Senior Writer Vegas Matty previews Orlando Magic (45-26) at New York Knicks (35-35) from a beating the sportsbooks standpoint.

The Orlando Magic (45-26) and the New York Knicks (35-35) have both had to sort through chemistry issues after making blockbuster trades earlier this season, neither of which have worked out as well as they had hoped so far.  The Knicks in particular have struggled to a 7-9 record since acquiring Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups from Denver, and they will try to bounce back from a brutal loss on Wednesday when they host the Magic (-1.5).

To say New York has failed to reach expectations after finally landing Anthony would be a major understatement.  The team has dropped six of its last seven games both straight-up and against the spread, slipping into the seventh playoff spot in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

No game might summarize the struggles of the Knicks better than Monday’s 96-86 home loss to Boston.  They led 51-37 at halftime but only scored 35 points in the second half while allowing the Celtics to score the last 10 points of the game.

Anthony finished with 22 points and five rebounds but also needed stitches to repair a laceration near his left eye after Boston’s Rajon Rondo inadvertently struck him with his elbow.  He is expected to play against the Magic but has also had a very difficult time closing games lately, scoring a combined 11 points on 2 of 12 shooting in the fourth quarter during the team’s three-game losing streak.

Defense could be the difference again when New York faces an Orlando team that has surrendered an average of just 94.2 points in its last five games.  The UNDER has cashed in four of those games for the Magic, who are riding a three-game winning streak but have gone only 1-8 ATS in their last nine games.  They are coming off a 97-86 victory at Cleveland on Monday, falling just short of covering the 12-point spread.

Orlando All-Star center Dwight Howard continued his strong play with a game-high 28 points and 18 rebounds against the Cavaliers.  Howard has grabbed at least 15 boards in seven straight games since a controversial suspension that led head coach Stan Van Gundy to challenge NBA commissioner David Stern’s authority.

The Magic won the last meeting with the Knicks 116-110 on March 4, as Jameer Nelson scored 14 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.  Howard also had 30 points and 16 rebounds while Chauncey Billups and Amar’e Stoudemire each scored 30 to lead New York.  Orlando has won the last five meetings between the teams, going 4-1 ATS with the OVER cashing each time.

Top expert pick on this game: Authenticated Plays (explanation) are 5-1 in NCAAB this season. Get an uber rare Authenticated Play on Boise State/Oregon side. Click now to purchase or for more information and a free pick from the power of 620 services behind every pick.

The Sweet 16 college basketball betting preview rages on with the two late games on Thursday, courtesy of your favorite sports betting blog.

(5) Arizona Wildcats vs (1) Duke Blue Devils

Thursday, March 24, 9:45 p.m. ET

Sportsbook favorite: Duke -8.5

Duke is over the big scare it got from Michigan in the round of 32 – we think. We’ll find out when the Blue Devils face a team many sports betting sharps pegged as a popular sleeper entering the tournament: Arizona.

The Wildcats haven’t been perfect but they’ve been resilient and exciting. They opened with a comeback thriller over Memphis and ground out a win against Texas after that with a little help from the referees. Predictably, Derrick Williams has been the man. He’s had decent if inconsistent support from various Arizona role players so far.

As long as Duke is over its heebie-jeebies, it has to feel confident entering this matchup. Not only are Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler playing great as always, Kyrie Irving is rounding into form as he works his way back from a toe injury. If beating Arizona won’t be a challenge for No.1 seed Duke, covering the 8.5-point spread could be.

(8) Butler Bulldogs vs (4) Wisconsin Badgers

Thursday, March 24, 9:57 p.m. ET

Sportsbook favorite: Wisconsin -4.5

Butler is emerging as a popular Cinderella team this year. Thought it’s debatable whether any team with a recent national title game berth can qualify as a Cinderella.

Either way, Butler’s win over Pittsburgh to reach the Sweet 16 would’ve made Chris Webber proud. After Shelvin Mack’s bonehead foul appeared to seal the win for Pittsburgh. Nasir Robinson returned the favor on the final shot to hand Butler the win.

