By: Steve Merril

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Saturday night:

TIGERS at ROYALS (-115) – 7:10 pm ET #977-978

Not an official play, but I would rate the Tigers as a light lean tonight.

Detroit’s Rick Porcello has benefited from his time in the minor leagues. The Tigers starter has thrown a quality start in six of his last nine ...  read more

NFL Game of the Day – Vikings at 49ers (-2½, 35) By Steve Merril

Opening Line and Weather Report

The oddsmakers opened San Francisco as a 3-point home favorite earlier this week on Monday and the line later dropped to -2½ on Saturday morning. The Over/Under opened at 34½ and has risen to 35 in some locations.

The weather looks fantastic on Su ...  read more

By: Steve Merril

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Wednesday afternoon:

RAYS at TIGERS (Under 7 ½, -110) – 1:05 pm ET #967-968

Not an official play, but I would rate the Under as a light lean this afternoon.

The Rays have won two straight games and they can sweep the Tigers with a win on Wednesday afternoon. The last time Matt Garz ...  read more

By: Steve Merril

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Tuesday night:

RAYS at TIGERS (+105) – 7:05 pm ET #917

Not an official play, but I would rate Tampa Bay as a light lean tonight.

Jeremy Hellickson makes his second career start as the Rays continue their series with the Tigers on Tuesday night. Hellickson made a great first impress ...  read more

By: Steve Merril

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Friday night:

ROCKIES at PIRATES (Over 8, -110) – 7:05 pm ET #905-906

Not an official play, but I would rate the Over as a light lean tonight.

The Pirates have won two of their last three games as they continue their home series with the Colorado Rockies tonight. Pittsburgh turns t ...  read more

By: Steve Merril

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Thursday afternoon:

WHITE SOX at TIGERS (Under 8 ½, +100) – 1:05 pm ET #963-964

Not an official play, but I would rate the Under as a light lean this afternoon.

For the third time this season, Freddy Garcia gets to face the Detroit Tigers. Garcia is 2-0 with a 3.46 ERA against Detro ...  read more

By: Steve Merril

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Tuesday night:

PHILLIES at MARLINS (Under 7 ½, +100) – 7:10 pm ET #955-956

Not an official play, but I would rate the Under as a light lean tonight.

The Marlins will get their fourth look at Roy Halladay this season. So far he is 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA against Florida giving up three ...  read more

By: Steve Merril

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Monday afternoon:

GIANTS at BREWERS (-120) – 4:10 pm ET #952

Not an official play, but I would rate the Brewers as a light lean this afternoon.

San Francisco comes to Milwaukee after exhausting their bullpen in a 15 inning loss to Colorado late Sunday afternoon. The Giants hope tha ...  read more

Below is a free MLB play with analysis for Sunday afternoon:

ASTROS at PADRES (Under 7, -110) – 4:05 pm ET #911-912

Not an official play, but I would rate the Under as a light lean this afternoon.

The Astros and Padres have had a pair of pitcher's duels the last two nights. They'll wrap up their series on Sunday afternoon in San Diego. Brett Myers g ...  read more

NBA Game of the Day – Lakers/Celtics (Game 5)

Line Move

The early money quickly came in on the Under as the oddsmakers opened the Game 5 total as high as 189½ and it quickly dropped to 187½ and 187 in most locations. It is not a surprise as the Under is now 3-1 in this series and 5-1 in all six meetings this season.

The oddsma ...  read more

NBA Game of the Day – Celtics at Lakers (-6, 190) By Steve Merril

Line Adjustment

The Lakers were a 5½-point favorite in Game 1 and they have now been installed as a 6-point favorite in Game 2 after their easy win on Thursday. Los Angeles led by 20 points entering the fourth quarter in their eventual 102-89 win and the oddsmakers have now adjusted the ...  read more

Current Odds

The oddsmakers have made a substantial adjustment on the both the side and total for Game 3. The Lakers were 6½ and 7½-point favorites at home in both Games 1 & 2, but now the Suns are a 2½-point home favorite. This 10-point adjustment is largely due to the fact that teams down 0-2 usu ...  read more

NBA Game of the Day

by Steve Merril

Phoenix Suns at San Antonio Spurs (-3½, 207) – 8:05 pm ET (TNT)

Opening line

Despite trailing 3-0 in this playoff series, the early money quickly came in on San Antonio when an opening line was posted on Saturday morning. Oddsmakers initially made the Spurs a 2½-point home favorite and ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

Baseball begins this week and below is a list of play-on and play-against pitchers for the 2010 MLB season.

