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The Weekender: A Final 4 Preview and UFC Bets
After a long wait since the Elite 8, it’s finally time to determine who will have the honor of competing in the National Championship. In perhaps the chalkiest year in March Madness history, all four one seeds are still alive, much to the chagrin of fans. We’ll take a closer look at the Duke-Houston game along with some of our classic segments.
Here’s what we've got today:
NBA Friday Quick Hitters
Final Four Preview: Duke vs. Houston
UFC Fight Night Picks and Fades
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NBA Friday Quick Hitters
🔹 Sharp Money Alert: The Clippers opened as 9-point favorites against the Mavs. That line has closed all the way to -6.5. You already know the drill here. We don’t care that Anthony Davis is back. Fade Dallas on the road against a far superior Clippers team.
🔹 Odds Boost to Grab: Sleeper Picks is currently offering a 100% deposit match up to $1,500, compared to a 50% deposit match from Underdog. If you need a new book, Sleeper is worth a gander.
🔹 Trap Game Warning: The Thunder are taking 70% of the money as 7.5-point road favorites against the Rockets. That’s a bit excessive, given that the Rockets are playing excellent ball as of late. Houston also has much more to play for in terms of playoff seeding, as the Thunder have the one seed locked up. The Rockets should find a cover here.
Final Four Preview: Duke vs. Houston
Cooper Flagg’s path of destruction will continue on Saturday night as the Blue Devils face their toughest opponent yet in the Houston Cougars. Here’s a quick look at the odds for the battle of two of the best teams in the nation.
Duke’s Key Players
F Cooper Flagg: Not much needs to be said about Flagg. He leads a stacked Blue Devils team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. Expect another 30-point double-double here.
G Kon Knueppel: When the defensive attention inevitably envelopes Flagg, Knueppel is the guy who gets the ball. That dynamic was evident in Duke’s Elite 8 battle against Alabama, in which Knueppel poured in 21 points to lead the Blue Devils in scoring.
Houston’s Key Players
F Joseph Tugler: Tugler might just be the toughest defensive matchup that Flagg has faced this postseason. He’s a gigantic forward who has the movement skills to match Duke’s prodigy. Tugler should be in Flagg’s hip pocket all night.
G LJ Cryer: Cryer struggled from the field in the Elite 8 matchup against Tennessee and still managed to lead Houston in scoring. He’ll need a much more efficient night, starting from tipoff, to keep the Cougs in the game.
Final Pick
Duke has slaughtered every team in their path so far, and it’s hard to see Houston being the team that keeps things close. Even with a solid matchup for Flagg, the Cougars will likely struggle from the field themselves, leading to a solid margin of victory for Duke.
UFC Picks and Fades
We won’t lie, this is one of the most lackluster UFC Fight Nights in recent memory. Thankfully, the obscurity of a lot of the fighters has led to some excellent betting opportunities.
Lock of the Night: Victor Henry (-215)
It’s shocking to see these odds this close. Henry is a solid UFC vet who’s gone through the ringer in terms of competition, while Falcao is a one-fight vet who lost to a very questionable Victor Hugo. Hammer Henry here.
Fade of the Night: Josh Emmett vs. Lerone Murphy
The main event will be a banger, but there’s no good way to bet it. Murphy is a massive favorite, and he’ll probably win. However, his fight with Dan Ige showed his tendency to eat clean shots, particularly right hands. Doing that against Emmett almost always results in a face-down, butt-up knockout. Best to just let this one go.
Upset of the Night: Ode Osbourne vs. Luis Gurule
This is a similar situation to the Henry fight, but Osbourne is getting even worse odds. A three-fight losing streak never looks good, but Osbourne has lost to some of the brightest prospects in the division in that span. Gurule is not of the same caliber. He’s a UFC debutant who barely scraped by the Contender Series. Osbourne will welcome him to the promotion with a loss.
Snoozer of the Night: Torrez Finney vs. Robert Valentin
Torrez Finney is an objectively fun addition to the roster in terms of joke value, but he doesn’t bring much beyond that. He’s a plodding wrestler with very little technical skill on the feet. Valentin isn’t much better, losing one of the softest Ultimate Fighter seasons in recent memory to Ryan Loder. This won’t be a good fight.
Parlay Bet: 4-Leg Spread on FanDuel
Leg 1: Victor Henry – (-215)
Leg 2: Ode Osbourne – (+205)
Leg 4: Finney vs. Valentin GTD – (+186)
Try your luck with our featured parlay bet! Check out the odds and details above, then click the button to place your wager on FanDuel.
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