» March 2nd, 2006

BEAT THE BUZZER WITH bet365

The second season of college basketball gets under way this week, and it's sure to be a four-week orgy of buzzer beaters and bracket busters. Follow (and bet) on all the live action via bet365's 'In-Play Console', and don't forget our Parlay Bonus (more of that later). Of course, serious bettors at bet365 will be getting excited at the prospect of picking point spread winners, and we've already highlighted the fact that following the bigger teams blind could be the quick way to the 'poor house' (and madness!). Public teams, like Duke and Kentucky, are always going to get heavily backed with bet365, and that will be factored into the point spread. Hence, the other team (the likely dog) is going to be a value price, in order to attract equal money on both sides.

DEFENCE, DEFENCE, DEFENCE

Another factor for bet365 customers to consider over the coming weeks is defence. That is, teams are far more likely to display all-out defence for 40-minutes (compared to the regular season), as games are far more likely to be close and meaningful, especially as the tourney gets close to the championship game. Taking Duke as an example from last season, the Blue Devils fell below their regular season scoring average (78ppg) in all three of their ACC tourney games, and all but one game went under the total. In fact, they went under the total in four of six games in the ACC and NCAA tournaments... get the drift.

JAYHAWKS ARE CALLING AT 40/1

bet365's NCAA Men's Championship prices...
Duke 5/2, Connecticut 11/4, Texas 7/1, Villanova 9/1, Memphis 10/1, Michigan St 16/1, West Virginia, Florida 20/1, Gonzaga 20/1, Kansas 40/1, others on bet365 website

No.1 Duke have been chalked up as 5/2 favorites in bet365's NCAA Men's championship betting, followed by No.2 Connecticut at 11/4. The fact that these two top the betting is a no-brainer, but what of the challengers? Gonzaga (28/1) have already completed a perfect season in their conference, while Memphis (10/1) and George Washington (28/1) will be trying to keep their perfect seasons intact as well on Thursday night. GW is also tied with Gonzaga for the nation's longest current winning streak (16). Kansas are a very young team who have made great strides since the beginning of the campaign. After their 1-2 start in Big 12 play, the Jayhawks reeled off ten consecutive wins, leading the nation in defensive field goal percentage allowed (an outstanding defensive effort), and they are attractively priced at 40/1 here at bet365. Good luck and enjoy the madness.

AVOID MARCH SADNESS – PLACE YOUR PARLAYS WITH bet365!

While we'll be backing our NCAA tourney picks in singles (as every serious bettor should), it will be hard to resist a speculative parlay wager along the way, especially as we're assured of getting more back with the bet365 Parlay Bonus. Each week, we pay out up to 50% more on successful NBA & NCAAB parlays on the following 6 markets:
Point Spread, Game Total, First Half Point Spread, Second Half Point Spread, First Half Total, Second Half Total.

VIVA LAS VEGAS – KENSETH'S YOUR MAN AT 8/1

bet365 latest 2006 Nextel Cup Championship prices...
Jimmie Johnson 4/1, Tony Stewart 5/1, Carl Edwards 7/1, Greg Biffle 15/2, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. 8/1, others on bet365 website (Each-way 1/5 odds, 1.2.3)

NASCAR drivers take a break until March 12th, when teams meet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400. Betting for that race is likely to go through the roof here at bet365, and we'll have an in-depth preview (and odds) for that event next week. But, if you can't wait until then, there's still some value to be had in our 2006 Nextel Cup Championship market. This is currently headed by twice runner-up Jimmie Johnson at 4/1, closely followed by last year's champion Tony Stewart (5/1). Further down the bet365 betting list, you come to Matt Kenseth at 8/1.

Kenseth is coming off a win in last week's Auto Club500, although his win was slightly fortuitous, after both Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart (the two strongest drivers of the day) both came to grief with engine problems inside the final 35 laps of the 250 lap race. Still, a win would have come as a welcome relief for Kenseth, who spent the early part of last year watching his four Roush Racing team-mates claim all the success. It took the 2003 NASCAR champion three races to register his first top 10 (8th place at Las Vegas), while his one and only victory, at Bristol, came in race No. 24 at Bristol.

