Eagles hope to soar past visiting Crimson
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
01/07/2009 - Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a shocking victory over national powerhouse North Carolina, the 17th-ranked Boston College Eagles carry plenty of swagger into this evening's non-conference clash with the Harvard Crimson.
Harvard has won three of its last four games to improve to 7-6 overall. Last Friday, the Crimson held off Santa Clara in a 73-68 final. Tonight's tilt is the last against a non-conference opponent this season for Harvard, which begins its Ivy League campaign on Saturday against Dartmouth.
Boston College's 85-78 triumph over then top-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill over the weekend sent a clear message to the college basketball world that the Eagles are big-time players. They are currently riding a 10-game win streak and are 13-2 overall, including a perfect 10-0 at home. The only two losses suffered by the squad this season came against Purdue and Saint Louis by a combined total of 10 points.
Boston College owns a commanding 32-9 series lead over Harvard, and the last meeting took place in 2005.
Four of the five starters for Harvard scored in double figures in the recent victory over Santa Clara. Jeremy Lin was outstanding, as he scored 17 points and dished out nine assists against only one turnover. Lin also pulled down five rebounds and recorded three steals, proof of his overall ability. Drew Housman posted 16 points for the Crimson, and Doug Miller provided 15. Rounding out the group was Peter Boehm with 13 points. The Crimson were outrebounded by a 42-24 margin and permitted Santa Clara to shoot 52 percent from the floor while hitting only 42.1 percent of their own shots. Fortunately, Harvard committed just six turnovers and earned a 17-10 edge in points from the foul line. Lin is netting 17.8 ppg this season and leads the team in both assists and steals. No other player on the roster is generating more than 8.7 ppg.
There is no question that the best player on the Boston College roster is Tyrese Rice, the reigning ACC Player of the Week, as he is scoring 17.3 ppg this season to go along with 91 assists. Joe Trapani provides 13.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg, while Corey Raji checks in with 12.3 ppg and 7.0 rpg. As for Rakim Sanders, he rounds out a foursome of double-digit scorers with 11.9 ppg. The Eagles, who are racking up 78.4 ppg, are holding foes to 66.5 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting from the field. Rice exploded for 25 points and eight assists in the improbable road victory over North Carolina. Sanders added 22 points, seven steals and six assists for the Eagles, who got 17 points from Reggie Jackson. Strong defense was the key to the win, as BC limited the Heels to 38.4 percent shooting from the field.
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC will collide with the slumping Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West Coast Conference this evening. These teams are meeting for the second time this season, as the Bulldogs
<< Tar Heels seek redemption in clash with visiting Cougars
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off their first defeat of the season,
the now third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels will attempt to take out their
frustration on the College of Charleston Cougars in non-conference action
tonight from t
<< Udinese determined to keep Inler in Italy
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Udinese sporting director Pietro Leonardi has
again rubbished rumors linking Swiss midfielder Gokhan Inler with a move to
England to join Arsenal.
The 24-year-old defensive midfielder was a summer targ
<< Hildebrand hoping to regain place in German squad
Sinsheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand is hoping to
regain a place in the Germany national team by impressing at new club
Hoffenheim.
The 29-year-old has headed back to the Bundesliga after a disastrous s
<< Adrien, Thabeet push UConn to finish line in win over West Virginia
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The inside presence of Jeff Adrien and
Hasheem Thabeet was took much for No. 25 West Virginia to handle, as the pair
of Huskies combined for 30 points and 20 rebounds in fifth-ranked
Connect
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Duke Blue Devils have won 21 straight meetings with the Davidson Wildcats and will attempt to extend that streak in a non-conference showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight. Since dropping a
Orange to try and make quick work of visiting Blue Demons >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams off to completely difference
starts in the Big East collide at the Carrier Dome tonight, as the DePaul Blue
Demons tangle with the Syracuse Orange.
The Blue Demons enter the game in search of t
Bulls to try and clip wings of 23rd-ranked Cardinals >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked Louisville Cardinals open the Big
East portion of their schedule in Tampa tonight, as they take on the South
Florida Bulls at the Sun Dome.
With disappointing losses to Western Kentucky, Minnesota
Rutgers continues brutal schedule with home game against Marquette >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rutgers Scarlet Knights encounter their
fourth consecutive Top-25 opponent tonight, as they host the 18th-ranked
Marquette Golden Eagles in Big East play at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.
It has been a
Rangers, Habs clash in NYC >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Original Six franchises will clash tonight in the
Big Apple, as the New York Rangers welcome the Montreal Canadiens for a
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The Rangers have won two of their last three tests on th
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson
JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.
Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.
MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .
''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''
Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.
He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.
''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''
Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.
Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.
With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.
Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.