The best week in bowling (at least for sports betting purposes) comes to a conclusion this afternoon. Following 15 games of qualifying, the top 63 scorers plus last year's champion were placed into a 64-person double-elimination bracket for round after round of glorious head-to-head action with plenty of betting opportunities at BetRivers Sportsbook.
In the end, back-to-back-to-back Player of the Year EJ Tackett powered through the bracket, not only going undefeated, but literally putting on the greatest match play performance in USBC Masters history. By averaging 258.39 in match play, Tackett broke the record set by Anthony Simonsen (250.4) in 2023.
By defeating everyone except Tackett, Eric Jones earned the second seed for Sunday's show. He was one of many lefties to have a very successful week, including Jesper Svensson and Matt Sanders, who also earned their spots in the stepladder final. David "Boog" Krol claimed the final spot, one week after qualifying first at the PBA Indiana Classic.
As I have done each week of the season, I'm picking out my three best bets heading into the stepladder final. After a hot start to the season, my picks have cooled off, but we still have a winning 8-7 record, including a +200 winner to make it a profitable season so far.
2026 USBC Masters Matchups
Matt Sanders -9.5 (+100) over Boog Krol
Let's start with the obvious: I watched last week's championship match and can't erase that from my mind. I had bet on Boog Krol to win, and he looked nervous and lost from the very first shot and never recovered, as he was on the losing end of the lowest scoring televised PBA final in history (152-136).
Krol's previous stepladder performances left a lot to be desired too, including a 258-203 loss in the 2025 PBA World Championship and a memorable (for the wrong reasons) title win in the 2024 PBA Delaware Classic. In that tournament, he executed so poorly and got so many lucky breaks in the semifinal that he apologized to opponent Bill O'Neill throughout the match. They finished in a 203-203 tie then Krol won in a roll-off. Krol finished with an equally unimpressive 198-170 win in the championship.
Turning our attention to their performances this week, Sanders averaged 230.4 in qualifying to earn the 14th seed in the bracket, while Krol averaged 220.6 to make the cut to the top 64 by just 26 total pins. Boog averaged 244.75 through the first four rounds of match play, but again when it mattered most in the final four of the Winners' Bracket and then the final four of the Elimination Bracket, he averaged just 220.5. Meanwhile, Sanders averaged 240.5 through match play with just one poor series that knocked him to the Elimination Bracket early.
Matt Sanders vs. Boog Krol under 470.5 (-117)
Both players put up some huge scores in match play, but as I described above, Boog Krol has struggled under the bright lights of television. History suggests that he's much more likely to shoot under 210 than over 240.
Sanders hasn't finished better than seventh on the PBA Tour since 2022. Last offseason, he suffered a leg injury and thought his career might be over.
Emotions and pressure will be high on both players, and I'm confident that at least one of them will slip below 220, making this a tough number to top.
All odds via BetRivers Sportsbook as of March 29th 11:00 am ET
2026 USBC Masters Winner Best Bet
EJ Tackett (-167)
The best bet really is Tackett -9.5, but we'll have to wait until right before the final match starts to lock in that bet for a better payout.
Despite not having a win this season, Tackett is first in PBA Tour Points, thanks to one second and two third place finishes. Only Tackett and Ryan Barnes have cashed in every event this season.
The past two days Tackett was a man on a mission, mowing down the competition in match play, setting records and leaving no doubt that he's the best bowler in the world. Today he's motivated to add his first USBC Masters title to his long list of achievements.
In general, if you like the favorite, don't be afraid to bet the spread. Only one of the 20 TV matches this season have finished within a 10-pin margin. And when there was a -19.5 line available for Tackett vs. Barnes last week, Tackett won by 42.
For more picks be sure to follow @RotowireBowling and @TheSpatula300 on X.
2026 USBC Masters TV Schedule
All times listed are local (Eastern Time)
Sunday, March 29th
USBC Masters Finals (LIVE) on The CW: 4 p.m.
