Anticipation for Super Bowl XLVI is reaching a fever pitch for die-hard fans and casual observers alike. Next Sunday’s game is a classic matchup between two of the league’s most explosive offenses — each featuring elite quarterbacks with a championship victory already on their resume.

However, what’s likely driving the anticipation for this game is the memory of Super Bowl 42.  A miraculous grab by David Tyree and a late touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress helped lead the Giants to their first Super Bowl victory since 1991 and denied the Patriots from recording the second undefeated season in league history.

In that game, the 18-0 Pats opened as a 14-point favorite, despite barely defeating the Giants 38-35 in week 17 of the regular season. The public was more than happy to take such a lop-sided point spread with 61% of spread bettors taking New York. This one-sided betting moved the line off the key number of 14 down to 12.5. Ultimately, those points were unnecessary as the Giants won straight the game straight up by the score of 17-14.

This season’s match-up between the Pats and G-Men shared many similarities to that infamous game. In the teams week nine showdown, the 6-1 Patriots opened as 9-point favorites, however the public did not follow their typical behavior of betting the favorite as 53% of spread wagers took New York and the points. However, despite this even betting percentage, the line moved to -9.5. Once again, the points proved to be unnecessary as an Eli Manning TD pass with 15 seconds remaining gave New York a 24-20 victory.

The following chart shows the betting trends from the past 8 Super Bowls:

In this exciting matchup between Big Ten powerhouses, #17 Indiana will travel to the Kohl Center to take on #25 Wisconsin. While the Badgers (16-5, 5-3) were expected to be one of the league’s top teams, the Hoosiers (16-4, 4-4) have been one of the nation’s most pleasant surprises with marquee victories over both Ohio State and Kentucky.

A large part of Indiana’s success has been the production of freshman Cody Zeller. The younger brother of UNC’s Tyler, Zeller leads the Hoosiers in scoring at 15.1 points per game and has been incredibly efficient with a 65.9% field goal percentage.

On the other side, senior guard Jordan Taylor is the clear-cut number one option for Bo Ryan’s ballclub. The 6’1″ guard has seen his scoring drop from around 18 ppg last season to just 14 this year, but don’t be fooled, Taylor remains one of the most dangerous players in the nation.

Wisconsin opened as a 7-point favorite at the market-setting Cris sportsbook and, according to Sports Insights’ College Basketball Betting Trends, is currently receiving 40% of spread bets and 45% of moneyline wagers.

While the majority of bettors are taking Indiana and the points, the line has increased to -8 at CRIS. This reverse-line movement indicates that early sharp money has taken the home Badgers.

At the time of publication, this game is the second most heavily bet college basketball game of the day (trailing only NC State-UNC) and with a 9 o’clock start time it’s reasonable to expect more movement before tip-off.

As a result, be sure to login to your Sports Insights account, check the College Basketball Betting System Plays and shop for the best line before taking a side in this game.

The following table shows the breakdown of spread betting percentages from our six contributing sportsbooks:

Back in December it appeared that Chris Paul was heading to the Lakers as part of a three-team trade involving Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. Just over a month later CP3 is playing in Los Angeles…but as a member of the Clippers. That storyline will be re-told again and again tonight when these cross-town rivals square off.

The Lakers opened as a 4-point favorite at the market-setting Cris sportsbook, according to Sports Insights’ NBA Betting Trends, is currently receiving just 40% of spread wagers. That slightly tilted betting percentage has helped the line move to 3.5.

A majority of the market has this game available at 3.5, but a handful of books including Legendz and The Pig are offering -4. This once again illuminates the importance of shopping for the best line.

The following table shows the breakdown of spread betting percentages from our six contributing sportsbooks:

New England opened as a 3.5-point favorite at the market-setting sportsbooks for Super Bowl XLVI against New York.

Shortly after opening, Giants money flooded the market, pushing the line from 3.5 (and even 4 at some Vegas casinos) down to 3 at most sportsbooks.

Surprisingly, while CRIS, Pinnacle and Olympic have all hung onto 3 with extra juice, 5Dimes has moved through the key number of 3 and currently has the Patriots at -2.5 (-120).

Early NFL Betting Trends data shows that 61% of spread wagers have taken New York, which coincides with the line movement we’ve seen so far.

The following table shows the breakdown of spread betting percentages from our six contributing sportsbooks:

Last week in this space, we addressed the New Jersey sports betting bill that was signed into law by Governor Chris Christie. This week, two New Jersey congressmen have gone a step further by pushing legislation that would give all states until 2016 to legalize sports betting.

Back in 1992, Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASP) which banned sports betting in any state that didn’t already allow it. At the time only Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware had some form of legalized sports betting on the books and for the past two decades nothing had changed substantially. Now Representative Frank LoBiondo will attempt to repeal this 1992 law which would essentially give every state the ability to individually approve sports betting.

“New Jersey has been clear about its intent to host sports-betting,” said LoBiondo in a press release. “Legalizing sports-betting would strengthen Atlantic City in the face of stiff competition, giving it an additional edge to attract visitors and critical tourism dollars. Now that Governor Christie has signed the sports-betting bill into law, I will introduce my legislation today to give our state that right.”

While LoBiondo would like to repeal the federal ban on gambling outright, it is not the only conceivable course of action. LoBiondo also drafted a bill that would provide an exemption to PASP solely for the state of New Jersey.

Joining LoBiondo in his fight is fellow congressman Frank Pallone who introduced a similar bill that would exempt New Jersey from the existing federal law. Said Pallone, “The existing federal law is unconstitutional and arbitrary, giving four states access to this billion-dollar industry while shutting out the rest. The citizens of New Jersey have made it clear they want the opportunity to share in the profits from professional sports betting. This legislation will help even the playing field and uphold our state’s wishes on what is clearly a state issue.”