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01/08/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Butler Bulldogs are once again the favorites to capture the Horizon League title, and they will play host to the Wright State Raiders this evening.
Wright State opened the season with six consecutive defeats and appeared to be on its way to a horrendous season. Surprisingly, however, the Raiders have turned things around, as they have won eight of their last nine contests, including six in a row, to move to 8-7 overall and 2-2 in HL action. On Saturday, Wright State held off Youngstown State in a 60-59 final.
Butler has won 14 consecutive Horizon League regular-season games dating back to last year. The Bulldogs hope to improve to 4-0 in league play for the first time since 2002-03, and they are 6-0 at home. On Saturday, they posted a 75-62 decision over Valparaiso.
Butler owns a narrow 17-15 series lead over Wright State, and the teams split a pair of meetings last season.
Vaughn Duggins is the leading scorer for Wright State with 11.8 ppg, and Cory Cooperwood checks in with 10.7 ppg. The Raiders are generating only 58.3 ppg on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor, so they are far from explosive at the offensive end. Fortunately, they have thrived on defense by limiting foes to 56.7 ppg. Wright State connected on only 30.8 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half against Youngstown State, including a 2-of-10 showing from three-point range. The Raiders trailed by 13 points at the break, but were able to knock down 57.1 percent of their shots from the floor over the final 20 minutes to claim the come-from-behind victory. Cooperwood, Todd Brown and Cooper Land scored 11 points apiece to lead the way in the triumph.
Butler is a tremendous defensive team, as it is yielding just 57.2 ppg on 39.1 percent shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs are generating 69.4 ppg, and there are three starters averaging double figures in scoring. Matt Howard paces the club with 14.0 ppg, and he is pulling down 6.8 rpg. Shelvin Mack is posting 13.3 ppg, and Gordon Hayward provides 12.9 ppg. Against Valparaiso on Saturday, Howard tallied 16 points on the strength of his 4-of-4 effort from the floor and 8-of-9 showing from the foul line. Willie Veasley and Gordon Hayward both scored 15 points, and Hayward also pulled down 13 rebounds. Mack contributed 14 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 56.5 percent from the field in the second half after a 38.5 percent performance in the first half.
<< Smoltz heading to Boston
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox have reportedly agreed to a
one-year contract with right-hander John Smoltz, who had spent his entire big
league career with Atlanta.
A report on MLB.com stated that Smoltz called many
<< Dementieva reaches Auckland semis; Wozniacki ousted
Auckland, New Zealand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Elena Dementieva cruised
to a 6-3, 6-1 win Thursday over Israel's Shahar Peer to reach the semifinals
of the WTA Tour's season-opening $220,000 ASB Classic.
Dementieva, who won three s
<< Mauresmo tops Ivanovic at Brisbane
Brisbane, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amelie Mauresmo defeated top-ranked Ana
Ivanovic to advance to the semifinals of the $220,000 Brisbane International,
a season-opening event on the WTA Tour.
Mauresmo posted a straight-set 6-3, 6-2 vi
<< Tomlinson dealing with groin tear; Gates sits with ankle sprain
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson
acknowledged what had been rumored prior to San Diego's AFC wild card win
against Indianapolis last Saturday -- that the star is dealing with a torn
tendon
Gophers try to bury Hawkeyes in Iowa City >>
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Iowa Hawkeyes play host to the 22nd-
ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten Conference clash tonight in Iowa
City.
Tubby Smith has clearly turned the Minnesota program around, as his team has
won 1
Xavier opens Atlantic 10 schedule against Saint Louis >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Xavier Musketeers and the
Saint Louis Billikens begin Atlantic 10 play this evening, as they square off
at the Cintas Center.
Sean Miller's Musketeers opened the season with nine straight win
20th-ranked Sun Devils set sights on Beavers >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils return
to the friendly confines of Wells Fargo Arena this evening, as they welcome
the Oregon State Beavers to Tempe for a Pac-10 tussle.
Herb Sendek's Sun Devils are a pe
Mavs aim to continue dominance over Knicks in Dallas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA schedule can be a fickle mistress.
One day it can lift your spirits and the next you are picking up the pieces
after a devastating loss.
Just ask Mike D'Antoni and the New York Knicks. Two days after their most
El Duque expected to throw Tuesday
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.
Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.
El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.
MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds.
Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.
New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.
Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''
Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com
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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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