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Biography

The progeny of an accomplished sports handicapper, William Burns is already making a name for himself.

Active since: 2023

Location: Vancouver Island, BC, Canada

They say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Son of a well-known handicapper, William Burns has sports betting in his blood. Indeed, since his teens, William was helping his father behind the scenes by studying games and applying his analytical skills to handicap games. One of William's key learnings was it's often better to swim against the current than with it. He also understands which situations and statistics are the best predictors of winning. And this high-level training, combined with a deep understanding of sports, has provided William with the necessary skills to be a sharp handicapper.

William has had invaluable experience as an athlete, as well. An avid and passionate soccer player, Burns competed in high-level international tournaments while growing up. And his love of soccer has given him a unique ability to handicap the sport. You can expect plays in all the worldwide soccer leagues. Beyond soccer, William handicaps all the major leagues, including NFL, NBA, NCAAF, NCAAB, NHL and MLB. And he will have plays in UFC, CFL, Tennis and more.

In 2023, William's first season as a professional handicapper, he had stellar results, including 70-50 in the NFL in 2023, 9-1 in MMA, 14-4 in Tennis, 27-16 in Soccer, and 54-39 in the NBA. William expects 2024 to be bigger and better, and is excited to join BigAl.com, where his plays will reach a wide audience. Don't miss any of William's winning selections.

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CUSTOM - Over / Under - Sun, Jun 01

(M) FRENCH OPEN TOTAL OF THE YEAR >> 4-1 RUN!

After winning his WOMEN'S FRENCH OPEN TOY during the week, Burns has his BIGGEST MEN'S FRENCH OPEN TOY on Sunday. He'...

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FIFA Club World Cup (SOCCER) - June/July 2025

Thursday, May 29, 2025

What is it? Unique and revamped starting in 2025, FIFA's 2025 Club World Cup is a tournament which should turn heads from around the world. Not only does this tournament include some of the top teams in world, it will feature some player matchups that we didn't think that we would see. Beginning on June 14th, 32 of the world's finest soccer clubs will compete in a group stage/knockout stage style event. Back in 2023, there were only seven teams competing for glory in this tournament and Manchester City was by far the top team. Some of the top teams are missing from this year's version. This is due to the recent poor results of those teams in European competitions. However, most of the best of the best teams will feature in this event. There are 11 different venues/stadiums across the United States that will have fans jumping out of their seats this summer with the final being played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford New Jersey. This event will be held every two years and should bring even more attention to the world's most beautiful game. What's at stake? Just like all of the "FIFA" branded tournaments, the 32 clubs will compete for a trophy which most definitely looks to be one of the most special trophies ever made. Winning this tournament would be an accomplishment of a lifetime for some of these teams and I believe that there are plenty of side which most definitely could head back home with gold. Having said that, there's plenty at stake here. The most elite teams will be more confident, obviously. But, look out for some of the underdogs. Note that some of these teams are actually still in the midst of their respective countries soccer season, instead of most which have finished already, which could help them as they are in mid-season shape. Who are the favorites? (All Odds via. Bet 365 Sportsbook.)Real Madrid +350Manchester City +450Bayern Munich +600PSG +800Inter Milan +900Chelsea +1000Atletico Madrid +1400Borussia Dortmund +2500Juventus +2500Benfica +3300FC Porto +3300Flamengo +3300Palmeiras +3300Boco Juniors +4000River Plate +4000Burns' Predictions and Best Bets:I believe that Real Madrid has the most talent out of any team in the field which is why I think that the oddsmakers have this right for the most part right now. However, that doesn't mean that it's guaranteed to win or anything. PSG & Inter Milan have the Champions League Final together for the top team in Europe today and are sitting in the 4th/5th best odds sport right now. Also don't sleep on teams like Flamengo at +3300 and River Plate at +4000. Those teams could definitely pose threats to a bunch of the top teams which aren't used to playing teams like that. Burns' Best Bets: Erling Haaland to be Man City's top goalscorer (-200) & Flamengo to Reach Quarter Finals (+200). *If had to choose I'd take Real Madrid at (+350) to win the Club World Cup in 2025.

2025 Roland Garros (French Open) Preview/Predictions:

Saturday, May 24, 2025

Last Year is Old News. The Future is here. At this time last year, Novak Djokovic was still at the top of his game in the Men's game of tennis. He had the second best odds to win this tournament and was very much a threat to win any title that he wanted to. Having said that, at this very tournament last year, Novak had to withdraw from one of his matchups due to a torn medial meniscus which saw him sidelined for quite some time. Yes, he's still got the third best odds to win the 2025 version of the French Open. But, the odds are considerably worse than last year and he's going to need to dig in and battle in every single set in this years tournament. On the Women's side of the tournament, Iga Swiatek is the defending champion and for good reason. She's been known to be the "queen of clay" as she has a career record of 95–14 on the clay courts (87%.) Having said all of that, she's been struggling dearly so far per her standards in 2025 on both hard courts as well as the clay courts. It has not looked like the same Iga that we saw last year at this time of the year. Don't get me wrong, you can never count out the defending champion. But, things aren't looking so good for the Pole at the moment and this tournament is going to give her lots of challenges throughout. Who's up next? Mirra Andreeva is the name to watch out for in this years tournament. She's already won multiple WTA 1000 events in 2025 at the age of just 17 years old. Andreeva currently is tied with Coco Gauff for the third best odds to win the whole thing and very much could do so considering the form. I expect her to go very far in this tournament and if she gets going like we all know that she can, she could definitely lift up a Grand Slam trophy for the first time in her young career. 3 Opening Round Matchups To Watch: Hubert Hurkacz vs. Joao Fonseca (M) .. Although this matchup isn't between players ranked in the top 25, this should be a fantastic watch as it's a player from Poland who's got the #30 seed in this tournament up against one of the best young upcoming stars in the game of Men's Tennis. Hurkacz is currently the underdog despite having the seeded number by his name. Expect an all out war in this matchup. (Best Bet - Over 38.5 Games (-135)) Tomas Martin Etcheverry vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas (M) .. The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas is known for being very solid on the clay courts which has him favored by a fairly decent amount in this massive opening round matchup. Having said that, I wouldn't count out Etcheverry out so fast. He is coming off a very solid showing in Hamburg and has the intangibles to take this matchup further than people are expecting him to. I'm not calling for the outright win, but don't be shocked if this one exceeds three sets. (Best Bet - Tomas Martin Etcheverry To Win A Set - Yes (-185)) Naomi Osaka vs. Paula Badosa (W) .. As she's still not ranked in Women's Tennis, Naomi Osaka always seems to be in one of the most difficult opening round matchups out of anybody. Playing against her in the first round is not something that the ranked player will be looking forward to, that's for sure. Paula Badosa is the #10 seed in the 2025 French Open but still is the slight underdog in this matchup. This should be another Osaka classic and I wouldn't be surprised if it went the distance. But, be careful Badosa, even if you win the first set. (Best Bet - Naomi Osaka to Win (-135)) Odds to Win (via. DraftKings:) Men's: Carlos Alcaraz +100Jannik Sinner +225Novak Djokovic +1200Alexander Zverev +1800Lorenzo Musetti +2500Casper Ruud +2800Jack Draper +4000Holger Rune +4000Arthur Fils +6000Stefanos Tsitsipas +6500Women's: Aryna Sabalenka +240Iga Swiatek +300Coco Gauff +500 Mirra Andreeva +500Jasmine Paolini +1400Qinwen Zheng +1800Elena Rybakina +2800Jalena Ostapenko +3000Elina Svitolina +3000Madison Keys +3000 Burns' French Open 2025 Projections: Last year at Roland Garros, Burns predicted both Carlos Alcaraz (at +260) & Iga Swiatek (at -165) to win and both were successful. This year, he expects to do the exact same thing. After beating Jannik Sinner in his home country just a week ago, it's very difficult for me to look anywhere else other than Carlos Alcaraz once again this year. He's the favorite to win this year's tournament once again but I believe that it's for good reason. The rest of the field is extremely talented. But, two men stand alone on a different level. Sinner & Alcaraz. Yes, she's still the current "queen of clay" in my books. But, given Iga Swiatek's form, I do not believe that she's going to be able to flip the switch in time for this year's French Open. There's just way too much talent in the Woman's game right now to have any mishaps and it's been that kind of year for Iga. I like three players this year. Andreeva (the young rising phenom.) Paolini (made the final last year.) Zheng (just beat the world #1 Sabalenka.) I expect one of those Women to win this tournament. Burns' Best Bets: Carlos Alcaraz (+100) to Win it all & Mirra Andreeva to Win the 3rd Quarter (-115)

Burns' Top 5 Future Bets To Make Right Now (ASAP)

Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025

As you all know, Burns has successfully predicted plenty of sporting outcomes already (via. articles) in his time as a handicapper. Most recently he had Stephon Castle to win ROTY (at +1000) in his "5 NBA Future Bets to Make Before the Season Begins" article. He's now -1400 with the final announcement coming in the next few weeks. Here are 5 future bets to make at this time and you better hurry. These odds will change!! *Not in Order. (odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook.) 1. Toronto Maple Leafs to Win the Stanley Cup (+800) I've been saying for a while now in my analysis' of NHL selections on the Leafs that I believe that this team is capable. Canada has not brought home a Stanley Cup in the 2000's yet and this could be its best chance to do so with six Canadian teams in the NHL playoffs. Currently up 1-0 in the Battle of Ontario vs. Ottawa in the first round. Toronto is going for glory. A matchup with the winner of Florida/Tampa will be tough in the second round. But, if the Maple Leafs can keep rolling, they most definitely can win it all this year. They are my pick to win the Cup this season. 2. Golden State Warriors to Win the NBA Finals (+1500) Still a bit of a longshot, I believe that these are still the best odds in the NBA to win the finals. Golden State is up 1-0 vs. Houston in the opening round of these playoffs and has a very good shot at advancing now. With the Timberwolves up 1-0 on the Lakers, Golden State's path to the WCF could be "slightly easier" than expected. I believe the same as Jimmy Butler believes. Any team has a chance, and especially with the likes of Stephen Curry. Golden State's dynasty may not be completely done yet. Expect the Warriors to fight their hardest to get back to another NBA finals this year in 2025. 3. National League to Win the World Series (-150) As the oddsmakers and I believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are most definitely the favorites to win the World Series once again this year, there is definitely more value on playing on the NL to win the World Series at slightly more expensive odds than just the Dodgers. Philadelphia, NYM, Atlanta, San Diego & Arizona are all teams that I expect to compete for a spot in this years postseason and any of those teams could go on a run to the World Series if they get into the postseason. I believe that this is the best bet to make in the MLB at this given moment. 4. Micah Parsons to Win DPOY (+750) Many people might think I'm crazy with this selection with Myles Garrett, TJ Watt and Aidan Hutchinson as top options to win this years Defensive Player Of The Year in the NFL. However, I believe that Micah Parsons is poised for his biggest season yet. We've already seen how talented this young edge rusher is out of Penn State and he's produced stellar numbers already. If the Cowboys stack up with more defense this year, Parsons should be able to explode even more this season and dominate the defensive side of the ball. Dallas fans should be excited. 5. Washington Commanders OVER 9.5 Wins (-125) After adding Deebo Samuel Sr to the offense this offseason, Jayden Daniels has even more reasons to take it to another level in the 2025-26 season. He's coming off an amazing rookie year and took Washington to the playoffs and beating Detroit in the first round. With the win total set at 9.5 right before the seasons starts, this is a great time to get on the Washington Commanders train I expect them to win double digit games with ease this season. The Commanders went 12-5 last year in this division and are better than last year. Give me the "over" here.

Burns' Bulletin Board: Top 15 NFL Mock Draft

Tuesday, Apr 22, 2025

The NFL Draft is this coming Thursday and I'm more excited than anyone for this upcoming season. After successfully predicting the 2024-25 CFB Champs prior to the season in my "Way-Too-Early NCAAF Predictions & Future Bets to Make:" article (OSU at +400 to win,) I'm back with a bit of an NFL Draft guide for this years draft on the College players. Here's my; MOCK DRAFT of the 2025 NFL DRAFT and why I have them where they are. ***This is not my top 10 players across the board. This is who I think is going to be picked at what spot. (will have sleepers at the end. 1. TENNESSEE TITANS - Cam Ward (MIAMI → QB) Perhaps not the best overall player in the draft, Ward has established himself as the best QB in the draft. He's now (-20000) to be selected #1 overall via. DraftKings and I can't go against that. Tennessee badly needs a QB and Ward is the guy that the Titans should be going after if they are looking in that direction. Burns' Player Comp: Jordan Love2. CLEVELAND BROWNS - Travis Hunter (COLORADO → WR/CB) Playing at an elite level on both sides of the ball, Travis Hunter is going to be a problem in the NFL if the Browns let him play both sides. He probably is the best overall prospect in this draft and the Browns would be stupid to not go him at #2 if he slips. Whoever is the QB1 for the Browns on Week 1 is going to love this new addition. Burns' Player Comp: WR = DeVonta Smith, CB = Champ Bailey 3. NEW YORK GIANTS - Abdul Carter (PENN STATE → EDGE) My favorite player in this years draft is Abdul Carter. An absolute killer off the edge, this guy will feed in NFL games. With Ward/Hunter already gone, this selection is a no brainer for NYG. Adding Carter to this already solid DLINE is going to make this Giants front four extremely dangerous in this upcoming season. Burns' Player Comp: Micah Parsons/Von Miller 4. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS - Will Campbell (LOUISIANA STATE → OT) A 3-year starter at Left-Tackle for LSU, Will Campbell should fit right into the New England system to protect Drake Maye's blind side. Campbell has a much smaller arm-length than most tackles in the NFL. However, if he's being selected in the first round yet alone top 15, he's should be a very good addition to a NE team that badly needs a tackle. Burns' Player Comp: Dion Dawkins 5. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS - Tetairoa McMillan (ARIZONA → WR) Maybe the most productive pass-catcher in the draft, McMillan will provide that size option that Trevor Lawrence is looking for. The Jags already have a stud in Brian Thomas Jr at the other WR spot. Adding McMillan to the mix with Christian Kirk in the slot could be a deadly wideout trio for Jacksonville. Burns' Player Comp: Courtland Sutton/Tee Higgins 6. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS - Shedeur Sanders (COLORADO → QB) Oakland needs a QB and this could be a perfect fit for Shedeur. Going from one great to another in father Deion Sanders to Pete Carroll, the Sanders family will be extremely excited to get to work with someone who people continue to doubt. Russell Wilson was dominant with Pete Carroll in Seattle. Sanders could just be another QB that works perfectly in Carroll's system. Burns' Player Comp: Geno Smith with upside 7. NEW YORK JETS - Mason Graham (MICHIGAN → IDL) Not much to say here other than Mason Graham is a beast. He's also got a less than average length in terms of arms, which might cause him slipping outside of the top 5 which I have. However, Graham is explosive right out of the gates and should be able to cause lots of disruption in the backfield for whoever selects him. Burns' Player Comp: Kenny Clark/Cameron Hayward 8. CAROLINA PANTHERS - Jalon Walker (GEORGIA → EDGE) What can we say about Georgia pass rushers. We've already seen Philadelphia load up on these guys in recent years and it definitely paid off with the Eagles winning the Super Bowl this past season. Jalon Walker is a guy that will fit right into any teams defense and can play both on the edge or as a linebacker. Burns' Player Comp: Leonard Floyd 9. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS - Will Johnson (MICHIGAN → CB) New Orleans is searching for the next Marshon Lattimore (traded last year.) Will Johnson might just be that guy. Although he didn't play very many games last season, he was effective in each and every game that he played in. Johnson is simply a tall shutdown corner with elite athleticism. Burns' Player Comp: Jaycee Horn/Christian Gonzales (upside of Pat Surtain II) 10. CHICAGO BEARS - Mykel Williams (GEORGIA → EDGE) Another Georgia pass rusher in the top 10? You bet. Although some Mock Drafts have Mykel Williams outside of the top ten, I believe that this is a great spot for him to go off the board. Williams has more of the pass rushing build (vs. his soon to be former teammate Jalon Walker.) He's got a bit of work to do before he reaches his full potential but his relentless style of play will most definitely be something coaches are excited about. Burns' Player Comp: Travon Walker 11. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS - Shemar Stewart (TEXAS A&M → EDGE) Shamar Stewart seems like the type of guy Kyle Shanahan would like. Stewart was outstanding in the NFL combine and that skyrocketed his draft stock. He's a got the potential to be great and pairing him off the edge with Nick Bosa would be something to watch. He might not start early on in this already stacked SF DLine group. But, Stewart's upside is greater than most in this years draft. Burns' Player Comp: Jermaine Johnson II 12. DALLAS COWBOYS - Ashton Jeanty (BOISE STATE → RB) Yes, yes, Ashton Jeanty could most definitely go higher in the NFL Draft. However, I simply just don't believe that Runningbacks are more valuable than some of the other positions on the football field. Jeanty was dominant last year, breaking records, and has the intangibles to be great. Landing somewhere like Dallas could do him wonders. Burns' Player Comp: Frank Gore/Marshawn Lynch 13. MIAMI DOLPHINS - Jahdae Barron (TEXAS → CB) Jahdae Barron will be missed at Texas. He was the top corner on a team that took Ohio State to the final whistle. Barron is an extremely aggressive corner than had five INT's last year. He impressed very much in the combine and I expect him to fill the Jalen Ramsay role (most likely to leave this offseason) in this Dolphins team. Burns' Player Comp: Trent McDuffie 14. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS - Tyler Warren (PENN STATE → TE) No doubt, the best Tight-End prospect in the draft in my opinion and he's going to a place in Indianapolis that is in much need of a reliable tight end. Penn State doesn't throw the ball much. But, when the Nittany Lions did, Tyler Warren was the main focal point. His frame and work ethic is going to be something that the Colts will be looking forward to this September. Burns' Player Comp: George Kittle/Jeremy Shockey 15. ATLANTA FALCONS - Mike Green (MARSHALL → EDGE) Sleeper alert! Mike Green might have played at a small school in Marshall. However, this guy is an absolute savage. Green creates chaos in the opposing teams backfield and is going to be a nightmare for tackles in the NFL. I firmly believe that Green could outperform all of the edge's I've mentioned so far and perhaps even win ROTY at very good odds. Burns' Player Comp: Nolan Smith

CBB - March Madness Preview: (By Region)

