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12/28/2008 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers are off to their best start in over three decades, and they will put that fast start on the line this evening, as they play host to the High Point Panthers in non-conference action from Williams Arena.
The Panthers have been idle since December 19th when they dropped a 64-61 decision to Youngstown State. That loss was the second in a row and third in the last four outings for High Point, which is 4-7 overall, including 0-2 in Big South Conference action.
As for Minnesota, it will begin the Big Ten portion of the schedule after tonight's clash. The Golden Gophers are a perfect 11-0, their best start since the 1976-77 campaign. Tubby Smith has turned the program around, although critics will point out that the schedule thus far has been awfully soft and 10 of the wins have come at home. Smith's team was most recently in action on Tuesday when it defeated Southeastern Louisiana by an 80-71 final.
This game marks the first-ever meeting between Minnesota and High Point on the hardwood.
It is a bit surprising that High Point is three games under .500 thus far, as the squad has outscored and outrebounded its opponents on average. The Panthers have played stellar defense, limiting foes to 62.5 ppg on 39.8 percent shooting from the floor. Unfortunately, they have turned the ball over too much and are shooting 57.3 percent from the foul line. The leading scorer for High Point is Eugene Harris, as he is posting 13.5 ppg despite his 38.8 percent field goal efficiency. The only other double-digit scorer in the lineup is Nick Barbour, as he posts 10.5 ppg. In the three-point loss to Youngstown State last time out, Barbour scored 21 points to keep his team close. Unfortunately, no other player on the roster had more than eight points, and the Panthers shot 39 percent from the floor. They were a woeful 9- of-21 from the charity stripe, the most obvious reason for the setback.
Overall this season, Minnesota is scoring 74.1 ppg, while limiting opponents to 62.1 ppg on 39.1 percent shooting from the field. The Golden Gophers are led by Lawrence Westbrook, as he is scoring 13.0 ppg. Damian Johnson checks in with 11.0 ppg, and Blake Hoffarber tallies 10.4 ppg. Minnesota was far from dominant in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, as the Golden Gophers were outrebounded in that tilt and did just enough to finish on top. Westbrook and Hoffarber didn't start the game, but both players scored 15 points off the bench. As for Johnson, he posted 13 points in 31 minutes of action. Minnesota hit eight three-pointers and finished with 19 assists against only 10 turnovers.
<< Bourque notches hat trick as Flames burn Ottawa
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rene Bourque registered his first career hat
trick in Calgary's 6-3 win over the Senators, as Ottawa was dealt its 11th
consecutive road loss.
Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist for the Flames, who
<< Addazio named Gators' offensive coordinator
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida's Urban Meyer promoted offensive
line coach Steve Addazio to be the Gators' next offensive coordinator on
Saturday, succeeding Dan Mullen in the position.
The coordinator job was left open
<< Wolski, Budaj help Avs to shootout win over Red Wings
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wojtek Wolski scored the only goal of the
shootout, and Colorado goaltender Peter Budaj made 41 saves to help the
Avalanche log a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
The Avs have won both matchup
<< Roy's late surge leads Blazers over Raptors
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy erupted for 18 points in the
fourth quarter and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame an eight-point halftime
deficit in a 102-89 decision against the Toronto Raptors.
Roy finished with 32 poi
Top-ranked Tar Heels set to vanquish Scarlet Knights >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have never
defeated a top-ranked team in program history, and they will be fighting an
uphill battle tonight, as they will be heavy underdogs in their clash with the
North Carolina
10th-ranked Boilermakers clash with Crusaders >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers host
an in-state opponent, the Valparaiso Crusaders, in a non-conference clash this
afternoon from Mackey Arena.
Valparaiso is desperate for a victory, as the team has
Knicks try to stop skid vs. Nuggets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks will attempt to put the brakes on a
season-high five-game losing streak Sunday when they host the Denver Nuggets
at historic Madison Square Garden.
New York dropped its fifth in a row after Fr
Heat, Cavs clash at Quicken Loans Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to stay unbeaten at home
Sunday when they close out a three-game residency versus the Miami Heat in the
opener of a home-and-home series at Quicken Loans Arena.
Cleveland, which will vi
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
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Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."
When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules.
The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.
The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.
“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”
The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.
“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”
The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.
“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”
Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.
“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."
So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?
“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.
Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.
Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.
Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.
“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.
Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.
The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.
“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.
Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.
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