In Between the Lines: Chapter 23

Time flies when you’re having fun. There is a lot going on this weekend in college basketball, the NHL, NBA, UFC, and golf. There are a plethora of player props and odds boosts available to bet on in the Tipico Sportsbook app.

With a stacked sports schedule comes fervent sports bettors. “In Between the Lines” gives avid fans and sports bettors exactly what they want. Looking ahead to the upcoming week in sports, “In Between the Lines” offers inside analysis on line movements and key stats.

Here’s what you absolutely can’t miss this upcoming week in sports:

1. College Basketball – March Madness First Round: Winthrop Eagles at Villanova Wildcats (3/19/21 at 9:57pm)

It’s finally March Madness time! The Villanova Wildcats will take on the Winthrop Eagles for a First Round matchup that should be nothing short of exciting. The Wildcats are 6.5-point favorites, but with Nova’s Collin Gillespie out due to a torn MCL, I like Winthrop to cover and maybe even win. Winthrop went 23-1 this season. Their only loss was to UNC Asheville…and that was six weeks ago.

Villanova will be the best team Winthrop faces since they played Duke back in the fall of 2019. Offensively, the Eagles can thrive, as they have the 11th fastest tempo in the country. And don’t forget that Winthrop has Tennessee transfer, D.J. Burns. Not only did Winthrop defeat Campbell 80-53 in the Big South Tournament on Sunday but Burns finished with 14 points in the first half alone.

The Eagles have never made it past the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, so I like to think that maybe this year they will. I like Winthrop on the moneyline at +220 in this one.

2. NHL – New York Rangers at Washington Capitals (3/19/21 at 7pm)

The Washington Capitals are -145 on the moneyline for tomorrow night’s game against the New York Rangers. In addition to tomorrow’s game, the Caps will also face the Rangers on Saturday. And hey guess what, the New York Rangers are coming off an incredible 9-0 shut out win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday. New York’s Mika Zibanejad finished with a hat trick and three assists. Way to go, Rangers!

That being said, I like the Capitals on the moneyline against the Rangers. Why? The Capitals have won six games in a row. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin has scored a goal in the past four games. On Tuesday, Ovechkin moved past Phil Esposito into sixth place on the all-time NHL goal-scoring list, scoring his 718th career goal against the New York Islanders.

3. College Basketball – March Madness First Round: St. Bonaventure Bonnies at LSU Tigers (3/20/21 at 1:45pm)

Let me just say something: Don’t sleep on the St. Bonaventure. The Bonnies are 1.5-point favorites against the LSU Tigers heading into Saturday. The Bonnies have won three games in a row and six of their last seven.

One of St. Bonaventure’s star players is Kyle Lofton. Lofton contributed greatly in St. Bonaventure’s 74-65 win over VCU in the Atlantic 10 Tournament Final. He finished with 23 points, six assists and five rebounds. Lofton has scored at least 20 points three times this season. It also might be a good idea for the Bonnies to get the ball to Lofton when they are shooting from behind the arc. In the game against VCU, he made four of five shots from the three-point range. With this said, I like St. Bonaventure on the moneyline at +100.

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