Today’s online betting news features several teams going in different directions. In NHL betting, the Montreal Canadiens pulled out a dramatic victory last night over Edmonton in their first game since firing head coach Guy Carbonneau. Longtime captain Saku Koivu tied the game late and scored the overtime winner.

Those who bet on hockey need to watch Montreal closely down the home stretch in the Stanley Cup odds. Hockey teams often catch fire, at least temporarily, with new coaches. The Penguins have won nine of 10 with new coach Dan Bylsma at the helm, so the Habs, who joined the Pens as top Eastern Conference contenders to start the season, could follow suit with Bob Gainey behind the bench. You might want to place a few bets on the Habs soon while they’re  still undervalued.

Speaking of undervalued, raise your hand if you saw the Netherlands’ two straight victories over the Dominican Republic coming in World Baseball Classic betting. If you did, you’re probably filthy rich now. Unbelievably, the Netherlands shocked the Dominicans for the second game in a row, winning an extra-innings thriller. Since many people considered the Dominicans the odds-on sportsbook favorites entering the tournament, the World Baseball Classic is anyone’s bet. Defending champion Japan still looks strong while the U.S., by far the deepest team in the tournament, is probably the safest pick to win it all right now.

In NBA betting, a wounded powerhouse is ripe for the picking these days. The hobbled Celtics should be without five regulars against Miami tonight – including Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo. That makes the Heat, who are riding Dwayne Wade’s massive MVP push, an attractive sportsbook pick.

On the links, Tiger Woods makes his long-awaited return to stroke play tomorrow at the WGC-CA Championship. Some online betting fans may stay away from him, as he certainly showed rust at the World Match Play Championship two weeks ago. However, Tiger owns Doral, so his comfort at the course could balance out any kinks.

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The St. John’s Red Storm and the Marquette Golden Eagles will both be gunning for a victory on Wednesday when they meet at Madison Square Garden.

BetUs Sportsbook has  the Golden Eagles listed as 7½-point favorites versus the Red Storm, while the game’s total is sitting at 139½.

Paris Horne dropped 23 points to lead St. John’s over Georgetown 64-59 in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Tuesday.

St. John’s cashed as 6.5-point underdogs as the game played under the 123.5-point total listed by sportsbooks.

Jerel McNeal scored 25 points for Marquette in a 86-79 OT loss to Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.

The Golden Eagles failed to cover the 6-point spread, while the final score played OVER the day’s posted total of 158.

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Team records:
St. John’s: 16-16 SU, 13-13-1 ATS
Marquette: 23-8 SU, 12-13-1 ATS

St. John’s most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
After playing Georgetown are 4-6
After a win are 4-6

Marquette most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 6-2
After playing Syracuse are 2-0
After a loss are 6-4

A few trends to consider:
St. John’s is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
St. John’s is 7-15 SU in its last 22 games
St. John’s is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Marquette
St. John’s is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Marquette
Marquette is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing St. John’s
Marquette is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. John’s
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Marquette’s last 5 games
Marquette is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games

The DePaul Blue Demons and the Providence Friars will both be trying to pick up a win on Wednesday when they battle at Madison Square Garden.

BetUs Sportsbook and Bodog Life have the Friars listed as 9½-point favorites versus the Blue Demons, while the game’s total is sitting at 143½.

Dar Tucker scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead DePaul past Cincinnati 67-57 in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Tuesday.

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DePaul cashed as 8-point underdogs as the game played under the 128-point total set by oddsmakers.

Providence was crushed 97-80 by Villanova on Thursday, as 10-point road underdogs. That game’s 177 points sailed OVER the posted total of 159.

Weyinmi Efejuku collected a game-high 29 points with three rebounds and four assists.

Team records:
DePaul: 9-23 SU, 9-18 ATS
Providence: 18-12 SU, 10-16 ATS

DePaul most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 5-5
After playing Cincinnati are 6-4
After a win are 5-5

Providence most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 4-6
After playing Villanova are 4-6
After a loss are 6-4

A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of DePaul’s last 5 games when playing Providence
DePaul is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Providence
DePaul is 1-18 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Providence’s last 5 games when playing DePaul
Providence is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing DePaul
The total has gone OVER in 11 of Providence’s last 16 games
Providence is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games

Each day March Madness gets bigger.  The Big East Tournament, Big 12 Conference Championships and the Atlantic 10 headline today’s March Madness action, while the ACC and Big 10 Tournament join tomorrow.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: College hoops conference tournaments continue, the Celtics meet the Heat, and the Blackhawks take on the Hurricanes.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

It’s Boston at Miami in the marquee Eastern Conference clash in the NBA on Wednesday night. The Celtics fell 86-79 to the Magic on Sunday, and they’ll be missing forwards Kevin Garnett and Glen Davis and guard Rajon Rondo against the Heat. Miami turned up the offense in a 130-127 win over the Bulls on Monday night, with Dwyane Wade having a huge performance: 48 points and 12 assists.

