proportion at 6 to 1. Lefty is good, and he does have three green jackets to his credit, but there’s no way that he wins this event one out of six times.

Instead, we’ll look at some of the other great golfers in the world, most of which have never won this event before.

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The interesting name on this list could be Graeme McDowell. At 40 to 1, McDowell makes for a great play. Sure, McDowell really hasn’t played all that well of late, but he has been one of the hottest golfers on the PGA Tour over the course of the last eight months or so. Forget about that awful tournament that he had at the Arnold Palmer two weeks ago. There’s no way that he is going to be shooting an 80 in the first round here at Augusta.

The man that is really due to bust onto the scene in a big time way is Matt Kuchar. It feels like we’ve been talking about Kuchar as the “up and coming” name on the PGA Tour for over a decade, but this year’s fantastic finish at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship really might have been just the swift kick that Kuchar needed to get going in a major tournament as well. These 30 to 1 odds could be a blessing on a terrific golfer that is ranked in the Top 10 in the world.

Youngster, Rickie Fowler still has a heck of a lot of learning to do to make it on the PGA Tour, especially in this type of an event, but at 55 to 1, we are getting a great price on a man that already has five rounds of 68 or better this season. Fowler finished in the Top 10 both at the Accenture Match Play that we were discussing previously with Kuchar, and at the WGC Cadillac Championship just a month ago. Fowler was playing relatively well at the Arnold Palmer going into the final day of the event, and he picked a terrible time to come up with his worst round of golf of the year. Even just a par day within two strokes of the leader, and the Masters odds would have definitely changed dramatically. Fowler is due for a tournament win, and this would be a heck of a venue for him to get it in.

Does anyone even realize that Robert Allenby already has over $700K banked this year in nine events played? Sure, Allenby got off to a slow start in his first two events of the year, missing the cut in both, but he hasn’t missed a cut since that point. He’s coming off of a great weekend at the Shell Houston Open last week, and he is one of the few golfers that can say that he had three rounds in the 60s in that event. Don’t be shocked if he comes on very strong and is in contention on Sunday, and at 100 to 1, that’s absolutely all that we could ask of him.

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April 3rd, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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And then there were two… The Butler Bulldogs and the Connecticut Huskies are the only two teams that are left standing here in the NCAA Tournament, and after 66 previous games and eliminations, only one team can be left standing at the end of the day. On Monday, the 2011 National Championship will be award, and we here at Cappers Info have all of our March Madness final picks available for the big game.

Matchup: #3 Connecticut Huskies vs. #8 Butler Bulldogs
Date: Monday, April 4th, 9:20 ET
Location: Final Four, Houston, TX
NCAA Basketball Odds: Connecticut -3.5
Over/Under 129.5

The road to the Final Four has been long and arduous for both the Huskies and the Bulldogs. Butler needed to survive a pair of de facto road games against the Cleveland State Vikings and Wisconsin Milwaukee Panthers, both of which could have easily been NCAA Tournament teams this season. After that, they eliminated the Old Dominion Monarchs, Pittsburgh Panthers, Wisconsin Badgers, Florida Gators, and VCU Rams to reach the finale. Connecticut was never really in serious doubt about making the NCAA Tournament, but it definitely could have been in a lot worse spot in terms of its seeding had it not gone on that great run in the Big East Tournament. Save the win against the DePaul Blue Demons in Round 1 at Madison Square Garden, the Huskies have beaten nine straight NCAA Tournament teams. Five of these games, they were underdogs, and they have shined through with flying colors in all of them. The Bucknell Bison, Cincinnati Bearcats, San Diego State Aztecs, Arizona Wildcats, and Kentucky Wildcats have all fallen to the mighty Huskies in this tournament.

