11/21/2008 - San Juan, PR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked USC Trojans and the Chattanooga Mocs are set to collide in the second round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan.
USC led Seton Hall by 15 points at intermission last night and appeared headed for a quality victory over a Big East Conference opponent. Instead, the Trojans shot the ball poorly over the final 20 minutes and were dealt a disappointing 63-61 defeat. Expected to challenge for the Pac-10 title, USC will attempt to bounce back strong this evening against a Chattanooga team that has opened this new season with three consecutive defeats.
The Mocs, who are members of the Southern Conference, haven't exactly eased their way into the season, as they took on nationally-ranked Tennessee in Knoxville to open the campaign before battling Missouri of the Big 12 in Columbia. Both of those games resulted in blowout losses, and the club was beaten by 13th-ranked Memphis last night by an 83-71 final.
This tilt marks the first-ever meeting between Chattanooga and USC on the hardwood.
Stephen McDowell did all he could to keep Chattanooga close against Memphis last night, as he scored 27 points on the strength of a 7-of-13 effort from three-point range. Nicchaeus Doaks was outstanding as well for the Mocs, as he posted 15 points and 16 rebounds. Ty Patterson pitched in 10 points for Chattanooga, which missed half of its 20 free throws and turned the ball over 18 times. Defensively, the club allowed Memphis to shoot 51.7 percent from the floor. Through three outings, McDowell is scoring 18.3 ppg to lead his team. Doaks adds 15.7 ppg and 11.7 rpg to the lineup, and Patterson rounds out the terrific trio with 14.7 ppg. There is not a great deal of scoring depth on the roster, so it is imperative that the those three players are productive every time out. Poor defense has hurt the Mocs thus far, as they are allowing 100.0 ppg on 53.7 percent shooting by opponents.
USC shot 62.5 percent from the field in the field half against Seton Hall last night and seemed to have total control of the contest. Unfortunately, the intermission seemed to cool the Trojans significantly, and they only knocked down 7-of-29 shots from the floor over the final 20 minutes. They also committed 19 turnovers in the clash and missed 11 of 25 free throws. Blue chip freshman DeMar DeRozan was a non-factor in the contest, as he finished with three points in 20 minutes of action. Taj Gibson did all he could do to keep USC in the game, as he scored 19 points to go along with 18 rebounds, 10 of which were offensive boards. Gibson entered this tournament with averages of 19.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg, and it appears that he is capable of contending for Pac-10 Player of the Year honors if he continues to play with such a high level of aggression. Dwight Lewis is netting nearly 16 ppg for the Trojans.
<< Blazers take on Kings in Sacramento
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers begin a quick two-game road trip
Friday when they face the Sacramento Kings in Arco Arena.
Brandon Roy scored 20 points and Greg Oden had a successful regular season
home debut, as the Blaz
<< Bulls resume trek against Golden State
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls continue a brutal seven-game road swing
Friday when they head to Oakland to face the Golden State Warriors.
The Bulls fell to 0-2 on the trek on Wednesday after Portland's Brandon Roy
scored 20 poin
<< Mavs try for first home win vs. Memphis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Mavericks have shown a pulse on the road this season
and will now attempt to win for the first time in Dallas as they welcome the
Memphis Grizzlies to American Airlines Center.
Something has to give tonight as
<< Brand faces old mates as Clips visit Sixers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Elton Brand and the Philadelphia 76ers will try to shake
off a disappointing loss when they open a short two-game homestand tonight
versus the Los Angeles Clippers at the Wachovia Center.
Philadelphia entered Wednesday's g
Pirates hope to tame Tigers in Puerto Rico >>
San Juan, PR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Memphis Tigers of Conference
USA and the Seton Hall Pirates of the Big East Conference are set to clash in
the second round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Memphis, which was the national runner-up
Irish head to Los Angeles to tame Lions >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish
hit the road for the first time this season, as they take on the Loyola
Marymount Lions in the Gersten Pavilion this evening.
This will be Notre Dame's first trip
Blue Devils take on Wolverines for 2K Sports Classic title >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils and the
Michigan Wolverines clash at historic Madison Square Garden tonight, with the
winner earning the right to call themselves the 2008 2K Sports Classic
Benefiting Coaches vs.
Badgers battle Gaels in Paradise Jam >>
St. Thomas, VI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The opening round of the Paradise Jam wraps
up with the Iona Gaels tangling with the 25th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers at the
UVI Sports and Fitness Center tonight. The squad that emerges victorious in
this battle
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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