Monday, Mar 17, 2025

South Region: Aka. Auburn's region, this region is very intriguing. We've got a brilliant matchup in Louisville/Creighton kicking the 4-day weekend off on Thursday and the best overall team in the field in Auburn. The Tigers are coming into this tournament with (-135) odds to win this region and head to the Final Four. That's not giving much respect to the rest of the teams, who most definitely all have a chance. The first couple of games in the South will actually be played on Tuesday in the First Four. St. Francis takes on Alabama State to get into the tournament. That should be a very close game that comes down to the wire. In the other matchup, we'll see a hungry San Diego State team take on a team that perhaps shouldn't even be here in North Carolina. The rankings were with UNC, but the results were not. I mean, the Tar Heels were 1-12 in Quad-1 games this season. They also have a Quad-3 loss at home to Stanford. Having said that, teams like West Virginia, Indiana & Boise State were left at home not happy whatsoever. But, take nothing away from the Tar Heels. They are in and have as good of a shot as any to go in and win their First-Four matchup and even more. They got a pretty good draw considering all of this. Let's not skip too far down the bracket yet though. Michigan may have just won the Big 10 Tournament. But, it's got a very interesting first round matchup against a UC San Diego team that might just be the worst possible opponent for them. The Tritons force plenty of TO's and Michigan has a TO issue. Upset Alert? Yale upset Auburn last season in the #4/13 matchup. Can the Bulldogs do it again this March? Back to the bottom half of the bracket again, despite the injury from Keshon Gilbert, the Cyclones are still a phenomenal basketball team. They played very well in the Big 12 Tournament vs. BYU without Gibert & Lipsey. Lipsey is expected to be back. Michigan State is also not to be slept on. I mean it's the reigning Big 10 Regular Season champs. East Region: Aka. Duke's region. Finishing the pre-March Madness season with the best record in College Basketball, the Duke Blue Devils had to finish the season with their best player sitting on the sidelines. Yes, I expect Cooper Flagg to return to the Blue Devils for the entirety of this tournament. This team is as strong as any Duke team that's ever been in this tournament. What a matchup we have in the #8/#9 between Mississippi State & Baylor. If the Bears advance we could see Jeremy Roach against his old team (Duke) - that matchup would be very fun. If Mississippi State wins, it could also cause problems for Duke as the Blue Devils haven't played a team that plays to the style of MSST all season. I'd keep a close eye on this game if it were to happen. Oregon got a favorable draw in Liberty in my opinion. I know that the Flames only lost six games this season. But I also don't think that the CUSA is all that strong this season. I'm not counting Liberty out, Oregon should take it though. Arizona/Akron will be running up and down the court all game long. Bad matchup for Akron? Maybe. But, I could see the Zips making this one closer than people anticipate. BYU/VCU might just be the best game of the first round. Excellent three point shooting against some of the best 3pt defending in the country. Wisconsin was the runner up in the Big 10 Tourney. John Tonje looked like he could've been Big 10 POTY in that tournament. But, Montana shoots very, very well (2nd in the country in FG %.) and if Wisconsin is missing its shots, maybe, just maybe this could be Cinderella. St. Mary's vs. Vandy is expected to be very close as well. I think that the Commodores slightly over performed this season and could disappoint, but that doesn't mean that Jason Edwards isn't a special player and could make something happen. St. Mary's has something to prove this season after the first round exit last year. At the bottom, we've got Alabama taking on Robert Morris. I think this is a good matchup for Bama even if Grant Nelson can't go. His status is something to look for though in games to come. Midwest Region: Aka. Houston's region, might just be the weakest region. Especially in the bottom half. But, at the top, we've got Houston/SIUE. I simply don't see an upset here whatsoever. I know, I'm boring. But, C'mon. Have you watched Houston this season? The Cougars won't lose to a non-power 4 school yet alone 16 seed in the first round. In the next matchup though, Houston could have something coming for them. Gonzaga might just be the most under seeded team in the entire tournament and Georgia is led by one of the best big men in the country in Asa Newell as just a freshman. Newell was a part of that stacked Monteverde team last season in High School with Cooper Flagg and co. Now, Houston's J'Wan Roberts' status is something to keep an eye on. Upset could be looming if Roberts can't go in round 2. Clemson/McNeese State & Purdue/High Point might be the most exciting #5/#12 , #4/#13 part of this whole bracket. Any one of those four teams could make a run into the Sweet Sixteen and they are all very talented at what they do. I believe that these two games should both come down to the wire. In the bottom half of the bracket, Illinois awaits the winner of Xavier/Texas. Now, both those teams were bubble teams and both didn't know that they would make it. Texas is very hot right now and Xavier has some very good talent on its roster. If Illinois isn't ready, it could be one and done. Kentucky is looking to not repeat the disaster that it had last season in the #3/#14 matchup. If you don't remember Jack Gohlke hitting 10 threes for Oakland and shocking the Wildcats last season, I don't know what you are doing. Luckily, Troy isn't a great three point shooting team so a repeat of that is unlikely. But, don't count out the Trojans who are great at rebounding and defending. UCLA/Utah State will be slow paced most likely. The Bruins play great defense and Utah State moves the ball around a lot in that offense. I could see a mini upset here, but the Big 10 team might be too strong for Mountain West. Finally, Tennessee/Wofford will close out this region at the bottom. Wofford has a guy by the name of Kyler Filewich who shoots Free Throw's underhanded. Get prepared for madness. That bottom half is scary with the inconsistencies of the lower seeds. Expect the unexpected. West Region: Aka. Florida's region, this is going to be something special. Not only does the West have FOUR TOP 12 TEAMS in KenPom's overall rankings, but it's also got teams like Memphis, UCONN (B2B defending champs,) Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado State and even Oklahoma. Now, if there was any group to label the group of death, it's most definitely this one in my opinion. Looking at the matchups, Florida should obviously cruise past Norfolk State. UCONN/OU is going to be very good. Although they are still very good, I believe that Vegas is overhyping the Huskies slightly with the current odds in that game (-4.5.) I mean, that games a toss up if you ask me and the Jeremiah Fears/Jalon Moore combo is so fun to watch. Memphis/Colorado. Now, here's something unexpected. The #12 seed is actually favored in this game against the #5. Will Memphis pull off the "upset" as a five seed? That seems very weird to say but I definitely think that this game could also go either way. Maryland/GCU is a battle of two high scoring teams that wanted easier matchups. Grand Canyon beat St. Mary's last season in the tournament so you cannot count the Antelopes out. Maryland could be a Final Four team though. Missouri/Drake. I mean another toss up here. Bennett Striz is a joy to watch, but will him and the rest of his former division two filled roster be enough to crack one a team from the sports' top conference? We'll have to wait and see. We've seen bigger upsets before than a #3/#14, but Texas Tech seems to be much better than UNC Wilmington. I mean the Seahawks got a gift by playing Delaware in the CAA championship game. I don't see them pulling off this upset. John Calipari/Bill Self is next. What a game this should be. Two great coaches and two teams that underperformed this season. Finishing off we've got Omaha looking to upset the Big East Champs in St. John's. Now an upset here, that would be something. But, don't underestimate the team that beats up trash cans after their wins from Omaha.

CBB Conference Tournament Guide: (Champ Selections Included)