Five Pitchers to back:

Wade Davis (Tampa Bay)

This 5th starter made six starts last year for the Rays going 2-2 with a 3.72 ERA on the season. Davis started his career giving up one run and three ...  read more

Kansas is the best team in the nation, but there is not much value at 2/1 to win the NCAA Championship. Below are 3 long-shots that could make some noise next month.

West Virginia

Opened 15/1 Current 30/1

There is excellent value with West Virginia at 30/1 as their odds have doubled since the start of the season, due mainly to their recent two-game losing str ...  read more

Weather and line movement

Weather will not be a factor tonight as the forecast is calling for 71 degrees and clear skies with just a 20% chance of showers and only a 4 mph wind.

The Ravens opened as a 3-point favorite earlier this week and the oddsmakers have been reluctant to move off this key number. The early action has come in on the underdog Jets and the line has now ...  read more

The NBA Finals begin this Thursday, June 4th in Los Angeles. Below is a look at some key numbers in the matchup between the Lakers and Magic.

16.7

This was the regular season scoring average for Orlando point guard Jameer Nelson who averaged 16.7 points in the 42 games he played in before injuring his shoulder against Dallas on February 2nd. Nelson was ruled out for the r ...  read more

Lakers vs. Nuggets (-4½, 208½) – 9:05 pm ET (ESPN)

Updated odds

When a 7-game series is tied 1-1, the winner of Game 3 has historically won that series 76% of the time. The updated series odds now reflect this fact as Los Angeles is a -360 favorite, while Denver is a +300 underdog, even though the Nuggets are favored in Game 4 tonight. Phil Jackson coached t ...  read more

Below is a look at some of the hottest bets this week, covering an array of different sports and events.

NBA

DENVER NUGGETS

Despite their 105-103 loss in Game 1 on Tuesday night, the Denver Nuggets still got the pointspread win as a 6½-point road underdog. The Nuggets are now 10-0-1 ATS in their eleven playoff games this season. Denver has also bounced back w ...  read more

Nuggets at Mavericks (-1½, 210) – 9:35 pm ET (TNT) #732

Controversial Finish

Dallas led 105-101 with 0:31 remaining in Game 3 on Saturday, but the Mavericks allowed the Nuggets to score the final five points in a controversial 106-105 win. The Mavericks’ Antoine Wright tried to intentionally foul the Nuggets’ Carmel Anthony two different times in the f ...  read more

Rockets at Lakers (-8, 193½) – Game 1 - 10:35 pm ET (TNT)

Regular season dominance

The Lakers were a perfect 4-0 straight-up in the four head-to-head meetings during the regular season and this is a bad sign for the Rockets as teams that were swept in the regular season (3+ games) are 0-25 all-time in a NBA playoff series. Los Angeles is currently -900 ...  read more

Nuggets at Hornets (-2½, 193) – Game 4 – 8:35 pm ET (NBA-tv)

Line movement

The oddsmakers opened the Hornets as a 3-point favorite, but the early money quickly moved the line down to 2 ½ by Sunday afternoon. This is a full two points less than the line in Game 3 which saw New Orleans as a 4½-point favorite. New Orleans only won by two points and has n ...  read more

Bulls at Celtics (-8, 196) – 7:05 pm ET (TNT)

Tale of Two Teams

The Bulls pulled the upset in Game 1 as an 8½-point underdog and they covered from start to finish as they never trailed by more than five points the entire day. Chicago became a better team in late February after they acquired John Salmons and Brad Miller from the Kings. Salmons averages ...  read more

Bulls at Pistons (-4, 196) – 7:35 pm ET (NBA-tv)

Playoff Positioning

The good news for Chicago and Detroit is the fact they have both clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The bad news is that they will have to face Cleveland, Boston, or Orlando in the first round. Chicago (40-40) is currently 7th in the conference and one spot ahead of ...  read more

Michigan State vs. North Carolina (-7½, 152½) – 9:15 pm ET (CBS)

Line Movement

The oddsmakers opened North Carolina as a 7-point favorite on Saturday night after the semi-final games were complete and the early money has since pushed the line to -7½. The Over/Under line opened at 153 total points and was quickly bet down to 152, before settling at 152½ ...  read more

Below is a look at a key matchup in the Eastern Conference tonight:

Orlando Magic (-3, 194) at Miami Heat – 7:35 pm ET

Playoff Positioning

The Magic have clinched the Southeast division title and a top three seed in the upcoming playoffs; however Orlando is still battling with the Boston Celtics for the overall #2 seed and home court advantage in ...  read more

