College Basketball Picks – Tar Heels Wary Of Looking Too Far Ahead

The No. 13 North Carolina Tar Heels have overcome a tough start to their season to climb all the way to the top of the ACC standings in to a tie with the defending national champions for first spot. The Tar Heels could have the chance to win the conference championship outright this weekend, but that opportunity comes with a big warning about looking too far ahead. In order to keep pace with the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils and get that shot at the title, the Tar Heels must first take care of the Florida State Seminoles on Wednesday night.

(13) North Carolina Tar Heels @ Florida State Seminoles

Wednesday March 2, 2011 – 7:00 PM ET

Donald L. Tucker Center, Tallahassee, Florida

Online Sports Betting Odds: North Carolina – 1

The Seminoles have won three of their last four since falling to North Carolina 89-69 on the road, and will be eager to avenge that loss when they return home for a rematch. Florida State proved its merit when they took down Duke earlier this year, which has Tar Heels’ head coach Roy Williams wary of a potential upset.

College Basketball Betting Preview: North Carolina

Led by Tyler Zeller, the Tar Heels are right there with Duke in the race for the ACC title. This just one year after finishing 5-11, and in the same college basketball betting season that they started out with just four wins through their first seven games overall. Maturity and chemistry have been the two biggest factors, as North Carolina has rallied around Zeller to win five straight heading into Wednesday night’s action. Zeller and John Henson scored 16 each the first time these teams met, with freshman Harrison Barnes scoring a game-high 17 in the win. The Tar Heels had four players hit double-digit scoring totals in that win, and will need to do the same in this one.

College Basketball Betting Preview: Florida State

The Seminoles demonstrated their upset capability when they took down the Blue Devils earlier this season, but this game will be about a lot more than that. Florida State is two games back of the Tar Heels and Duke for the top spot, and there is a real possibility that this team can finish second if they can knock North Carolina off this week. This will be the Seminoles’ final game at home this season, and they have the chance to clinch a perfect record there against ACC opponents for the first time in school history.

College Basketball Betting: Outlook & Pick

The Seminoles are perfect at home this season, but in order to clinch that eighth win they will need to take down a North Carolina team that has won their last four meetings there. That will be no easy task as the Tar Heels fight for their chance to clinch the ACC title with a showdown against Duke looming this sports betting bonus weekend.

Sportsbook Promotion Code Betting Pick: Tar Heels -1

Hockey Picks for Tuesday March 1, 2011: Nashville Predators vs. Edmonton Oilers

Online Sportsbook Overview

If plan to bet on March Madness and the like to start getting the best MLB predictions visit www.mlbpredictions.org then you know how important timing can be. It can be a sports betting bonus for a team searching for a better spot in the NCAA tournament to get a weak late-season opponent. The hockey experts know that an NHL team in search of a break during the playoff hunt can welcome a game against a lesser opponent. The only problem is that some teams can take that lesser opponent too lightly and not grab those important points.

The Nashville Predators are right in the middle of the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Predators are tied with three other teams at 72 points, and every win counts. The Edmonton Oilers were out of the Western Conference playoff race when the season started. But that does not mean that the Oilers are not capable of a few surprises.

Nashville Predators

After an impressive showing in last year’s playoffs, the Nashville Predators and their fans expected to be right back in the middle of the playoff mix this season. Nashville got off to a slow start this season, but it has really picked up the pace in the second half of the season. Nashville is second only to conference-leading Vancouver in the number of home losses with seven. But the Predators have fallen to the spot they are in now with a 4-5-1 record in its last 10 games. The other problem for the Predators is that they are 17-16-1 on the road. Nashville is much better at home than on the road, and the Oilers are not a team to fall asleep against.

Edmonton Oilers

Everything about the Oilers indicates that they are not capable of beating a playoff-hungry team like the Predators. In the last 10 games, the Oilers are 4-6-0 and they are riding a two-game losing streak. They are securely in last place in the Western Conference trailing the nearest team by 11 points. The Oilers have a 10-19-4 home record, and the Predators should take the Oilers very seriously. The Oilers have a habit of dropping wins in-between strings of losses that can break the hearts of playoff contenders. Just ask the Atlanta Thrashers.

The Bottom Line

If the Predators play their game, then they should be able to beat the Oilers. But if the Predators come into this game looking ahead to other opponents, then the Oilers will make them pay. The Oilers are a very young team that is still trying to find its way. But even the teams that seem lost can take a right turn once in a while. The Oilers are not getting great goaltending, their defense is slow and inexperienced and they do not have any real capable scoring forwards. But the Oilers do sell their arena out every night, and those fans can sometimes push the Oilers to do great things. The flashes of potential in Edmonton are few and far between, but if the Predators are not careful one of those flashes could knock Nashville down a notch in the playoff race.

Gambling Advisor blog Pick: Nashville Predators