Sunday, Mar 02, 2025

MARCH IS HERE! .. & you know what that means! Famous for perhaps the biggest tournament in all sports in "March Madness," this month is my favorite sporting event for a reason. Firstly, however, teams must play through their respective Conference Tournaments. Here's your 2025 CBB Conference Tournament Guide: (Odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook.)*Player scoring averages are from March 2nd/3rd stats. -----------------------------------------------------Atlantic Sun Conference: (March 2, 3, 6, 9)5 Players To Watch Out For: Jacob Ognacevic (Lipscomb / Foward) - 20.3 PTS, 1.5 AST, 8.0 REBJacari Lane (North Alabama / Guard) - 16.9 PTS, 4.2 AST, 3.1 REBDevontae Blanton (Eastern Kentucky / Forward) - 16.5 PTS, 4.6 AST, 6.2 REBRobert McCray (Jacksonville / Guard) - 16.2 PTS, 4.5 AST, 4.7 REBWill Pruitt (Lipscomb / Guard) - 13.0 PTS, 2.6 AST, 5.7 REB What To Expect: The Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament was the first to tip off (began on Sunday.) We saw Austin Peay come back from being down 18 early in the 1st to win by 21. In the other game, Central Arkansas was able to top Stetson in a game where one of its players dropped 37 points & 11 rebounds. His name is Nehemiah Turner and he averages only 3.8 in each of those categories this season. Could he deliver again on Monday and shock Lipscomb? I don't see it happening. The two favorites in this conference are Lipscomb (22-9, 14-4) & North Alabama (22-9, 14-4.) When they matched up this season, the home team won each game. Lipscomb would be at home in the final and I don't expect them to lose it. Burns' Selection: Lipscomb (-170)Odds To Win: Lipscomb (-170)North Alabama (+200)Florida Gulf Coast (+900)Jacksonville (+1500)Eastern Kentucky (+2500)Queens NC (+4500)Austin Peay (+15000)Central Arkansas (+25000)-----------------------------------------------------America East Conference : (March 8, 11, 15) 5 Players To Watch Out For: Earl Timberlake (Bryant / Guard) - 15.4 PTS, 4.7 AST, 8.6 REBMax Brooks (MA Lowell / Forward) - 15.8 PTS, 1.4 AST, 7.8 REBKellen Tynes (Maine / Guard) - 12.7 PTS, 4.7 AST, 3.5 REBTJ Hurley (Vermont / Guard) - 15.8 PTS, 1.3 AST, 2.5 REBRafael Pinzon (Bryant / Guard) - 18.6 PTS, 2.3 AST, 3.0 REBWhat To Expect:Last year's winner Vermont did not begin this year very well. As a matter of fact, the Catamounts were 11-11 at one point this season. Since that point, they've won eight consecutive times, which has led Vermont to the #2 seed heading into this year's tournament. Along with Vermont, Bryant sits at the top. The Bulldogs are a very fast paced team that can score the ball at ease. Rebounding is also huge for Bryant as it averages 40.7 boards a game, sitting eighth among all teams. Although it didn't perform all that great inside the conference, a team like MA-Lowell could possibly make some noise. It matches up well with Bryant as it lost by just one in the most recent matches. With this tournament being held at the campus sites though, I find it hard to see the top two teams not making it to the final. Burns' Selection: Vermont (+230) Odds To Win:Bryant (-150)Vermont (+230)Maine (+750)Albany NY (+2000)UMASS Lowell (+2200)Binghamton (+5000)UMBC (+12000)New Hampshire (+18000)----------------------------------------------------- American Athletic Conference: (March 12-16)5 Players To Watch Out For: PJ Haggerty (Memphis / Guard) - 21.3 PTS, 3.8 AST, 5.5 REBYaxel Lendeborg (UAB / Forward) - 17.6 PTS, 4.3 ATS, 10.9 REBJamal Mashburn Jr (Temple / Guard) - 22.0 PTS, 2.2 AST, 3.0 REBDain Dainja (Memphis / Forward) - 13.2 PTS, 1.8 AST, 6.7 REBRJ Felton (East Carolina / Guard) - 18.5 PTS, 2.5 AST, 6.9 REBWhat To Expect:This is going to be a very interesting Conference Tournament. In my eyes, there are plenty of teams that could come away with the title and berth to the Big Dance. Having said that Memphis is the only team that should be in no matter what happens. North Texas could be a team that sees itself in, if it goes far. But, with this tournament being played in Fort Worth, Texas, I believe that there are at least six or seven teams that could see themselves holding their heads high after the AAC Championship on Selection Sunday. If Mashburn is healthy for the Temple Owls, they could be a team that goes deep. Wichita State is nicknamed the Shockers for a reason. It's already beaten Memphis this season. Talking about Memphis, PJ Haggerty has been something special this season. In the end, whoever comes out on top, expect this tournament to be an all out war. Burns' Selection: Memphis (-105)Odds To Win:Memphis (-105)North Texas (+190)UAB (+750)Florida Atlantic (+1400)Tulane (+1700)Wichita State (+3000)Temple (+4000)East Carolina (+5500)UTSA (+7500)Rice (+10000)South Florida (+12000)Tulsa (+30000)Charlotte (+100000)----------------------------------------------------- Atlantic 10 Conference: (March 12-16)5 Players To Watch Out For: Max Shulga (VCU / Guard) - 15.2 PTS, 3.9 AST, 5.8 REBRobbie Avila (Saint Louis / Center) - 17.5 PTS, 4.0 AST, 6.9 REBMelvin Council (St. Bonaventure / Guard) - 14.6 PTS, 4.1 AST, 5.3 REBNate Santos (Dayton / Forward) - 14.2 PTS, 1.5 AST, 5.3 REBDarius Maddox (George Mason / Guard) - 13.4 PTS, 1.1 AST, 3.1 REBWhat To Expect:As dominant as Virginia Commonwealth has looked this season, nothing is guaranteed in March. This tournament is far from a guaranteed win for the Rams and they know it. The good thing for them though is that it should be safe whether it wins this tournament or not. Winning the the only thing on everyone's mind at this moment right now though. Dayton is always going to be a tough team to beat. George Mason has looked outstanding. Saint Louis is heating up and could be a massive problem. Will Sister Jean's Loyala Chicago go Rambling on to the dance? We'll just have to wait and find out. This tournament should be electric! Burns' Selection: VCU (-120)Odds To Win:Virginia Commonwealth (-120)George Mason (+450)Dayton (+500)Saint Joseph's (+800)Loyola Chicago (+1400)Saint Bonaventure (+1800)Saint Louis (+2000)George Washington (+2200)Duquesne (+6000)Davidson (+7000)Rhode Island (+11000)Massachussets (+25000)Richmond (+30000)La Salle (+30000)Fordham (+30000)----------------------------------------------------- Atlantic Coast Conference: (March 11-15)8 Players To Watch Out For: Cooper Flagg (Duke / Forward) - 19.3 PTS, 4.1 AST, 17.6 REBKon Knueppel (Duke / Guard) - 13.5 PTS, 2.4 AST, 3.9 REBMaxime Raynaud (Stanford / Forward) - 20.2 PTS, 1.7 AST, 10.9 REBChase Hunter (Clemson / Guard) - 16.3 PTS, 2.6 AST, 2.9 REBHunter Sallis (Wake Forest / Guard) - 18.5 PTS, 2.8 AST, 5.1 REBChucky Hepburn (Louisville / Guard) - 16.3 PTS, 6.0 AST, 3.3 REBMarkus Burton (Notre Dame / Guard) - 21.1 PTS, 3.1 AST, 3.4 REBRJ Davis (North Carolina / Guard) - 17.2 PTS, 3.9 AST, 3.6 REBWhat To Expect:Even though Clemson was able to beat Duke in an epic matchup early this season, the Blue Devils are on a mission this season and I believe that there's no stopping them in this season's ACC Tournament. Cooper Flagg has lived up to the hype and then some. Pairing him with a three point shooter in Kon Knueppel has done Duke wonders. The rest of the Blue Devils are playing their part as well this season. If there is a slight glimmer of hope for any other teams in this tournament it would have to be Clemson (only team to beat Duke in ACC,) Louisville (who's extremely hot heading in,) and/or North Carolina (with the experience that the team has in RJ Davis.) Other teams will fight, but I'm not so sure that it will end up being enough. Burns' Selection: Duke -320Odds To Win:Duke (-320)Louisville (+550)Clemson (+700)North Carolina (+3000)SMU (+6000)Wake Forest (+7500)Virginia Tech (+25000)Virginia (+25000)Stanford (+25000)Pittsburgh (+25000)Georgia Tech (+25000)Florida State (+25000)Syracuse (+30000)Notre Dame (+30000)California (+30000)----------------------------------------------------- Big 12 Conference: (March 11-15)8 Players To Watch Out For: Hunter Dickinson (Kansas / Center) - 16.9 PTS, 1.9 AST, 9.8 REBL.J. Cryer (Houston / Guard) - 14.8 PTS, 2.0 AST, 2.2 REBJ.T. Toppin (Texas Tech / Forward) - 17.3 PTS, 1.0 AST, 9.0 REBChance McMilian (Texas Tech / Guard) - 14.9 PTS, 1.7 AST, 4.2 REBCaleb Love (Arizona / Guard) - 16.2 PTS, 3.5 AST, 4.3 REBCurtis Jones (Iowa State / Guard) - 16.8 PTS, 2.3 AST, 4.5 REBJ'Wan Roberts (Houston / Forward) - 11.3 PTS, 1.8 AST, 6.3 REBTamin Lipsey (Iowa State / Guard) - 10.6 PTS, 3.0 AST, 2.7 REBWhat To Expect:The Big 12 is always one of the best conferences in College Basketball. Loaded with talent across the board, just four out of 16 teams have losing records heading into the final week of regular season play. Kansas hasn't been its best this season, despite all of the talent that it brought in. Baylor is loaded with talent as well, and has been below-par. Teams like Texas Tech, Iowa State & Arizona (even after the slow start) have been great this season. But, all of the teams are currently chasing down one team. The Houston Cougars. Kelvin Sampson has been an absolute wizard at the helm of the Cougars. He owns a career record of higher than 77% at Houston and continues to win season after season. This is another one of his excellent rosters. Houston will be the favorite when the odds come out, but do NOT underestimate any of these teams in the Big 12. This just might be the best tournament of them all. Burns' Selection: Texas Tech (+425)Odds To Win:Houston (-105)Texas Tech (+425) Iowa State (+600)Arizona (+850)BYU (+1100)Kansas (+1300)Baylor (+5000)West Virginia (+7500)Kansas State (+20000)Cincinnati (+20000)Utah (+25000)UCF (+25000)TCU (+25000)Oklahoma State (+30000)Arizona State (+30000)Colorado (+50000)----------------------------------------------------- Big East Conference: (March 12-15) 8 Players To Watch Out For: Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton / Center) - 19.1 PTS, 1.5 AST, 8.8 REBRJ Luis (St. John's / Guard/Forward) - 17.8 PTS, 2.3 AST, 6.9 REBKam Jones (Marquette / Guard) - 18.4 PTS, 6.2 ATS, 4.3 REBLiam McNeeley (UCONN / Forward) - 15.3 PTS, 2.5 AST, 6.3 REBEric Dixon (Villanova / Forward) - 23.6 PTS, 2.2 AST, 5.5 REBSteven Ashworth (Creighton / Guard) - 16.8 PTS, 6.9 AST, 4.1 REBZach Freemantle (Xavier / Forward) - 16.8 PTS, 2.0 AST, 7.1 REBKadary Richmond (St. John's / Guard) - 12.8 PTS, 5.1 AST, 5.9 REBWhat To Expect:Back 2 Back March Madness Champions, Connecticut, has been quite underwhelming this season. The Huskies most definitely still could pull off the unthinkable. However, it's going to be a tough task considering that they are currently not even top three in the Big East. Looking at the top of the standings, Rick Pitino has St. John's playing some of its best basketball in a very long time. That team is led by RJ Luis, who is one of the best mid-range shooters in the country and can knock down any shot that he's asked. Don't underestimate Creighton though. Always a tough out and Ryan Kalkbrenner might just be the best big man in the country. I'm expecting a very fascinating Big East Tourney and this should be very fun. Burns' Selection: Creighton (+370)Odds To Win: St. John's (+155) Creighton (+370)Connecticut (+425)Marquette (+550)Xavier (+850)Villanova (+1500)Bulter (+6500)Georgetown (+9000)Providence (+25000)Seton Hall (+30000)DePaul (+30000)----------------------------------------------------- Big Sky Conference: (March 8-12)5 Players To Watch Out For: Dylan Darling (Idaho State / Guard) - 19.4 PTS, 5.8 AST, 3.4 REBTrent McLaughlin (Northern Arizona) - 22.2 PTS, 3.4 AST, 3.6 REBLangston Reynolds (Northern Colorado / Guard) - 16.8 PTS, 3.5 AST, 5.9 REBBlaise Threatt (Weber State / Guard) - 19.8 PTS, 4.5 AST, 5.7 REBMoney Williams (Montana / Guard) - 13.1 PTS, 3.1 AST, 3.7 REBWhat To Expect:Some of the country's top scorers this season come out of the Big Sky Conference. Loaded with player talent, we could see a team that nobody expects to come out of this conference. UNCO & Montana are at the top of the standings with 14-3 records in Big Sky play. However, you cannot underestimate some of the middle of the pack teams like Idaho State & Montana State. Weber State could also be a sleeper team from the bottom of the standings. It's got a great player in Blaise Threatt who's averaging nearly 20, 5, 5 this season. This tournament should be very high scoring no matter what happens. Burns' Selection: Weber State +6500 (UPSET ALERT)Odds To Win:Northern Colorado (+180)Montana (+270)Portland State (+425)Montana State (+700)Idaho State (+850)Idaho (+1900)Northern Arizona (+3500)Weber State (+6500)Eastern Washington (+7500)Sacramento State (+30000)----------------------------------------------------- Big South Conference: (March 5, 7-9)5 Players To Watch Out For: Kelton Talford (Winthrop / Forward) - 15.8 PTS, 0.9 AST, 7.7 REBKimani Hamilton (High Point / Forward) - 13.8 PTS, 2.3 AST, 4.7 REBKezza Giffa (High Point / Guard) - 14.6 PTS, 2.5 AST, 2.5 REBJordan Marsh (UNC Asheville / Guard) - 19.2 PTS, 3.6 AST, 4.3 REBTaje' Kelly (Charleston Southern / Forward) - 20.8 PTS, 2.1 AST, 8.9 REBWhat To Expect:Running away at the top of the Big South regular season standings was High Point this year. The Panthers have been one of the highest scoring teams in the country, despite not playing extremely fast. They shoot the ball at an extremely successful rate and have excellent free throw shooting as well. But, Winthrop is starting to heat up and the Eagles are also one of the best offensive teams, scoring wise. I don't see the teams at the bottom of this conference having much of a chance, if any (unlike the Big Sky.) However, if High Point's shooting percentages drop, it could most definitely be an early out for the Panthers. That being said, High Point shouldn't lose this tournament with how well it's been all season long. I expect Winthrop to be in the final against them. Burns' Selection: High Point (-250)Odds To Win: High Point (-250)Radford (+750)UNC Asheville (+900)Winthrop (+950)Longwood (+1400)Presbyterian (+3000)Charleston Souther (+7000)Gardner-Webb (+7500)USC Upstate (+25000)----------------------------------------------------- Big 10 Conference: (March 12-16)8 Players To Watch Out For: Vladislav Goldin (Michigan / Center) - 16.1 PTS, 1.1 AST, 6.5 REBJohn Tonje (Wisconsin / Guard) - 19.2 PTS, 1.7 AST, 4.9 REBOumar Ballo (Indiana / Center) - 13.4 PTS, 2.3 AST, 9.1 REBDerik Queen (Maryland / Center) - 15.9 PTS, 2.0 AST, 9.0 REBTrey Kaufman-Renn (Purdue / Forward) - 19.6 PTS, 2.3 AST, 6.0 REBBraden Smith (Purdue / Guard) - 16.0 PTS, 8.7 AST, 4.5 REBJackson Shelstad (Oregon / Guard) - 13.4 PTS, 2.7 AST, 3.0 REB Kasparas Jakucionis (Illinois / Guard) - 15.4 PTS, 4.8 AST, 5.6 REBWhat To Expect:For a while this season, no team wanted to separate from the pack in the Big 10. Everyone was playing quite similar basketball (record wise) and we didn't know who was going to emerge as the top team. Well, Michigan State has played the best within the conference as we get down to the final couple of games. The Spartans are experienced and have a very good coach in Tom Izzo drawing plays up for them. Michigan is scary when it plays its dual-7footer lineup with Golden & Wolf. Maryland is one of my favorite teams to watch this season and could very well win this tournament as well. Let's also not forget about Purdue. The Boilermakers may be without Edey this season, but Kaufman-Renn has been lights out and Braden Smith is an absolute baller point guard. This one one of the most competitive Big 10 Conferences in a while and I can see many different teams coming out on top as Big 10 Tourney Champs. Burns' Selection: Maryland (+350)Odds To Win:Michigan State (+250)Maryland (+350)Wisconsin (+650)UCLA (+650)Purdue (+650)Illinois (+750)Michigan (+1200)Oregon (+2800)Indiana (+6000)Ohio State (+6500)Rutgers (+20000)Northwestern (+20000)USC (+25000)Iowa (+35000)Minnesota (+50000)----------------------------------------------------- Big West Conference: (March 12-15) 5 Players To Watch Out For: Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones (UC San Diego / Guard/Forward) - 19.8 PTS, 3.4 AST, 5.3 REBBarrington Hargress (UC Riverside / Guard) - 20.1 PTS, 3.9 AST, 2.3 REBTyler McGhie (UC San Diego / Guard/Forward) - 16.5 PTS, 1.8 AST, 3.9 REBTy Johnson (UC Davis / Guard) - 21.6 PTS, 2.8 AST, 4.3 REBBent Leuchten (UC Irvine / Center) - 15.6 PTS, 1.6 AST, 8.9 REBWhat To Expect:The Californian + Hawaii league is filled with top scorers in the country. Emerging out of nowhere, UC San Diego is going to be a problem in this season's tournament. The Tritons have won 11 consecutive games going into their final two this year. UC Irvine is also at the top winning just one game less than UC San Diego. When we head down the list of teams, there's a big drop off after UC Davis. Hawaii isn't so good and we most probably won't see another Long Beach State miracle into the Big Dance this season. I'm expecting the Matadors (Cal State Northridge) to give teams a run for their money, as well as UCSB. The most probable final should include the two top teams though in UC Irvine & UC San Diego. Burns' Selection: UC Irvine (+170)Odds To Win:UC San Diego (-160)UC Irvine (+170)CSUN (+1200)UC Riverside (+1400)UC Santa Barbara (+4000)Cal Poly (+8000)UC Davis (+15000)Long Beach State (+30000)Hawaii (+30000)CSU Bakersfield (+30000)Cal State Fullerton (+30000)----------------------------------------------------- Coastal Athletic Association: (March 7-11)5 Players To Watch Out For: Ante Brzovic (Charleston / Forward) - 18.5 PTS, 2.9 AST, 8.2 REBTyler Tejada (Towson / Guard/Forward) - 16.8 PTS, 0.8 AST, 3.8 REBRashad King (Northeastern / Guard) - 18.4 PTS, 3.4 AST, 6.0 REBT.K. Simpson (Elon / Guard) - 16.2 PTS, 2.6 AST, 3.2 REB Abdi Bashir (Monmouth / Guard) - 20.3 PTS, 2.1 AST, 2.6 REBWhat To Expect: At the beginning of the season, I expected Charleston to be a lot better than it was. Having said that, the Cougars still had a very good season. Led by Brzovic, who is an absolute stud, Charleston cannot be counted out in this tournament whatsoever. Towson has been dominant this season against other CAA opponents, while averaging less than 70 PPG. UNC Wilmington has the best overall record out of the 14 teams in this conference as it rebounds the ball tremendously and shoots a very high percentage. Overall, this tournament is tight at the top of the group. I expect a hard fought Semis/Finals. Burns' Selection: Charleston (+380) Odds To Win:UNC Wilmington (+200)Charleston (+380)Towson (+400)William & Mary (+850)Campbell (+1300)Drexel (+1400)Elon (+1600)Northeastern (+1700)Hampton +2200)Hofstra (+3000Delaware +4500)Monmouth (+5000Stony Brook (+25000)North Carolina A&T (+2500)-----------------------------------------------------Conference-USA: (March 11-15)5 Players To Watch Out For: Daniel Batcho (Louisiana Tech / Forward) - 17.3 PTS, 0.6 AST, 6.6 REBJaron Pierre (Jacksonville State / Guard) - 21.8 PTS, 3.8 AST, 5.4 REBZach Cleveland (Liberty / Forward) - 10.4 PTS, 5.0 AST, 6.5 REBDon McHenry (Western Kentucky / Guard) - 17.3 PTS, 1.7 AST, 3.2 REBLamar Wilkerson (Sam Houston State / Guard) - 19.7 PTS, 1.9 AST, 4.0 REBWhat To Expect:The Conference-USA doesn't get talked about too much. Although there are some strong teams in this conference like Liberty & MTSU, nobody really stands out. Jacksonville State actually leads the Conference with a game remaining but I expect Liberty to finish on top of this standings by Saturday, March 8th. Having said that, this tournament should be considered as a toss up, just like many of the conference tournaments this season. My initial lean is Liberty considering the overall record and ability to score at ease. Burns' Selection: Liberty (+115)Odds To Win:Liberty (+115)New Mexico State (+500)Middle Tennessee State (+600)Jacksonville State (+800)Louisiana Tech (+1200)Kennesaw State (+1800)Western Kentucky (+2200)UTEP (+2500)Sam Houston (+6000)Florida International (+25000)-----------------------------------------------------Horizon League: (March 4, 6, 10, 11)5 Players To Watch Out For: Jalen Jackson (Purdue Fort Wayne / Guard) - 19.2 PTS, 3.2 AST, 4.2 REBKam Woods (Robert Morris / Guard) - 14.6 PTS, 5.1 AST, 4.7 REBTrey Robinson (Northern Kentucky / Guard) - 15.7 PTS, 1.8 AST, 6.1 REBNico Galette (Youngstown State / Guard) - 12.4 PTS, 3.0 AST, 7.1 REBJamichael Stillwell (Milwaukee / Forward) - 12.9 PTS, 1.2 AST, 10.8 REBWhat To Expect:All eleven teams make this Conference Tournament and it should be another exciting one. Seven out of the eleven teams won more games than they lost in Horizon League play. There are no outliers in here that stand out either. Robert Morris got the #1 seed so it essentially has the "best path." However, teams like Cleveland State & IPFW are very interesting as the Vikings create a lot of turnovers (averages 8.8 steals per game) while the Mastodons are extremely good at three point shooting (hits 10.4 per game.) Youngstown State should not be counted out and Northern Kentucky might just be an excellent long shot selection at +3000 coming into this tournament as the hottest team outside of Robert Morris (won four consecutive.) Burns' Selection: Purdue Fort Wayne (+650)Odds To Win: Robert Morris (+240)Milwaukee (+280)Cleveland State (+310)Purdue Fort Wayne (+650)Youngstown State (+750)Oakland (+1400)Wright State (+1600)Northern Kentucky (+3000)IUPUI (+20000)Green Bay (+25000)Detroit Mercy (+25000)----------------------------------------------------- Ivy League: (March 15-16)5 Players To Watch Out For: John Poulakidas (Yale / Guard) - 18.9 PTS, 1.3 AST, 3.4 REBNick Townsend (Yale / Forward) - 15.6 PTS, 3.5 AST, 7.3 REBXaivian Lee (Princeton / Guard) - 16.8 PTS, 5.2 AST, 5.9 REBRyan Cornish (Dartmouth / Guard) - 17.4 PTS, 3.3 AST, 4.8 REBBez Mbeng (Yale / Guard) - 13.4 PTS, 5.9 AST, 5.4 REBWhat To Expect:The Ivy League. Something about this league makes every single game so unpredictable. Princeton, who I thought was going to challenge Yale to be a top team in this conference, has fallen to the four seed with just one game remaining. Brown has an excellent player in Kino Lilly, but that won't matter if the Bears don't get into the tournament. The special thing about this tourney is that only four out of the eight teams get into it. Yale is most definitely going to be the favorite, having won every game but one this season against Ivy League opponents. The Bulldogs also have the experience after beating Auburn in the dance last season. I think Yale will pull through as the champs, but who knows with how things have played this season in the Ivy League. Burns' Selection: Yale (-160)Odds To Win:Yale (-160)Cornell (+300)Dartmouth (+600)Princeton (+1200)----------------------------------------------------- Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference: (March 11-15)5 Players To Watch Out For: Adam Clark (Merrimack / Guard) - 20.1 PTS, 5.7 AST, 4.4 REBAmarri Monroe (Quinnipiac / Forward) - 17.5 PTS, 1.6 AST, 9.2 REBJosh Pascarelli (Marist / Guard) - 16.4 PTS, 2.4 AST, 3.4 REBJustice Shoats (Siena / Guard) - 15.8 PTS, 4.4 AST, 2.8 REBDejour Reaves (Iona / Guard) - 16.6 PTS, 1.9 AST, 5.3 REBWhat To Expect:Other than Marist, every single team in