The Bulldogs can’t rely on strokes of luck like that forever, so they’ll need to play better and cut down on their fouls against Wisconsin. The fourth-seeded Badgers were expected to flop among many college basketball pundits but have done just the opposite, knocking off two very popular sleeper teams: Belmont and Kansas State.

Wisconsin’s smothering defense, which ranks fourth in the country, will put Mack and the Bulldogs to the test. The Badgers are also the country’s top free-throw shooting team and 33^rd in three-point percentage. They’re an outstanding 21 for 42 (50 per cent) from beyond the arc over their first two games of the NCAA Tournament. Jordan Taylor in particular has been an assassin, nailing seven of those 21 treys.

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free winner Tuesday is on the Atlanta Hawks (+4) to Chicago.

Larry Drew’s Hawks have struggled of late and overall are a team somewhat in regression, as the East has gotten stronger with teams like the Bulls, Knicks and 76ers improving. Tonight they face one of those teams in Chicago as Derek Rose and the boys come to town with the best record in the entire conference but the visitors are also on a back-to-back and I think they are in a little trouble in this game.

A few weeks ago Atlanta was able to beat Chicago in a similar spot at Philips. Then da Bulls garnered a measure of revenge in a victory back in their barn. Now in revenge and back home I can see the fresher Hawks be competitive and get a potential outright in this thing. There is no doubt that Rose in sensational and deserving of the MVP at this point but the Hawks are still a capable squad at the very least with Horford, Johnson, Smith and Crawford and aren’t the team playing for the second straight night with travel.

Chicago has fired away on all cylinders this season and clearly is the superior team on the court right now in this game. But I’m not giving up hope on these Hawks as they still are 10 games above .500 and at home as a solid enough dog as the fresher team is the way to go.

Top expert pick on this game: Matt Rivers has the Atlanta Hawks.

For more information: It’s been a ton of winning of late and today will be some more of just that. Only one play needed and it’s going to bash that Crookie and keep the profits well over 3 million* over the past few weeks. One 300,000* play, one 200,000* winner. 300,000* Burial against the number involving Buffalo and Iona. Click now to purchase

Senior Writer Vegas Matty previews Chicago Bulls (50-19) at Atlanta Hawks (40-30) from the standpoint of the spread bettor.

The Chicago Bulls (50-19) are charging hard toward the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race down the final stretch of the regular season and will be making a quick one-game stop in Atlanta on Tuesday to visit the Hawks (40-30).  The Bulls (-4) are coming off a 132-92 rout of Sacramento at home on Monday but lost in their last trip here, one of just two setbacks in their last 14 games overall.

Chicago blew a 19-point lead in that last game at Atlanta en route to an 83-80 loss but reeled off eight straight wins following that defeat, including a 94-76 home victory against the Hawks on March 11.  The winning streak ended with a 115-108 overtime loss at Indiana last Friday despite Derrick Rose’s 42 points.  The team has gone 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games.

Rose was finally able to get some rest in the blowout against the Kings, totaling 18 points and eight assists in a season-low 28 minutes.  He reportedly said he was feeling “beat up” after the loss to the Pacers but figures to continue to see heavy minutes.  A season-high eight Bulls scored in double figures against Sacramento, including Carlos Boozer, who scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his first game back after missing the previous five with a sprained ankle.

Atlanta had dropped two straight and six of eight overall before beating Detroit 104-96 on Sunday.  Al Horford led six Hawks who scored in double figures with 18 points and also had a team-high 10 boards.  Horford scored a season-high 31 points and 16 rebounds in the last home meeting with Chicago but had just six and seven nine days later in the rematch.

With a 4-5 playoff matchup with Orlando pretty much set, Atlanta could possibly face the Bulls in the second round.  The Hawks are 4.5 games behind the Magic for the fourth spot in the East but also four games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia.  They have failed to cover six of their last eight games and are just 13-21 ATS at home this season.

