Raptors host Bucks north of the border
Basketball Betting Lines
03/02/2007 -
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors are back home
and will welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to the Air Canada Centre this evening.
The Raptors are four games ahead of New Jersey in the standings and have won
three of their last four games, including Wednesday's 106-90 victory over the
Houston Rockets in the finale of a three-game road trip.
Rookie Andrea Bargnani scored 20 points to lead the way at the Toyota Center,
while T.J. Ford added 16 points, six rebounds and six assists in the win. Kris
Humphries also had 16 points and six rebounds, while Jose Calderon finished
with 14 points and six assists.
Toronto, which has won 10 of its last 13 games, is back at the Air Canada
Center where it owns a 20-8 record this season. In injury news, guard Anthony
Parker (ankle) is doubtful for Friday's game.
Meanwhile, the Bucks have won two in a row since ending their season-high
seven-game losing streak. On Tuesday they posted a 122-101 win over the Golden State Warriors at the Bradley Center, as Michael Redd poured in 31 points and
Charlie Bell reached double digits for the 19th straight time with 20 points.
Andrew Bogut scored 13 points to go along with 14 rebounds, while Ruben
Patterson added 19 points off the bench for Milwaukee, which posted its first
season sweep of the Warriors since the 2002-03 season.
Mo Williams added 16 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Bucks.
Milwaukee, which is last in the Central Division, has lost 11 straight as the
visitor and owns an 8-25 road mark this season. On the injury front, guard
Earl Boykins (thumb) is questionable for tonight's game. Boykins has missed
the last three games because of the problem.
Friday's showdown between Milwaukee and Toronto is the third of four meetings
this season. The Raptors have won both encounters so far, while the fourth
matchup will take place on March 12 at the Bradley Center.
The Raptors have won three of the last four meetings with Milwaukee, which has
dropped its last two visits to the Air Canada Center.
<< Crosby again aims for mark as Pens visit Carolina
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will shoot for their second
consecutive victory this evening, when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes at
the RBC Center.
Pittsburgh, which is fifth in the Eastern Conference with 77 point
<< Ancic sidelined with mononucleosis
Zagreb, Croatia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 11 tennis star Mario Ancic will
be sidelined for at least the next two months because of mononucleosis.
The 22-year-old Split native, who lost to Andy Roddick in the fourth round at
the Austra
<< Sharks and Ducks meet for showdown in Anaheim
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A key Pacific Division clash will take place tonight at
Anaheim's Honda Center, where the first-place Ducks host the new-look San Jose
Sharks.
Anaheim enters the showdown with 85 points, five more than second-place Dallas
<< Reds try to slow United's title chase
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a 16-point deficit staring them
in the face, Liverpool have no illusions of a league title this season.
However, they have a chance to play a big role in who does hoist the trophy as
they ho
<< Wilson moves in front in Thailand
Phuket, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England's Oliver Wilson posted a six-under
66 on Friday to move atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the Johnnie
Walker Classic. He finished 36 holes at 10-under-par 134 and is one ahead at
Blue Ca
Sixers resume homestand vs. Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers will resume a six-game homestand
tonight when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at the Wachovia Center.
Philadelphia has won the first two matchups on the stand, and posted a 99-94
victory over t
T'wolves conclude stand vs. Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off the worst shooting performance in franchise
history, the Minnesota Timberwolves wrap up a five-game homestand tonight
when they host the Utah Jazz at the Target Center.
Minnesota shot a horrid 29.6
Hornets buzz into Windy City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls play the finale of a three-game
homestand, as they welcome the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets tonight to
the United Center.
This is the second and final meeting of the season between
Hawks, Wizards square off in D.C. >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards will try and stop a four-game losing
streak tonight when they resume their homestand against the division-rival
Atlanta Hawks at the Verizon Center.
Washington, which owns a 3 1/2-game lead
Magic pay a visit to San Antonio >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having temporarily fallen out of the playoff picture, the
Orlando Magic will try to rebound tonight when they visit the San Antonio
Spurs at AT&T Center.
The Magic have lost five of their last six and are now one
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.
The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.
MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.
A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.
Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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