this conference (the MAAC has 13 teams) has double digit losses. That being said, I don't expect the team (no matter who it is) that wins this tournament to go on and do damage in the NCAA Tourney. Quinnipiac played a tough out of season schedule, but sure managed to play well in MAAC games, with Amarri Monroe leading the charge. Merrimack's Adam Clark is not only a beast offensively, but also averages nearly three steals per game. It's hard to take any team in this conference as anything could happen. Nobody is a clear dominant force at all. ***After the odds came out, very happy to see how tight this tournament is going to be. Marist way down at +1200 as the team with the least amount of losses? That could be dangerous. It'll be very close. I'll give the edge to Quinnipiac as the top seed who avoids Marist/Merrimack until the final. Burns' Selection: Quinnipiac (+290)Odds To Win:Merrimack (+260)Quinnipiac (+290)Manhattan (+600)Iona (+600)Mount Saint Mary's (+950)Sacred Heart (+1100)Marist (+1200)Siena (+1600)Rider (+5000)Fairfield (+10000)-----------------------------------------------------Mid-American Conference: (March 13-15)5 Players To Watch Out For: VonCameron Davis (Kent State / Forward) - 15.3 PTS, 2.1 AST, 3.7 REBA.J. Clayton (Ohio / Forward) - 14.4 PTS, 1.0 AST, 5.4 REBDa'Sean Nelson (Eastern Michigan / Forward) - 16.4 PTS, 2.5 AST, 5.9 REBTavari Johnson (Akron / Guard) - 13.0 PTS, 4.0 AST, 2.0 REBKam Craft (Miami OH / Forward) - 13.3 PTS, 1.0 AST, 2.8 REBWhat To Expect:The MAC has been dominated by Akron this season. The Zips aren't the flashiest team and don't have the superstars that will go out and score 20+ points every game. But, they are resilient and they know how to win. Akron shoots the ball very well across the board and will score a boat load of points on you. If you are not a good defensive team, the playmaking and unselfishness of this team will hurt you. I see them winning this tournament and causing their first round matchup problems in March. Miami OH & Kent State probably have the best chance at beating them. However, I don't see that happening. Burns' Selection: Akron (+135)Odds To Win:Akron (+135)Kent State (+240)Miami Ohio (+450)Ohio (+750)Toledo (+3000)Eastern Michigan (+4500)Bowling Green (+4500)Western Michigan (+5500) -----------------------------------------------------Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference: (March 12-15)5 Players To Watch Out For: Brian Moore (Norfolk State / Guard) - 18.7 PTS, 3.0 AST, 3.7 REBMartaz Robinson (Delaware State / Guard) - 16.7 PTS, 2.6 AST, 6.2 REBPo'Boigh King (NC Central / Guard) - 16.7 PTS, 1.6 AST, 2.9 REBBlake Harper (Howard / Guard) - 19.7 PTS, 3.6 AST, 6.5 REBMarcus Dockery (Howard / Guard) - 16.6 PTS, 2.2 AST, 2.6 REBWhat To Expect:Norfolk State was projected to finish at the top of the MEAC at the beginning of the season by many and are looking like it's going to finish as the top team as well. The Spartans do not shoot very many threes and are much better inside the arc. They play with a lot of physicality and will be a tough out. South Carolina State comes into this tournament scorching hot. The Bulldogs head into the final two games of their season on a seven game winning streak and have two very winnable games remaining. Howard has slightly disappointed as I saw it finishing a lot higher in the season standings. However, this is March and anything can happen. Burns' Selection: South Carolina State (+125)Odds To Win:South Carolina State (+125)Norfolk State (+125)Howard (+1200)NC Central (+1600)Delaware State (+1600)Morgan State (+3500)MD East Shore (+25000)Coppin State (+25000)-----------------------------------------------------Missouri Valley Conference: (March 6-9)5 Players To Watch Out For: Duke Deen (Bradley / Guard) - 14.1 PTS, 3.8 AST, 3.5 REBTytan Anderson (Northern Iowa / Guard/Forward) - 15.3 PTS, 2.5 AST, 6.6 REBBennett Stirtz (Drake / Guard) - 18.9 PTS, 5.9 AST, 4.4 REBJohnny Kinziger (Illinois State / Guard) - 15.0 PTS, 3.0 AST, 3.8 REBCooper Schwieger (Valparaiso / Forward) - 15.5 PTS, 1.0 AST, 7.7 REBWhat To Expect:The Missouri Valley conference is locked and loaded up once again. Drake, a team that is filled with Division 2 guys from last season including its coach, has looked outstanding this season. The Bulldogs not only finished the season with only three losses, but its defense and slow playing style makes nobody feel comfortable whatsoever. Bradley has also been great this season finishing the year off with a massive win over UNI to claim the #2 seed. Talking about Northern Iowa, the Panthers aren't going to be an easy team to beat in this tournament off with how well it shoots the ball at consistent high rates. Belmont is also heating up off three consecutive victories. I like the favorites a lot and it's hard to pick anyone near the bottom in this conference. Drake advances to another NCAA Tournament. Burns' Selection: Drake (-110)Odds To Win: Drake (-110)Bradley (+340)Northern Iowa (+475)Belmont (+1200)Illinois State (+1500)Murray State (+2200)Illinois Chicago (+2800)Southern Illinois (+5000)Indiana State (+8000)Missouri State (+12000)Valparaiso (+18000)Evansville (+20000)-----------------------------------------------------Mountain West Conference: (March 12-15)5 Players To Watch Out For: Donovan Dent (New Mexico / Guard) - 20.0 PTS, 6.5 AST, 2.5 REBTyson Degenhart (Boise State / Forward) - 18.1 PTS, 1.6 AST, 6.1 REBNique Clifford (Colorado State / Guard) - 17.9 PTS, 4.3 AST, 10.0 REBNick Davidson (Nevada / Forward) - 15.8 PTS, 2.9 AST, 6.3 REBIan Martinez (Utah State / Guard) - 17.0 PTS, 2.8 AST, 3.3 REBWhat To Expect:As San Diego State has dominated this conference over the past couple of seasons, this Aztecs team is not nearly as talented as some of those teams that it had in the past. The Aztecs didn't have the best of seasons meaning a Conference Tournament win is more than likely necessary for them to move on. With the experience factor and quality that the school creates, it's hard to count them out. But, there's so many other teams in contention this year like New Mexico who are currently atop the standings. Colorado State is the hottest team in the conference along with Boise State. UNLV will be a tough team to beat if it gets its best player back from injury in Dedan Tomas. & do NOT count out the Aggies of Utah State who have a 10-4 record in road/neutral games this season. Can SDST make the final for the eight consecutive year? We'll have to wait and see. This tournament will be fun. Burns' Selection: Colorado State (+350) *Bid Stealer Alert*Odds To Win:New Mexico (+250)Utah State (+330)Colorado State (+350)Boise State (+425)San Diego State (+750)UNLV (+2200)Nevada (+2500)San Jose State (+25000)Wyoming (+30000)Fresno State (+30000)Air Force (+50000)-----------------------------------------------------Northeast Conference: (March 5, 8, 11)5 Players To Watch Out For: Jeff Planutis (Mercyhurst / Forward) - 15.5 PTS, 1.7 AST, 2.5 REBMalachi Davis (Long Island / Guard) - 17.1 PTS, 3.2 AST, 2.9 REBTerrence Brown (Fairleigh Dickinson / Guard) - 20.6 PTS, 3.1 AST, 5.6 REBJordan Jones (Central Connecticut State / Guard) - 14.4 PTS, 3.6 AST, 3.3 REBDevin Haid (Central Connecticut State / Guard) - 13.7 PTS, 2.1 AST, 5.7 REBWhat To Expect:This season, the Northeast Conference is quite lopsided. There's a couple of teams in the middle of the pack that will think that they have a chance. However, when it's all said and done, they will remember what happened during the regular season. Central Connecticut State is by far the best team in this conference and I'm shocked that it's not an even bigger favorite to win the conference tournament. The Blue Devils have excellent guard play and have won 12 consecutive games coming into this tournament. Their defense is also phenomenal. LIU might have the second best chance at pulling through but it's just hard to see them winning against a CCSU team that is hungrier than ever. Burns' Selection: Central Connecticut State (-250)Odds To Win: Central Connecticut State (-250)Long Island (+370)Saint Francis PA (+1300)Fairleigh Diksinson (+1500)Stonehill (+3500)Wagner (+6000)Le Moyne (+10000)Chicago State (+40000)-----------------------------------------------------Ohio Valley Conference: (March 5-8)5 Players To Watch Out For: Ray'Sean Taylor (SIU Edwardsville / Guard) - 19.2 PTS, 3.8 AST, 4.5 REBTarence Guinyard (UT Martin / Guard) - 16.2 PTS, 2.2 AST, 4.7 REBBrandon Weston (Tennessee State / Guard) - 16.0 PTS, 1.8 AST, 4.8 REBTeddy Washington (Southeast Missouri State / Guard) - 14.4 PTS, 2.5 AST, 5.4 REBJohnathan Lawson (Little Rock / Guard) - 15.3 PTS, 3.5 AST, 5.3 REBWhat To Expect:As the betting odds suggest, no team stands out as a clear dominant force in the Ohio Valley. In my eyes, there are four teams that can win this tournament and most definitely have a chance at doing so. Southeast Missouri State won the conference regular season title, which is always a great feat and good for confidence. SIU Edwardsville has an excellent record as well with an extraordinary player in Ray'Sean Taylor who leads all players in the OVC in scoring. Tennessee State is the next top team in the conference despite finishing "below" Little Rock on determination factors. The Tigers play very fast and are a nightmare for teams that rely on defense. Little Rock is the team that I expected to finish atop the conference at the beginning of this season and there's still a huge chance that this team wins this tournament in my eyes. The Trojans can be very efficient when they are clicking and have nearly five double digit scorers (the fifth is .2 PPG off.) This tournament will be fun, and a slight underdog could very well win it. Burns' Selection: Little Rock (+500)Odds To Win: Southeast Missouri State (+150)SIU Edwardsville (+270)Tennessee State (+400)Little Rock (+500)UT Martin (+3000)Tennessee Tech (+4000)Morehead State (+6000)Lindenwood (+6000)-----------------------------------------------------Patriot League: (March 4, 6, 9, 12)5 Players To Watch Out For: Matt Rogers (American / Forward) - 17.2 PTS, 1.2 AST, 5.6 REBJeff Woodward (Colgate / Center) - 14.5 PTS, 3.0 AST, 7.7 REBNoah Williamson (Bucknell / Center) - 17.3 PTS, 1.6 AST, 7.6 REBJosh Bascoe (Bucknell / Guard) - 15.7 PTS, 4.4 AST, 3.7 REBAustin Benigni (Navy / Guard) - 18.3 PTS, 4.2 AST, 3.2 REBWhat To Expect:Coming into this season, Colgate was most likely most peoples favorite to win the Patriot League. Things didn't go so well for the Raiders this season finishing in the middle of the standings. Having said that though, they do still have some life. Not many teams in this league are very good and Ameircan/Bucknell both finished with 12+ losses this season. That being said, if Jeff Woodward can absolutely dominate the glass and paint, Colgate is going to be a nightmare. The favorites, the Bucknell Bison, are led by two great players in Noah Williamson & Josh Bascoe. American is the top seed despite averaging only 68.3 PPG this year. This conference simply isn't all that talented at the top. Expect the unexpected. Burns' Selection: Colgate (+400)Odds To Win: Bucknell (+110)American (+270)Colgate (+400)Navy (+1600)Boston (+1600)Army (+3000)Lafayette (+5000)Lehigh (+7500)Loyola Maryland (+10000)Holy Cross (+20000)-----------------------------------------------------Southeastern Conference: (March 12-16)8 Players To Watch Out For: Johni Broome (Auburn / Forward/Center) - 18.4 PTS, 3.3 AST, 10.8 REBMark Sears (Alabama / Guard) - 19.1 PTS, 5.0 AST, 3.0 REBWalter Clayton (Florida / Guard) - 16.9 PTS, 4.0 AST, 3.7 REBJason Edwards (Vanderbilt / Guard) - 17.2 PTS, 1.4 AST, 1.8 REBOtega Oweh (Kentucky / Guard) - 15.7 PTS, 1.6 AST, 4.6 REBZakai Zeigler (Tennessee / Guard) - 13.7 PTS, 7.2 AST, 3.0 REBTre Johnson (Texas / Guard) - 20.6 PTS, 2.6 AST, 3.1 REBWade Taylor (Texas A&M / Guard) - 15.1 PTS, 4.6 AST, 2.9 REBWhat To Expect:The SEC is always one of my favourite conferences to watch, especially this season. With all of the talent from top to bottom, it's hard to pick a team that isn't good within this group of teams. However, there's four teams at the top that really stand out. Auburn is a guaranteed #1 seed no matter what happens in this tournament. With the loss to Tennessee, Alabama is on the cusp, along with Florida & Tennessee to be a back door #1 in the NCAA Tournament. The SEC will most likely have the most teams in the Big Dance and that means that there's skill everywhere. It's hard not seeing Auburn winning this tournament with how dominant it's been. But, don't underestimate anybody. Kentucky poses a threat to anyone and Texas A&M, despite its four consecutive losses, will be hard to beat. Ole Miss & Miss St are excellent teams as well. Burns' Selection: Florida (+270)Odds To Win:Auburn (+150)Florida (+270)Alabama (+425)Tennessee (+600)Kentucky (+1900)Texas A&M (+2500)Missouri (+2500)Mississippi (+6500)Georgia (+11000)Mississippi State (+15000)Arkansas (+15000)Vanderbilt (+20000)Texas (+25000)Oklahoma (+25000)LSU (+30000)South Carolina (+50000)-----------------------------------------------------Southern Conference: (March 7-10)5 Players To Watch Out For: Jaden Seymour (East Tennessee State / Forward) - 15.8 PTS, 2.1 AST, 6.6 REBQuimari Peterson (East Tennessee State / Guard) - 19.5 PTS, 3.7 AST, 4.5 REBHonor Huff (Chattanooga / Guard) - 14.7 PTS, 2.3 AST, 1.9 REBPJay Smith (Furman / Guard) - 17.2 PTS, 3.6 AST, 4.0 REBCorey Tripp (Wofford / Guard) - 14.3 PTS, 3.1 AST, 3.9 REBWhat To Expect:Six teams are all very close in the Southern Conference and should be considered as threats to win this tourney. ETSU has perhaps the best one-two punch combination in Jaden Seymour/Quimari Peterson. Having said that, Chattanooga finished the season having won 11 consecutive games and have some of the best shooting in the country. Samford is a very fast paced team that loves running up and down the court and draining threes as well. Really, a lot of the teams in this conference play similar basketball this season. High octane, shoot the three ball mentality. Overall, it should be a tournament with three point shooting galore and I expect it to be good. It's hard to take against one of the hottest teams in the nation though. Burns' Selection: Chattanooga (+270)Odds To Win: Chattanooga (+270)Samford (+330)UNC Greensboro (+380)Wofford (+500)East Tennessee State (+600)Furman (+750)Mercer (+7500)Virginia Military (+20000)West Carolina (+25000)The Citadel (+25000)-----------------------------------------------------Southland Conference: (March 9-12)5 Players To Watch Out For: Garry Clark (Texas A&M Corpus Christi / Forward) - 14.8 PTS, 1.2 AST, 7.7 REBSam Hines (Southeastern Louisiana / Guard) - 16.5 PTS, 1.9 AST, 6.2 REBBryson Dawkins (Houston Christian / Guard) - 15.1 PTS, 1.3 AST, 4.9 REBJalin Anderson (Incarnate Word / Guard) - 14.5 PTS, 5.0 AST, 3.2 REBChristian Shumate (McNeese State / Forward) - 10.5 PTS, 0.9 AST, 6.5 REBWhat To Expect:After beginning the season with a lot of inconsistencies, losing to Liberty & South Dakota State, McNeese State didn't look to be the same dominant force that it was a season ago. However, something fuelled the Cowboys after their loss to Nicholls State in the first game of February. Since then, they've won eight consecutive games and will finish as the top seed in this year's tournament. There are no real standout players for McNeese other than Shumate who played with them in last year's tournament. The Cowboys are going to be a tough team to beat in both the Southland & NCAA Tourney. Don't be shocked if Texas A&M Corpus Christi gives them a tough game though. Burns' Selection: McNeese State (-500)Odds To Win:McNeese State (-500)Lamar (+850)Nicholls State (+1200)Texas A&M Corpus Christi (+1800)Southeast Louisiana (+4000)Northwestern State (+5500)Incarnate Word (+11000)Houston Christian (+15000)-----------------------------------------------------SWAC Conference: (March 11-15)5 Players To Watch Out For: Sterling Young (Florida A&M / Guard) - 16.7 PTS, 1.7 AST, 1.9 REBBrayon Freeman (Bethune-Cookman / Guard) - 16.3 PTS, 2.4 AST, 3.0 REBTrey Thomas (Bethune-Cookman / Guard) - 16.4 PTS, 2.3 AST, 3.5 REBCJ Hines (Alabama State / Guard) - 14.1 PTS, 2.4 AST, 3.0 REBTidjiane Dioumassi (Southern U / Guard) - 9.0 PTS, 5.0 AST, 3.8 REBWhat To Expect:Nobody in this conference has been great overall this season. Yes, Southern U will more than likely be the betting favorite to win the conference when the regular season concludes, and for good reason. However, the Jaguars still have double digit losses this season. That being said, they are the only team to have a winning overall record. That's a bit shocking. In my opinion, Texas Southern's ability to push the pace will help them a lot in this tournament. Jackson State isn't that bad either. Grambling State was projected to be near the top, but has been quite bad this year. If it gets in, maybe it makes some noise? I don't see any team beating the likes of Southern U in the end though. Burns' Selection: Southern U (+165)Odds To Win:Southern U (+165)Jackson State (+370)Texas Southern (+600)Bethune Cookman (+650)Alabama State (+650)Alcorn State (+1200)Florida A&M (+1800)Grambling State (+3500)Prairie View A&M (+18000)Alabama A&M (+30000)----------------------------------------------------- Summit League: (March 5-9)5 Players To Watch Out For: Marquel Sutton (Omaha / Forward) - 18.8 PTS, 1.2 AST, 7.6 REBOscar Cluff (North Dakota State / Center) - 17.3 PTS, 2.9 AST, 12.2 REBTreysen Eaglestaff (North Dakota / Guard) - 18.3 PTS, 2.3 AST, 2.8 REBChase Forte (South Dakota / Guard) - 17.4 PTS, 3.3 AST, 4.4 REBJackson Moni (North Dakota Sate / Guard) - 20.6 PTS, 3.7 AST, 5.6 REBWhat To Expect:This might just be the most exciting tournament of them all. The Summit League, which is filled with talent across the board, is so well-balanced that anyone can win. Saint Thomas MN is the slight favorite coming in and I can see why. It's an excellent three point shooting team. However, the Tommies aren't eligible for March Madness if they win this tournament - meaning Omaha would get to auto-big as the Summit League reg season champs. Omaha is all the way down with the fourth best odds to win this, but you can't count it out at all. SDAK ST is great at rebounding with Oscar Cluff leading the charge. & NDSU shoots the most number of threes in the country, while hitting a lot of them. This is going to be fun. I cannot wait. Burns' Selection: South Dakota State (+300)Odds To Win:Saint Thomas MN (+225)North Dakota State (+260)South Dakota State (+300)Omaha (+450)South Dakota (+2200)North Dakota (+3500)UMKC (+4000)Denver (+5500)Oral Roberts (+20000)-----------------------------------------------------Sun Belt Conference: (March 4-10) 5 Players To Watch Out For: Mark Freeman (James Madison / Guard) - 15.2 PTS, 3.2 AST, 2.5 REBObinna Anochili-Killen (Marshall / Forward) - 14.0 PTS, 0.9 AST, 5.6 REBMyles Tate (Appalachian State / Guard) - 16.5 PTS, 5.4 AST, 5.2 REBTayton Cornerway (Troy / Guard) - 13.7 PTS, 5.0 AST, 4.7 REBTaryn Todd (Arkansas State / Guard) - 15.0 PTS, 3.3 AST, 4.7 REBWhat To Expect:The Sun Belt Conference is another one of these Conferences that is very tight at the top of the standings. Four teams finished with a 13-5 SBC record. The top four seeds had to be give out somehow and the bracket is now available. Having said that, Arkansas State claimed top spots with the most overall wins. It's a very good offensive team that will be difficult to stop with how many second chance points it gets (dominates the offensive/defensive glass.) Troy/South Alabama are average across the board in terms of stats, but Troy has won three straight coming in and USA's won B2B. JMU matched the 3pt shooting of ARK St, but doesn't have the same rebounding abilities. Marshall is very much alive in this race as well as I believe that the Thundering Herd's five double digit scorers have the ability to beat anyone from anyone. I'm going with a shocker bet and taking Marshall to win this one. Burns' Selection: Marshall (+2000)Odds To Win:Arkansas State (+200)South Alabama (+280)Troy (+350)James Madison (+380)Appalachian State (+1300)Marshall (+2000)Texas State (+3000)Georgia State (+20000)Georgia Southern (+35000)Louisiana Monroe (+50000)Louisiana (+50000)Coastal Carolina (+50000)----------------------------------------------------- West Coast Conference: (March 6-11) 5 Players To Watch Out For: Graham Ike (Gonzaga / Forward) - 17.0 PTS, 1.4 AST, 7.4 REBMalik Thomas (San Francisco / Guard) - 19.1 PTS, 2.0 AST, 3.4 REBMarcus Williams (San Francisco / Guard) - 15.1 PTS, 4.3 AST, 3.6 REBAugustas Marciulionis (Saint Mary's / Guard) - 14.4 PTS, 6.1 AST, 2.8 REBRyan Nembhard (Gonzaga / Guard) - 10.9 PTS, 10.0 AST, 3.1 REBWhat To Expect:The West Coast Conference which now includes the likes of Oregon State & Washington State is being led once against by Gonzaga & Saint Mary's. All season long, those two programs have show the West Coast how to play the game of basketball. Like in the past, the Gaels' defense is as good as ever. Gonzaga plays a completely different style of basketball, averaging the second most PPG in the country behind Alabama at 87.6 PPG. The Zags average 50.4% from the field which is as good as any team as well. Santa Clara & San Francisco have great talent. But, I don't think either of them have enough strength to beat either of these top two sides.Burns' Selection: Saint Mary's (+130)Odds To Win:Gonzaga (-125)Saint Mary's (+130)Santa Clara (+1200)San Francisco (+2200)Oregon State (+5000)Washington State (+10000)Loyola Marymount (+25000)Portland (+30000)Pepperdine (+35000)Pacific (+35000)San Diego (+40000)----------------------------------------------------- Western Athletic Conference: (March 11-15) 5 Players To Watch Out For: Tyon Grant-Foster (Grand Canyon / Guard) - 14.6 PTS, 2.1 AST, 6.2 REBDominique Daniels (Cal Baptist / Guard) - 20.0 PTS, 3.2 AST, 2.6 REBJamir Simpson (Southern Utah / Guard/Forward) - 16.7 PTS, 1.9 AST, 4.7 REBDominick Nelson (Utah Valley / Guard) - 14.9 PTS, 1.8 AST, 5.5 REBMatthew-Alexander Moncreiffe (Seattle / Forward) - 14.6 PTS, 1.2 AST, 9.6 REBWhat To Expect:Last season, the Grand Canyon Antelopes were the clear top team in this conference. Tyon Grant-Foster was nothing short of brilliant averaging 20+ PPG and more. This season he's taken a bit of a seat back. However, he's still the Lopes' top option and is a threat to go nuclear in any given game. Utah Valley currently sits atop the WAC standings with a one-game advantage. The Wolverines have been stellar, and are another great rebounding team. That's huge in a conference that isn't all that competitive other than the top two. Talking about that, I don't see any other team doing much damage in this tournament outside of those two. Seattle is solid but shouldn't be too much of a problem for either. Burns' Selection: Grand Canyon (+130)Odds To Win:Grand Canyon (+130)Utah Valley (+240)Seattle (+500)California Baptist (+600)Abilene Christian (+1900)Texas Arlington (+3000)Tarleton State (+8000)Utah Tech (+18000)Southern Utah (+30000)-----------------------------------------------------Good Luck to ALL, and Happy Watching!William Burns

