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Big Al's Daily Angle: NHL, NBA and MLB Previews and Odds - 03/31/26

by Big Al Staff

Tuesday, Mar 31, 2026

The Tuesday sports card features NBA, NHL, and MLB action. The National Basketball League has seven games on its docket. The Orlando Magic hosts the Phoenix Suns at 7:10 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point favorite with the total set at 224.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The Charlotte Hornets travel to Brooklyn to play the Nets at 7:40 p.m. ET as a 15.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 219.5. Three NBA games tip off at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Dallas Mavericks play in Milwaukee against the Bucks as a 1.5-point road favorite with a total of 228.5. The Detroit Pistons play at home against the Toronto Raptors as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 219.5. The New York Knicks are on the road to take the Houston Rockets on NBC/Peacock as a 1.5-point road favorite with a total of 217.5. The Los Angeles Lakers are home to face the Cleveland Cavaliers at 10:40 p.m. ET as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 237.5. The Los Angeles Clippers host the Portland Trail Blazers on NBC-Peacock at 11:10 p.m. ET as a 5.5-point favorite with a total of 227.5. The National Hockey League has 10 games on its slate. Seven NHL games drop the puck at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Tampa Bay Lightning plays at home against the Montreal Canadiens as a -170 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Washington Capitals are home to challenge the Philadelphia Flyers as a -135 money-line favorite with a total of 5.5. The Buffalo Sabres host the New York Islanders as a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Detroit Red Wings visit the Pittsburgh Penguins as a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The Ottawa Senators play in Florida against the Panthers as a -170 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Dallas Stars are on the road to battle the Boston Bruins as a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 5.5. The New Jersey Devils travel to New York to play the Rangers as a -142 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5.The Carolina Hurricanes play in Columbus against the Blue Jackets at 7:37 p.m. ET as a -142 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The Winnipeg Jets are on the road to take on the Chicago Blackhawks at 8:37 p.m. ET as a -142 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Edmonton Oilers play at home against the Seattle Kraken at 9:07 p.m. ET as a -185 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. Major League Baseball has 14 games scheduled. The Texas Rangers visit the Baltimore Orioles at 6:35 p.m. ET as a -131 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Miami Marlins are home to face the Chicago White Sox as a -1567 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. The Cincinnati Reds host the Pittsburgh Pirates on Peacock as a -118 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Philadelphia Phillies play at home against the Washington Nationals as a -186 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Toronto Blue Jays are home to challenge the Colorado Rockies at 7:07 p.m. ET as a -271 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves host the Athletics at 7:15 p.m. ET as a -149 money-line favorite with a total of 9. Two more MLB games start at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Chicago Cubs play at home against the Los Angeles Angels as a -149 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. The Milwaukee Brewers are home to battle the Tampa Bay Rays as a -143 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. The New York Mets play in St. Louis against the Cardinals at 7:45 p.m. ET as a -168 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Houston Astros host the Boston Red Sox at 8:10 p.m. ET as a -149 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. Three more MLB games begin at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Detroit Tigers are on the road to play the Arizona Diamondbacks, with both teams priced as -110 money-line favorites with an over/under of 9. The New York Yankees travel to Seattle to face the Mariners on TBS as a -112 money-line road favorite with a total of 7. The San Francisco Giants play in San Diego against the Padres as a -143 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 7.5. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Cleveland Guardians at 10:10 p.m. ET as a -240 money-line favorite with a total of 8.  

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Valero Texas Open Preview and Picks

by Matt Fargo

Monday, Mar 30, 2026

After tying for runner-up last year at the Texas Children's Houston Open, Gary Woodland cruised to a five-shot victory in one of the most emotional wins on the PGA Tour in recent memory. He took a one shot lead into Sunday and built the lead to seven at one point to capture his first win since the 2019 U.S. Open and just two years removed from brain surgery. The tour remains in the Lone Star State for the Valero Texas Open hosted by the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio, the third longest running event on tour, and while it has always been in the River City area, TPC San Antonio has held the event every year since 2010. TPC San Antonio is a par 72, 7,438-yard layout that sits 1,100 feet above elevation which helps the distance numbers because of the thinner air. Even though this is one of the longer courses on tour, ranked No. 20 in distance, accuracy is ideally more important and because of the dry firm conditions, there will be plenty of roll with accurate players keeping it in the fairway whereas errant tee shots will gather outside the heavily tree-lined fairways and native areas. It is flat, the rough is short and non-penal and there are only three water hazards across the property yet it is typically ranked in the top ten in difficulty and there is one good reason for that, the good ole’ Texas wind. Trying to defend his 2025 win is Brian Harman who took the Valero Texas Open by three shots over Ryan Gerard and that was his first victory since the 2023 Open Championship. He came into Sunday with a three-shot lead and his 75 was good enough to maintain it as conditions were horrible with four players unable to break 80 where the scoring average was 74.8. The last back-to-back winner was Zach Johnson in 2008-2009 and Harman will have a tough time defending against a talented field. However, five of the last seven winners have been longshots: Harman (70/1), Akshay Bhatia 2024 (66/1), J.J. Spaun 2022 (200/1), Corey Conners 2019 (200/1) and Martin Laird 2018 (100/1).Accuracy off the tee is more important than distance so Stroke Gained: Off-The-Tee is where to look but on a secondary level as straight and long are both obviously beneficial but having one and not the other is not a liability. Hitting greens here is tough and well below the tour average which makes the short game very important, similar to last week at Memorial Park. TPC San Antonio has 64 bunkers so in addition to looking at Strokes Gained: Around-The-Green and Scrambling, we also have to look at Sand Saves Gained. Putting is ranked down the list this week on the greens that typically run slow, rolling at an average of 11 on the Stimpmeter. Nine players ranked in the OWGR Top 20 are teeing it up and the field is strewn with others looking to win to gain a spot in The Masters next week. The aforementioned Bhatia, Spaun and Conners punched their golden ticket to Augusta with those victories. Players that are not qualified for The Masters still have plenty to play for with the Aon Swing 5 and top 10 in FedExCup points leaders getting an invite to the RBC Heritage, the next signature event right after The Masters. Despite the longshots recent domination, seven players are priced at +2000 or lower with Tommy Fleetwood the favorite at +1425 followed closely by Ludvig Aberg, Russell Henley, Robert MacIntyre, Jordan Spieth, Colin Morikawa and Si Woo Kim. We could be in for a repeat of last year with the weather. Thursday through Saturday will have temperatures close to 90 degrees with a slight to mid chance of rain all three days and the biggest strong wind threat being Friday afternoon. Sunday looks to be interesting again as the temperature drops to a high of 65 with early rain and there will be wind throughout the day. Top four key categories this week in order at the Valero Texas Open:Strokes Gained: ApproachStrokes Gained: Around The GreenSand Saves GainedStrokes Gained: Off-The-TeeEach bet is Win/Top Five/Top Ten. The typical recommendation is 50%/25%/25%  with odds, payouts and results based on a $1000 unit (easy round number for bookkeeping) on each of the following players. The payouts are listed right below the odds which are all from DraftKings:Michael ThorbjornsenOdds: Win 2,700 ~ Top Five 520 ~ Top Ten 255Payout: Win 13,500.00 ~ Top Five 1,300.00 ~ Top Ten 637.50Thorbjornsen has been on TV a lot over the last month on the weekend but has faded when it counts but he has the game to get it done. A Sunday 75 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a Sunday 77 at THE PLAYERS Championship and a Sunday 72 at the Texas Children's Houston Open knocked him out of contention. The numbers have still been good as he has been plus in all Strokes Gained categories with the only exception being negative off the tee at the API. He is No. 96 in Strokes Gained: Approach but that is due to a bad start which he has turned around but is great in the other three key categories and while he missed the cut here last year, he came in with five MC’s, a T74 and a T39 twice.Keith MitchellOdds: Win 3,700 ~ Top Five 670 ~ Top Ten 325Payout: Win 18,500.00 ~ Top Five 1,625.00 ~ Top Ten 812.50Mitchell is being consistent again this season which goes in line with the last two years as he is No. 9 in Strokes Gained: Off-The-Tee and No. 35 in Strokes Gained: Approach. His putting has been awful this season but he hits a place where he has been great. He has made four starts here and his worst finish was a T26 in 2018 and he has finished T14 and T12 the last two years and his success has been on the greens to go along with his typical elite off the tee and approach numbers. He has yet to miss a cut this season in nine starts and he has three top 15s including a T14 at the Texas Children's Houston Open which was his second straight plus putting performance which is a good trend. Ryo HisatsuneOdds: Win 3,900 ~ Top Five 700 ~ Top Ten 335Payout: Win 19,500.00 ~ Top Five 1,750.00 ~ Top Ten 837.50He used Ryo two weeks ago at the Valspar Championship and finished T30 as he was exceptional off the tee but was average everywhere else. He is No. 2 in our model this week as he is ranked No. 41 or better in all four of our key categories including No. 30 or better in three of those with the No. 41 being Sand Saves Gained. After missing the cut at the Sony Open in Hawaii, he posted three straight top ten finishes including a runner-up at the Farmers Insurance Open and his putter was hot in all three of those starts before regressing of late in the negative but has still finished well. That putter could come back here where he was excellent on the greens last year enroute to a T5 finish. Christiaan BezuidenhoutOdds: Win 7,400 ~ Top Five 1,125 ~ Top Ten 510Payout: Win 35,500.00 ~ Top Five 2,812.50 ~ Top Ten 1,275.00The longshots have fared well at the Valero Texas Open and we cannot go deep with many but we will grab one here with Bezuidenhout. Of all of the players at 70/1 or higher, he has the best fit combining recent form and course history and if he can get off the tee, he will be dangerous. He missed the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship but came back with a T30 at the Valspar Championship and a T51 last week which are not great but his short game was again spot on which is huge for here. He did not start here last year and finished T25 and T28 the previous two years where his putting was exceptional and everything else just average. This is a great price for a short game wiz on a course that demands it. Results through the Valspar Championship (7 Tournaments):Win: -14,500.00Top Five: -725.00Top Ten: +2,287.50

