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04/12/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nathan Gerbe posted two goals and two assists to help the Boston College Eagles capture their third NCAA championship with a 4-1 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Ben Smith registered a goal and two assists for the Eagles, who captured their first title since 2001. Boston College was making its third straight appearance in the championship game. Last year, the Eagles lost to Michigan State, 3-1. In 2006, Boston College fell to Wisconsin, 2-1.
John Muse made 20 saves to earn the victory.
Kevin Deeth netted the lone goal for the Fighting Irish, who reached the title game for the first time in the program's 40-year history. Jordan Pearce allowed four goals on 23 shots in defeat.
Following a defensive first period in which scoring chances were kept at a premium, the Eagles got on the board at the 2:23 mark of the second. Off the cycle, Brian Gibbons sent a backhand pass from the goal line for Gerbe, who ripped a shot from the bottom of the left circle high over the glove of Pearce.
Boston College grabbed a 2-0 lead with a power-play goal. Notre Dame's Ryan Thang was called for interference and the Eagles quickly went to work. Gerbe threaded a pass to Smith, whose laser from the slot sailed wide of the net and bounced off the end boards. Gerbe jumped on the loose puck at the right side of the goal and stuffed it past Pearce at 5:37 of the second.
Another goal with the man-advantage, gave the Eagles a commanding 3-0 lead in the second. Joe Whitney rifled a slap shot from the high slot that deflected off the right skate of Notre Dame defenseman Teddy Ruth and beat Pearce on the stick side at 8:11.
The Fighting Irish responded less than a minute later, as they took advantage of a poor line change by BC. Deeth gathered a cross-ice feed from Kyle Lawson and fired a shot from the left circle that found room in the far side of the net at 9:07.
Notre Dame appeared to narrow the deficit to 3-2 at 4:56 of the third period. Originally ruled a goal by the official, the play underwent a lengthy review and the footage revealed that Lawson used a distinct kicking motion to propel the puck into the net.
Shortly after the disallowed tally, Gerbe made a backhand pass between his legs to get the puck out front to Smith, whose shot eluded Pearce at 5:31.
Notre Dame threw everything it had left at Muse, but couldn't mount a comeback, and, as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Eagles players spilled off the bench to celebrate their victory.
<< Schelotto, Rogers lead Crew over Chivas USA
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew got no production on the
score sheet from two of its best players - Guillermo Barros Schelotto
and Robbie Rogers - through the first two games of the Major League Soccer
season,
<< Ramirez helps Red Sox edge Yanks in rain-delayed contest
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manny Ramirez homered, doubled, drove in three
runs and scored twice as the Boston Red Sox survived a two hour, 11 minute
rain delay in the eighth inning to edge the New York Yankees, 4-3, at Fenway
Park.
<< Cassell's huge fourth helps Celts soar over Hawks
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sam Cassell scored 15 of his 20 points in the
fourth quarter, and the Boston bench sparked a huge fourth quarter run as the
Celtics topped Atlanta, 99-89, preventing the Hawks from clinching a playoff
berth.
<< Indiana fumbles playoff chances with loss at home to Charlotte
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Richardson scored 26 points, and the
Charlotte Bobcats put another dent in Indiana's playoff hopes with a 107-103
victory over the Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Jared Dudley scored 19 points, whil
Kovalev's OT tally gives Habs 2-0 series lead against Bruins >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Kovalev's power play goal 2:30 into
overtime gave the Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins in Game
2 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at the Bell Centre.
Boston had rallied
Bonser tosses six strong innings as Twins blank Royals again >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boof Bonser threw six shutout innings, and
Jason Kubel went 2-for-4 with a homer, as Minnesota shut out Kansas City for
the second straight night, 2-0.
Bonser (1-2) scattered three hits and two walks
McLouth, Pirates slip by Reds >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nate McLouth was 2-for-5, knocked in the
game-winning run and scored a run as the Pittsburgh Pirates edged the
Cincinnati Reds, 4-3, at PNC Park.
Xavier Nady went 2-for-4 with a run scored and o
Marlins strand 14 runners in shutout loss to Astros >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lance Berkman went 2-for-4 with a two-run home
run, and four Astros pitchers combined for a nine-hit shutout as Houston
rolled over the Florida Marlins, 5-0, at Minute Maid Park.
Mark Loretta was 3-for-5
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends
We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS. Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned. For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go. As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190). Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet. For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction. On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later. Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick. Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com
New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors
Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season.
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls
Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times.
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons
Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season.
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers
In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS.
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”. With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit. Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.
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