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02/10/2009 - Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two ACC squads trying to get back in the win column hook up at the Conte Forum tonight, as the Boston College Eagles entertain the 12th-ranked Clemson Tigers in Chestnut Hill.
The Eagles were in play just this past Sunday, when they were handled, 93-76, by Wake Forest. The loss brought the team's five-game winning streak to an abrupt end and dropped it to a still solid 18-7 overall and 6-4 within the conference. BC now returns back to the Conte Forum, where it has gone a respectable 12-3 on the campaign.
As for the Tigers, they trounced Duke (74-47) last Wednesday to catch the eye of any doubters, but on Saturday, they suffered a major letdown and were nipped at home by then unranked Florida State, 65-61. The surprising loss ended a three-game win streak by Clemson, which fell to 19-3 overall and 5-3 in league play. Still, with a triumph tonight, the Tigers would reach the 20- win plateau for the third straight season, a feat the program has never accomplished before.
Clemson leads the all-time series with BC, 6-3, and has won the last two meetings. The Eagles however, are a perfect 3-0 when taking on the Tigers in Chestnut Hill.
The Tigers are forcing opponents into 17.7 turnovers per game and they have capitalized on those miscues, averaging a hardy 78.1 pg on the season. Trevor Booker is the team's leading scorer (14.9 ppg) as well as rebounder (8.8 rpg) and he also has 53 blocks to his name. KC. Rivers has provided a nice complement to him with 14.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg, while Terrence Oglesby checks in with 13.0 ppg on the strength of 39.4 percent shooting from long range. On Saturday, Clemson let a 19-point second-half lead get away, as FSU closed out the game with a 23-4 run for the 65-61 upset. It was a complete collapse by the Tigers, who went just 6-of-24 from long range and were guilty of 18 mishaps. Booker and Demontez Stitt both scored 11 points to pace Clemson in defeat, while Rivers and Raymond Sykes chipped in with 10 points apiece.
The Eagles have done a sound job at the offensive end of the court this season, as they are scoring 76.4 pg and shooting 44.8 percent from the field. Tyrese Rice is one of the more talented players in the ACC and he leads BC in scoring (18.0 ppg), assists (5.5 apg) and steals (39). Joe Trapani puts forth 13.9 ppg and a team-best 6.8 ppg and he has shown off his range by knocking down 37.3 percent of his attempts from three-point distance. Rakim Sanders adds 12.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg to the lineup, while Corey Raji contributes 10.8 ppg and 6.4 rpg. On Sunday, the Eagles committed 15 turnovers that resulted in 23 points for Wake Forest in a 93-76 setback. BC actually held a one-point edge at the break before allowing WF to shoot a blistering 65.5 percent from the floor in the second stanza. Trapani guided BC with 19 points, while Rice had 18 points and six boards.
<< Boston University wins Beanpot
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Bonino, David Warsofsky and Colin Wilson
scored short-handed and Boston University won the 57th annual Beanpot
tournament Monday night with a 5-2 triumph over Northeastern.
Colby Cohen and Jas
<< Mizzou edges Kansas on last-second shot
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zaire Taylor hit the game-winning jumper with
1.3 seconds left to help 17th-ranked Missouri deal No. 16 Kansas its first
conference loss of the season with a 62-60 victory over the Jayhawks.
Taylor finis
<< Lombardi, Boyd help Flames burn Habs
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matthew Lombardi and Dustin Boyd scored short-
handed goals during the pivotal second period, as the Calgary Flames beat the
Canadiens, 6-2, sending Montreal to its eighth loss in 10 games.
Dion Phaneuf scor
<< Without All-Stars, Hornets get upended by Grizzlies
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie star O.J. Mayo scored 22 points and
pulled down 16 rebounds, as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the undermanned New
Orleans Hornets, 85-80, in a poor shooting display at the FedEx Forum.
Mike Conley
State bragging rights on line, as Spartans visit Wolverines >>
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - State and Big Ten rivals will collide in Ann
Arbor tonight as the Michigan Wolverines attempt to upset the ninth-ranked
Michigan State Spartans.
Michigan State owns a stellar 19-4 record this season, includin
Cavs and 'Noles square off in ACC tussle >>
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second time in less than three
weeks, the Virginia Cavaliers and the Florida State Seminoles will meet in an
ACC tilt, this time in Tallahassee.
On January 24th, Florida State beat Virginia in Charl
Cavs hope to bounce back from first home loss in Indy vs. Pacers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams on opposite sides of the Central Division
spectrum get together this evening, as the Cleveland Cavaliers pay a visit to
the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
The Central-leading Cavs are coming off their firs
Nuggets resume road trip in South Beach vs. Heat >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Northwest Division-leading Denver Nuggets hit a bump on
their eight-game road trip and will try to steer back on the right path
Tuesday evening against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Denver had a four-game w
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup
September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com. The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans.
Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to name a few. Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR. They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.
The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer. Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.
Ryder Cup Odds| Europe Tie USA |
4-5 10-1 6-5 |
| Tiger Woods Jim Furyk Phil Mickelson Chris DiMarco David Toms Stewart Cink Chad Campbell Scott Verplank Zach Johnson Vaughan Taylor JJ Henry Brett Wetterich |
9-4 4-1 5-1 7-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 25-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 |
| Sergio Garcia Luke Donald Padraig Harrington Colin Montgomerie Darren Clarke David Howell Lee Westwood Paul Casey Henrik Stenson Jose Maria Olazabal Paul McGinley Robert Karlsson |
5-1 5-1 6-1 13-2 8-1 9-1 9-1 11-1 12-1 12-1 20-1 25-1 |
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com
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