The Bulls have lost eight of the last 10 meetings with Atlanta, failing to cover seven of the past nine.  The UNDER has cashed in three of the last four meetings overall, but the OVER is 6-2 in the last eight games played between the teams in Atlanta.  The OVER has also cashed in two straight for Chicago overall and three of four for the Hawks.

Top expert pick on today’s card: The Stevie Vincent is the King of Offshore because of winning at a sustained rate never before seen in sports betting. As he just released Level 5 winners on both pro basketball and collegiate hardwood, an international sports betting bulletin has been issued. All gamblers are instructed to make their maximum wagers on each Level 5.

It’s a pro basketball side and a collegiate over/under. Get Rivers card for Tuesday.

If you saw this Sweet 16 coming in March Madness betting, go buy a lottery ticket. And start your own psychic hotline. With a tournament-record four double-digit seeds making the cut, it’s the strangest Sweet 16 we’ve ever seen. Let’s have a look at the first two betting matchups for Thursday.

(3) Connecticut Huskies vs (2) San Diego State Aztecs

Thursday, March 24, 7:15 p.m. ET

Sportsbook favorite: Connecticut -1

While UConn is obviously the bigger “name” in this matchup, coming out of the Big East, some sports betting sharps are surprised to see the Huskies in the Sweet 16. I for one thought they’d be too tired after winning five games in five days during the Big East tourney. But, low and behold, UConn continued to look like a team on a mission over the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. It hammered popular sleeper pick Bucknell 81-52 and got by Cincinnati 69-58. Make that seven straight wins – and seven straight spreads beaten – for the nation’s hottest team.

Kemba Walker hasn’t slowed down yet. He dropped 33 on Cincinnati. But it will be interesting to see how the Huskies respond if the defensively sound San Diego State manages to bottle him up. The second-seeded Aztecs are riding their first two NCAA tourney wins in school history and, for the most part, their “D” was the key in stopping Northern Colorado and Temple.

For San Diego State to keep pace with Connecticut, however, it will need more than just defensive prowess. Guys like D.J. Gay have to break out of their slumps and start contributing.

(3) Brigham Young Cougars vs. (2) Florida Gators

Thursday, March 24, 7:27 p.m. ET

Sportsbook favorite: Florida -2.5

Jimmer Mania continues! BYU is picking up steam in the NCAA tourney. It had more trouble with Wofford in its opener(74-66) than it did with Gonzaga (89-67) in the round of 32. The one constant has, of course, been national leading scorer Jimmer Fredette. The guy can’t be stopped, it seems. Fredette opened his tourney with 32 and 34-point efforts and now has 30 or more in six of his last seven outings.

Florid has been somewhat under the radar as far as No. 2 seeds go. It got past UCSC and UCLA without much trouble and has won six of seven overall, going 6-1 ATS over that span. Erving Walker laid an egg in the SEC tournament against Kentucky but has bounced back strong in March Madness, dropping 18 points on UCSB and leading the charge with 21 against UCLA.

Interestingly enough, these two teams met a year ago in March Madness. The game was a 99-92 overtime barn burner, with Fredette’s 37 points being the difference maker for BYU.

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free pick Monday is on the Toronto Raptors (+12.5) at Denver.

Backing a team on a back-to-back in the altitude of Denver is asking a ton and especially with one of the weaker teams in all of the NBA in the Raptors but to get around a dozen or so here is enough to give it a shot.

George Karl’s Nuggets have truly been playing great ball ever since the Carmelo Anthony trade. They have won a ton of games and continue to cover pretty much every game in the post ‘Melo era. It really is crazy how successful they have been. But with that said they are now back home from the four game east coast swing and that first game is never ever easy and a spot that one must fade them on. Plus Ray Felton is doubtful and no matter how successful these Nuggets have been they are still not a team that is really all that great, they’re just not. I do like all of the pieces they received from the Knicks but there is no way they are truly this good this fast.