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Anatomy of a 15-1 Winner: Handicapping Matt Fitzpatrick at the PGA Valspar Championship

by Hollywood Sports

Monday, Mar 30, 2026

Matt Fitzpatrick made a putt just under 14 feet on the 72nd hole in regulation to secure a one-stroke victory against Davis Lipsky to win the PGA Valspar Challenge on March 22nd. It was a moment of redemption for Fitzpatrick, who had the lead going into the 17th hole on Sunday the previous week at THE PLAYERS Championship before blowing that lead to Cam Young. And it was good for Hollywood Sports, who suffered two straight first-place tickets slip through their fingers late on a Sunday after backing both Shane Lowry at the PGA Cognizant Classic and then Fitzpatrick at THE PLAYERS two weeks later, only to both golfers lose their lead in the final two holes of the event. Despite the late collapse at THE PLAYERS, there were several good reasons to continue to invest in Fitzpatrick at the PGA Valspar Championship. Fitzpatrick had his lead late week at THE PLAYERS before Cameron Young birdied the 17th hole. Young then hit the longest drive on the 18th hole ever at TPC Sawgrass of 375 yards to put him in a great opportunity for a birdie. Fitzpatrick hit his drive into the rough. But Young missed his birdie putt — leaving Fitzpatrick with a 12-footer to force a playoff. Yet the Englishman missed the putt and had to settle for second place. Despite the disappointment, I expected the veteran not to be impacted emotionally by the setback. Fitzpatrick had never been in better form when it comes to his driver and iron play. He had lost strokes versus the field in the Tee-to-Green metric just once since last June. Three starts ago resulted in a 14th-place finish at Pebble Beach for the Englishman. He gained +2.8 strokes per round versus the field Off-the-Tee — and the +7.8 shots he gained per round in his Approach were the best result of his career. He struggled with his irons two weeks — but he had ranked 8th, 3rd, and 11th in the field in Shots-Gained: Approach the Green in his previous three tournaments before his great showing l last week. His ranking of 15th on the tour in Shots-Gained: Approach the Green is a career high. The former US Open winner had made the cut in every professional event worldwide since the Masters last April. He won the DP World Championship in the fall. He finished in ninth place last month at the PGA WM Phoenix Open. He ranked seventh on the tour in Shots-Gained: Tee-to-Green. His putter has held him back this season — but he ranked 30th in Shots-Gained: Putting last year, so this seemed like just a temporary blip. There was a good case to be made that his struggles with his blade are simply a product of his struggles on the Poa Annua surfaces that dominate the west coast events. He lost -5.75 strokes versus the field with his putter at The Genesis Invitational. But with the tour moving to Florida, that meant more Bermuda green putting surfaces that Fitzpatrick prefers. In the last two seasons, Fitzpatrick had gained +0.66 strokes per round versus the field when putting on Bermuda greens, going into last week. It was his fourth trip to the Copperhead course, where he finished in a tie for fifth place in 2022. I love an in-form Fitzpatrick — and we were on him in 2022 when he won the US Open.Fitzpatrick won the Valspar Challenge by finishing 11-under. All four of his rounds were at least three-under par. He went bogey-free in the final 36 holes. It was his fourth victory on the PGA Tour — and our first win in 2026 after enduring those two prior near-misses. Best of luck — Frank.