Recent Sporting News From Around The World

Wednesday, Feb 26, 2025

(SOCCER) MLS IS BACK .. As the European Football seasons enter the final stretch over these next couple of months, the MLS starts up again. This past weekend was the first match-week and we saw some very interesting results. Expansion team: San Diego FC's first MLS game ever was a win against the defending MLS Cup Champions (LA Galaxy.) Inter Miami & Lionel Messi kicked their season off with a draw against NYFC. Miami is the favorite to win it all this year (+400.) MAN CITY OUT OF UCL IN EARLY KNOCKOUT STAGES .. It was an unlucky draw for both teams. However, that's what the new format is all about. Real Madrid was forced to play Manchester City in the "Playoffs Round" of the Champions League. Man City was the team that fell short in the end and now will watch from home for the rest of the way. Madrid are the current favorites to win the UCL and repeat what it accomplished last season (+400.) Barcelona & Liverpool are close. LIVERPOOL RUNNING AWAY w/ PREMIER LEAGUE .. Talking about Liverpool, it's now 13 points clear of Arsenal at the top spot in the Premier League. The Reds keep winning and seem unstoppable this season. Liverpool is now (-5000) to win the Prem. Don't expect any other team to come close to them. (FIGHTING)MASSIVE TITLE FIGHTS TO COME IN 2025 .. Not only have we been expecting the Jon Jones/Tom Aspinal Heavyweight Bout. But, we are now expecting an Islam Makhachev/Ilia Topuria war sometime in 2025 after Ilia vacated his belt to move up in weight class. Both of these fights should be absolutely insane! In Boxing, we could see a Gervonta “Tank” Davis & Lamont Roach throw it down this weekend. Get buckled up for an amazing year of fights. RISING STARS IN THE UFC .. After last week's ridiculous knockout, Jean Silva is a name to remember in the Featherweight Division. Rei Tsuruya (undefeated 10-0) is just 22 years old and he makes his UFC debut against Joshua Van at UFC 313 in what should be a really good fight. Joshua Van too is a rising star in the UFC and the winner of this fight will be in prime position to do great things. Nurullo Aliev is an undefeated fighter as well. Nicknamed the "Tajik Eagle" he will out work you until the final bell. One more I've got to mention is Iasmin Lucindo. At just 22 years old, she's poised for greatness and could be the next Brazilian Women's Strawweight Champ. (HOCKEY) CANADA WINS GOLD AT 4 NATIONS FACE-OFF .. What an event it was that the NHL put on for the world to see in February. Replacing the All-Star game, a mini tournament was put on by the best of the best from the four countries of Canada, USA, Sweden & Finland. After the USA beat Canada in the round-robin, Canada got the best of them in the finale bringing joy across the country in what was an instant classic game finished by the world's most skilled player in Connor McDavid. WINNIPEG & WASHINGTON IN DOMINATING FORM .. Heading into Thursday, February 27th, the Winnipeg Jets are on another 10-game winning streak. The Jets are 11 points clear of the second best team in the Western Conference (Dallas) and have just over 20 games remaining. Similar stuff is going on out East where the Washington Capitals keep on winning. They are 10 points clear of the second best team in the Eastern Conference (Toronto) and Ovechkin is just 12 goals away from passing "The Great One" in goals. (TENNIS) 17 YR OLD PHENOM, MIRRA ANDREEVA MAKES HISTORY .. After winning the DUBAI WTA 1000 tournament, Mirra Andreeva became the youngest player in tennis history to win a WTA 1000 event. She's now ranked in the top 10 in the WTA rankings for the first time in her young career and this is just the beginning. She's only going to go up from here. JANNIK SINNER BANNED FOR 3 MONTHS .. Most people don't agree with the length of this suspension while others don't believe he should be suspended at all. But, either way, Jannik Sinner is currently serving a 3-Month Ban for his "Doping Case" last year. For those who don't know, a banned substance (Trofodermin, containing clostebol,) entered his system from a spray to heal a wound. The average ban for a case like this is anywhere from 12-24 months. He will not miss any Grand Slam events and even will be able to return for the Italian Open which starts three days after he's able to play again. TERRIFYING STALKER IN DUBAI .. The average tennis fan may not remember the incident of Monica Seles who got stabbed mid-match by a stalker in 1993. She was one of the best players in the world, if not the best at the time and it was a complete shock to the tennis world. Well, a recent incident found former US Open Champ Emma Raducanu on the scary end of it in Dubai as this was not the first time the British player had someone "stalking" her. She had been the victim of a different stalker, with another man who was given a 5-year restraining order back home in 2022. She returns to play at Indian Wells set for the start of March. (BASEBALL) BASEBALL IS BACK .. You heard that right. MLB Spring Training is finally here and that means that the Regular Season is just around the corner. LAD (+300 to Win) is locked and loaded again, attempting to go B2B. Don't be shocked if the Dodgers are at the top of the baseball world for many years to come. (BASKETBALL) TOP CONTENDERS THIS SEASON .. Cleveland & Oklahoma City seem to be the runaways right now in the regular season. However, things could change drastically come the playoffs in April/May/June. Boston remains the co-favorite (along with OKC) to win the NBA Championship and go B2B (at +210) and there are plenty of teams that have a chance to do damage. HERE COMES GOLDEN STATE AGAIN .. Golden State is one of those teams. At +1900 to take home the championship this season, that number keeps getting smaller. The Warriors added Jimmy "Buckets" Butler to their team and they've started dominating. No, I'm not going to say that this dynasty is back. However, it's getting more and more likely that the Dubs will be in contention to win this thing.

4 Nations Face-Off Preview/Predictions:

Monday, Feb 10, 2025

Replacing the All-Star Game in 2025, the NHL has agreed to let players take part in the 4 Nations Face-Off beginning this Wednesday. Although not all of the superstars will be playing in this event, most of them will be representing their country in this mini tournament. Some people may not like the format. But, many hold high expectations for it, including myself. It just gives us another chance for the top players of the NHL to compete against each other and hold not only bragging rights, but gives the whole country something to cheer for. The Format: Each Country will play three "round-robin" against one another A team gains 3 points for a win in regulation; 2 points for a win in OT/SO; 1 point for a loss in OT/SO; & 0 points for a loss in regulation Overtime is 10 minutes of Sudden Death Hockey - then a 3-round shootout. No Semis, just one Final between the top two teams after "round-robin" play Overtime in Final is 20 minutes of Sudden Death Hockey & goes until one team scores. If no goals after the 1st, a 2nd OT will commence and so on. (No shootout) The Teams (odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook:) USA (+160 to Win:) Entering this tournament as the Co-Favorites along with Canada to win, the United States of America is the team that most teams are going to fear the most (in my opinion.) Even without the likes of Quinn Hughes on defense, the States are absolutely stacked from top to bottom. They are led by Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk & Charlie McAvoy as the captains. Goaltending is another huge advantage that the Americans possess. They've got Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger & Jeremy Swayman between the pipes. Can't get much better than that. Canada (+160 to Win:) Canada also has a very strong team in the 4 Nations Face-Off. That is why the Canadians are also Co-Favorites to win this tournament. It's going to be a grind, as all four teams are excellent. But, not too many guys can keep up with Connor McDavid & Nathan MacKinnon in the hockey world and they are going to play huge parts to this team. The obvious choice for Team Canada's captaincy was Sydney Crosby. The alternates were given to Cale Makar as well as McDavid. This is also a stacked group. Goaltending will need to be on point, but Canada can most definitely win this. Sweden (+400 to Win:) Slightly below both the USA & Canada, Sweden comes along. Now, even though most of the talk is about the two North American teams, Sweden absolutely has a chance to make some noise and turn some heads. Sweden, with three players from the Minnesota Wild, is led by a Tampa Bay Lightning in Victor Hedman. He's a veteran presence who knows how to win. His assistant captains will be Mattias Ekholm, Erik Karlsson & William Nylander. Sweden's great everywhere, like all the teams in this tournament. But, defense is probably its biggest strength with defensemen who love to get involved in the attacking play. Finland (+900 to Win:) As the underdog in this tournament, Finland isn't getting much respect. Now, there's a reason why Finland is +900 to win this tournament and it's because the other three teams are some of the best teams we've ever seen before. Having said that, I'm not counting the Fins out. They are always a threat to do damage and captain Aleksander Barkov is excited to see what they can do. Finland will also have Sebastian Aho, Mikko Rantanen, & Mikael Granlund with the (A) alongside Barkov. Don't count out Finland until we've seen what it can do. Burns' Selection to Win: This is going to be a great tournament no matter who wins. Having said that, I'm going to go with Canada at +160 to Win the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. Getting two out of three games at home in Quebec will be huge for them, including the game against the USA on Saturday. Even though the final will be in Boston, I'm expecting the top guys from Canada to be at their best here throughout this week. Canada drastically underperformed in the World Juniors and the top Canadian players from the NHL will be putting the whole country on their backs and win this great new event. Final Prediction: 3-2 Canada vs. the USA.

Offseason Signings/Trades + Way-Too-Early MLB Predictions & Future Bets to Make:

Friday, Jan 31, 2025

January is coming to an end and that means that Spring Training is nearly here. From this upcoming season to a year ago now, there have been plenty of changes. Starting off, let's visit the topic of top players playing for a new team this campaign. New Season, New Home: Juan Soto (NYY → NYM) - Kicking things off with the best of the best, Juan Soto did the unthinkable and went to one of the "rivals" of his former team. Yankees fans were practically begging Soto to return after an absolutely outstanding opening season for NYY. He did only have one year on his contract when he originally arrived in New York. However, after coming up short in the postseason to the Dodgers in the World Series, Soto began searching for a new team to fulfill his hopes and dreams of a second World Series title (won with WSH in 2019.) He made his way to NYM where the Mets gave him an absolute bag. Soto will now be joining Francisco Lindor, David Peterson, Edwin Diaz & hopefully Pete Alonso in search of that feat. This should be another fun season for Soto fans. Corbin Burnes (BAL → ARI) - Flying under the radar, Corbin Burnes' tenure with the Baltimore Orioles did not last very long. He pitched very well last season with a 15-9 record & 2.92 ERA. That being said, the Orioles did not perform well whatsoever when it came to October. Getting eliminated in the Wildcard Round is not what Burnes was hoping for and that caused him to have a second change in scenery in as many years. The Orioles have changed a lot over this offseason and Burnes is the biggest piece that is now gone. The superstar pitcher now joins a DBacks time that looks to get back into the playoffs after barely missing out last season. The one-two combo of Burns & Gallen could be the next big thing in baseball. Don't forget the DBacks added Josh Naylor as well. Max Fried (ATL → NYY) - Although Max Fried didn't have the greatest of stats a season ago, he's been excellent throughout his career and he's still off a very solid year. He went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA in 29 starts with the Braves. Although the Yankees lost a lot with the departure of Juan Soto, Max Fried will surely make this rotation a whole lot stronger and bring back the World Series hopes of Yankees fans once again this season. He joins a pitching group that already has Gerrit Cole coming back as well as a one year older Luis Gil & Carlos Rodon. I expect this signing to work extremely well and for Fried to get back above 13 wins this year. Willy Adames (MIL → SF) - This is an absolute steal of a signing for the San Francisco Giants in my opinion. In need of another great defensive player in their infield, the Giants are absolutely stacked in that department now. Willy Adames joins Matt Chapman on the left side of the infield and they will complement each other perfectly. To go along with his stellar defense, Adames is also an excellent hitter. He hit 32 home runs last season and had 112 RBI's last season. That's exactly the type of player that the Giants needed. Even though this division (with LAD, SD & ARI) is completely stacked, the Giants now have a shot at shocking the world if they can get great play from both their hitters and pitching (added Verlander too.) Don't be shocked if they are in the playoff race come September. Roki Sasaki (Japan → LAD) - This list would not be complete without the mentioning of this very guy right here. According to some, Roki Sasaki is going to be even better than Yoshinobu Yamamoto was this season. He owns the NPB record for most strikeouts thrown in a single game with 19 as well as the world record for most consecutive strikeouts thrown in a game with 13. That's simply outrageous. Now, Sasaki kept all of his options open, but reuniting with Yamamoto & Ohtani was always going to be the play. Sasaki is going to be put in a spot to succeed with this roster and he should be winning a lot of baseball games in year one. Although this rotation has more than enough guys to have a "5-man rotation," Sasaki should not be worried about playing time. He will get his. Expect a big season from the rising Japanese superstar. What Team do I Expect to Improve The Most?: Very difficult to choose just one team here, but I actually expect the Toronto Blue Jays to improve a lot this season and perhaps the most out of any team. After winning just 74 games last season and finishing dead last in the AL East, Toronto went out and improved a lot. First of all, the Blue Jays kept Vladdy Jr which is huge for them. They also went out and got Anthony Santander, Max Scherzer, Andrés Giménez as well as Mike Hoffman. Those are four massive players to pluck into this depth chart. Now, yes they had a chance to sign Roki Sasaki who would have brought extreme happiness to fans across the entire country of Canada. But, all of these guys will be great for this organization which should be back to a winning program again in 2025. Record Projection: 84-78. What Team do I Expect to Fall Off The Most?: This is also an extremely hard choice to make. But, if I had to choose just one team to fall off it would probably be the Houston Astros. They lost Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs over this offseason and Alex Bregman could very well be on the way out in a couple of days as well. Not only are the Astros dealing with those losses, but the pitching rotation is in deep trouble again this year. Houston will have Framber Valdez & Hunter Brown back, but 3, 4 & 5 are huge question marks with Justin Verlander departing and youngsters with not much experience in their back pocket. I wouldn't say that this team is going to be a losing team all of the sudden as they did add Isaac Paredes & Christian Walker during the break. However, don't expect the 'Stros to run away with the AL West like it did at the end of last season. Record Projection: 83-79. Burns' Best Future Bets To Make Right Now (odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook):1.) Los Angeles Dodgers to Win the World Series (+310)2.) Toronto Blue Jays Over 77.5 Wins (-110)3.) Houston Astros Under 88.5 Wins (-120) Current World Series Prediction:Los Angeles Dodgers to defeat the Cleveland Guardians.