Connecticut Huskies Notes: It’s getting pretty clear that Head Coach Jim Calhoun is making his bench awfully short in this one. There are only six players that played more than nine minutes in the 56-55 escape from the Wildcats on Saturday, and the big time stats were once again put up by the big time players. Kemba Walker led the way with a very complete effort, as he scored 18 points to lead all scorers on the night. He also had seven assists and six boards. Jeremy Lamb continued his shot scoring streak with 12 points, marking his 10th straight game with at least 11 points after averaging below double digits in scoring per game coming in. Alex Oriakhi had eight points and 10 crucial boards, while Roscoe Smith stepped up and had six points and eight rebounds. The team did shoot 46.9 percent, but Calhoun cannot be happy that his team allowed 13 more shots than it took. The good news though, was that it did have 16 assists on 23 made baskets, a sign that the ball was really moving around for UConn.

Butler Bulldogs Notes: It’s truly amazing that Butler is back in this one, and perhaps the Bulldogs are just a tad fortunate to be in this spot. VCU ended up going cold down the stretch, which allowed them to come up with this 70-62 win to advance to the National Championship Game. Give the perimeter players a lot of credit, as holding VCU to just 8-of-22 from downtown was its worst percentage of the tournament. Matt Howard and company really didn’t do a great job keeping Jamie Skeen off of the scoreboard, but he the scrapper in the middle had himself a heck of a game. He only shot 3-of-10 from the floor, including 0-for-5 from downtown, but he also had 11 free throws made on 12 attempts to total 17 points with eight boards. Shelvin Mack knocked down three triples, but he continued his struggles from the line, going just 3-of-6 in very uncharacteristic form. Mack scored 24 points and had six rebounds. The impressive part of this game for the Bulldogs was the fact that they absolutely dominated the glass, proving that they can really play like a big conference team. The Dogs had 46 total boards, 15 of which were on the offensive glass. They had a +16 margin on the boards when the day was said and done.

The Final Word: This is the final word for the whole season, and with as screwy as this entire season has been, why shouldn’t we expect to see the upset once again. Butler has proven that it is good enough to beat virtually every big time school that it has run across this season, and it has some big time unfinished business to contend with. The Bulldogs will get the job done this year, and Head Coach Brad Stevens and company will arguably become the least likely champion in the history of the sport.

March Madness Free Pick: Butler Bulldogs +3.5

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March 30th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The Kentucky Wildcats and the Connecticut Huskies have totally defied logic in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. They’re both on the verge of reaching the finale of the dance, and they both have absolutely captured the hearts of all of the fans of the little guys of college basketball across the country. Check out our March Madness picks for this national semifinal in Houston!

Matchup: #3 Connecticut Huskies vs. #4 Kentucky Wildcats
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 8:50 ET
Location: Final Four, Houston, TX
NCAA Basketball Odds: Kentucky -2
Over/Under 140

The Kentucky Wildcats and the Connecticut Huskies followed completely opposite roads at the start of the season. Everyone was high on the Kentucky rotation to the point that it was one of the Top 10 teams in the land for quite some time until the SEC season started. Connecticut found itself in the dumps at the start of the year off of the NIT campaign last season. The two teams met at the Maui Invitational, and UConn’s triumph was a bit of a shock. Kentucky didn’t play so well at the beginning of the SEC season, but it came through at the end of the year, winning some big time games down the stretch and then taking the SEC crown. Connecticut started off well in the Big East and flipped the other direction just a bit. However, it came back and won the Big East title as well. Both teams have had great runs here to the Final Four, and now, one will survive to make it to the NCAA Tournament finale on Monday.

Connecticut Huskies Notes: We could sit here and just list off all of Kemba Walker’s stats this year and in this tournament, but we all know that this young man is a human highlight reel. Walker inevitably will score somewhere between 20 and 35 points in this one, and if he doesn’t, the Huskies are dead in the water regardless of what it is that they do. However, what is underappreciated about Head Coach Jim Calhoun’s team is how well the rest of the youngsters, the future of this franchise, are really playing. Jeremy Lamb is Exhibit A. This frosh has put up nine straight games with double digits in scoring, including posting 24 and 19 points in the two games played in Anaheim to wrap up the West Bracket. Lamb is becoming a bona fide sharpshooter, and he is really shooting the ball well from all over the court. Keep a close eye on another first year player, Shabazz Napier. Napier might only be scoring 8.0 points per game this year, but he came up with 10 big points for the Huskies against the San Diego State Aztecs in the Elite 8 to reach this point in the season. Don’t underestimate how strong this team is defensively as well. UConn has held five straight foes, dating back to the finale in the Big East Tournament, to 67 points or fewer, and it is conceding just 65.7 points per game on the season.

