Point shaving in college basketball: VSiN.com managing editor Adam Burke sorts through the latest scandal in sports betting. More than 39 players from more than 17 different schools allegedly fixed or attempted to fix more than 29 NCAA games over the course of two seasons.
My take: We are fortunate to be living in an era of legalized sports betting and sophisticated integrity monitoring, but this might not have been the toughest case to crack. The alleged masterminds began by fixing Chinese Basketball Association games. One wager highlighted in the indictment: $198,300 placed at Rivers Casino in Philadelphia on Guangdong -11.5 against Jiangsu. Yeah, that might set off a few alarms.
For those looking to dig deeper, the government’s indictment lays out the details.
Sideways in Seattle
The Seahawks haven’t played since Jan. 3, but still managed to have injury news Thursday.
Sam Darnold suffered an oblique injury in practice and was added to the injury list as questionable for Saturday’s NFL divisional playoff game vs. the 49ers.
Although Darnold said he expects to play, the line at Circa Sports moved a tick, from Seattle -7.5 to -7.
On the San Francisco side, the team ruled out the return of star linebacker Fred Warner, who has been out since Week 6 after a gruesome ankle injury.
Zach Cohen has posted his preview and top play for 49ers-Seahawks.
Everything we do on the divisional games will be here, including Steve Makinen’s Analytics Report.
FYI: I ran Steve’s data through ChatGPT and it spit out Bills +1.5 as its favorite bet.
Finish line for Circa Friday Football Invite
Matt Youmans will announce the final 24 picks from 8 contestants tonight on the Circa Friday Football Invitational show (7-10 ET).
But we already have a winner: San Diego pro bettor Chris Macero has an insurmountable 5-point lead over Las Vegas pro bettor Scott Pritchard heading into the final week. Chris receives $15,000, plus the coveted blue champions’ jacket and a trophy. But places 2-5 are still up for grabs. 👉 Standings.
Guests include Circa owner Derek Stevens, who put up $30,000 in prize money, plus Chris and Scott along with Chris Fallica and Matt Ste. Marie.
Quick Hits
MLB: The Dodgers signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240-million deal. LA’s win total is 102.5 at DraftKings.
NBA: Zach Cohen‘s Best Bets and Steve Makinen‘s Analytics Report will hit around mid-morning on our NBA page. Our Opta AI NBA player props projections are here.
College Basketball: Greg “Hoops” Peterson has picks for today’s college basketball menu. Greg also posts daily handicapped lines and handicaps every game every day during the season on the Coast-to-Coast Hoops podcast.
Adam Burke offers his college basketball Best Bets Monday-Saturday. You can find them on our college basketball page mid-morning.
Get real-time steam alerts from the DonBest Screen. Sign up now for a 7-day free trial at go.donbest.com. Use the promo code VSIN10 for 10% off your initial subscription.
NHL: VSiN hockey analyst Jonathan Davis will post his Best Bets around mid-day.
Horse Racing: Check out our horse racing page for picks from “Mr. Ed” Sehon and the Daily Racing Form.
Mike Somich and Aaron Halterman preview this weekend’s top races at Fair Grounds on the VSiN At The Track podcast. 👉 Watch / Listen.
