By Marc Lawrence This always-powerful basketball conference has come a long way toward establishing a football pedigree since it rejected Penn State's application for admittance in 1985. Under its current alignment, which has been in place for five seasons, the BIG EAST is a combined 159-61 in non-conference games (.721). That stands as the best five-year non-league record in the history of the conference and second... Read more

By Marc Lawrence One of only two conferences (along with the SEC) with five teams in the pre-season Top 25, the ACC will brace itself in 2010 when they take on the toughest schedule in the nation against opponents that compiled a winning percentage of .604 last year. In fact, only the PAC 10 of the traditional ‘Big Six' conferences faced opponents who won more than 50 percent of their games in 2009. Let's make this... Read more

With the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers meeting in the 2010 NBA Finals, rather than rehash stories of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, let's instead look at four solid Championship Round betting theories outlined below from our powerful database. (Note: all results are ATS since 1991 unless noted otherwise.) NO. 1 SEEDS DO NOT LIKE TO LOSE You might beat them once. Twice in a row is another story. That... Read more

If it's June, school is out. And so too will be the NBA (we think). It's also the time of the season when MLB pitchers look to ace exams in hopes of keeping their teams in the pennant chase. To get a better feel on what to expect, let's examine their results from exams in the past. Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team starts the last three seasons during the month... Read more

One month into the NBA Playoffs and we’re down to the Conference Finals. In just two weeks the season will conclude with the Championship Finals as the 2009-10 season winds its way to the finish line. From our database, let’s take a peek and see what we can expect from teams in the Third Round of the playoffs. Remember, all results are ATS (Against The Spread) in Third Round action over the past 20 years, unless stated... Read more

By Marc Lawrence Long before the GOLD SHEET first called out the premise, Zig Zags have been the most popular rolling paper for those who enjoy their smoke of choice. In NBA handicapping circles, Zig Zags are trendy applications that have been profitable moneymakers during the playoffs. The play is simple: Play On a team off a playoff loss in its very next game. The theory is that in a short series, involving... Read more

Opening Round Betting Strategies By Marc Lawrence It’s never too early or late to prepare for the playoffs. Like preparing for a marathon, it’s best to put ourselves into the best possible condition we can as we make a season ending dash for the cash. With help from our trusted database, let’s examine four time-tested proven theories that have lined our pocket during the opening round of playoffs since 1991. Here... Read more

By Marc Lawrence It’s onward to Indianapolis for the Final Four games. To put the wraps on the 2010 NCAA Tournament, listed below are some interesting trends and angles to consider before our Fab Four takes a final spin in Circle City this weekend. All results listed below are ATS (Against The Spread) since 1991 unless noted otherwise. Enjoy… FINAL 4 ROUND NOTES • #1 Seeds that are 4-0 ATS in this tourney are 2-4 SU... Read more

By Marc Lawrence There is nothing sweeter this time of the year than being alive in the NCAA Tournament. For those teams that survived the opening two rounds of this main event it's on to the Sweet 16 and, hopefully, the Elite 8 this weekend. From the 2010 PLAYBOOK NCAA Sweet 16 Tournament Supplement, here are notes of the teams that have arrived. Stay tuned... SWEET 16 ROUND NOTES: #1 Seed favs < 11 pts... Read more

By Marc Lawrence The 2010 NCAA Tournament has arrived and with it once final chance to pad our bankrolls for the season. To make that shining moment happen, let’s take a look at how teams in this event have fared most recently in the past. NCAA TOURNEY – MOST RECENT TRENDS • #1 Seeds are 76-0 SU (42-33-1 ATS) vs #16 Seeds • #2 Seeds are 72-4 SU (31-41-4 ATS) vs #15 Seeds • Only twice since 1988 has a #12 Seed failed... Read more