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Who's Winning "The Cup"

by Harry Gagnon

Monday, Mar 30, 2026

We have about 10 games remaining in the regular season in the NHL and it's time to "try" to figure out who's going to be about to parade around the ice with Lord Stanley's Cup and claim to be champions of the 2025-26 NHL season. I'll start with the team that has been the most dominant squad this year and that is the Colorado Avalanche (3/1). This team is loaded and have led in points, goals scored, best road record and other stats as well. Of course you have to start with Nathan MacKinnon who has had another unbelievable year and is 3rd in the NHL in points and first in goals scored. The Av's are a machine and should be the favorite but I'm not just handing over the trophy to them because this team resembles their team from last year and if you remember they were bounced from the playoffs in the 1st round by the Dallas Stars. Speaking of the Stars (11/1) they are breathing down the neck of Colorado in the Central division and have proven over the last few seasons that they are a team you do NOT want to meet come playoff time. The Stars have 4 players with 60+ points and as of March 30th they are just 6 points behind Colorado for the division. I'll end my discussion of possible winners for the Cup, at least in the Western Conference with the Edmonton Oilers (14/1). We all know how dangerous they can be on offense with probably the best player on the planet in Connor McDavid (leads NHL in points) but as it seems their weakness is goaltending especially if the offense in the playoffs isn't always there. In the Eastern Conference I'll start with the Carolina Hurricanes (5/1). The Canes are always solid on defense, but look even more impressive on offense this season than in season's past. Their top 4 scorers led by Sebastian Aho all are dynamic in different ways and are 2nd in the Conference in goal differential only to the Tampa Bay Lightning and are a shoe-in to win the Metropolitan division. The 'Ning (7/2) are creeping up on Colorado in numerous stats and the biggest reason why as usual is the play of Nikita Kucherov. He's 3rd in the league in points at 32 years of age and have just recently taken over the top spot in the Atlantic over Buffalo (19/1) and Montreal (35/1) (who would have thought to say that statement at the beginning of this season or any season for that matter). The Sabres and Habs probably won't win the Cup , but look out for both nof them to pull a shocker or two with what they are able to produce on offense and especially when they are on the power play. Like I said, the playoffs start in about 2 weeks and I for one cannot wait !!!!

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, and MLB Previews and Odds - 03/30/26

by Big Al Staff

Monday, Mar 30, 2026

The Monday sports card features NBA, NHL, and MLB action. The National Basketball League has eight games on its docket. The Philadelphia 76ers travel to Miami to play the Heat on Peacock at 7:10 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point road favorite with the total set at  246.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The Atlanta Hawks host the Boston Celtics at 7:40 p.m. ET as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 222.5. Two NBA games tip off at 8:10 p.m. ET. The Phoenix Suns play in Memphis against the Grizzlies as a 12.5-point road favorite with a total of 228.5. The San Antonio Spurs play at home against the Chicago Bulls on Peacock as a 17.5-point favorite with an over/under of 242.5. The Minnesota Timberwolves are on the road in Dallas to play the Mavericks at 8:40 p.m. ET as a 6.5-point road favorite with a total of 235.5.The Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Utah Jazz at 9:10 p.m. ET as a 17.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 243.5. The Oklahoma City Thunder are at home to take on the Detroit Pistons on Peacock at 9:40 p.m. ET as a 13.5-point favorite with a total of 219.5. The Los Angeles Lakers host the Washington Wizards at 10:10 p.m. ET as a 16.5-point favorite with an over/under of 236.5.The National Hockey League has four games on its slate. The New York Islanders play at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:07 p.m. ET as a -125 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Colorado Avalanche are at home against the Calgary Flames at 8:37 p.m. ET as a -355 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Two games conclude the NHL card at 10:07 p.m. ET. The Anaheim Ducks host the Toronto Maple Leafs as a -192 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Vegas Golden Knights play at home against the Vancouver Canucks as a -325 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Major League Baseball has 12 games scheduled. The Kansas City Royals are home against the Minnesota Twins at 4:10 p.m. ET as a -156 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. The Baltimore Orioles host the Texas Rangers at 6:35 p.m. ET as a -126 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9. Three MLB games throw out the first pitch at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Miami Marlins play at home against the Chicago White Sox as a -131 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Cincinnati Reds are at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates on FS1 as a -126 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The Philadelphia Phillies host the Washington Nationals as a -175 money-line favorite with a total of 9. The Toronto Blue Jays play at home against the Colorado Rockies at 7:07 p.m. ET as a-259 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Atlanta Braves are home to face the Athletics at 7:15 p.m. ET as a -143 money-line favorite with a total of 9.5. Two MLB games start at 7:40 p.m. ET. The Chicago Cubs host the Los Angeles Angels as a -186 money-line favorite with an over/under of 9.5. The Milwaukee Brewers play at home against the Tampa Bay Rays as a -143 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The New York Mets play in St. Louis against the Cardinals at 7:45 p.m. ET as a -156 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Boston Red Sox are on the road in Houston to battle the Astros at 8:10 p.m. ET as a -115 money-line road favorite with a total of 8.5. Two more MLB games begin at 9:40 p.m. ET. The Seattle Mariners are home to challenge the New York Yankees as a -115 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8. The San Diego Padres host the San Francisco Giants on FS1 as a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 8. Two games conclude the MLB card at 10:10 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Dodgers play at home against the Cleveland Guardians as a -207 money-line favorite with an over/under of 8.5. The Arizona Diamondbacks are home to play the Detroit Tigers as a -112 money-line favorite with a total of 9.

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Yet Another Number One Seed Loses in the Elite Eight

