Marc Lawrence Articles
Article Topics: View All Articles By Marc Lawrence | NFL | College Football | NBA | College Basketball | MLB | WNBA | NHL
Date added: 06.26.11
Marc Lawrence
2011 BIG 12 Conference Football Preview
Much like the shrink-wrap used by food packagers these days, the BIG 12 shrank to 10 teams for the 2011 season with the defections of Colorado (PAC 10) and Nebraska (BIG 10) to new conferences.And with it the new BIG 10/12 takes on a whole new persona. No more of the South beating the North like a drum (156-113, 58% win percentage). Instead the redesigned ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.19.11
Marc Lawrence
2011 Big 10 Conference Preview
It used to be that when you talked Big 10 Football you were talking Ohio State.After all, the Buckeyes won at least a share of the last six Big Ten Championships while compiling a 43-5 mark in conference play in that span. They’ve gone 106-22 in games over the last 10 years, winning a national championship and playing in eight BCS bowl games, ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.13.11
Marc Lawrence
2011 Big East Football Preview
As referenced in last year’s pre-season preview, 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 six seasons, the BIG EAST is a combined 186-79 SU in non-conference ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 06.06.11
Marc Lawrence
2011 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PREVIEW
2011 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PREVIEWBy Marc LawrenceAfter leading the nation the previous four years with the most players selected in the first-round of the NFL Draft (30), the ACC lost a momentary grip on the position when only three players were chosen on Day One of the draft this season. Included was Florida State’s Christian Ponder, ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.30.11
Marc Lawrence
June Good Month Pitchers
JUNE GOOD MONTH PITCHERSBy Marc Lawrence 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 ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 05.09.11
Marc Lawrence
NBA RunnerUps
Nowadays everyone is familiar with the term’ Super Bowl loser’.Simply out, these are teams that made it to the NFL Super Bowl game but failed to win the trophy.The one common denominator of these teams is they have struggled, both straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS), the following season.Thanks to my powerful database, I explored ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.29.11
Marc Lawrence
May's Good Month Pitchers
The running of the Kentucky Derby each year signals MLB enters its 2nd month of play. And with it a handful of surprise teams take center stage. The key to sustaining will be success, or lack of it, from the pitching staffs. With that thought in mind, let’s zero in on pitchers that will look to keep their team in the race and those that may pull ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.29.11
Marc Lawrence
NBA ROUND TWO BETTING EDGES
NBA ROUND TWO BETTING EDGESBy Marc Lawrence With the top seeds having flexed their muscle in the opening round of the NBA playoffs, it’s one to Round Two where a series upset or two is always in the realm of possibility.Here are four solid moneymaking angles from my powerful database that have withstood the test of time throughout 2nd round playoff ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.24.11
Marc Lawrence
NBA ATS Playoffs Update
If you enjoy betting the games and you are weak of heart, the 2011 NBA playoffs have been a torment of major proportions.Charting results from the first eight days of action this playoff season, from Saturday April 16 through Saturday April 23, the results have been confounding to say the least.Bookmaker’s delightIf you’re a veterinarian ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.17.11
Marc Lawrence
NBA Zig Zag Theory Exposed
Long before the GOLD SHEET first called out the premise, Zig Zags were primarily recognized as popular rolling papers 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 premise is simple: ‘Play On’ a team off a playoff ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.13.11
Marc Lawrence
NBA Playoffs Primer
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 ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.10.11
Marc Lawrence
NBA's Triple Exposure
With the NBA regular season drawing to the finish line, and while we await the start of the 2011 NBA playoffs, let examine a favorite handicapping ploy that has served me well over the years at this stage of the campaign.It all centers around team teams concluding the season that will be playing with same season triple revenge. This particular handicap ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.08.11
Marc Lawrence
APRIL GOOD MONTH PITCHERS
APRIL GOOD MONTH PITCHERSBy Marc Lawrence • Playbook.com Major League Baseball trades places with College Hoops as the sports flavor of the month in April. And as we usher in America's favorite pastime, let's open the season with one of our favorite handicapping angles – good month pitchers.Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 04.03.11
Marc Lawrence
April Good Month Pitchers
Major League Baseball trades places with College Hoops as the sports flavor of the month in April. And as we usher in America’s favorite pastime, let’s open the season with one of our favorite handicapping angles – good month pitchers.Listed below are hurlers that have enjoyed a two-to-one or better success ratio in team starts the ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 03.21.11
Marc Lawrence
Sweet 16 Returnees
With the 2011 NCAA Tournament entering the SWEET 16 round, let’s take a different perspective in analyzing the teams that have arrived. It pertains specifically to teams that are returning to the SWEET 16 for the 2nd straight year. Do they perform like a team with experience and panache, or do they execute like CEO’s looking for golden ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 03.06.11
Marc Lawrence
Bubble Trouble
Get your dancing shoes out. With just two weeks remaining to the start of the 2011 NCAA Tournament, teams sitting on the outside looking in are now – more than ever – sweating their bubbles off.For the legitimate teams who find themselves sitting ‘on the tournament bubble’, it’s now crunch time. And with it the pressure ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 02.27.11
