By Paul M. Banks Founder/President of The Sports Bank.net
INDIANAPOLIS- Ohio State’s Evan Turner is likely going to sweep the national college basketball player of the year awards. He truly is royally smooth on the court. On Friday, in the Big Ten quarterfinals, his 40-foot buzzer beater to eliminate Michigan was the lead national story in [...]

When Derrick Rose suffered his second injury this season at the hands of Dwight Howard in last night’s 111-82 loss to the Orlando Magic it became painfully obvious (emphasis on ‘pain’) that the Bulls’ playoff hopes are slipping away fast.  If the Bulls were to somehow make it into the playoffs [...]

Only one person who partook in online betting would have had any success last week.  Congratulations to StevieY for guessing (yeah guessing) that the Wings would beat the Hawks.  I wouldn’t exactly hire him to run my sportsbook, but he is definitely the cream of the crop this week.  We also welcome back Javier Sandooski this [...]

By Paul M. Banks, President of The Sports Bank.net
Regarding college basketball in the state of Illinois, it is the worst of times. And it’s again the worst of times. We may get zero teams in the NCAA tournament. And it’s all over from the Wisconsin border to the edge of the state that neighbors Kentucky. [...]

I’m not going to sugarcoat it folks. The Bulls don’t look good. Most of their average or above-average defenders are injured, and now they are allowing teams to put up point totals usually reserved for Madison Square Garden. Here’s some NBA links to ease the sting of our slide out of the 8th seed:

Before there [...]

Without Noah, the Bulls are possibly the worst rebounding team I’ve ever had to watch (obviously that’s an exaggeration, but it sure feels like it).  Ironically enough, he’s making a great case for himself as the Bulls MVP this season from the bench, as the team looks like it won’t win a single game in [...]

There was great elation when Alfonso Soriano signed an eight-year, $136 million contract back in 2007. We Cubs fans thought we had a guy that could hit 50 homeruns from the leadoff spot, steal 20 bases, and man center for years to come. Heck, we thought we had Willie Mays in the 21st century.
Well, three [...]

The Bulls are sliding quickly and pitifully, but that doesn’t mean the entertainment at Bulls games is lacking.  Remember how excited I was about a flash mob and an umbrella at the last game I went to?  This blows it way out of the water.  Just a warning, this is slightly NSFW (if you consider [...]

Isn’t it great when a new acquisition on one of the local sports teams likes to go out downtown and make himself accessible and visible to his fan base?  I don’t mean getting drunk and getting in trouble (Lance Briggs comes to mind, but there are many others).  I’m just talking about grabbing a few [...]

This is the Bears biggest offseason ever in terms of free agency.  It all essentially happened in one day.  Here is a breakdown of exactly what occurred and how it could impact the Bears.  I’m not purely drinking kool-aid today, but as a Bears fan its hard not to.
“The Catch” — Julius Peppers
Wow.  This was [...]

February is gone! Time to move on to the juggernaut of a month that is March. March has to be in the hall of fame of months. It boasts the NCAA Tournament, St. Patty’s Day, and that first day it’s nice enough to play basketball outside. What’s not to like? Still the February reared its [...]

Well it looks like the Bears have stepped up their game in the opening days of free agency. There will be some hits and given the Bears’ history under Jerry Angelo and Lovie Smith, there will be some misses. The Bears’ first catch?  Brandon Manumaleuna! We can always use more tight ends!

While rumors persist this [...]

Last night’s Bulls game was definitely interesting even if the Bulls choked big time in the second half.  First we were unexpectedly escorted to a VIP parking lot for Lexus’s (my dad gave us a ride in his Lexus).  Then the giveaway for the night was a sweet Bulls umbrella.  The strange yet satisfying nature [...]

So Bruce Pearl screwed me over again.  Big surprise.  At least everyone thought he would choke so I’m not the only one who took a hit.  At least I didn’t actually bet the ‘Cats on my sportsbook.  The new addition to our online betting team at NQTC, His Jesusness Shuttlesworth, didn’t exactly kill it either, [...]

Baseball season is here again, and once again I have to pay attention to the White Sox since the papers and our readers just can’t get enough.  I don’t hate them, I just don’t care.  Fortunately Ozzie’s nonsense coupled with Kenny’s hilariously itchy trigger finger have made for entertaining stories.  I’m not sure where this [...]