by Team Del Genio

Sunday, Mar 29, 2026

The Elite Eight is a dangerous round for the number one seeds on the brink of reaching the final four. Higher seeds in the Elite Eight are 41-57-4 against the spread, even after both Arizona and Illinois won and covered the point spreads yesterday in their games in the Elite Eight. Number one seeds in the elite eight are 29-31-4 against the spread after the Wildcats pulled away to beat the Boilermakers. When number one seeds are playing number two seeds in the elite eight, they only have a 28-24 straight-up record. Duke’s advancement to the final four was not a foregone conclusion, despite the oddsmakers installing them as a 5.5-point favorite against the Connecticut Huskies. UConn appeared to be flying under the radar in their Elite Eight showdown with Duke, despite being the second seed in the East region. Bettors may had grown frustrated with their only covering the point spread in fourteen of their thirty-six games this year. Yet the Huskies are only two years removed from winning back-to-back national championships. UConn has only lost five games this year. Their 67-63 victory against Michigan State on Friday added to their resume another signature win that also includes Illinois (in the final four) and Florida (the defending national champion). The experience and expertise of head coach Dan Hurley should not be dismissed too quickly. Under his leadership, the Huskies had covered the point spread in thirteen games in a row from the second round of the NCAA tournament through the championship game. UConn had covered the point spread in sixteen of their previous nineteen games in a postseason tournament with Hurley on the sidelines. The Duke Blue Devils were back to full strength after Caleb Foster returned from his fractured right foot on Friday in their game against St. John’s. Patrick Ngongba had played in the last two games after coming back from his injury in round two of the NCAA tournament in their game against TCU. Head coach Jon Scheyer needed both players in the Blue Devils’ narrow 80-75 victory against St. John’s as a 6.5-point favorite. Duke moves on to the elite eight on a fourteen-game winning streak. Foster scored 11 points and played 19 minutes in his improbable quick return from an injury that often takes over two months to recover. Yet with only a two-day turnaround, he may struggle to overcome that injury. If there was a weakness to this team, it is that they are not a great 3-point shooting squad. They ranked 142nd in the country with a 3-point shooting percentage of 34.2%. The Blue Devils have demonstrated some vulnerabilities in spots like this. They had covered the point spread in just three of their eight tournament games this year. They had covered the point spread in three of their previous ten games against opponents with a winning percentage at 80% or higher.Bettors who became skeptical about UConn had to be feeling very confident when Duke took a 19-point lead in the first half. Yet despite trailing by 15 points at halftime, Hurley proclaimed the way his team could get back in the game was to start making baskets. At one point, they had only made one of their 17 shots from 3-point land. Yet in the middle of the second half, they had cut their deficit to just nine points. If the Huskies had made three more 3-pointers for a 4 of 17 clip from 3-point, the game would have been tied. Finally, UConn started seeing some 3s land. They converted four of their final six games from the 3-point line, including Braylon Mullins’ heave with under a second left to give the Huskies a 73-72 upset victory. It was yet another big blown lead for the Blue Devils since Jon Scheyer became their head coach. In the national semifinals last year, Duke had a 59-45 lead against Houston with 8:17 left in the second half before the Cougars outscored them the rest of the way, 25-8, in a 70-67 loss. The Blue Devils' other two losses this season came after they took leads of 13 or more points. Against Texas Tech early in the year, they had a 58-41 lead with 16:30 minutes left in the second half before losing that game by one point, 82-81. Then against North Carolina, they opened the game on an 18-5 run before eventually losing to their arch rivals, 71-68. Foster struggled to contribute 48 hours after his initial return from his fractured foot. He played 14 minutes off the bench, yet did not score. Despite UConn’s struggles to make 3s, Duke’s five made 3-pointers were only one more than what the Huskies made by the end of the game. The Blue Devils' lack of productivity from 3-point range, along with three fewer offensive rebounds and an -8 net turnover margin, explains how they lost this game (and Team Del Genio won our NCAA-B Elite Eight Game of the Year). Now, number one seeds playing number two seeds in the Elite Eight only have a 28-25 straight-up record heading into 2027.Good luck - TDG.

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Has It Ever Been Safer to Bet Double-Digit NBA Favorites?

by Team Del Genio

Sunday, Mar 29, 2026

Has it ever been safer to bet double-digit favorites in the NBA than right now? With tanking seemingly an epidemic at the lower half of the standings, it is not uncommon for almost half the games on the daily NBA card to feature teams that the oddsmakers installed as a double-digit favorite. These double-digit underdogs often do not come close to covering the point spread, despite all the points they are getting from the oddsmakers. Take the Brooklyn Nets on Monday (March 23rd). They are one of the several teams in the NBA fully committing to tanking the rest of the season. They had lost seventeen of their previous nineteen games and seven games in a row after a 126-122 loss at Sacramento the day before. The Nets had covered the point spread only once in their previous eleven games when playing without a day of rest. At first glance, some bettors may get scared off by the large point spread in this game. Yet in Brooklyn’s previous three games played without rest ended in losses by 38, 37, and 19 points. The oddsmakers had installed six of the ten favorites tonight as double-digit favorites for a reason. This is the reality of the NBA in March, given the current rules and incentives to capture more ping pong balls for the NBA draft. Three of the Nets’ previous seven losses during their current losing streak had been by 19 or more points. Nine of their previous seventeen losses had been by 16 or more points. Brooklyn is able to tank while still asking their players to compete because they are not putting great players on the court. Head coach Jordi Hernandez is using the remaining games to audition the healthy rookies. Rookie Egor Demin, the eighth pick in last summer’s draft, is out for the season with an injury. Day’ron Sharpe is also out for the season with an injury. Yet the biggest loss is Michael Porter, Jr., by far their best player, who is dealing with a left hamstring injury that has kept him out of the previous seven games. He is not likely to play the rest of the season. He is the team’s leading scorer at 24.2 points per game. Without Porter on the court, Brooklyn’s offensive efficiency drops by -10.2 points to 102.0. That is the biggest drop in offensive efficiency in the NBA for a player with at least 1000 minutes played this year. The Nets had covered the point spread in four of their previous thirteen games on the road when the oddsmakers installed them as an underdog of 12.5 or more points. They had covered the point spread in nine of their previous twenty-five games on the road when playing a non-conference opponent, and they had covered the point spread in five of their previous thirteen games on the road when the oddsmakers installed the over/under from 210 to 219.5. One of Brooklyn’s recent losses of 19 or more points came on March 16th in a 114-95 loss at home against the Portland Trail Blazers as an 11-point underdog. They had the opportunity to avenge that loss, yet the Nets had covered the point spread in eight of their previous twenty-two games when playing with revenge from a loss at home in their previous game against their current opponent. Portland had won three games in a row before a 128-112 loss at Denver yesterday. The Trail Blazers had covered the point spread in seven straight games after losing to a division opponent in their previous game. They had covered the point spread in nine of their previous fourteen games played without rest. Portland is likely destined to compete in the play-in tournament for the playoffs next month. They can struggle against the better teams in the league, yet they take advantage of their opportunities to play the worst teams in the league. They had a 15-1 record in their previous sixteen games against the bottom-10 teams in the league, with an offensive rating of 120 in those games. Slow starts had plagued the Blazers for much of the season, yet in their previous four games, they had posted an offensive rating of 142 in the first quarter. Second-year pro Donovan Clingan is having a breakout season on both ends of the court. He is one of eight players in the NBA who are averaging double-digits in points and rebounds per game. Opponents are only making 43.5% of their shots at the rim when Clingan is on the court. The Trail Blazers have held their previous seven opponents to a 51.0% shooting percentage in the paint. Portland has been consistent at home this year, where they have covered the point spread in twenty of their thirty-four games. Despite being a 15.5-point favorite, the Trail Blazers were our NBA Game of the Month in this game. After taking a five-point lead after the first quarter, Portland outscored the Nets by 13 points in the second quarter to go into halftime with a 69-51 lead. They extended their lead by another six points in the third quarter before cruising to an easy 133-99 victory and a comfortable point spread cover. When teams like Brooklyn are consistently losing by 30 or more points when playing without a day of rest, taking favorites of 15 or so points becomes quite reasonable. Good luck - TDG.