2025 Australian Open Preview: (Tennis)

Saturday, Jan 11, 2025

Another gruelling season of tennis is officially underway in the year of 2025 and we've arrived at the first of four "Grand-Slam" events in the Australian Open. Luckily for us, we get to watch a bundle of great matchups that are poised to happen over the course of this tournament. After the bracket was announced, this could go down as an absolutely epic Aussie Open. Get your popcorn ready, this is about to be a wild ride! The Overall Favorites to win the Tournament: Men's 1.) Over the past year now, Jannik Sinner (+110 to Win) has solidified himself as the top contender in the Men's tennis world. He's an outstanding ball striking that has the speed to cover the entirety of the court. He's the most consistent player on tour, and will look to kick off his 2025 with another great performance. He won this tournament last year after coming all the way back from down two sets to love in the final against Daniil Medvedev after beating Novak Djokovic in the Semi Finals. 2.) Although the tennis world is still wowed constantly by the likes of Carlos Alcaraz (+350 to Win,) he had a bit of a disappointing year last year considering how talented this man is. Alcaraz is still one of the best players in the world and one of the most talented players that this game has ever seen. He's lightning quick and has the ability to completely take over matches when he gets hot. I expect him to have a great tournament here to start his season off well. 3.) The GOAT of tennis, Novak Djokovic (+600 to Win) is a bit of a sleeper for this year's Australian Open. Despite winning this title 10 times over the course of his career, Djokovic is aging, which is why his odds slowly decrease year after year. Having said that, Novak is still one of the top players in the game. His longevity has separated him from the rest and that is why I, and many believe that he is the greatest to ever play the game. He's definitely capable of winning this tournament, but he needs to be at his best and cannot have any lapses against the best of the best in the later stages. Women's 1.) In the women's game at the moment, Aryna Sabalenka (+240 to Win) has taken over. The current #1 overall player in the world is a power machine. She hits the ball with so much ferocity that it's hard for her opponents to even think that they have a chance at the beginning of the match. Even with the tough draw, compared to normal, I believe that she will cruise through to the later stages of the tournament and end up winning this tournament overall just like she did a year and two years ago. 2.) Coco Gauff (+500 to Win) is the best American Women's tennis player in the world at the moment and there's no question about it. She's one of the best overall players, and definitely has a shot at winning this tournament. Coco changed her coach once again going into this year and has gained confidence since losing in the 4th round of the US Open in 2024. Now, she's won just one Grand Slam over her young career so far, but this one is going to be a difficult task. 3.) Talking about Women's tennis, one cannot go without mentioning the name of Iga Swiatek (+500 to Win.) Her will/determination to simply just win is unmatched in the tennis world. Although she might have fallen off a bit since a year and a bit ago now, Swiatek is still always going to be one of the top players in the Women's game. I believe that she has as good of a chance at winning this tournament as anyone if she's playing her best tennis. It's going to be necessary for her to stay focused throughout the tournament though. Full Odds to Win the Tournament (via. DraftKings:) Men's: Jannik Sinner (+110)Carlos Alcaraz (+350)Novak Djokovic (+600)Alexander Zverev (+1000)Daniil Medvedev (+1600)Taylor Fritz (+3000)Alex De Minaur (+5000)Jack Draper (+6000)Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard (+7000)Stefanos Tsitsipas (+8000)Women's: Aryna Sabalenka (+240)Coco Gauff (+500)Iga Swiatek (+500)Elena Rybakina (+1000)Qinwen Zheng (+1500)Mirra Andreeva (+3000)Karolina Muchova (+3000)Naomi Osaka (+4000)Emma Navarro (+5000)Madison Keys (+5000) Burns' Australian Open 2025 Projections: Overall, this should be a very good tournament. So many great potential matchups and many new contenders that believe this is their time to shine. Having said that, I expect the pure ball strikers that have power to thrive here in Melbourne. The surface is Hard Court, which makes the ball move a lot faster and also leads to more aces. That being said, this is the perfect event for someone like Aryna Sabalenka to go out and do her thing. On the men's side of things, it's harder to predict a winner if one doesn't want to just go straight to the two favorites. Even though it's laying quite a lot of juice, playing on the Big Three against the field might be the best play. Here are my 2025 Australian Open Best Bets. Best Bets: 1: Aryna Sabalenka to Win >> +2402: Naomi Osaka to Win 2nd Quarter >> +11003. Big Three vs. The Field (Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz) >> -500

NFL 2024/25 Season: Final Push/Way-Too-Early Playoff Projections:

Tuesday, Dec 31, 2024

What has happened leading up to now in the NFL: We are now coming down the final stretch of the NFL season and things are shaping up to be really good in this year's playoff race. Not only do we have just a couple of teams pulling away from the other. But, we've got a massive group of teams that could go far in the postseason. Looking at what has happened so far, Kansas City leads the way as the favorites once again. Not only are the Chiefs the defending two time champs. But, they also have the top record in the entire NFL at 15-1 through week 17. The Vikings keep creeping up the rankings for top odds and the rest of the NFC looks to take down the current NFC favorites in Detroit. Cincinnati, a team you'd expect to be in the playoff race, still has a glimmer of hope after beating Denver last weekend in overtime. But, they need the Broncos to lose once again as well as a couple of other key things to happen to get in. Who are the Top Contenders?: As mentioned earlier, the Chiefs own the best record in football with just one loss in the regular season. That puts them just above Detroit at +350 to win the Super Bowl. This is a big chance for them to win a third consecutive title and show the world how dominant they really are. This would also put Mahomes in the GOAT conversation already (in my opinion) with many years still left - hopefully. My top team coming in right now is the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo has had some poor moments this season, but has mostly been outstanding. Now only is the defense playing extremely well now, but Josh Allen looks like the best Josh Allen that we've ever seen before. The Bills are real contenders and getting in on them now before their odds get worse is the right thing to do.You can't have a list of contenders without the like of Detroit in their. Currently the favorite to win the NFC by quite a bit, the Lions have an absolutely stacked roster even without some of their top guys. The way they are playing this is a team that could very well win the whole thing. People say that they could possibly get Aidan Hutchinson back for the Super Bowl as well. Although they haven't performed well in the postseason in recent years, the Baltimore Ravens must be mentioned in this list with how great Lamar Jackson is playing with Derrick Henry to his side. Baltimore's defense has been their liability at times though. Not saying the Ravens can't go far, but Lamar/Henry will need to be at their best in order for them to have a chance. Finally, I'm going to include the Philadelphia Eagles in this list. Saquon Barkley stands just 101 yards away from breaking the single season rushing record. Only time will tell if he's going to be put out there in a meaningless game. However, it's not so meaningless for Saquon. This is against his former team. The Eagles rely on Saquon a lot now that they have him. Their offense needs to perform if they want a chance as well. Odds to Win the Super Bowl as of December 31st. (Top 5 in both AFC & NFC): Kansas City Chiefs (+350)Buffalo Bills (+600)Baltimore Ravens (+650)Los Angeles Chargers (+3500)Pittsburgh Steelers (+5500)Detroit Lions (+400)Philadelphia Eagles (+750)Minnesota Vikings (+850)Green Bay Packers (+1500)Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+3000) Playoff Predictions/Potential Matchups to Watch out for: Baltimore/LAC - Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh rematch incoming? With the current standings, we'd see a Baltimore/LAC matchup in the first round. This would be another all-time matchup with two of the best coaches in football going at it once again. Earlier this season, the brothers met up with each other in what was a great 30-23 matchup. It's definitely possible that we see another one in these playoffs. Buffalo/Kansas City - This has been the rivalry of the playoffs in the AFC for a while now. It's essentially turning into an Allen/Mahomes rivalry though. Buffalo. wins the regular season matchup while Kansas City wins the playoff matchup. I'm expecting something different this year with the Bills not taking any more of these games for granted. They will give KC everything they have. Beware of the upset. Burns' Super Bowl Prediction as of today: Buffalo Bills (31) beats Detroit Lions (24).

2024 Year In Review ... Top Events From This Year

Thursday, Dec 26, 2024

As the 2024 year comes to an end, we can know say welcome to 2025. First, let's take a moment and realize what a year of sports it has been, a rollercoaster to say the least. From the Olympics to Championship Games, it's time to recap what my top events of 2024 Kansas City Chiefs - 3peat incoming? Let's kick things off with the NFL. Playoffs are right around the corner and we're now coming down to the wire. Who's going to win it all? Well, we know one thing for sure. Kansas City, who are coming off their second consecutive Super Bowl ring, are challengers once again. With their 15-1 record this season, the Chiefs are the favorites to win the NFL once again. However, there are some very strong football teams standing in their way this time around. They most definitely are good enough to become champions for a third straight season. The Chiefs have their core of Patrick Mahomes & Travis Kelce back, and Hollywood Brown just returned from the IR which should be a massive help. But, will they get it done? Only time will tell. Here are the odds of the top five contenders as of right now. Kansas City Chiefs (+350)Detroit Lions (+400) Buffalo Bills (+600)Philadelphia Eagles (+650)Baltimore Ravens (+650) Burns' Super Bowl Prediction as of today: Buffalo Bills (31) beats Detroit Lions (24). Spain are kings of Europe after winning European Championships!! Looking at another type of football, this is the World's Most Beautiful Game. European Football (Soccer) is the biggest sport in the World and it's still growing. Now, although the "World Cup" is the most prestigious tournament to win in the world of Soccer for all of the players, the European Championships (Euro Cup) comes next in terms of International Tournaments. There's the Copa America, AFCON, Asian Cup etc.. However, the best teams are located in Europe and this is the tournament for just those teams. In this year's version, we saw a bunch of new faces reach new heights. For Spain, who ended up winning the tournament, a young 17yr old sensation took center stage. Lamine Yamal, who plays at Barcelona for club soccer, is one of the world's greatest up and coming superstars. He's already made a name for himself and people from all over the world are absolutely loving it. Yamal dominated France in the Semi's as he scored an absolute screamer. He also set up many opportunities for his teammates over the course of the tournament. It's just the start of something special that Spain is building and their next chance to show it is at the Nations League in 2025. Expect Spain to be serious challengers once again come the World Cup in 2026 & Euros in 2028. "The Avengers" strike back and win gold at the 2024 Olympics! (Team USA Basketball): If you somehow missed the Men's Basketball portion of the 2024 Olympic Games, go check it out right now. Team USA, who lost in both the Semi Finals as well as the Bronze Medal game in the FIBA World Cup in 2023, were in it to prove something this time around. The fastest man in the world, Noah Lyles (who won gold in the 100M sprint in these very Olympics) had something to say after he realized that NBA Finals Champions were calling themselves the Champions of the World. That motivated the USA to bring together the greats and best players from their country for the 2024 olympics. With players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry a part of the team, you wouldn't expect anything else but gold. Having said that, Serbia & France did all they could to slow them down. But, Curry took exception. In the fourth quarter of both of those games (Semis & Finals) the "Baby Faced Assassin" took over. It was one of the greatest basketball performances of all time. Even the French TV announcer said, “The devil named Curry is hurting us!” when he was going off in the final minutes of the Gold Medal Game. Nicknamed "The Avengers" I think this time challenges some of the Team USA's of the past as one of the best teams ever assembled. UCONN dynasty in College Hoops? Winning one championship in College Basketball is extremely difficult. Teams battle through all sorts of adversity all throughout the school year just to get put in a 68-team tournament at the end of the season to duel it out with the nations best programs. Well, this Connecticut Men's Basketball team has managed to win the NCAA Championship in consecutive years now. This is the first time that it's happened that a team won two straight since 2006-07, and the ninth time all time. Head Coach, Dan Hurley, was offered a six year 70-million dollar deal to become this year's HC of the Los Angeles Lakers. Hurley declined the offer and extended his tenure with the Huskies through the 2029-30 season for 20 million less. People may question his hard coaching style. But, there's no question that he's a winner/has loyalty to his program. He's here to build something special. It would be something "special" if the Huskies are able to win another title this season, that's for sure. It's only ever happened one other time in the late 60s/early 70s & there's no question that they should be considered as contenders once again. Either way, this is a team to watch for years to come, that's for sure. Shohei Ohtani shatters records. Dodgers win the World Series!! After signing the biggest contract in sporting history (10yr/700-million) just over a year ago now, Shohei Ohtani has already cemented himself as one of the best players to play the game of baseball after just one season with his new team. Ohtani, who broke many records over the course of this season, started his career with the Dodgers a bit slower than one would expect (to his standards.) It wasn't until a betting scandal broke out with his former interpreter and Ohtani's bank account that the NL MVP started dominating. Finishing the season as the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. What's even more impressive about this feat is that Shohei is just as talented, if not better as a pitcher. He didn't pitch in 2024, but is expected to get back to it in 2025. The Dodgers, who were stacked with talent, won the World Series with the top guys leading the way. Even though he didn't have an amazing playoffs, Ohtani's season will go down as one of the best ever by a hitter. Luke Littler Takes Over the Dart World! Not many people outside of Europe pay attention to darts. However, like most sports, Darts is growing around the world. Luke Littler, a 17year old from Runcorn, United Kingdom, "kicked ass" in juniors. In his first season in the "big leagues," Littler "kicked even more ass." Luke "The Nuke" now has plenty of wins and titles under his belt (10 senior PDC titles already,) and he's the favorite to win the World Darts Championships which is the tournament that's going on right now. He's ranked as a top-five player in the World and might even be the best currently. Expect more winning to come over the course of this young phenom's career.

College Hoops: Winners/Losers from November & Season Predictions

Saturday, Nov 30, 2024

In perhaps the most exciting sport to watch in the world of sports, the 2024-25 College Basketball season commenced earlier this month. We've already seen a bunch of exciting matchups and some very interesting styles of play. The in-season tournaments have been stellar watches and this is just the beginning of what should be an absolutely amazing CBB season. The month of November means more to certain teams that it does to others. Some programs will take games very seriously right now while others are simply just trying to find their legs and hit the ground running. This is the perfect time to see what your team is about, facing top teams and battling it out in style. Here are your winners and losers (known schools) in the month of November. Winners: 1.) Auburn Tigers (7-0 Record) The Auburn Tigers have been the most impressive team so far this season in my opinion. They've beaten everyone that's gotten put in front of them and have an amazing group of guys. Already this season, Auburn has won @Houston & has wins against ISU, UNC as well as Memphis in the Maui Invitational. Two of those four wins came by double digits! Now, the SEC is one of, if not the toughest division in College Hoops this season. So, don't be shocked if they pick up the occasional loss in conference play. However, the Tigers are out for revenge this season after being sent home early in last year's March Madness (1st Round Loss to Yale.) Season Prediction: Elite Eight appearance - possible Final Four team. 2.) Oklahoma Sooners (7-0 Record) The Sooners have been great so far this year and their record proves it. They began the season as a mid/low-tier SEC school and have absolutely shaken things up in this highly competitive conference. No, I do not expect them to keep winning every game, especially in the SEC. However, with wins over teams like Providence, Arizona & Louisville in Nassau, Bahamas, and an In-Season Tournament Championship Trophy to show for, they should be flying high on confidence through their first month in a new conference. Season Prediction: Round of 32 appearance 3.) Marquette Golden Eagles (7-0 Record) Just like the first two teams of this list, Marquette has looked excellent and owns a perfect 7-0 record to begin the season. Now, they are in the Big East, which is also a very strong conference as well. Now, even though the Golden Eagles don't have as many strong wins against top teams so far, they've looked dominant in the one's that they've played in. With a win over a 6-1 Maryland team and blowout wins against Purdue & Georgia, it's tough not to put them on this list. They will bump up in the rankings when the next Top 25 is released next week. Expect another title contending season for Marquette. Season Prediction: Sweet Sixteen appearance Losers: 1.) Connecticut Huskies (4-3 Record) The UCONN Huskies are my top 'Loser' of the opening month of this season. They lost every game in the Maui Invitational in very winnable games where they were sizeable favorites. Those losses were suffered against Memphis, Colorado & Dayton. Now, I don't expect this to hurt UCONN very much as we head into conference play. However, Connecticut will need to shake it off and smarten up. I think that they very much can do so with the likes of Dan Hurley behind the bench coaching them. Look for another big year from the Huskies as they search for their third consecutive. Season Prediction: Final Four Appearance 2.) Arizona Wildcats (3-4 Record) It has not been a pretty start for the Wildcats of Arizona. They've had a couple of very tough games this season and haven't shown signs of being a very strong contender so far. Losses against all of the tough teams that they've played including Wisconsin, Duke, OU & West Virginia in overtime. Well, what's next for them? They're in one of the top three conferences in CBB in my opinion with tough teams all over the place. Don't get your hopes up this season Arizona fans. If they don't smarten up, this is going to be a very rough season for Arizona. Season Prediction: If they make it (I'll give them an 80% chance right now,) Round of 32 appearance - possible Sweet Sixteen team. 3.) Creighton Blue Jays (4-3 Record) Although just like all of these teams, the Blue Jays still have plenty of time to find their identity, it's been a struggle for them so far. After losing their best player to the NBA in Baylor Scheierman this offseason, they were forced to regroup a bit. Now, they still have great talent in Ryan Kalkbrenner & Steven Ashworth. And they did add Pop Isaacs to the team. But, they've lost three consecutive games in late November against Nebraska, San Diego State & Texas A&M which won't look so good on their resume come the end of the season. I don't think that they'll have much trouble making the Big Dance. But, they could have early problems in that tournament with the lack of early-season success against Non-Conf opponents. They are currently playing Notre Dame to finish off the month with a win. Season Prediction: Round of 32 appearance

ATP Finals 2024 Preview: (Tennis)

Saturday, Nov 09, 2024

Novak Djokovic has already pulled out of this season's final event leaving room for one more player to join the field of eight. That final spot goes to Andrey Rublev who is currently ranked #9 in the world. This should be an epic tournament as the WTA Finals has already lived up to the hype just a couple of days in. Here's what you can expect in this year's ATP Finals. Round Robin Groups & Bracket: If you don't already know, everyone in the same group will play a match against the other in the 'round-robin' phase. After those matches are completed, the top two players from each group will be put in a Semi-Final & Final mini bracket to decide the winner. This is a unique tournament as it's the only one that could possibly have a winner that losses in the earlier stages of the tournament. Be prepared for upsets and very intriguing matchups over the course of it. First Group: #1) Jannik Sinner (Italy) Sinner goes without saying. He is the best in the world right now. He's the favorite to win this whole tournament and should be considered as must-watch TV whenever he's taking the stage. He's -200 to come out of his side of the bracket. (+125 to Win) #4) Daniil Medvedev (Russia) Medvedev definitely has a shot at winning this tournament. He won just one Grand Slam over the course of his career, which is concerning. However, this setup could favor him really well. It's not as many matchups and he's playing very good tennis right now. I would not be surprised if Meddy reaches the Semi's if not the Final if Sinner isn't on his game in the early stages. (+900 to Win) #6) Taylor Fritz (USA) Fritz is an interesting player. He's know considered as the top Men's American player on tour and there's no denying that he's got talent. However, he seems to fold when he plays the top competition. It's not easy playing the best of the best. But, I think that the American is going to need a whole lot of luck, especially in a group like this. (+1600 to Win) #8) Alex De Minaur (Australia) Alex De Minaur is a special watch. Not many Australian players have ever been as talented as this guy. Having said that, he could be in for a tough tournament. Having to play against Sinner in the first match of this tournament, he's going to need to put together a couple of really good performances against both Medvedev & Fritz to get through. (+2000 to Win) Second Group: #2) Alexander Zverev (Germany) Having overtaken the Spaniard as the world number #2 over the past couple of tournaments, Zverev is a threat to win any match. His backhand is brilliant and he's got one of the most accurate service games of all time. This is the tougher of the two groups in my opinion and anyone could get out. The loser of the Zverev/Ruud match might end up going home early. (+550 to Win) #3) Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) Yes, he's dropped down to #3 in the world. However, Carlos Alcaraz is someone that you can never count out. The Spanish sensation will be wanting to finish the 2024 tennis season with a bang and this is the tournament to do so. With the best in the world all in one event, get your popcorn ready. This is going to be fun. (+210 to Win) #7) Casper Ruud (Norway) Casper Ruud is not in great form right now. He's lost four consecutive matches leading up to this event which is kind of worrisome. Having said that, we all know what the Norwegian is capable of when he's on his game. Ruud will need to be at his best in all three games of this tournament. (+3500 to Win) #9) Andrey Rublev (Russia) Sneaking into the draw after Novak Djokovic withdrew, Andrey Rublev is a sneaky pick to win this whole thing. On his day, Rublev can look like the best player on tour. However, I don't see that happening this tournament. He's a lucky 'in' and will fall against both Zverev & Alcaraz (maybe even in all three.) (+2000 to Win) Burns Best Bet & Predictions: Having not been in 'top' form over the past monthor so, Carlos Alcaraz has fallen into the #3 spot. That being said, he still is one of the more exciting players to watch in the entire world of tennis. His speed, to go with his finesse is something to watch if you've never watched him before. He should be feeling good heading into this tournament and I believe that he'll be ready to win his side of the bracket. Expect Carlos Alcaraz to come out on top of the 'John Newcombe Group' and feature in the final of this year's ATP Finals. You can get - Carlos Alcaraz to Win Quarter at (-125) via. DraftKings Sportsbook. I do believe that Jannik Sinner will probably feature in the Final as well. He's had an outstanding season considering he's had to deal with his doping scandal. He will be favored in every single match over the course of this tournament. Having said that, it would be foolish of me not to pick him to win his side of the bracket as well. The come out of the 'Ilie Nastase Group,' you can get Sinner to Win Quarter at (-200) via. DraftKings Sportsbook. He's simply just that good.Final Prediction: 6-4 . 6-7 . 6-3 Alcaraz (over Sinner.)

