Marcus Smart Opens Season With 14-1 Odds To Win Rookie Of The Year

The Boston Celtics tip off their preseason schedule next week, and they are already dealing with a significant injury.

Point guard Rajon Rondo suffered a broken hand last week, and will miss six to eight weeks. Marcus Smart, the Celtics’ 2014 first-round pick, will get a crack at the starting job. Smart has been installed at 14-1 to claim the Rookie of the Year Award at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Given the Rondo injury, Smart for ROY could become a nice wager. The Celtics are also giving Evan Turner some point guard time during practice.

The Boston Bruins dropped to 2-2-1 in the preseason on Tuesday night, losing a home game to the New York Islanders by a score of 5-3. They will close out their preseason schedule facing the Islanders in Bridgeport, Conn., on Friday and then the Detroit Red Wings in Boston on Saturday. The Bruins open the 2014-15 regular season next Wednesday.

Sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com have put together a rundown of total points wagers for every team in the NHL. Five Bruins are listed, including David Krejci (62½), Patrice Bergeron (62½), Milan Lucic (58½), Brad Marchand (50½), and Zdeno Chara (39½). Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby is the leader on the totals at 104½.

Boston College is on a bye this week, and their biggest news is that athletic director Brad Bates is rumored to have been contacted about the Michigan AD job. Due to recent turmoil, Michigan AD Dave Brandon finds himself on a very hot seat.

BC returns to action on Oct. 11 when they face the North Carolina State Wolfpack. According to the OddsShark College Football Database, BC is 6-3 straight-up win and 5-4 against the spread when facing N.C. State. BC has never covered the spread on the road against N.C. State, but has won one game straight up. There is no line yet for the game. BC was favored the first two times they met in Raleigh but has been an underdog the last two meetings.