Kentucky Wildcats Notes: We’ve heard about this all season long. Head Coach John Calipari was convinced that his team in the form that it has been in for most of the year, was never going to be able to come together to do anything when all of the marbles were in the center of the table in the dance. Now, it very well could be true that this team probably isn’t as talented as last year’s team was that was bounced in the Elite 8. However, there is no doubt that this is a fantastic team as a whole, and most importantly, it is a group of six players that is really playing like a team at the best possible time. Sure, this is still a sloppy bunch that takes too many iffy shots and commits too many turnovers, but there isn’t a man in this six pack of stars that doesn’t bring everything he’s got every single night. Josh Harrellson and Terrence Jones have gone up against some of the best big men in the country en route to the Final Four, including John Henson, Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes, and Jared Sullinger… and that’s just talking about the regional semifinals and finals in Newark. Brandon Knight was the top freshman scorer in the land this year, but he has been wildly bipolar for the entire NCAA Tournament.

The Final Word: We’re just not all that sure that the Huskies can keep this up. We know that we keep saying that, but there is a point that it has to come true… right? Kentucky is significantly better than your average No. 4 seed, and it will prove it in this one by coming out and crushing UConn.

March Madness Free Pick: Kentucky Wildcats -2

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March 28th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The Butler Bulldogs and the VCU Rams have totally defied logic in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. They’re both on the verge of reaching the finale of the dance, and they both have absolutely captured the hearts of all of the fans of the little guys of college basketball across the country. Check out our March Madness picks for this national semifinal in Houston!

Matchup: #11 VCU Rams vs. #8 Butler Bulldogs
Date: Saturday, April 2nd, 6:10 ET
Location: Final Four, Houston, TX
NCAA Basketball Odds: Butler -2.5
Over/Under 133.5

The important thing that we have to make mention of in this one is just how unlikely of a story it is for either of these teams to be here. Both of these teams come from conferences that have only had one other Final Four team in their history. Butler is following in its own footsteps from last season when it was the national runner up, while VCU is following the path set by the George Mason Patriots in 2006. No 11 seed has ever been in the finale of this tournament, while only two, including that George Mason team, have ever been here before. The only other No. 8 seed to be here in the Final Four before was the Villanova Wildcats, and they went on to win the 1985 National Championship.

VCU Rams Notes: Head Coach Shaka Smart has made himself a whole heck of a lot of money in this tournament. The Rams are going to try to become the first, and likely the only team for quite some time to win seven games in this tournament. They literally came out of a grave that was supposedly sealed way back in the beginning of March when they were beaten in the CAA Final against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Selection Committee took a lot of flak for putting this team in the field, and now look! Not only did VCU come through the play in game to arguably be the most improbable Final Four team ever, but it did so really without breaking much of a sweat. Sure, that close call against the Florida State Seminoles in the Sweet 16 could’ve gone either way, but aside from that, the Rams absolutely dumped the USC Trojans, Georgetown Hoyas, Purdue Boilermakers, and Kansas Jayhawks, all by double digits. The team has scored at least 71 points in four straight games against some rock solid defensive teams thanks to some ridiculous three point shooting, the likes of which we have never seen before. The Rams weren’t that great of a three point shooting team as it was coming into the dance, but all of a sudden, they are nearly shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc!

Butler Bulldogs Notes: The path to get here for Butler has been a long and winding one, as this team has legitimately taken the best shot from a number of different fantastic teams and has withstood them all. Three of the four wins in the dance to date came down to the wire, and the man that has been doing most of the heroics has been Matt Howard. Howard, usually a man that is in foul trouble all the time, has come back with vengeance here this March. He has only sat out a total of 17 minutes in four games in this dance, and he has put up an average of 16.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. Shelvin Mack, another hero from last year’s Final Four run had a huge game against the Florida Gators, putting up 27 points, including scoring some big time baskets down the stretch in regulation and in OT. He also had 30, his second highest tally on the season, against one of the best defenses in the country in the Pittsburgh Panthers. Butler currently has a 13 game winning streak going, the longest such mark in the nation, and it has covered six straight games.

