The Daily Sweat: Can Morocco keep a great World Cup story going to the final?
When the World Cup kicked off, Morocco was 250-to-1 to win it all at BetMGM. Only five teams had longer odds.
Morocco is one of three teams still standing, two wins from one of the most shocking championships ever, in any sport.
Morocco's incredible run included winning its group and then knocking off soccer powers Spain and Portugal to reach the semifinals. The problem for Morocco is it doesn't get any easier. The Moroccans face France in the second semifinal match on Wednesday. They're +600 on the three-way line at BetMGM (in which you can bet on France, Morocco or the draw) to win in regulation time. They're +300 to move on to the final on Sunday.
And if Morocco can get by France, they get Argentina in the final. That's why Morocco is +1100 to win it all.
Morocco is still a long shot. But not compared to where they were before the tournament began.
Morocco hasn't allowed its opponents to score a single goal at the World Cup. The only goal against Morocco came in the group stage against Canada and that was an own goal by Morocco. Under 2.5 goals for the France-Morocco match is -155 odds.
Morocco will be challenged to keep its string of clean sheets going against France. France is the reigning champion. Kylian Mbappé is either the best player in the world or on a very short list. There's a reason France is -450 to advance past Morocco.
But if you somehow have a Morocco ticket from before the tournament, it has already been a wild ride. Maybe they can shock the world again and keep going another few days.
Here's a first look at the sports betting slate on Wednesday:
UCLA-Maryland is top college hoops game
There usually aren't many good college basketball games this time of year. Athletes have finals in their classes, and coaches don't like scheduling too many tough non-conference games anyway.
UCLA at Maryland is pretty good though. UCLA is ranked 16th and Maryland is 20th. Maryland is a 1.5-point favorite. The Terrapins started 8-0 but then lost at Wisconsin and to Tennessee on a neutral court. Neither one is a bad loss. UCLA, which has a good mix of veterans and young players, is also 8-2.
NBA has 10 games
There are 10 NBA games and one of the more intriguing ones is the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs are 2.5-point favorites. The Cavs started great and have just been OK since. They're 17-11 and coming off a loss to a bad San Antonio Spurs team. Dallas is even more disappointing at 14-13. The Mavericks have been good at times but not often enough. They are 11-4 at home though.
Three NHL games
There isn't too much on the ice, though we get a TNT doubleheader: Detroit Red Wings at Minnesota Wild (-225), then Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames (-165).
What's the best bet?
Never forget that home-court advantage matters more in college basketball than any other sport. Maryland is a good team. They just happened to take on two losses to tough teams away from home. UCLA is good too but this is a tough road trip and the Terrapins should cover a small spread.