Yes Denver is still a superior squad than the 20 win boys from north of the border but Toronto last night did hold their own in the outright at Oklahoma City and I feel are more than capable to at least stay within range tonight. Andrea Bargnani has become a star and is good enough to put the team on his shoulders and be competitive enough, even playing on little rest and tired legs.

It is asking a lot playing for a second straight day and dealing with a superior team in altitude but the Nuggets are in that difficult situation of being back home and are probably a little overdue to lay a bit of an egg.

Top expert pick on this game: Toronto from Matt Rivers

For more information: Like I said yesterday, it’s almost getting too easy! My 400,000* was on VCU Outright by a billion and the 300,000* on Marquette was an outright as well! That’s another 700,000* of profit in the kitty. I am now up literally 3.4 million* of profit over the past two weeks. If that isn’t good enough than I’m not really all that sure what else to say.

Another major 400,000* release is here in this NIT game between New Mexico and Alabama along with a 200,000* on Duquesne and Oregon. Just another ho-hum 2-0 sweep, that you can take to the bank! Rivers picks are up

Senior Writer Vegas Matty previews Indiana Pacers (30-40) at New Jersey Nets (22-46).

The Indiana Pacers (30-40) hope to finish the regular season strong and hold on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they will need to win games like this against the lowly New Jersey Nets (22-46) if they are going to accomplish that goal.  The Pacers (-1.5) sit 1.5 games ahead of Charlotte and Milwaukee and have won the last six meetings with the Nets both straight-up and against the spread.

Indiana is coming off a 99-78 road loss a t Memphis on Saturday after handing Chicago its first divisional loss of the season in overtime on Friday, 115-108.  The Pacers scored just 37 points in the second half against the Grizzlies and shot 36 percent from the field, showing some fatigue from arguably their biggest win of the season the night before against the Bulls.

Leading scorer Danny Granger committed seven turnovers and made only 5 of 15 shots from the field en route to 17 points for Indiana in the loss to Memphis while point guard Darren Collison also scored 17 but did not register an assist.  Granger had 11 points on 4 of 13 shooting in the last meeting with New Jersey, which still resulted in a 105-86 road victory.

The Nets have dropped three in a row both SU and ATS following a season-high five-game winning streak and will again be without star point guard Deron Williams due to a wrist injury.  They suffered a 98-92 loss at Washington on Sunday without Williams and were led by center Brook Lopez, who scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.  Jordan Farmar filled in for Williams and tallied a career-high 17 assists to go along with 10 points while Kris Humphries added 18 points and 17 rebounds.

New Jersey got off to a strong start against the Wizards, jumping out to a 35-23 lead at the end of the first quarter and holding a 56-43 advantage at halftime.  But Washington outscored the Nets 28-12 in the third and took control behind rookie point guard John Wall, who finished with a game-high 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds.

The UNDER has cashed in three of New Jersey’s last four games overall and five of the past seven games for the Pacers.  However, the OVER is 3-1 in the last four meetings between the teams.  Indiana has averaged 110.5 points per game against the Nets in winning the last six in the series.

Top expert pick on today’s card is from Matt Rivers: Like I said yesterday, it’s almost getting too easy! My 400,000* was on VCU Outright by a billion and the 300,000* on Marquette was an outright as well! That’s another 700,000* of profit in the kitty. I am now up literally 3.4 million* of profit over the past two weeks. If that isn’t good enough than I’m not really all that sure what else to say.

Another major 400,000* release is here in this NIT game between New Mexico and Alabama along with a 200,000* on Duquesne and Oregon. Just another ho-hum 2-0 sweep, that you can take to the bank! River Monday card is up

Here is the Cricket World Cup odds 2011 from BetUs

4:00a

Thu, Mar 24, 2011 EST

4:30a

Fri, Mar 25, 2011 EST

4:00a

Sat, Mar 26, 2011 EST

4:30a

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a free pick Sunday is on Florida State (+5) to Notre Dame.