What a difference a year makes, and he could be ready to build on what has been a flying start to the season in gambling city next week. We also know he's got a strong restrictor plate car, which bodes well for the remaining three plate races, while the only races likely to give him trouble are the road races, but there are only two of them. Kenseth is currently third in the standings behind Johnson, and Casey Mears. We're already on Johnson at 5/1 for the title, but a small investment on Kenseth at bet365's 8/1 is a nice insurance at this stage of the season.

FORD CHAMPIONSHIP – WELCOME HOME FURYK AT 19/1

Th Mar 2 – 3:00 pm ET (USA)

Fr Mar 3 – 3:00 pm ET (USA)

Sa Mar 4 – 3:00 pm ET (NBC)

Su Mar 5 – 3:00 pm ET (NBC)

Tiger Woods is almost unbeatable when he's playing his best, and that was certainly the case last year, when he shot a remarkable score of 129 at the weekend to pip Phil Mickelson. Woods' record is now 1-2-9 for his three appearances here, and it is hard to believe (despite not being at his very best this year) that he won't be bang in contention going into the final round. The bet365 'Enhanced Win Only' price of 18/5 is the best out there, but value hunters might want to consider waiting until the event goes live. He's almost certain to be a bigger price on our 'In-Play Console' at some stage, especially as he heads a stellar field containing nine of the world's top-10 players.

Tiger is of course a Florida resident, and Florida-based golfers have won 14 of the last 16 runnings of this first leg of the so-called 'Florida Swing'. Unfortunately for bet365 customers, 40 of the 144-strong field have now made their (or a) home in the Sunshine State, so we can't rely on this stat alone when picking the winner this week.

Fortunately, the stereotypical winner also has plenty of positive course experience, and that makes Jim Furyk of interest this week at bet365's 19/1 (EWO). Furyk will be glad to see the Tour arrive back in his home state (and back on his beloved Bermuda greens), and he's excelled in his event with four top-tens in his last five visits, including a win in 2000 and a second in 2003. The fact that he was eliminated early from last week's Matchplay, meaning that he didn't waste too much energy, could also be in his favour.

Europe sends out its big guns this week, including Sergio Garcia and Padraig Harrington, but neither have particularly good records here. Angel Cabrera is much more interesting (and a bigger price at 66/1!), as he's shown a liking for the course – tied 10th, tied 17th, missed cut, tied fifth in his last four starts. If you're looking for a big priced outsider to get into the frame (1/4 odds, 1.2.3.4.5), then he could be your man, while we'll also be risking a few quid each way on Tampa resident David Branshaw, at a massive bet365 price of 175/1! Last years' Nationwide Tour Championship winner has been going well on the West Coast with two top-20's in four starts, including a solo sixth last week.

Ford Championship at Doral Three Off The Tee... Jim Furyk 18/1, Angel Cabrera 66/1, David Branshaw 175/1. Each-way 1/4 odds 1.2.3.4.5

WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC - USA HEAVY CHALK AT 5/4

bet365 World Baseball Classic prices...
USA 5/4, Dominican Republic 6/4, Venezuela 11/2, Japan, 12/1, Puerto Rico 14/1 Cuba 16/1, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Korea 40/1, others on bet365 website

Here at bet365, we make the USA team 5/4 favorite to win this weekend's inaugural World Baseball Classic, with Canada a longshot a 50/1. The Dominican Republic are second choice at 6/4, and victory for any other team outside the top two in the betting will be a massive shock. Teams have been divided into four pools, and USA is an overwhelming 1/16 choice to win Pool B against its northern neighbours Canada (10/1), Mexico (12/1) and South Afica (150/1). Japan, who will host Pool A games, are a 3/10 selection to cop its division, while Puerto Rico is even money chance in a close Pool C race that has Cuba at 6/4, Panama 6/1 and The Netherlands at 12/1. The Dominican Republic is a 5/11 Pool D favorite. Action gets underway on Saturday with Pool A games in Tokyo.

Please be aware that prices are subject to change. All times EST (unless otherwise noted) and are subject to change. Check local listings.