The top Western matchups for Wednesday are the Lakers at Houston and Dallas at Portland, while Denver will play host to Oklahoma City. As well, it’ll be Utah at Atlanta, Toronto at Philadelphia, Chicago at Orlando, New Orleans at Washington, New York at Detroit, Memphis at Minnesota, and New Jersey at Golden State. The Warriors will enter Wednesday on a three-game losing streak.

Best betting advice…

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The march toward Madness . . .

Four more big college hoops conference tourneys get underway on Wednesday, with the Big 12, Conference USA, Mountain West, and Pacific-10 all seeing action. The opening-round Big 12 matchups are Baylor vs. Nebraska, Colorado vs. Texas, Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M, with all games at Oklahoma City’s Ford Center. The Mountain West’s Wednesday matchup has Air Force vs. Colorado State at Las Vegas‘ Thomas & Mack Center.

In CUSA it’s Rice vs. Marshall, Southern Miss vs. UCF, East Carolina vs. Tulane, and SMU vs. Houston at Memphis’ FedExForum on Wednesday, while the Pac-10 offers up Stanford vs. Oregon State and Oregon vs. Washington State at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. As well, the second round of the Big East tournament gets underway Wednesday, with Providence, Marquette, West Virginia, and Syracuse taking on first-round winners at Madison Square Garden.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are just three games on the National Hockey League’s schedule for Wednesday night, including the Hurricanes taking on the Blackhawks in Chicago. The Hawks were bounced 5-1 by Colorado on Sunday, with forward Martin Havlat suffering a lower-body injury. The Hurricanes blanked the Rangers 3-0 on Monday. Cam Ward stopped 28 shots to earn himself the shutout in that contest.

Ottawa hosts Tampa Bay on Wednesday night in a battle of lowly Eastern clubs, while Vancouver travels south to Anaheim to meet the Ducks. The Canucks fell 3-2 to Los Angeles on Monday night, getting goals from Alex Burrows and Taylor Pyatt. The Ducks are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Wild on Sunday, as Jonas Hiller gave up three goals on 28 shots. Anaheim is 3-6-1 in their past 10 outings.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Jeff Gordon hasn’t won a Sprint Cup race so far this season, but a series of solid performances has him sitting atop the standings after four events. NASCAR’s top series is off this week, giving bettors a chance to take a long look at Gordon’s 12/1 odds to win the Sprint Cup championship in 2009. Jimmie Johnson remains the favorite at 3/1 odds, but he’s just 13th in the standings so far this season. Kyle Busch (4/1) and Carl Edwards (5/1) remain the top challengers on that list.

“The Freak” looks to make it two in a row

Tim Lincecum may have been a surprise to MLB betting players last year, but the tiny San Francisco righthander should be the favorite in this year’s race for the National League Cy Young award. However, he won’t be the only one worth considering in your offshore sportsbook, as his main competition comes from a man who is trying to become the fourth pitcher win the Cy Young in both leagues.

Tim Linecum, San Francisco Giants

Lincecum rolled through the NL with an 18-5 mark, a 2.62 ERA and an MLB-best 261 strikeouts en route to the Cy Young. The scary thing is, the 24-year-old is getting even better, as it’s rumored that his changeup is improved from last season. Lincecum’s strange delivery baffles hitters, and when he uncoils to the plate to throw in the high 90s, it’s pretty much over. MLB betting odds will be all over Lincecum this year.

Johan Santana, New York Mets

Only Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson have won the Cy Young in both leagues. Santana is looking to join them, as he won with Minnesota in 2004 and 2006. Santana finished third in the voting after going 16-7, and his 2.53 led the majors. He also threw an NL-topping 227.0 innings. “Johan the Great” had offseason knee surgery and some elbow soreness, but even if he’s not ready for Opening Day, expect MLB odds to give him a great chance at the Cy Young.