Controversial bid

When the 34 at-large teams were announced for the NCAA tournament, the most controversial bid went to Arizona which extended Wildcat’s NCAA-leading streak of tournament appearances to 25 in a row. Arizona was just 19-13 straight-up and many felt that a non-BCS team such as San Diego State, St. Mary’s-CA, or Creighton should have been dancing. Arizona re ...  read more

Below is a look at tonight's top game in the NBA:

Nuggets vs. Suns (-3½, 236½) – 10:05 pm ET

Playoff Positioning

Nuggets vs. Suns (-3½, 236½) – 10:05 pm ET

Playoff Positioning

The Nuggets are currently in first place in the Northwest division and one game ahead of Portland in the standings. As a division wi ...  read more

Rockets vs. Hornets (-3½, 182) – 8:05 pm ET

Playoff Battle The Western Conference is once again the dominant conference in the NBA this season with seven of the current eight playoff teams with a win percentage of 61% or better, compared to the weaker Eastern Conference that has just three teams with a win percentage above 58%. Houston enters tonight’s ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

The Florida Gators are two years removed from a national championship and they are now firmly on the bubble with a strong chance of missing the Big Dance for the second straight season. Florida plays a must-win game on Thursday night in the SEC tournament versus Arkansas, so now is an excellent time to take a closer look and to decide if t ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

March is upon us and there is nothing like making a last minute push for an at-large bid. One team that is gaining some “bubble” notice is Rhode Island as the Rams have won six straight and are 10-1 straight-up in their past eleven games overall. This strong finish down the stretch is a reversal from last season when Rhode Island started ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

One of the biggest losers coming out of the Bracket Buster Weekend was Davidson who couldn't defend their home court against the Butler Bulldogs and lost outright 75-63 as a 4½-point home favorite. Davidson is now a bubble team that might need to win the Southern Conference tournament in order to ensure their spot in the field of 65. The ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

The month of February is a time for bubble teams to start separating themselves from the pack. This year’s bubble includes Florida State who has been one of the surprise teams in the nation with a current 19-6 straight-up record and a 6-4 ACC mark, but the question still remains if the Seminoles are they for real?

Any discussion of F ...  read more

Duke remains one of the most prominent college basketball programs in the nation and they have high expectations this season with four returning starters from a squad that went 28-6 SU last season. Expectations are always high in Durham and the Blue Devils have not missed the NCAA Tournament since 1995, so when the question arises this season if Duke is “for real” this refers to the Blue Dev ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

The Naval Academy’s future this season has already been determined as they are penciled in for the Eagle Bank Bowl against an ACC team on December 20th. Still, do they deserve to play in a better bowl? Are they for real?

Navy has tested themselves this season against some quality opponents and the Midshipmen have passed a few of tho ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

The MAC conference has posted some success this year in non-conference games and one of those teams bringing them strong victories is Central Michigan. Last year the Chips were the MAC champions and lost a close game with Purdue in the Motor City Bowl 51-48. Now CMU enters a key game on Wednesday night versus Northern Illinois a ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for Steve Merril Sports

South Florida burst onto the scene last year and climbed as high as #2 in the national polls by midseason. They faltered down the stretch, losing four of their final seven games, but still garnered a respectable 9-4 SU record. This year’s Bulls team isn’t surprising anyone, but that didn’t stop them from starting the season with five stra ...  read more

By Matt Josephs for for Steve Merril Sports

Entering this weekend, the list of undefeated teams features some of the usual suspects… a Big 10 squad, a SEC team, a couple of Big 12 squads, Utah, Boise state, Ball state and Tulsa... wait a second, did i just type Tulsa… the Golden Hurricanes? The school that produced Steve Largent is producing some impressive offensive numbers thi ...  read more

When the college football season began seven weeks ago, there were 49 teams ahead of Oklahoma State in the BCS title odds and the Cowboys were a whopping 200-1 at some sportsbooks. Oklahoma State is now 6-0 straight-up and 5-0 ATS after a surprising 28-23 outright win as a 14-point road underdog at Missouri last week. Oklahoma State’s national title odds are now down to 22-1 and the Cowboys ...  read more

Until this week, Ball State was best known for being the alma mater of late-night TV host David Letterman, but now the Cardinals are getting attention for their football program with their best start since 1965 and first Top 25 ranking in the school’s 84-year football history. So the question now arises… is Ball State for real?

Ball State has benefited from a relatively easy schedule; ...  read more