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NBA Late Regular Season: To Bet or Not to Bet?

by Wayne Root

Sunday, Mar 29, 2026

The NBA regular season is nearly over. Just two more weeks remain on the schedule.Most bettors choose to either pass on these games, or they bet fewer games for lesser amounts. Conventional wisdom goes — that with many teams having already clinched playoff spots and many other teams now completely out of playoff contention with nothing to play for, it’s sometimes difficult to determine exactly which teams will show up on any given night.But clinching  playoff spot does not end the regular season for them. Now they concentrate on seeding. That’s where a large portion of bets are won. So pay attention to that as it makes a huge difference on who you play in the first round. The New Style of NBA Play We have witnessed a new style of NBA play. (More like shenanigans) There are teams that have been losing on purpose. But remember, those low-life teams were getting points as tremendous underdogs and underdogs can be profitable. Playoff teams may bench the starters earlier than normal and the dog backdoors the money tree. Add in the fatigue of a long season (coming after a shortened off-season), and that makes NBA betting, already a precarious endeavor, even less predictable for the favorites that have secured their playoff spot. Yet, as my data will show, that opinion is wrong.  Fact is, late-season NBA betting can be one of the most lucrative times of year to bet basketball. Focus on Games that Matter Bettors should focus on games that matter. More specifically, bettors are advised to focus on games that matter most, and look to bet on teams that desperately need to win in order to lock up a playoff spot.A long-held contrarian approach to sports betting is to wager against teams desperately needing to win.  This seems almost counterintuitive.  We know the public is well aware of which teams are desperate late in the season and must win in order to make the playoffs.The trouble is, the betting public tends to overvalue these teams. Contrarians would point out — if these marginal teams have to win so badly so late in the season, they must not really be that good.  This contrarian approach works very well in football — both college and pro. Fading public opinion can be wise, and profitable.Aside from the regular season wariness and anticipation for the playoffs which are pending, the final two weeks of the NBA must compete against baseball and hockey, which are also daily sports. That’s a crowded sports gambling menu this time of year.  No wonder so few gamblers have caught on to the unique opportunities which exist of late-season NBA betting.And then the playoffs afterwards where they play best-of-7-game series which provides great data, information and analytics. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, NCAAB and MLB Previews and Odds - 03/29/26

by Big Al Staff

Sunday, Mar 29, 2026

The Sunday sports card features NBA, NHL, NCAAB, and MLB action. The National Basketball League has nine games on its docket. The Los Angeles Clippers travel to Milwaukee to play the Bucks at 3:40 p.m. ET as a 14.5-point road favorite with the total set at 222.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The Miami Heat play in Indiana against the Pacers at 5:10 p.m. ET as a 9.5-point road favorite with an over/under of 245.5. Four NBA games tip off at 6:10 p.m. ET. The Charlotte Hornets host the Boston Celtics as a 1.5-point favorite with a total of 215.5. The Portland Trail Blazers play at home against the Washington Wizards as a 15.5-point favorite with an over/under of 239.5. The Toronto Raptors are home to take on the Orlando Magic as a 3.5-point favorite with a total of 224.5. The Brooklyn Nets host the Sacramento Kings as a 1.5-point favorite with an over/under of 221.5. The Houston Rockets are on the road in New Orleans to challenge the Pelicans at 7:10 p.m. ET as a 5.5-point road favorite with a total of 225.5. The Oklahoma City Thunder play at home against the New York Knicks for Sunday Night Basketball on NBC/Peacock at 7:40 p.m. ET as an 8.5-point favorite with a total of 238.5. The Denver Nuggets are home to face the Golden State Warriors on NBC/Peacock at 10:10 p.m. ET as an 11.5-point favorite with an over/under of 238.5. The National Hockey League has six games on its slate. The New York Rangers host the Florida Panthers at 1:07 p.m. ET as a -142 money-line favorite with a total of 5.5. Three more NHL games drop the puck at 5:07 p.m. ET. The Carolina Hurricanes play at home against the Montreal Canadiens as a -180 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Columbus Blue Jackets are home to play the Boston Bruins as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Nashville Predators as a -205 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Two games conclude the NHL card at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Dallas Stars visit Philadelphia to take on the Flyers as a -155 money-line road favorite with a total of 5.5. The New Jersey Devils play at home against the Chicago Blackhawks as a -162 money-line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The NCAAB college basketball schedule has the final two games of the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament on CBS. Michigan faces Tennessee at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, at 2:15 p.m. ET as a 7.5-point favorite with a total of 146.5. Duke battles UConn at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., at 5:05 p.m. ET as a 5.5-point favorite with an over/under of 133.5. Major League Baseball has 12 games scheduled. Two MLB games are on NBC/Peacock. The Atlanta Braves are home to face the Kansas City Royals at 1:35 p.m. ET as a -156 money-line favorite with a total of 8. The Seattle Mariners host the Cleveland Guardians at 7:20 p.m. ET as a -156 money-line favorite with an over/under of 7.5. 

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Copa Libertadores Group Betting (2026 Season)

