NBA Calendar
Basketball Betting Lines
04/20/2010 -
April 25 - Early entry deadline for NBA draft.
May 18 - Draft lottery.
June 3 - NBA Finals begin.
June 14 - Early entry withdrawal deadline for NBA draft.
June 24 - NBA draft.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
NEW YORK (AP) -Alarmingly, the number of athletes dying from heat-related illnesses is rising. Kelci Stringer, the widow of Vikings tackle Korey Stringer, who died from heat stroke nine years ago, hopes to do something about it.So do the NFL and the
<< Undermanned Jazz even up series with Nuggets
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deron Williams scored 33 points to push the
short-handed Utah Jazz to a 114-111 victory over Denver, evening the Western
Conference quarterfinal series as it heads back to Salt Lake City for Game 3.
Willi
<< Eckstein's homer in 10th sends Padres past Giants
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Eckstein's solo home run to lead off
the 10th inning helped San Diego take a 3-2 decision over San Francisco in the
opener of a three-game set.
Eckstein was the first batter in the 10th and he hit
<< Fister, Mariners dominate O's
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Casey Kotchman's two-run homer punctuated a
seven-run third inning, as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Baltimore
Orioles, 8-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Safeco Field.
Doug Fister (
<< Cardinals hand Diamondbacks fifth straight loss
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Holliday went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer
to help the St. Louis Cardinals take a 4-2 decision over the Arizona
Diamondbacks in the opener of a three-game series.
Colby Rasmus had two hits, an
DETROIT (AP) -Phoenix Coyotes forward Shane Doan will miss Game 4 of the Western Conference playoffs against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night because of an upper-body injury.The Coyotes' captain left Game 3 on Sunday when he stumbled over Detr
Petersen's new contract awaits board approval >>
BOISE, Idaho (AP) -Boise State coach Chris Petersen is poised to get a new five-year contract worth more than $8 million.The new deal awaits approval Thursday by the Idaho State Board of Education.University officials announced the new contract duri
Kesler, Datsyuk, Staal up for Selke Trophy >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Detroit star Pavel Datsyuk has been nominated for the Selke Trophy, joining fellow finalists Ryan Kesler of Vancouver and Jordan Staal of Pittsburgh for the award given to the NHL's top defensive forward.The Red Wings star has won the
Howard wins consecutive defensive player awards >>
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Dwight Howard has won his second straight NBA defensive player of the year award after becoming the only player to lead the league in blocks and rebounds in the same season twice - let alone in consecutive years.Orlando Magic coa
Sharks try to bounce back against Avs in Game 4 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded San Jose Sharks are down 2-1 in their best-
of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals against Colorado after losing their
second game of the series on a fluke goal.
The Sharks will try to even the series at
College Football Betting Tips From a Pro
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.