The Final Word: Butler has been here and done this before, but there is just a mojo surrounding the way that the Rams are playing right now that is too tough to top. This is the team that is winning the National Championship. It might come down to the wire, but when push comes to shove, just as it did against FSU a week ago, VCU will figure out how to come up with the big basket to win the game at the death.

March Madness Free Pick: VCU Rams +2.5

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March 26th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The Elite 8 is upon us, and here at Cappers Info, we are all set to make our March Madness picks for the fourth full round of the dance! Check out all of the NCAA Tournament upsets and Elite 8 picks for the biggest night of the year to date.

Matchup: #4 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #2 North Carolina Tar Heels
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 2:10 ET
Location: East Region, Newark, NJ
NCAA Basketball Odds: Kentucky -1
Over/Under 146.5

Let’s get this straight. Kentucky beats the No. 1 seed in this tournament by virtue of a buzzer beater, and then all of a sudden, it is deserving of being a favorite against one of the other best teams in the land? North Carolina and Kentucky have taken very similar roads to get into the Elite 8. Neither one really played all that well at the start of the season, and both really came on strong at the end of conference play. Both made it into the finale of their conference tournaments, and both were officially off and running at that point. The Cats have had a bit of a tougher road to get here in the dance, but Carolina did get a stern test in there as well from the Washington Huskies.

In terms of this game itself, it’s going to be really hard to fight history. North Carolina has won seven out of eight SU and has gone 7-0-1 ATS over the course of the last eight years in this series. We know that the Wildcats have found themselves in recent weeks, but they are still a bunch that struggled with the Princeton Tigers in the first round of this dance. That certainly doesn’t justify them being favored over a North Carolina team with arguably the best front court in the entire country. John Henson, Harrison Barnes, and Tyler Zeller should once again dominate these proceedings. Free March Madness Picks: North Carolina Tar Heels +1

Matchup: #11 VCU Rams vs. #1 Kansas Jayhawks
Date: Sunday, March 27th, 4:55 ET
Location: Southwest Region, San Antonio, TX
NCAA Basketball Odds: Kansas -10.5
Over/Under 146.5

The only No. 1 seed in the tournament meets up with the highest seed left in the dance on Sunday afternoon, as the final spot in the Final Four will be handed out to either the Jayhawks or the Rams. Kansas is still trying to avoid the embarrassment of getting knocked out of the tourney by a mid major for the second straight season, while VCU is really trying to lead the same road that the George Mason Patriots did in 2006 when they made it to the Final Four. Both teams were from the CAA, both were No. 11 seeds, and both were certainly on no one’s radar to make it into the dance, let alone to do damage when they got here.

Here’s the question: Is VCU going to be able to get past this defense? The Rams put together a very, very impressive showing against the Florida State Seminoles and lived to tell about it on Friday night. However, Kansas just held a very similar bunch of Richmond Spiders down to just 4-for-26 from downtown on the night in the Sweet 16, and there is no doubt that a similar showing would see the Rams out of this tournament in horrid fashion. Bradford Burgess has been out of his skull over the course of these last few games, and he just keeps getting better and better as the tourney goes on. VCU’s dream will end here in the Elite 8, but there is no doubt in our minds that it is going to give the Jayhawks a run for their money. Free March Madness Picks: VCU Rams +10.5

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March 25th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The Elite 8 is upon us, and here at Cappers Info, we are all set to make our March Madness picks for the fourth full round of the dance! Check out all of the NCAA Tournament upsets and Elite 8 picks for the biggest night of the year to date.