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Saturday, Mar 28, 2026

The Copa Libertadores group stage is set with the qualifiers done now and the group stage set to start on Tuesday, April 7. Flamengo is the defending champion of the competition from last season and they have been the most dominant club in recent years with 3 Copa Libertadores Titles over the last 7 years. The competition has seen a different winner over the last 3 straight seasons, but Brasil has also dominated the competition with a Brasilian club winning each of the last 7 seasons. Even with all of this dominance from Brasilian clubs in recent years, there are still plenty of good clubs who are going to make noise early on in the group stage , so there is lots of value to be had with group betting props. Now with the start of the group stage just around the corner, it is time to see where the value is in these groups.  Group Winners Group B: Group B consists of Nacional +175, Universitario +200, Coquimbo Unido +400, and Deportes Tolima +400. Nacional is coming off of a great season, finishing 2nd place in their domestic league. They are off to a good start in their league this season as well, but they were awful in Copa Libertadores last year. They finished at the bottom of their group last season and did not even make the Copa Sudamericana cut, but there is going to be a focus on doing better in their group this season. They had a very fortunate draw this season as they are in one of the weakest groups with no club from Brasil or Argentina. Last season was also more of an anomaly for them as they have finished in 2nd place of their Copa Libertadores group in 2 of the last 3 seasons, and now they do not have a powerhouse club ahead of them. Nacional is the best team in this group this season with Universitario being the biggest threat, but Universitario is a team with a very good defense that cannot score goals and they have struggled to pick up wins in the group stage the last few years. Nacional has the quality to edge Universitario out in this group and they are much better than the other 2 clubs as well. Nacional at +175 to win Group B.  Group C: Group C consists of Fluminense -300, Bolívar +450, Independiente Rivadavia +550, and Deportivo La Guaira +5000. Fluminense is the big favorite in this group as they are the club from Brasil and have the best squad in the group, but they are not one of the more dominant clubs in Brasil like the 2 that run the league and they have the potential to slip up here. They have won their group the last 3 seasons they have been in Copa Libertadores, but 2 of those years only saw them win 3 matches in the group stage as they did dominate those groups, and they also missed Copa Libertadores altogether last season. Bolivar is going to be a big threat in this group as they have the experience of performing well in the group stage every year. They finished in 3rd place of their group last season and did not advance to the knockouts, but that is only going to make them push harder to advance this season. They actually won their group over Flamengo the season prior in 2024 and they have finished in the top 2 of the group 2 of the last 3 seasons. Bolivar is also going to be more motivated here as they have spent the last 4 seasons they have been in Copa Libertadores with Flamengo or Palmeiras in their group, but now they have an easier draw and they also have a very strong home advantage as they play in one of the highest elevations in the world. Independiente Rivadavia is off to a great start in the LPF this season and they have been one of the better teams so far, but they were just promoted to the LPF less than 3 years ago and they do not have the experience playing in this competition. This group is going to be a 2 horse race and if Fluminense slips up at all, Bolivar will be right there to steal the group from them. Bolivar at +450 to win Group C. Group D: Group D consists of Cruzeiro -106, Boca Juniors +140, Barcelona Guayaquil +850, and Universidad Catolica +1600. Cruzeiro is coming off of a great season as they finished in 3rd place in the Brasileirao, but they have had an awful start to this season and find themselves at the bottom of the league. They were expected to be a contender in the Brasileirao this season, but a bad start has put them well out of the race and they could spend a lot of the season just trying to dig themselves out so they can stay up in Serie A. It is still early in the season for them, but their poor start could cause them to lose focus in this competition as they will need to focus more on league matches, and winning the group might not be as big of a priority. This is not an easy group either as Boca Juniors is next on the list and they have had a very good start to the season in Argentina. They did not win the league last season and they are not leading the league this season either, but they still have one of the better squads in the whole country and they are the best team from Argentina suited for this competition. They have the potential to make a deep run with a very good defense that does not concede a lot and that is going to make them a big threat to winning this group. The other 2 clubs in the group do not have the quality that these 2 giants have, but Barcelona Guayaquil is a team that has a lot of experience playing in this competition every year and they are good enough to cause some problems for the other clubs and make this group not so cut and dry. Boca Juniors at +140 to win Group D. Group E: Group E consists of Corinthians +130, Penarol +210, Santa Fe +280, and Platense +1200. Corinthians is one of the bigger clubs in all of Brasil, but they have not been a dominant club in recent years. They have not really been a threat in the Brasileirao for years and they have struggled in this competition as well. They are not off to a great start this season either and they are a team that tends to pick up a lot of draws which is not going to help in this group stage. They have a very good defense that does not concede a lot of goals, but they also have an awful attack that struggles to score goals and that will lead to more draws which will not get them the points needed to win a group in the group stage. They are not a dominant Brasilian club which is going to open this group up to some of the other clubs, and Penarol is a great option to win this group over Corinthians. Penarol has finished in the top 2 of their Copa Libertadores group the last 2 seasons and they have made some deep runs as well. They have also been one of the better teams in Uruguay over the years and they have what it takes to win this group. Santa Fe is right behind Penarol in the odds, but Santa Fe is not nearly as strong as Penarol. Santa Fe has not had a great start to this season either and they are also coming off of a season where they were not the dominant club in their own domestic league. Corinthians will struggle to gain points in this group through draws and Penarol has the quality to steal this group from them. Penarol at +210 to win Group E.  Group G: Group G consists of Mirassol +175, Lanus +200, LDU Quito +220, and Always Ready +1000. Mirassol is the favorite in this group as they are the only club from Brasil, but this is a ridiculous line for them. They are coming off of a great season as they finished 4th place in the Brasileirao after being a newly promoted club, but that was also their 1st ever season in the Brasileirao and they put a lot into that. They have lost a lot of the quality that made them so good last season and they are already off to an awful start in the Brasileirao this season, so this might not be a competition they are focused on as they could be fighting relegation in their own domestic league. Mirassol is not the best team in this group either as there is a very good club from Argentina who is shaping up to be one of the better teams in their league this season, and they are also the Copa Sudamericana champions from last year. Lanus is going to be a threat in this group as they have a very potent attack that can score their way out of trouble. Lanus does not have a great defense though and that is going to be a problem for them in some of their matches. This is also their 1st time being back in Copa Libertadores since 2017 so they do not have the experience of playing in this competition in recent years. This is also a very tough group as there is another team who is going to be a threat as well. LDU Quito is one of the bigger clubs in Ecuador and they have had a lot of success in South American competitions in recent years. They have been one of the more dominant teams in their own domestic league and they are coming off of a season in which they won their Copa Libertadores group over Flamengo who went on to win it all. LDU Quito also has some experience as they have won a Copa Sudamericana Title in the last few seasons, and they were also the last club from Ecuador to win a Copa Libertadores Title. LDU Quito has a better squad than Mirassol does and they also have the quality to edge out Lanus as they are the much better team defensively and have a strong home advantage with elevation as well. LDU Quito at +220 to win Group G. Group H: Group H consists of Independiente del Valle +115, Rosario Central +125, Libertad Asuncion +500, and UCV +5000. Independiente del Valle has been one of the better teams in Ecuador over the last few years, finishing at the top of their league table the last 2 seasons and getting off to a great start this season as well. They have some experience making runs in these competitions as well and they have won a Copa Sudamericana Title in the last few years. They certainly have the strongest squad in this group with no real powerhouse team and they have a very good defense and home advantage to help them pick up points in this group. They have finished in 3rd place of their Copa Libertadores group 4 of the last 5 seasons, but they did win their group once in that span and are playing in a much weaker group that they can dominate this season. UCV is the best team in Venezuela right now, but Venezuela is one of the weakest leagues in all of South America and their teams have struggled to go far in this tournament. Libertad has also been a very inconsistent team over the years and they never make a run even when they find their way out of the group stage. The only real threat would be Rosario Central who is a very good team from Argentina with a very good defense as well, but their attack has struggled to score goals and that could lead to more draws in this group stage which will not get them the points needed to win the group. Independiente del Valle at +115 to win Group H.  Group Qualification Universitario Yes -125: Universitario is 2nd in the odds to win Group B and they have a very good chance at advancing, even if it is in 2nd place. They are in one of the weakest groups as they do not have a club from Brasil or Argentina in their group. They have a very good defense that is going to help them avoid losses and they have the quality to beat out the other 2 teams behind them as they do have some experience from previous years in this competition. The other 2 clubs also play in weaker leagues so Nacional is the only real threat in this group as they are the favorite, but even Nacional is not a dominant team in the group. Nacional has been one of the better teams in their league recently, but they were not the best team last season and they could still get upset in this group. They also finished in last place of their group last season which was a bit of a surprise, so the door is open for Universitario to possibly win this group as well. Universitario at -125 to qualify out of the group.  Penarol Yes -125: Penarol was already mentioned earlier as a possible group winner for Group E so for all of the same reasons here, there is some value in taking them at this price to qualify out of the group. Penarol at -125 to qualify out of the group.  Cerro Porteno Yes +162: Cerro Porteno has been one of the better teams in Paraguay over the last few years and they have also been very good in this competition over the years. They have finished in 2nd place of their domestic league the last 4 straight seasons, finishing right behind Libertad every year. They are also coming off of a season finishing in 2nd place of their Copa Libertadores group behind Palmeiras, and they have finished in the top 2 of their Copa Libertadores 7 of the last 9 seasons that they have been in the competition. Palmeiras is the dominant club in this group and they are one of the favorites to win the whole competition so it is very unlikely that Cerro Porteno wins the group, but that 2nd spot is up for grabs and this is good value for a club that has a history of finding their way out of the group stage over the last decade. Cerro Porteno at +162 to qualify out of the group.  LDU Quito Yes -138: LDU Quito has already been mentioned earlier as a possible group winner for Group G so for all of the same reasons here, there is some value in taking them at this price to qualify out of the group. There is also a discrepancy in the odds as LDU Quito is 3rd in line for the group winners with Lanus and Mirassol being ahead of them, yet LDU Quito is the biggest favorite in the group just to qualify in the top 2 spots as they have the experience and the best squad in the group. LDU Quito at -138 to qualify out of the group. Lanus Yes -125: Lanus has been playing very well to start this new season in Argentina and they are also coming off of a great year as the Copa Sudamericana champions. They have a very potent attack that is going to help them out of trouble in this competition and they still play in one of the stronger leagues in South America. There is no real powerhouse in this group either as the favorite to win the group is Mirassol, but Mirassol was a newly promoted side in the Brasileirao last season that overachieved and now they are in line to take a big step back this year. Lanus is the better team here with a lot more experience than Mirassol has playing in a competition like this, and Always Ready is not a true threat either as they have struggled a lot in these competitions over the last few years. LDU Quito is the team standing in their way of the group, but they still have the quality to possibly win this group and they will find a way out of it. Lanus at -125 to qualify out of the group. 