Mike Bray is a great coach and the Fighting Irish have had a phenomenal season which not many people, including myself, saw coming. Ben Hansbrough has been incredible leading the way as the boys from Notre Dame are very good and after a full season of a sample size are not a fluke. But with that said I am still not all in on the boys from South Bend and today is a difficult matchup and one that can completely take the Irish out of their comfort zone and overall game.

Florida State certainly is offensively challenged at times and have played a lot of games in the 50’s. They are not nearly as explosive as ND but the one thing that the Seminoles have always been able to do is clamp down and absolutely frustrate their opponents taking them out of their rhythm and there is no better rhythm team in college hoops today than today’s opponent. If Hansbrough and Abromaitas get those open looks from three then this game and potential cover may not come through. The key is for the ‘Noles to man up as they usually do and just did holding Texas A&M to 50 total points. I still do not really see Notre Dame as a great overall team and they without a doubt could fall victim to the swarming defense today or at least not bomb away as they are sometimes able to.

I’m not expecting miracles from Chris Singleton who didn’t play major minutes against the Aggies but he is healthy enough to get on the court and Florida State with their defense is good enough to get the job done.

Top expert pick on this game: Matt Rivers Florida State.

For more information: It’s almost getting too easy! Things have really been clicking of late and I see no reason at all why anything is going to stop. 400,000* Florida came through and 200,000* Temple plus 5 ½ fell in double overtime. Horrific horse dung luck on the Owls but even with that it’s still another winning day and right at 2.7 million* of profit over the past two weeks. Two more plays and two more winners today; 400,000* Purdue-VCU and a 300,000* Marquette-Syracuse. If you’re not going to follow the hottest capper there is than what else can I say? Get Rivers picks for March Madness 2011.

OffshoreInsiders.com Senior Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a March Madness spread pick winner Saturday is on Butler (+7.5) to Pittsburgh.

How can I fully pass up this number with the national runner-ups? Butler did lose Gordon Hayward and has not been nearly as consistent this season but the Bulldogs are a well-coached team that is playing their best ball of the entire season right now. Brad Stevens has proven a lot to a lot of people and has a defensive system that is as good as any. Matt Howard is a beast down low and Shelvin Mack, Ronald Nored and Shawn Vanzant learned a lot from last season’s run and are quality players themselves who can “D” it up.

There were times this season when it looked as if Butler had lost it and had no chance to do much of anything. But when crunch time came this team stepped things up and are playing their best ball right now. They have won 9 in a row after that dismal three game losing streak capped by the rock bottom loss at Youngstown State and in that last game just downed a pretty good Old Dominion team holding the Monarchs to 58 points.

There is no doubt that Stevens’ squad is up against it today and it may not be very possible for the winning streak to get to 10 but the Bulldogs should clamp down and keep this thing within reason as they always seem to do.

I have all the respect in the world for Jamie Dixon as the guy really is a great coach. He has a team that certainly has the potential to win it all as all one seeds do. Guys like Gibbs and Wannamaker and McGhee are no joke at all. But the Panthers are not exactly an offensive juggernaut and I can see this thing turn into somewhat of a slugfest as all Butler games seem to.

The Bulldogs always seems to find a way to keep the game at their pace and I’m not so sure that Pittsburgh is going to really be able to change that all that much. The Panthers should move on to the Sweet 16 but I can see a tight grind it out 4-5 point final in the end.

Top expert pick on this game: Matt Rivers goes with Butler

For more information: It wasn’t easy and it took a late surge but the 500,000* bomb on Georgia cashed the ticket to go along with Marquette in yet another winning day. Things have been phenomenal of late as the profit is now 2.5 million* in the last 13 days. More of the same today with a pair of plays led by a 400,000* bad boy involving UCLA and Florida. Bonus 200,000* San Diego State and Temple. Feeling great and ready to smack around that Crookie one more time. Click now to purchase