Matchup: #8 Butler Bulldogs vs. #2 Florida Gators
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 4:20 ET
Location: Southeast Region, New Orleans, LA
NCAA Basketball Odds: Florida -3.5
Over/Under 131.5

Boy, do we have a good one on our hands on Saturday! Butler might not be a team that you had penciled into your Elite 8 this season, but you know that this is a team that can really play. Assuming that the Ohio State Buckeyes take care of the Kentucky Wildcats on Friday, the Bulldogs are going to be the only returner to the Elite 8 from last season, and one way or the other, they’ll be the only group that can make it to the Final Four for the second straight year. Florida has a great team with a lot of promise to it as well, and Head Coach Billy Donovan knows that he has a squad that can really continue to do a ton of damage in this field. Home court advantage will definitely go to the Gators once again, something that has been the case really throughout the whole tournament, and this is something that you know the blue and orange are going to embrace.

Florida certainly has the more talented team, and it might have one of the most underappreciated bunches in the entire country. Chandler Parsons just finds ways to stuff the stat sheet, and Alex Tyus has been a monster in the paint. For Butler, we are concerned that Matt Howard is going to get himself into foul trouble against all of these lanky players, but he has found his way around those issues during the Round of 32 and the Sweet 16. If Howard isn’t at his best, Butler is in trouble. Still, Florida has the two wins in this series since 2000, both games of which came in the dance, and we tend to think that this is its year to get back into the Final Four in Houston. Free March Madness Picks: Florida Gators -3.5

Matchup: #5 Arizona Wildcats vs. #3 Connecticut Huskies
Date: Saturday, March 26th, 7:05 ET
Location: West Region, Anaheim, CA
NCAA Basketball Odds: Connecticut -2.5
Over/Under 144.5

Get yourself ready for a game that is going to be fast and furious on Saturday afternoon. Though we knew that the West Bracket was going to have the potential to be wide open, we weren’t so sure that it was going to be this wide open. There were plenty of reasons to doubt both Arizona and Connecticut. Teams out of the Pac-10 really haven’t done all that well in this tourney over the course of the last few seasons, while UConn is certainly proving that you can both survive in the Big East Tournament and last in the NCAA Tournament, something that hasn’t happened a lot in seasons past. In fact, the Huskies might be the final team of the 11 left standing in this tourney when it’s said and done if the Marquette Golden Eagles end up getting bounced on Friday against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The question that we have for UConn is whether Alex Oriakhi is going to be able to withstand the pressure that is going to be coming from Derrick Williams. Both are really the same type of player when push comes to shove, as they both can go outside of the paint to do damage. However, we know that Oriakhi has really fallen off over the course of the second half of the season, and as a result, it really has just been the Kemba Walker Show at times. Arizona has a significantly deeper team, and it has a great home court edge playing in Anaheim, and though we know that UConn will be used to the Western Time Zone by the time this one tips on Saturday, we just tend to think that the depth of the Wildcats will be able to wear down the lack of depth shown by the Huskies. At some point, Walker will be stopped. The Huskies stop here. Free March Madness Picks: Arizona Wildcats +2.5

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March 24th, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The Sweet 16 is upon us, and here at Cappers Info, we are all set to make our March Madness picks for the third full round of the dance! Check out all of the NCAA Tournament upsets and Sweet 16 picks for the biggest night of the year to date.

Matchup: #11 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. #2 North Carolina Tar Heels
Date: Friday, March 25th, 7:15 ET
Location: East Region, Newark, NJ
NCAA Basketball Odds: North Carolina -4.5
Over/Under 149.5

Marquette has had a magical run to this point in the NCAA Tournament, but just like the run in the Big East Tourney, which lasted two games, this one is going to be the exact same length. The bigs for North Carolina are just flat out amazing, as John Henson, Tyler Zeller, and Harrison Barnes have combined to score almost 150 points in two games, which is more than Marquette has scored as an entire team! Don’t get us wrong, the Golden Eagles have a fantastic squad, and they are really going to make a nice statement here for awhile in this game, but when push really comes to shove, it’s just too much running, too much gunning, and too much speed for Marquette to really deal with. UNC marches on to the Elite 8 in style. Free March Madness Picks: North Carolina Tar Heels -4.5