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Copa Libertadores Futures (2026 Season)

by Amedeus Mastrangelo

Saturday, Mar 28, 2026

The Copa Libertadores group stage is set with the qualifiers done now and the group stage set to start on Tuesday, April 7. Flamengo is the defending champion of the competition from last season and they have been the most dominant club in recent years with 3 Copa Libertadores Titles over the last 7 years. The competition has seen a different winner over the last 3 straight seasons, but Brasil has also dominated the competition with a Brasilian club winning each of the last 7 seasons. With the start of the group stage just around the corner now, it is time to see who has the best chance at bringing home the Copa Libertadores Title this season.  To Win Outright Flamengo +350: Flamengo is coming into this competition as the team with the best chance at bringing home the Copa Libertadores Title this season, according to the oddsmakers. Flamengo is coming off of a great season as the dominant club in South America. They are the defending champions of this competition and they also won the Brasileirao as well. They have a very good history in this competition over the last few years with 3 different titles in the last 7 seasons, but they have not won the competition B2B years during this run of dominance. Flamengo is also not the same team that they were last season as they lost a lot of that quality. They still have a lot of quality and depth that makes them one of the better clubs in all of South America, but they are also in line to take a step back this year and should not be the favorite in this tournament this season. Flamengo is always a good option as they have the quality and will take this competition very seriously, but there is not a lot of value in them at this price as there are better options out there.  Palmeiras +400: Palmeiras is coming into this competition as the team with the next best chance at bringing home the Copa Libertadores Title this season, according to the oddsmakers. Palmeiras is one of the better clubs in all of South America and they always have the quality to make deep runs in these competitions. They are coming off of a very good season last year, but they did not win any trophies so there is going to be a focus on winning this year. They have performed very well in this competition over the last few seasons and they even went to the Final last year, losing 1-0 to Flamengo, so that is only going to motivate them more to win it this season. This is the most desirable competition in all of South America so they are going to be pushing to make a deep run this season and they have had a very good history over the years as well. They have won 2 Copa Libertadores Titles over the last 6 seasons so they know what they need to do in a competition like this, but they also have not won it since winning B2B back in 2020 and 2021, so there is going to be a focus on winning this competition this year after making a trip to the Final last season. Palmeiras is also off to a great start in the Brasileirao and they are going to be a contender in that league all season with the quality and depth that they have. This is going to be a big year for Palmeiras after getting dominated by Flamengo in every competition last season and they are going to have the hunger to be better. Palmeiras has the best squad in this competition this season and they should be the favorite, so there is some good value in Palmeiras at this price as they are going to be the most dominant club in the competition.  Cruzeiro +750: Cruzeiro is coming into this competition as the team with the next best chance at bringing home the Copa Libertadores Title this season, according to the oddsmakers. Cruzeiro is coming off of a very good season as they finished 3rd place in the Brasileirao last year behind Flamengo and Palmeiras. They were one of the more dominant clubs in the league last season and made a deep run in other competitions as well, but they are going to be taking a big step back this season. They do not have the quality or depth to dominate the league again and it is going to be tough for them to put focus on this competition as well. There is a chance that they move all of their eggs to this basket to win a Copa Libertadores Title, but they could have bigger fish to fry as they are currently at the bottom of the Brasileirao table with an awful start to the season and they will also need to focus on keeping themselves out of the relegation zone. That could take focus away from this competition as staying up in the Brasileirao is also a big deal for them, and they certainly do not have the depth to focus on both at the same time. They are going to have to make some sacrifices this season and even if they do make a deep run in this competition, they will eventually run into a better team that gets the best of them, likely from their own league. There is no real value in Cruzeiro at this price as their early troubles to start the Brasileirao season could have an impact on how they approach this competition and they will also need some big changes to be able to compete with the elite clubs.  Fluminense +1000: Fluminense is coming into this competition as the team with the next best chance at bringing home the Copa Libertadores Title this season, according to the oddsmakers. Fluminense has a lot of quality in their squad this season and they have been one of the better teams in Brasil over the last few years. They have not been as dominant as the top 2 in the league, but Fluminense has put together some very good seasons over the years and even managed to pick up a Copa Libertadores Title back in 2023. That is also the only title they have ever won in this competition though. They are off to a good start in the Brasileirao this season and they certainly have the quality to make a deep run. They did very well in the Club World Cup last season as well, so this is a competition that they are going to be focused on winning, especially if the league race slips away from them throughout the year. Fluminense has the quality as well as the depth to make a deep run and they know how to win in these competitions as well. They have also shown that they can certainly compete with the heavy hitters in their own league and they have a very potent attack that can bail them out of matches. Their defense is a little shaky though and that would be the only problem for them if they run into a much better defensive team down the line, but Fluminense has what it takes to go far here. There is some good value in Fluminense at this price as they have won the competition in the last 3 seasons and have the quality to make some noise.  Corinthians +1200: Corinthians is coming into this competition as the team with the next best chance at bringing home the Copa Libertadores Title this season, according to the oddsmakers. Corinthians is a very big club in Brasil, but they have not been what they used to be in previous years. They have been struggling in their own domestic league for years now and they are not off to a good start this season either. They have not won the Brasileirao since back in 2017 and they only have 1 Copa Libertadores Title in their club history which came back in 2012. They do have a very good defense that is not going to allow many goals in this competition so there is a chance that they ride that defense deep into the later rounds, but they also have an awful attack that struggles to find the net and that is going to get them into trouble as they will eventually run into a stronger team that puts them into a hole and they will not be able to dig their way out. That defensive style does much better in the knockouts as well, but it can certainly be a liability in the group stage as draws are not going to get them the points needed to advance. In a stretch of the competition where clubs from Brasil have dominated over the years, Corinthians has not been one of them and they have no business being this high in the odds as well. There are plenty of better teams in their own domestic league that could knock them out of this competition, so there is no real value in Corinthians at this price. Boca Juniors +1400: Boca Juniors is coming into this competition as the team with the next best chance at bringing home the Copa Libertadores Title this season, according to the oddsmakers. Boca Juniors is also the team with the best chance at winning this competition not from Brasil. They are not the best team in Argentina this season and they are not the best team in their domestic league currently either, but they certainly have the best chance in this competition out of all the other clubs from Argentina. Boca Juniors is built to make a deep run in this competition with that great defense they have as they are not going to allow many goals, but they also have a good attack that can score and they are not going to try to lean on draws to get by each round. They should have no problem advancing from their group either, so they have a very good chance at being the non-Brasilian club to make a deep run as they are built for the later rounds. The last club from Argentina to win the Copa Libertadores was River Plate back in 2018 and Boca Juniors has not won it themselves since 2007, but they have been the closest club from Argentina in recent years as they were runners up in 2023 when they lost to Fluminense 2-1 in the Final. Boca Juniors has the defense needed to carry them through this competition so there is some good value in Boca Juniors at this price.  Independiente del Valle +2500: Independiente del Valle is coming into this competition as the team with the next best chance at bringing home the Copa Libertadores Title this season, according to the oddsmakers. They have been one of the better clubs in Ecuador over the last few years, usually dominating the domestic league, and they have done very well in South American competitions as well. They made a deep run in Copa Sudamericana last season, getting to the Semifinals, and they have a Copa Sudamericana Title in the last few years as well, winning it 2022. A lot of their South American success has also come in Copa Sudamericana though, but Copa Libertadores is a whole different animal with much stronger competition and they have not done as well in this competition specifically. Not only has this competition been dominated by Brasil over the last 7 seasons, it has also been dominated by clubs from both Brasil and Argentina over the last 2 decades. The last time a club not from Argentina or Brasil won Copa Libertadores was Atletico Nacional back in 2016, and that is the only club not from Argentina or Brasil that has won this competition in the last 17 years. The last club from Ecuador to win it was LDU Quito back in 2008, but Independiente del Valle has never actually won the title themselves with only 1 Final appearance. There is no real value in Independiente del Valle to win this competition at this price.  RecommendationThere has not been a lot of diversity in this competition over the last few seasons and with the current strength of the Brasileirao this year, it will likely be another club from Brasil that dominates this competition once again. The Brasileirao is the strongest league in South America and they have multiple clubs who are the best in this competition. Palmeiras at +400 is the best option for this season with Flamengo in line to take a step back this year and Palmeiras playing with the hunger of not winning anything last season as well. Fluminense at +1000 is the next best option as a dark horse as they have won this competition in the last few seasons and certainly have the quality to compete with some of the best in the competition. Finally, Boca Juniors at +1400 is also a good option as a dark horse as they are built for the later rounds of this competition with a very good defense, so if this is going to be the year that a non-Brasilian club wins it all, Boca Juniors has the best chance to. 