CBB Deep Dive: Key Players, Top Teams & More:

Thursday, Oct 31, 2024

College Basketball is back on Monday! Nobody is more excited than I am and it's going to be another season of brilliance. Let's take a look at what you can expect this season from the players to the teams. Good Luck this season! (All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook) Five Players to Watch Out For (Guard-Center) + Honorable Mentions : G - Mark Sears (Alabama) The quarterback of the Alabama backcourt will be one of the best players in the country once again this season. Averaging 21.5 ppg last year, he was a huge part in their run to the Final Four. He will just keep improving as well. I believe that the Tide can even make it that one step closer towards everyone's main goal this season. With Sears, Bama is a real contender at winning the whole thing. G - RJ Davis (UNC) RJ Davis gets slept on a bit with the likes of Elliott Cadeau also in this backcourt. Having said that, Davis averaged 21.2 ppg a year ago and is really benefiting from the departure of Caleb Love (who's still at Arizona.) He's more than capable of a repeat from last year and is ready to do just that. All he needs is 785 points this season to become UNC's all time scoring leader. He had 784 last year.F - Cooper Flagg (Duke)If you've been paying attention to any recruiting over this offseason, Cooper Flagg has been the biggest headline. One of the best American prospects ever, Flagg committed to Duke and has them back in the title contending race once again. If you've never watched him play, you're not going to want to miss him this season. For such a young age, he's ridiculously talented. F - J'Wan Roberts (Houston) Flying under the radar, Roberts has been in Kelvin Sampson's program for a while now. Not only is he a great teammate, but he's also very coachable. Roberts is dominant on the glass and very good on the defensive end. Let's not forget his scoring ability too. Yes, he may not light up many scoring sheets. But, J'Wan is one of the top players in the country heading into this season and I have to put him on this list.C - Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton) Although Kalkbrenner might not be the most flashy center in Division 1, he's slowly became one of the best. The Creighton big man has now won the Big-East Defensive Player of the Year award three times. Not only is he great on defense, but Kalkbrenner also averaged 17.3 ppg with 7.6 rpg last season. Creighton is a very good team once again this season and he's a big part of it. Two Honorable Mentions: 1.) Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State) Slowly climbing up the ranks, Iowa State is now ready to contend for the championship. Mainly thanks to this guy. Lipsey's stats last season don't show how good he really is. He's a dominant scorer who can look like the best player on the court in any given game. As an All Big-12 First Team & Big-12 All Defensive Team player last season, expect another monster year from the Cyclone Point Guard. 2.) Alex Karaban (UCONN)To have a list of players and not mention someone from the back to back champs would be criminal. Alex Karaban, who's now been a part of both championship runs, will now be the top option on this Husky team. His numbers were much improved last season and he plays nearly every game. Not to mention his great defensive skills and ability to make the right decisions. This could be another break-out season from the young forward.Burns' Preseason Top 25 Rankings: 1.) Alabama 2.) Kansas3.) Duke4.) UCONN5.) Houston6.) Iowa State 7.) UNC 8.) Houston9.) Baylor10.) Texas A&M11.) Gonzaga12.) Tennessee13.) Auburn14.) Arizona15.) Arkansas16.) Creighton17.) Florida18.) Kentucky19.) Indiana 20.) Purdue21.) Illinois22.) Texas23.) Michigan State24.) St. John's25.) RutgersThree Future Bets to Make Before the Season: 1.) Alabama to win the SEC (+220) - Adding someone like Chris Youngblood to the mix is huge for this Crimson Tide team. This is a team that looked very good in the conference last season and should be able to do the exact same thing and even improve this year. Mark Sears & Grant Nelson are back, and you can currently get the Tide to win the SEC with tremendous value across all sports books.2.) Duke to win the ACC (+125) - The ACC doesn't get the respect that it deserves in College Basketball anymore. Even though the overall talent is spread across many conferences, let's not forget that this conference still has the blue bloods Duke & UNC. Having said that, the Blue Devils separated themselves as the clear front runners this offseason grabbing Cooper Flagg in the recruiting phase. He'll be enough to get them back to the top of the ACC after disappointment last season. 3.) Mark Sears to win the John Wooden Award (+800) - Like mentioned earlier in this article, Sears is going to once again be a top scorer in this league. The John Wooden Award goes to the "Most Outstanding Player in Men's & Women's College Basketball." That being said, Sears should be one of the favorites, due to his scoring. Having great players around him will only make him better and I believe he has an excellent chance in winning this award this season.

5 NBA Future Bets to Make Before the Season Begins:

Wednesday, Oct 16, 2024

The NHL has now commenced and that leaves us with another sport to watch out for. Basketball. The NBA season begins on October 22nd with the Knicks/Celtics & TWolves/Lakers. It should be another fantastic year and I'm looking forward to it very much. Let's take a look at five NBA Future Bets to make this season prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign. *All Odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook. ---------------- 1.) Victor Wembanyama to Win the Defensive Player of the Year (-170) You can't really bet on anyone else here. Last season, in his rookie year, Wemby completely dominated on the defensive side of the ball. As a matter of fact, he averaged 1.2 steals per game as well as 3.6 blocks a game. Some would say that he got robbed of the Defensive Player of the Year just because he was a rookie. Now, I'm not going to say he got "robbed." But, I am going to say that Rudy Gobert (who won it last year) needs to be ready for the biggest challenge of his life this season. The 7'3" 20yr old played 71 games last season. If he can play anywhere close to that this season, he'll be a threat to break some block records in his first two seasons in the NBA. Nobody wants to challenge the big man in the paint with his insane wingspan. The Spurs are slightly better than last season as well which should help take the Frenchman's game to even another level. Expect Wemby to win his first DPOY this season. 2.) Denver Nuggets Over 51.5 Wins (-105) After disappointingly losing to the Timberwolves in the Conference Semi-Finals last year, the Nuggets will want to regain their throne as the best team in the West this year. Although it was a down season for them, they still managed to finish second in the conference with 57 wins on the season. Yes, that's a lot of wins to try and repeat this season. But, they've still got plenty of the pieces from these past few seasons and should be able to at least make it "over" the total. The Nuggets added Russell Westbrook & Dario Saric this offseason which should help bolster their depth. Don't get me wrong, 51.5 wins is still quite a bit considering that this is probably the most competitive conference of the two with about 12 teams that could make a push into the playoffs this year. That being said, this Nuggets team is good enough to do just that once again this season. Prediction: 55-27 record. 3.) Lauri Markkanen to Make the All-Star Game (+320) After being an All-Star during the 2022-23 campaign, Lauri Markkanen wasn't able to get back to it in 2023-24. That being said, I do believe that he will be able to reach the All-Star game again this season. The Jazz big man is one of the deadliest perimeter forwards in the game right now. His ability to stretch the floor and cause havoc under the basket has really set him a part from others. Lauri only played 55 games last year, which is why he wasn't eligible for contention. But, he still averaged 23.2 PTS, 8.2 REB, 2.0 AST, 0.9 Steals & 0.5 Blocks. This season, he's getting tremendous value to make this All-Star game. Although he wouldn't be considered a front-runner by any means, Lauri is good enough and should be in contention to be an All-Star for the second time in his career this season. 4.) Stephen Curry to be the 3s Made Per Game Leader (-275) As everyone now knows, Stephen Curry is the greatest three-point shooter to ever live in the game of basketball. He's made three after three over the course of his career which is why he stands alone as the #1 three point getter of all-time. Last year, he led the NBA for the eight time in this category. As a matter of fact, Steph was 73 3pt FG's ahead of the next best guy who was Luka Doncic. That's absurd. Curry and the Warriors are reloading again this season as they hunt for another deep playoff run. They've got tons of depth which a good playoff team always needs. Losing Klay Thompson wasn't ideal for the Dubs, but that should open up even more 3pt opportunities for Curry this season. He's the big favorite in this category for a reason and there's no doubt in my mind that as long as he stays healthy, that he will win his ninth 3pt's Made in a Season title this season. 5.) Stephon Castle to Win Rookie of the Year (+1000) Out of all of the rookies, I'm going to go a different route than most people would expect. Yes, Zach Edey is the favorite. His size and connection with Ja Morant has looked very strong so far. There is also Zaccharie Risacher, Reed Sheppard, Alexandre Sarr, Rob Dillingham & Matas Buzelis to consider. That being said, I'm going to go with Stephon Castle. The UCONN point guard can do it all and will do whatever Head Coach Greg Popovich asks of him. With other guard Devin Vassell out of the lineup for at least a couple of weeks, this is the perfect opportunity for the youngster to show the NBA what he's made of. Castle didn't put up monster numbers at UCONN last season. But, he didn't have to. He did the little things and it helped them win their second championship in as many seasons. He still was able to average 11.1 PTS, 4.7 REB, 2.9 AST in 34 contests last season. Castle is going to need to work for his playing time this year. But, don't be shocked if he builds a great relationship with both CP3 & Wemby. Popovich won't have any other choice than to keep him in the starting lineup all season long. -----------------In less than a week now, we will have another sport to cheer on. I finished the year on a fantastic 24-13 (+$9,700) NBA sides run last season. Jump on board with a subscription today before I start winning big!

MLB Postseason Preview: A Look At Each Team + World Series Projection

Monday, Sep 30, 2024

The MLB playoffs start on Tuesday and there's nothing more exciting to a baseball fan than October baseball. Let's break down all of the teams that will feature in the 2024 postseason: American League:[#1 seed] New York Yankees - Will play BAL/DET winner After owning the best record in the AL this past season, the Yankees will focus on getting ready over these next couple of wild-card round days. Known for their superstar talent, Aaron Judge & Juan Soto are on a mission to bring the title back to the Bronx. While Soto has already won a World Series w/ the Nationals, Judge will need one if he's to go down as the greatest power hitter of all time. Looking at what's next for them, they will be playing the winner of the #4/#5 matchup between the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers. Baltimore, a division foe, owns a very good lineup and could cause the Yankees some trouble. Having said that, the Yankees will need to be at their best come Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday.[#2 seed] Cleveland Guardians - Will play HOU/KC winnerCleveland enters this postseason as a sleeper team that not too many people are talking about. Even though they had an outstanding season, they just aren't a team that gets too much hype. Led by Jose Ramirez, this team very well could shock the baseball world. The Guardians are terrific hitters and have one of the best bullpens in the MLB. Unluckily for them, they'll have to play the winner of the #3/#6 matchup between the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals. Both of those teams are very solid and could make some noise as well. However, I do believe that the home field advantage will help the Guardians a lot during the ALDS. They own the best home record in the AL by a mile. Don't be shocked if we see the Guards in the ALCS or even the World Series.[#3 seed] Houston Astros - vs. KC After the horrendous beginning to their 2024 campaign, the Astros turned things around in a hurry. Back in April, I wrote an article about them when they were just 4-11. In that article, I mentioned, "It’s hard to think that the Astros aren’t going to make the playoffs after how many years that they’ve dominated the American League. Yes, it’s been a bad start. But, you’ve got to remember. This is a 162 game season and we are not even close to the halfway point yet. Expect Houston to still make the playoffs." Well, that turned out to be true and the Astros will host the Royals in a three game series to begin the postseason. They've got excellent pitching and should be strong in the hitting department. Never count the Stros out as they've got one of the top teams in baseball. [#4 seed] Baltimore Orioles - vs. DET Baltimore. They've been great all year long and should be great for years to come. Offseason addition Corbin Burnes has been a massive help to their pitching department. With their hitting already strong, it makes them a real contender as well. Yes, they finished second in their division. But, that was to the Yankees who got the #1 seed. They get the Detroit Tigers in the first round. While Detroit is solid, I don't expect them to be able to win this three-game series. The hitting of the O's is very good and should be strong again here. If they were to win this series, they'd go up against the Yankees in the next round. I do believe that they have a real shot at knocking them off as well. I wouldn't be shocked one bit if the Orioles are able to make the World Series this year.[#5 seed] Detroit Tigers - vs. BALDetroit really turned things up a notch over the last few weeks of the season. Although I don't really have much hope for them, it's hard to ignore their September run of glory. They're led by starting pitcher Tarik Skubal who very well might be the best pitcher in baseball right now. Skubal went 18-4 this season with a 2.39 ERA and 228 strikeouts. He'll get the nod in game 1. Other than him, the Tigers don't have much for starters. While Baltimore owns the advantage in both hitting and pitching, don't let stats fool you. This is October and anything can happen. Detroit is on a roll and could shock the world (even though I don't expect them to.)[#6 seed] Kansas City Royals - vs. HOUKansas City nearly played themselves out of a playoff spot. Opposite to the Tigers, they were pretty bad down the stretch in the final couple of weeks in September. Having said that, Bobby Witt Jr has led this team to an excellent season. They've got solid pitching and a lineup that can do damage if hot. Even though they are underdogs in this series against the Astros, they could steal a game and even win this series. Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo are excellent starters, but it falls off a bit after them. If this series goes to game 3, these Royals could be in trouble. National League: [#1 seed] Los Angeles Dodgers - Will play SD/ATL winner Coming into this postseason with the best record in baseball, these Dodgers are ready to make a statement. Shohei Ohtani proved to everyone that he's the best player in the game by a mile. This year, Ohtani had 54 HR's, 130 RBI's, 59 SB's and a .310 BAA. You also can't forget that he wasn't even pitching this season. Having said all of that, Shohei isn't the only thing on this roster by any means. This is about as stacked as a team can possibly be and the Dodgers are favorites to win the whole thing for good reason. Great batting across the board and excellent pitching. LAD will play the winner of the San Diego Padres/Atlanta Braves series. Whoever they play, it's time to go for the kill if you're LAD. Anything but a World Series ring will be considered "bust" for these guys.[#2 seed] Philadelphia Phillies - Will play MIL/NYM winnerWhile Philadelphia began the season red hot, they cooled off a bit over the second half of the season. However, they still managed to own the second best record in the National League. Like the Dodgers, the Phillies have excellent hitting as well as pitching. They've got a dominant record at home which should help tremendously as well in these playoffs. In the ALDS, they will get the winner between Milwaukee and the Mets of New York. That should be a very competitive series which might take a lot of energy out of those teams. Philadelphia was a wild-card team last year and looked very strong. This year, they are a #2 seed and should be well rested coming in. The Phillies are definitely title contenders. [#3 seed] Milwaukee Brewers - vs. NYMWhile Milwaukee had to sit and watch the double-header between the Braves and Mets on Monday to see who they were playing, I'm sure they didn't really care at the end of the day. They've got to beat everyone to win it all and it's going to be an excellent series against the Mets. Luckily for the Brewers, they'll be at home for each of these wild-card games. They've played well enough to earn themselves the division title as well. Having said that, the Mets are looking confident and should pose a challenge. Milwaukee is still a very strong pitching team, even with Corbin Burnes departing this past offseason. Limiting runs will be the key to their success.[#4 seed] San Diego Padres - vs. ATL Like the Brewers, San Diego was watching Monday's war between ATL/NYM. They ended up drawing the Atlanta Braves in this round after the Braves won the final game of the mini double-header. Having said that, they are in for a battle. San Diego will use yesterday's off day as time to regroup and refocus like a bunch of these teams. With the Braves having to use more pitchers than they would've liked on Monday, San Diego should try and use that to their advantage and extend pitch counts as much as possible early in this series. The winner of this series gets the Dodgers. This will be good. [#5 seed] Atlanta Braves - vs. SD The Braves survived on Monday winning the final game of the double-header and clinching this spot. They also were able to avoid playing Chris Sae who was originally slated in that games slot. With that being said, Sale will be able to pitch during this series and that should provide a massive boost for this Braves team that is always dangerous. Even without the likes of Ronald Acuna Jr, Austin Riley & Spencer Strider, Atlanta possesses a bunch of talent across the board. Don't be surprised if the Braves, who have already won a World Series with no Acuna, make a strong run in this year's postseason. [#6 seed] New York Mets - vs. MIL With the Mets having won a game on Monday, they managed to sneak into the playoffs. Out of Milwaukee and San Diego, they might've got the "easier" of the two opening round matchups. Milwaukee won't be easy by any means. But, they might be slightly worse than the Padres who have a lot of playoff experience even despite missing it last season. The Mets play with a ton of emotion which might or might not help them in these playoffs. It's hard to say what will happen in this series considering New York, like Atlanta, used a lot of their pitching staff in the double header to finish September. Having said that, they will need to be at their best. If Pete Alonso plays well this series and in these playoffs overall, the Mets could be a scary team to watch out for. But, Pete needs to be at his best. World Series Projection: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Baltimore Orioles Dodgers win series 4-2 .