Matchup: #12 Richmond Spiders vs. #1 Kansas Jayhawks
Date: Friday, March 25th, 7:27 ET
Location: Southwest Region, San Antonio, TX
NCAA Basketball Odds: Kansas -10.5
Over/Under 135.5

The Jayhawks don’t really remember what it is like to play these big time teams, as they haven’t played a team any better than the Illinois Fighting Illini, at least in terms of stature, in three years in this tournament. This is the same type of battle that cost Kansas last year’s dance against the Northern Iowa Panthers, and you can bet that Head Coach Bill Self is reminding his team of this. The Spiders play fantastic defense, and they have really done well thus far in this tourney, though they obviously haven’t run up against a challenge like this quite yet. Justin Harper, Kevin Anderson, and the crew might not have the same types of names as Tyshawn Taylor, Marcus Morris, Markieff Morris, etc., but they can really play. The A-10 has proven year in and year out that it can compete in games like this. Kansas might be in for a real street fight in this one. We tend to believe the Jayhawks will survive, but it won’t be by double digits. March Madness Free Picks: Richmond Spiders +10.5

Matchup: #4 Kentucky Wildcats vs. #1 Ohio State Buckeyes
Date: Friday, March 25th, 9:45 ET
Location: East Region, Newark, NJ
NCAA Basketball Odds: Ohio State -6
Over/Under 140

You won’t find two teams that are more talented than these two, and it would be a real shock to see a more evenly matched 1/4 game than this one. It almost seems like we have forgotten that the Wildcats have won eight straight games dating back through the SEC Tournament and into the regular season. It’s not like this is a team that doesn’t have all of the talent in the world. Ohio State, of course, is the big kahuna of this dance, and there is no reason to believe that there is a team in the country that it can’t beat as long as it plays its best ball. The difference here though, is that this isn’t the minor leagues anymore. There are no more teams like the George Mason Patriots in this bracket. Someone might pick this team off this weekend, and we wouldn’t be overly surprised if Kentucky ends up being the team that gets the job done. Regardless of which team ends up getting through this, we know that we want the points on our side. Free March Madness Picks: Kentucky Wildcats +6

Matchup: #11 VCU Rams vs. #10 Florida State Seminoles
Date: Friday, March 25th, 9:57 ET
Location: Southwest Region, San Antonio, TX
NCAA Basketball Odds: Florida State -3.5
Over/Under 131

The Rams and Seminoles are probably college basketball’s version of the “Odd Couple.” These two play nothing like each other, yet they both took strangely similar roads to get here to the Sweet 16, and one of the two is very improbably going to end up being just one step away from the Final Four when this one is said and done. VCU just plays full throttle for the full 40 minutes, and it never fears any opponent that it runs across. Just ask the Georgetown Hoyas, Purdue Boilermakers, and USC Trojans how they feel about facing these guys. The Rams are going to be all over the place shooting the ball, as there isn’t a shot that they’ll pass up. The problem is going to be getting open shots. The Florida State defense really is fantastic, and it has already beaten a three point shooting team in the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Still, Chris Singleton isn’t healthy and won’t be really ready to go in this one either, and unless he can give 20-25 quality minutes, the Noles are in trouble, especially down the stretch. The close call goes the way of the Rams. Free March Madness Picks: VCU Rams +3.5

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March 23rd, 2011 By Andrew "Mr. Multi-Task" Ryan - Cappersinfo Contributor

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The Sweet 16 is upon us, and here at Cappers Info, we are all set to make our March Madness picks for the third full round of the dance! Check out all of the NCAA Tournament upsets and Sweet 16 picks for the biggest night of the year to date.