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Big Al's Daily Angle: NBA, NHL, NCAAB and MLB Previews and Odds - 03/28/26

by Big Al Staff

Saturday, Mar 28, 2026

The Saturday sports card features NBA, NHL, NCAAB, and MLB action. The National Basketball League has six games on its docket. The San Antonio Spurs travel to Milwaukee to play the Bucks on Amazon Prime Video at 3:10 p.m. ET as an 18.5-point road favorite with the total set at 226.5 (all odds from DraftKings). The Minnesota Timberwolves host the Detroit Pistons on ABC at 5:40 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point favorite with an over/under of 223.5. The Charlotte Hornets play at home against the Philadelphia 76ers at 6:10 p.m. ET as a 5.5-point favorite with a total of 231.5. The Atlanta Hawks are home to play the Sacramento Kings at 7:40 p.m. ET as a 14.5-point favorite with an over/under of 237.5. The  Chicago Bulls play in Memphis against the Grizzlies at 8:10 p.m. ET as a 2.5-point road favorite with a total of 244.5. The Phoenix Suns host the Utah Jazz at 10:10 p.m. ET as a 17.5-point favorite with an over/under of 229.5. The National Hockey League has 15 games on its slate. Two NHL games drop the puck at 1:07 p.m. ET. The Tampa Bay Lightning play at home against the Ottawa Senators as a -162 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The New York Islanders are at home to take on the Florida Panthers as a -192 money-line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Edmonton Oilers host the Anaheim Ducks at 3:37 p.m. ET as a -148 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. Four NHL games start at 5:07 p.m. ET. The Columbus Blue Jackets play at home against the San Jose Sharks as a -205 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Minnesota Wild are on the road to face the Boston Bruins as a -125 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The Dallas Stars visit the Pittsburgh Penguins as a -125 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The Carolina Hurricanes are home to battle the New Jersey Devils as a -205 money-line favorite with a total of 6.5. The Buffalo Sabres host the Seattle Kraken at 5:37 p.m. ET as a -198 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. Three NHL games begin at 7:07 p.m. ET. The Montreal Canadiens play in Nashville against the Predators as a -120 money-line road favorite with a total of 6.5. The Colorado Avalanche play at home against the Winnipeg Jets as a -270 money-line favorite with an over/under of 6.5. The St. Louis Blues are home to challenge the Toronto Maple Leafs as a -142 money-line favorite with a total of 5.5. The Detroit Red Wings host the Philadelphia Flyers on ABC at 8:07 p.m. ET as a -142 money-line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Los Angeles Kings play at home against the Utah Mammoth at 9:07 p.m. ET as a -115 money-line favorite with a total of 5.5. The Calgary Flames are home to take on the Vancouver Canucks at 10:07 p.m. ET as a -166 money-line favorite with an over/under of 5.5. The Vegas Golden Knights host the Washington Capitals at 10:37 p.m. ET as a -155 money-line favorite with a total of 5.5. The NCAAB college basketball schedule has the first two games of the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament on TBS. Illinois faces Iowa in the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, at 6:09 p.m. ET as a 7.5-point favorite with an over/under of 137.5. Arizona takes on Purdue at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, at 8:49 p.m. ET as a 6.5-point favorite with a total of 163.5. Major League Baseball has 15 games scheduled. Four MLB games are on national television. The Tampa Bay Rays are on the road against the St. Louis Cardinals on Peacock at 2:15 p.m. ET, with both teams priced at -110 with an over/under of 7.5. The Baltimore Orioles play at home against the Minnesota Twins on FS1 at 4:05 p.m. ET as a -163 money-line favorite with a total of 7.5. Two MLB games are featured on Fox’s regional television coverage at 7:15 p.m. ET. The New York Yankees travel to San Francisco to battle the Giants as a -126 money-line road favorite with an over/under of 8. The Atlanta Braves are home to play the Kansas City Royals as a -149 money-line favorite with a total of 8.5. 

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