5 NHL Future Bets to Make Before the Season Begins:

Friday, Sep 27, 2024

With the NHL season less than a couple of weeks away now, fans are getting very excited. That being said, it's time to start looking at "Future Bets" to make for the course of this season. Here are five NHL Future Bets to make prior to the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign. *All Odds via. DraftKings Sportsbook.---------------- 1.) Sergei Bobrovsky OVER 32.5 Wins (-115) Nicknamed "Bob," Florida's net-minder is one of the best goaltenders in the National Hockey League. Coming off a year with 36 saves, Bobrovsky is back as the top option in net for the Panthers. He'll be expected to play at least 50 games again this season (most likely closer to 60 or more,) and I believe that he can get to this number without much trouble. Florida are once again cup contenders after winning it all last year. They've got a lot of their team back from last season as well which should help tremendously. Although many teams will want to beat Florida this year considering that they are the defending champs, I expect Bob to reach 33+ wins for the sixth time in his career in the 2024-25 season. 2.) Cale Makar to Win the Norris Trophy (+200) Although there are some other very strong defensemen in this league like Adam Fox, Quinn Hughes, Miro Heiskanen, Evan Bouchard & even Roman Josi who could win this award, Cale Maker stands alone at the top in my opinion. As one of the quickest skaters in all of hockey, he's able to use his speed to help him create for himself and score goals, as well as create for other players around the net. Makar is coming off a solid campaign where he had 21 goals and 69 assists in 77 games (90 points.) This year, he'll look to be even better. Playing on a team with Nathan MacKinnon should help him as well as the two work tremendously off each other. Last year's winner Quinn Hughes probably has everyone's eyes on him again. But, he played every single game last year and that helped him very much. Look for Makar to improve and get the second Norris Trophy of his career this season. 3.) Columbus Blue Jackets UNDER 67.5 Points (-115) After another disappointing season last year, the Blue Jackets are in full rebuild mode now. They traded Patrick Laine away this offseason and lost Johnny Gaudreau in a tragic incident that nobody could have predicted. Having said that, they don't really have much left for this year. San Jose had just 47 points last season and were dead last in the NHL overall standings. While the Blue Jackets weren't that bad (66 points,) they still went "under" this year's expected total. I expect Columbus to be closer to the Sharks total from last year here this season. They really don't have much left and are a very young team compared to most in the league. Look for another down campaign for Columbus. 4.) Dallas Stars to Win the Western Conference (+550) While the Dallas Stars failed to beat the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals last season, I expect them to be back there and ready to win it this season. Last year, they still had a very young team that didn't have much postseason experience. They say you've got to experience it, before you win it. Well, Dallas has now done that. The Stars still have a stacked roster and their goaltenders are back and ready to go this season. I say goaltenders because the Stars picked up Casey DeSmith this offseason to backup young star Jake Oettinger. That should be a massive help if injuries happen or even fatigue throughout the season. Dallas is once again one of the favorites to be in contention for the cup as well as the President's Trophy. There's plenty of value here on playing them to win the WCF this season. 5.) Vegas Golden Knights to Make the Playoffs (-300) Yes, I know this is quite expensive. However, you're still going to want to play on this one. The Golden Knights are back stronger than ever this season. They've got a healthy Adin Hill back who's been awesome ever since coming to the NHL. In fact, he owns a career 2.68 GAA which includes his first couple of seasons with the Coyotes & Sharks. The Golden Knight have been competitive every season they've been a team in the National Hockey League and have made the playoffs in six out of seven years so far with two Stanley Cup appearances. Considering I've got some heavy "underdog" selections in this list, consider laying the juice on the Golden Knights to make the playoffs.----------------While I'm expecting to have a massive hockey season this year, it's never too early to jump on board and grab a season long subscription. Good luck this season!

2024 US Open (Tennis) Preview:

Saturday, Aug 24, 2024

Three of the four Grand Slam's of the tennis season have now been completed and we are just a week away from the final one of the year. With the Olympics having happened as well, the players have experienced tons of ups and downs throughout the year. Now, we shift our focus to the US Open in New York City. Here's what to look for in the final Grand Slam event of the 2024 season. Giant Opening Round Matchups: Men's Best Matchup: Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry is going to be a very intriguing matchup in the opening round. Yes, neither of them are ranked too high at the moment. However, both guys are more than capable of putting on a show and enter the later rounds of this tournament. Mpetshi Perricard has an enormous serve and should be able to hold his own against the Argentinian. Etcheverry is currently ranked 36th in the world and has put together a very good resume over the past couple of seasons. Expect a banger opening round matchup here between these two. (Etcheverry is -165) Women's Best Matchup:Beginning the tournament with an absolute bang, Jalena Ostapenko vs. Naomi Osaka will be one to watch. Osaka is one of the favorites to win this tournament while Ostapenko is ranked in the top ten currently. Osaka also beat Ostapenko in their only meeting that they've played against each other. The former #1 also is expecting big things this year, as this is her best of the four Grand Slam events. Expect the winner of this match to go far in the tournament, with even a shot at winning this year's US Open. (Osaka is -140) Full Odds to Win the Tournament (via. DraftKings:)Men's: Carlos Alcaraz +150Jannik Sinner +200 Novak Djokovic +300Alexander Zverev +1200Daniil Medvedev +1400 Taylor Fritz +4000Holger Rune +4000Stefanos Tsitsipas +4000Matteo Berrettini +5000Frances Tiafoe +5000 Women's: Aryna Sabalenka +275Iga Swiatek +350Coco Gauff +750Elena Rybakina +900Jessica Pegula +1400Mirra Andreeva +1800 Naomi Osaka +2200Qinwen Zheng +2500Danielle Collins +2800Jasmine Paolini +3000 Burns' Overall Predictions: Men's Draw). After testing positive for a banned substance, currently world #1 Jannik Sinner's mind could be all over the place for this tournament. Yes, he's coming off a tournament win in Cincinnati. Yes, he's the "best" in the world at present time. However, despite still being allowed to play, I believe that all the media and expectations everyone has for him will slow him down and cause him to get knocked out earlier than people think. Having said that, I wouldn't be shocked whatsoever if he overcame all of the critics and won this tournament. He's definitely more than capable of doing so. Overall I'm expecting another fantastic tournament, with Novak Djokovic claiming his 25th Grand Slam title. It's amazing what that man can still do at 37 years of age. He's coming off an Olympic Gold Medal and is ready to dominate in a tournament that he's won four times before including last year against Medvedev. Alcaraz is also someone to watch out for, as he always is. Women's Draw). Before Cincinnati, I was probably leaning more towards the world #1 Iga Swiatek to win this tournament. She's extremely talented and simply has more will power & determination to win over anyone in the world. However, having watched that tournament, I believe that Aryna Sabalenka is the woman to watch here, especially after what we saw just over a week ago. Sabalenka knocked off everyone with ease, including Swiatek in straight sets. The way she's playing right now is perhaps even better than the level she was at when she won the Australian Open earlier this year. It also helps that she made the Finals last year in this competition and has the experience to get back in that spot. I also want to keep an eye on Naomi Osaka. The former #1 in the world is back and she's been building towards this tournament. It's her best tournament by far and I expect her to fare very well in this year's event. She could even challenge for the title. Expect another fantastic US Open in 2024. 3 Best Bets to Make: Novak Djokovic +300 to Win // Aryna Sabalenka +275 to Win // Big Three vs. The Field (Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff) -140 to Win

CFB 2024-25 Projections // Top 10 "Surprise Teams"

Monday, Aug 19, 2024

With College Football just one week away now, let's take a look at some surprise teams to watch out for in the 2024-25 season. This list will go down from #10 to #1 and will not feature anyone ranked in the preseason top 15. #10 Oklahoma State (Ranked #17) Even though I believe that the Cowboys are slightly over-ranked to begin this year (by a couple of spots,) I do believe that they could make some noise this year. Oklahoma State comes into this season with one of the most experienced teams in the nation. As a matter of fact, they are returning 19 of 22 starters from last year's team. Experience in a young sport like this can be very valuable. The Cowboys will play Utah (the favorite to win the conference) at home, as well as Kansas State on the road. Winning at least one of those games will be very crucial for them. I believe that they can do it, especially with the talent that they possess. Given all of that, expect the Cowboys to compete for the Big 12 title this season. Record Projection: 10-3#9 Fresno State Bulldogs (Unranked) With Mikey Keene still at Quarterback, I expect this Fresno State team to be very good once again. Yes, losing former Head Coach Jeff Tedford (who stepped down in July of 2023) was some cause for concern. However, they still played very well with Interim Head Coach Tim Skipper who led them to a 37-10 victory over NMST (+3 underdogs) in the New Mexico Bowl last year. Playing Michigan to begin the year is going to be tough for them. Some teams like to get settled in early and build on early wins. Well, Fresno State will most likely lose that game and it's hard to say what they will do from there. Either way, I expect them to be very solid throughout this season. Record Projection: 9-4 #8 Miami FL Hurricanes (Ranked #19) Fortunately for the Hurricanes, they managed to pick up one of the best QB's that they could get in Cameron Ward (from WSU.) They've always been very close to breaking through, but never seem to get the job done. That being said, this could be the year that they do just that. With FSU & UNC having lost a lot, this could motivate Miami FL to make some noise in the ACC this season. Clemson will be tough to beat as well, but the Hurricanes currently own the third best odds to win their respective conference, which should be a dog fight until the very end. Ward should make this offense even more "Air-Raid" than they already are and that could be dangerous for these teams. The first game will be a difficult test that they must pass against Florida. If they get past them, getting the Noles at home is huge. Miami FL could very well be one of the best teams in football this year.Record Projection: 11-3#7 Iowa Hawkeyes (Ranked #25) Iowa, Iowa, Iowa. Everyone knows that this football team could not score to save their lives last season. Despite all of that, they still managed to somehow finish with a 10-4 record. Yes, I don't expect them to win many games against the better teams in the country this year. But, this team is still a sleeper to go far and perhaps shock some teams in the Big 10. The Hawkeyes are once again loaded on the defensive side of the ball. They are going to be in low scoring games once again this season. However, I do expect their attack to be much stronger. It won't be to the caliber of some of these teams like OSU, Oregon and Michigan. But, Iowa should be able to win plenty of football games again this year. Look for them to come close to double digit wins and maybe even cracking that number once again. Record Projection: 9-4#6 Liberty Flames (Unranked) After going 13-1 (8-0 in Conference) last season, I couldn't really put these Flames higher. Yes, I expect them to have double digit wins again quite easily. However, this is a team that is just as good, if not better than last year which is why I couldn't ignore them. Starting QB Kaidon Salter is one of the best in the country and could very well lead this team to a playoff spot. They are in a poor conference, which helps and could very well go undefeated this season until the playoffs. Expect another strong Liberty year. Record Projection: 13-1 #5 Kansas State (Ranked #18) Kansas State is a football team that could very well shock the world and win the Big 12. Their matchups against OKST as well as Kansas are both at home which could really help them. Another thing that is going for this program is that they avoid Utah until the conference championship game. If they are able to run through the conference, what's stopping them from accomplishing the feat of playing for the Big 12 title. Despite losing quite a few players, Quarterback Avery Johnson is back under center for them. He was very solid last season which is why this team is ranked heading into this year. I expect a very good season from the Wildcats here in 2024-25. Record Projection: 11-3 #4 Air Force Falcons (Unranked) Despite being one of three teams in the Mountain West Conference that I currently have in my top 10 sleeper teams, I believe that Air Force could be legitimate contenders to perhaps even make the CFB playoff. The Falcons run that unique brand of football that many teams don't know how to stop. They avoid playing Boise State in the regular season and get to host Fresno State in what could be an absolute war. Playing at Baylor in week three will be a test for them. However, if they enter conference play with no losses, watch out for Air Force as they continue to build momentum throughout the year. Record Projection: 11-3#3 Boise State Broncos (Unranked) After an okay 8-6 season last year, the Broncos are back and ready to take over the Mountain West Conference. Like Air Force and Fresno State, I'm expecting a massive year from Boise State. However, I believe that Boise could be the best out of all of them. The Broncos are the favorites to win the conference, which is why I don't have them as the #1 team on this list. But, I do expect them to absolutely dominate and perhaps even knock off a team in the College Football Playoff, assuming they make it. rFR QB Malachi Nelson is still considered a freshman. Nonetheless, the Quarterback can make every single throw and he's got a defense that's returning every single starter from last year behind him. Expect big things from the Broncos this year. Record Projection: 12-2 #2 Virginia Tech Hokies (Unranked) Despite entering this season unranked, the Hokies could be very sneaky this season. In a weaker ACC than normal. Virginia Tech gets Clemson & Georgia Tech at home. They also avoid playing the ACC favorite in Florida State this season. Yes, they've got some tough ones on the road. However, the Hokies are returning 21 of 22 starters from last year and should be one of the most, if not the most experienced team in all of College Football. One or two upsets could see this team in the ACC Championship Game at the end of the year. Look out for VT. Record Projection: 10-3 #1 Arizona Wildcats (Ranked #21) Arizona is my top "Sleeper Team" coming into this season. Returning Quarterback Noah Fifita led this program to double digit wins last year and very well could do the same thing this season. The Wildcats return eight offensive starters which should really help Fifita stay strong. Yes, Arizona heads to the Big 12 this season after being in the Pac-12. But, they've got the talent to run through the Big 12 as well if they stick together and play their best. A tough schedule makes them my top sleeper team as they could very well shock some teams. Assuming they lose to Utah on the road in week 5, important games include TCU on the road, Kansas State on the road, BYU on the road, as well as Colorado & ASU at home. Winning at least one of those games on the road and those home games will be crucial. I expect them to be strong either way. Record Projection: 9-4

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Wednesday, Jul 10, 2024

We are just over a month away from the 2024-25 College Football season. Beginning on August 24th, let's take a look at what we can expect over the course of this new season. Teams I Expect to Improve: Colorado Buffaloes (4-8 in 2023-24) - Even with their poor record, the Colorado Buffaloes were one of the most hyped teams last season. Head Coach Deion Sanders is now into his second season with his new program and I believe that they've got the ability to win a lot more ball games this season. More than definitely, they have the talent to reach a bowl game at the very least. Deion's sons, Shaduer and Shilo are back, as well as rising superstar and perhaps the best player in the country in Travis Hunter. No, they are not going to be National Champions this year. But, they've got what it takes to improve vastly. // Projection: 7-6TCU Horned Frogs (5-7 in 2023-24) - Coming off a National Championship Game appearance in 2022-23, it was a very disappointing season last year for the Horned Frogs. Yes, they lost a few guys including QB Max Duggan. However, it wasn't in the cards to miss a bowl game last season. This year, they've filled a much needed hole in their secondary. Plenty of new faces will help this TCU team be much better against the pass. TCU opens the season with a couple of "easier" games against Stanford and LIU. Expect them to win both of those games comfortably and have a much stronger season this year than last. // Projection: 9-4East Carolina Pirates (2-10 in 2023-24) - After finishing dead last in the AAC Conference last season, I'm expecting the Pirates to be much improved this year. They've got a much easier schedule and have their tougher games at home this season. ECU also avoids the likes of USF, Memphis & Tulane which should give them plenty of confidence throughout the year. They have quite a few returning faces, but also added a bunch of new transfers which should help them fill some holes. I expect the Pirates to win at least five games this season and perhaps make a bowl game like they did a couple seasons ago. // Projection: 7-6 Teams I Expect to Fall Off: Washington Huskies (14-1 in 2023-24) - After losing in the National Championship game last season, the Huskies lost a lot. Head Coach Kalen DeBoer was replaced by Jedd Fisch as DeBoer filled the spot at Alabama. Washington also lost QB Michael Penix Jr as well as WRs Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan & Ja’Lynn Polk. Not to mention they also lost their star LT in Troy Fatanu Jr as well. That's a lot of critical spots to fill if this team is going to want to win a bunch of football games again. Now, I don't expect them to fall completely off the map. However, newly into the Big 10, I don't expect the Huskies to come close to their 14-1 mark from last season. // Projection: 7-6 Michigan Wolverines (15-0 in 2023-24) - Although I do believe that this Michigan program has some very strong pieces once again this year, I don't see them going undefeated again. MICH won the National Championship last season and have lost a bunch. Former Head Coach Jim Harbaugh moved up to the NFL. QB JJ McCarthy and WR Roman Wilson did the exact same thing. Looking at the rest of the conference, Ohio State is going to be the team to beat. They will also have to deal with some new faces in Washington, Oregon & USC joining their conference in the offseason (UCLA also joined but aren't on the schedule.) They've got a very good QB in Alex Orji for this season. However, don't expect another perfect year from the Wolverines. // Projection: 11-3Florida State Seminoles (13-1 in 2023-24) - I was one of the ones that believed that the Seminoles were robbed of a CFP spot last season. Holding a perfect 13-0 record into the Selection Show, there had never been an undefeated power 5 team that didn't get in (in the 4-team playoff system.) Unluckily for them, the expansion of the College Football Playoff begins this season. We will now see a 12-team playoff and much more excitement (in my opinion.) Also unluckily for the Noles, they lost their QB Jordan Travis. They also lost WR's Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson. Yes, they filled the QB spot with QJ Uiagalelei. However, I don't see how FSU wins 13 games again this season. They will drop off a bit and get close to the double digit win mark. // Projection: 9-4 Five Futures Bets to Make: 1. ) Ohio State Buckeyes - To Win the National Championship - YES (+400)2. ) Ohio State Buckeyes - To Win the Big Ten Championship Game - YES (+155)I love the Buckeyes this season. They are locked and loaded with massive amounts of talent filling much needed holes from last season. A new QB in Will Howard, returning RB TreVeyon Henderson & #1 overall player in the 2024 recruiting class in Jeremiah Smith should be enough as is to beat teams with ease. Not to mention that they bring back Emeka Egbuka as well as Brandon Innis at the WR position AND add RB Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss. Even without Marvin Harrison Jr this season, this offense (in my opinion) is the best in the country by far. 3. ) Ole Miss Rebels - To Make the College Football Playoff - YES (-130)As mentioned in my OSU analysis above, the Rebels did lose their RB Quinshon Judkins in the transfer portal. However, they've still got their QB Jaxson Dart who I believe to be one of the best QB's in the nation this season. Just like his name, Dart throws darts. He's got an awesome arm and he's got two of his top three targets from last season back with him this year. Like always, Ole Miss also made some splashes in the transfer portal as they landed Walter Nolan as well as Trey Amos & Princely Umanmielen on the defensive end. New WR Antwane Wells Jr should also help Dart and the offense. I expect them to make the 12-team playoff this season. 4. ) Utah Utes - OVER 9.5 WINS (-135)Without their two best offensive players for the entirety of last season, the Utah Utes finally get back QB Cameron Rising and TE Brant Kuithe. In their new conference (the Big 12,) the Utes are actually favored to win the entire conference right now. Let's not forget that these two led Utah to a 10-4 record in 2021-22 when Kuithe led the team in receiving yards. I expect them to be back and better than ever with this awesome Utes defense. Expect them to have at least 10 wins this season. 5. ) Colorado Buffaloes - OVER 5.5 WINS (-140)As I already mentioned, I believe that the Buffaloes are going to be much improved from last year. Don't get me wrong, they are definitely not considered as title contenders. However, Deion Sanders will have his guys ready to go for this season. Improving by just two wins shouldn't be too difficult. Expect the Buffaloes to win at least six games and get into a bowl game this season. They should go "over" this mark without much trouble. Burns' National Title Game Prediction: Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Oregon Ducks 27-21 OSU.

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