Matchup: #3 Connecticut Huskies vs. #2 San Diego State Aztecs
Date: Thursday, March 24th, 7:15 ET
Location: West Region, Anaheim, CA
NCAA Basketball Odds: Connecticut -1
Over/Under 128

The Huskies are probably the hottest team in the country right now, as they have won seven straight games both SU and ATS, and they have done so in a span of less than two weeks. The only question that we have is whether or not this is finally going to catch up to Kemba Walker and company. Walker has been absolutely amazing, and there is a gripe that he is the best player in this entire tournament at this point, even including BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. San Diego State has only won two tourney games in its history, both of which came last week. The Aztecs really had to fight and fight incredibly hard to best the Temple Owls in the second full round of the tourney, but they were really able to persevere in the face of adversity. The big problem that the Huskies have is this trip to get out to Anaheim. Relatively speaking, San Diego State can walk over to the Honda Center, while UConn has to take a heck of a lot of flights just to get out here. You can bet that there will be a ton of home court advantage going the Aztecs’ way, and if they’re legit, they’re going to be the team to beat. Free March Madness Picks: San Diego State Aztecs +1

Matchup: #3 BYU Cougars vs. #2 Florida Gators
Date: Thursday, March 24th, 7:27 ET
Location: Southeast Region, New Orleans, LA
NCAA Basketball Odds: Florida -3
Over/Under 149

After almost two weeks of waiting, we will finally figure out whether BYU or Florida was the team that was really deserving of being the No. 2 seed in the Southeast Region. The Cougs and Gators squared off in the first round of March Madness betting action last year, and after a hard fought game, which included overtime, Jimmer Fredette and company were able to persevere with a 99-92 triumph. Fredette put up 37 in that game, and he has already had two 30+ point games in this tournament and four straight with at least 30 overall, including a 52 point game in the MWC Tournament. The Gators are an angry bunch after last year though, and all of the key players to the puzzle are all back and ready to strike the Cougs down. However, BYU surely won’t go easily, even if Brandon Davies isn’t there to help out in the post. There is a reason why this team was able to put up such big time victories over the course of the first two rounds of this tournament, and a reason why it has only lost four games for the entire season. Go with the Cougars to spark the upset to get into the Elite 8. March Madness Free Picks: BYU Cougars +3

Matchup: #5 Arizona Wildcats vs. #1 Duke Blue Devils
Date: Thursday, March 24th, 9:45 ET
Location: West Region, Anaheim, CA
NCAA Basketball Odds: Duke -8.5
Over/Under 147

Remember that home court advantage that we talked about with the Aztecs against Connecticut? We’ve got the exact same advantage here for the Wildcats. Even though this isn’t really a David vs. Goliath type of situation in terms of conference supremacy, this is an up and coming team playing a de facto home team against a club that is coming off of a National Championship season. Unlike these teams that the Dookies have faced to date, the U of A has a fantastic big man that can challenge them on the inside in the form of Derrick Williams. Williams can also lure men like Mason Plumlee away from the basket with his long range shooting, and he can shoot the rock from the foul line as well at a high rate. Arizona just feels like a team of destiny right now after two buzzer beating games in a row. It’s been a great run for Duke over these last two seasons, but it all comes to a close in the form of one of the biggest upsets of the tournament to date. Free March Madness Picks: Arizona Wildcats +8.5

Matchup: #8 Butler Bulldogs vs. #4 Wisconsin Badgers
Date: Thursday, March 24th, 9:57 ET
Location: Southeast Region, New Orleans, LA
NCAA Basketball Odds: Wisconsin -5
Over/Under 124

We could talk about this game for hours and hours, and no matter which way we slice it, we think that the Bulldogs really need a miracle even bigger than the one that they pulled off last season to get out of this round alive. Butler really had to survive a dog fight with the Pitt Panthers last weekend, and it was incredibly lucky to be able to get out of that one even though it was killed on the glass. Wisconsin isn’t going to shoot free throws as poorly as Pitt did in that game, and odds have it, Shelvin Mack isn’t going to look like Jimmer Fredette out there on the court. The Badgers have the bigs to make Matt Howard really work in the paint, and we also find it highly unlikely that he is going to stay out of foul trouble in this one. If that’s all the case, the Bulldogs are in a heck of a lot of trouble. Their magical run into the Sweet 16 stops without a second straight stop into the Final Four. Wisky has a great chance to not just win this one, but to make a march on the National Championship to boot. Free March Madness Picks: Wisconsin Badgers -5

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