Brandon Webb, Arizona Diamondbacks

Webb was well within range of his second Cy Young to add to the one he won in 2006, but a losing three-game stretch in which he allowed 19 runs, along with the Diamondbacks’ subsequent collapse, handed the trophy to Lincecum. Those who bet sports shouldn’t avoid Webb, who was 22-7 with an ERA of 3.30, as the Arizona ace is guaranteed to eat up innings, and his sinkerball is almost legendary.

Dan Haren, Arizona Diamondbacks

The 28-year-old also slipped a little late in his first full season in the desert, but with Haren and Webb in the Arizona lineup, the Diamondbacks’s MLB odds should be good once again. Haren finished 16-8 with an ERA of 3.33, and due to his outlandish 40 walks allowed, he was third in the NL in WHIP. With a full year in the NL under his belt, Haren could end up passing Webb on the Arizona staff.

Cole Hamels, Phialdelphia Phillies

Last year’s dominating performance in the postseason may have given Hamels even more confidence, as he was named MVP of the World Series as well as the NLCS by posting a 4-0 mark with a 1.80 ERA. Hamels’ regular season was very solid, as he was 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA, and he tossed a career-high 227.1 innings. Hamels will probably be the MLB betting underdog in this group, but as far as underdogs go, you can’t get much better.

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For many bettors March Madness begins today as the “BCS” conferences tip-off with Big East action. The Big East odds to win the tournament has Pittsburgh as the favorites.

Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: The Mavericks and Suns meet in Phoenix, the Wings look to get back on track, and the Big East tournament gets underway.

Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

The top game on the NBA schedule for Tuesday night has Dallas in the desert to take on Phoenix. The Mavericks improved to 38-25 straight-up and 30-33 against-the-spread with a 119-103 win over the Wizards on Saturday night. The Suns and Mavs last met on the court on January 9, with Phoenix rolling to a 128-100 home win. Shaquille O’Neal led the way with 25 points in that easy victory.

Utah will travel to Indiana to face the Pacers on Tuesday, with New York at Milwaukee, Charlotte at San Antonio, Oklahoma City at Sacramento, and Cleveland at the Clippers. LeBron James and company knocked off the Heat 99-89 on Saturday night, with Mo Williams scoring a team-high 29 points in the victory. James picked up 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in that matchup.

The march toward Madness . . .

The first major conference starts their postseason tournament on Tuesday, as the Big East offers up four opening-round matchups. First up is DePaul vs. Cincinnati, which will tip off at 12pm ET.  Sports Betting Sportsbook has the Bearcats laying 8.5

That game will be followed by St. John’s vs. Georgetown (2pm ET), Rutgers vs. Notre Dame (7pm ET), and South Florida vs. Seton Hall (9pm ET). All games of the tourney are at Madison Square Garden. BetUs Sportsbook has Georgetown laying 5.5, Notre Dame 11 and Seton Hall 5.5.

The top team in action on Tuesday, though, is Butler, which will be taking on Cleveland State in the championship game of the Horizon Conference tournament. Other conference tourneys that will continue on Tuesday: Big Sky, Mid-American, Sun Belt, Western Athletic, Mid-Eastern, and the Summit League.

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Taking a trip around the rink . . .

The Red Wings will be looking to bounce back from an embarrassing weekend loss in one of 11 games on a busy National Hockey League schedule for Tuesday night. Detroit was trounced 8-2 by the Blue Jackets on Saturday night, with starting netminder Chris Osgood allowing seven goals on 30 shots before giving way to Ty Conklin. Henrik Zetterberg and Aaron Downey scored for Detroit.

The Blue Jackets will try to keep the goals coming on Tuesday when they play host to the Bruins. Also on the schedule: Calgary at New Jersey, Buffalo at Philadelphia, Edmonton at Montreal, Florida at Pittsburgh, the Islanders at Toronto, Washington at Nashville, Dallas at St. Louis, Atlanta at Colorado, and San Jose at Minnesota. The Sharks were topped 3-1 by Vancouver on Saturday.

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Along with the Big East (which will have its title game on Saturday) all the major college hoops conferences stage their tournaments this week. The Big 12, Conference USA, Mountain West, and Pacific-10 conference tourneys all start on Wednesday, with their championship games on Saturday. The ACC, Big Ten, and SEC conference tournaments start on Thursday and will wrap up on Sunday.