Marc Lawrence
College Basketball’s Last Home Games
In the blink of an eye the 2011 NCAA Basketball Tournament will begin its annual pulse-pounding extravaganza. In all likelihood hearts will be broken, a new champion crowned, and memories of upsets and game-winning shots will leave the court in assured dramatic fashion when the 'Big Dance' takes center stage Thursday, March 17th.Before we take in ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 02.20.11
Marc Lawrence
NBA at the Break
Some say the NBA is simply an acronym for Nothing But Aggravation. Others contend it’s merely a Nice Bankroll Additive. Whatever your take, there is no better time than the present – with the NBA taking a time out for the All-Star break - to examine the condition of each team in the league at this stage of the season. From the surprise ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 02.13.11
Marc Lawrence
College Hoops ATS Awards
With the 2010-11 College Hoops regular season one month away from the Big Dance, and the Academy Awards just around the corner, it’s important to get a pulse on how teams are performing at box office both home and on the road this campaign in the ever-popular ATS (Against The Spread) categories.While there is no certainty that teams will continue ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 02.06.11
Marc Lawrence
Rusty Home Dogs
Generally speaking, the first rule most good handicappers look to apply is seeking out live dogs that have a realistic shot at winning the game. That’s because three things can happen when you bet on an underdog – and two of them are good.There are, however, certain dogs that can bite the hand that feeds them if they are not conditioned ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 01.30.11
Marc Lawrence
Super Props
Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, Texas kicks off February 6 when Green Bay meets Pittsburgh with the Packers looking to become the first No. 6 seed from the NFC to win the coveted prize.Aside from betting the game itself, a myriad of betting propositions abound in every Super Bowl as amateur gamblers with an opinion come out of the closet more often this ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 01.24.11
Marc Lawrence
Super Bowl Super Stats
Handicapping the Super Bowl takes on a different perspective each year. Granted, there are a myriad of statistics, angles and trends we can draw from but the bottom line is the personalities of the teams are equally important when it comes to isolating the eventual winner.Safe to say that sports handicappers do not hold psychiatric degrees, let’s ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 01.16.11
Marc Lawrence
We Are the Champions
It’s Championship Week in the NFL and with it two teams are one win away from playing in Super Bowl XLV in Arlington, February 6. Like most football fans nationwide, everyone has an opinion on the teams that figure to advance. Our database does, too.There are generally two schools of thought when it comes to handicapping the final four teams ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 01.11.11
Marc Lawrence
NFL Playoffs: Rest or Rust?
It seems like only yesterday when NFL playoff teams took the field with a week of rest against advancing Wild Card Round winners and proceeded directly to winners circle. But such is not the case today. As Bob Dylan so sagely put it, “The times are a-changin’.”Don’t know if you’ve noticed but what was once a moneymaking ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 01.04.11
Marc Lawrence
NFL Wild Card Angles
Handicapping the NFL Playoffs can be a bit tricky.The knee-jerk reaction is to back home teams. After all, they have been a solid-moneymaker, going 157-125-6 ATS (55.6%), dating back to 1980.Today, however, that would be a mistake as the success of home teams in the playoffs has dissolved like an Alka Seltzer in a cold glass of water. A closer look ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 12.26.10
Marc Lawrence
NFL Season Ending Division Finales
Take a look up and down the NFL schedule this Sunday and what do you find?A division orgy.Curiously, for the first time in NFL history, all 16 games are division matchups. In an attempt to prevent teams from ‘laying down’ the final week of the season, the NFL brass went to the schedule maker and mandated all season ending contests be division ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 12.19.10
Marc Lawrence
Bowl Tale Of The Tape
BOWL TALE OF THE TAPEBy Marc LawrenceThe 2010 College Bowl games have descended upon us and with it we begin working overtime on the season as we handicap the matchups.One time-tested theory that holds up well during the post-season is isolating teams and how they fared in games this campaign against winning opposition.It’s one thing to make ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 12.13.10
Marc Lawrence
Stats Matter
Stats Matter – A Guide to Handicapping the Bowl GamesBy Marc LawrenceSmart handicappers alike agree on one thing – preparation is the key to success. The better prepared you are the better chance you stand at succeeding.With the 2010 College Bowl season now upon us it’s time to get ready for the thirty-five games that await. While ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 12.06.10
Marc Lawrence
Coaching Down The Stretch
Coaching Down The StretchBy Marc LawrenceWith the NFL season approaching its stretch run for the 2010 season, let’s examine the strengths and weaknesses head coaches have displayed throughout their NFL career during the final four games of the season. By becoming aware of the good, bad and ugly roles we can put ourselves into position to make ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
Date added: 11.29.10
Marc Lawrence
Just Chillin'
JUST CHILLIN’By Marc LawrenceWeekends are the reward for a job well done. The time to kick back, relax and let it all hang out. And if you're the kind who just can't make it to the weekend you'll be glad to know that in Jimmy Buffett's world it's 5:00 o'clock somewhere and it's Margaritaville. No stress. No strain. Just a cold one or two, to ... read more
Marc Lawrence Bio and Picks
