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02/11/2012 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As if they could squeeze any more drama out of this evening's Big Ten Conference showdown with the 11th-ranked Michigan State Spartans, the third-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will be seeking their 40th straight home win as they hope to gain some additional breathing room in the race for the conference crown.
Michigan State has come roaring back from a pair of season-opening losses to North Carolina and Duke to win 19 of its last 22 games, and the Spartans currently sit just a game back of Ohio State in the Big Ten standings with an 8-3 league ledger. MSU has won its last two games, the most recent of which being a 77-57 shellacking of Penn State at home on Wednesday night. Coach Tom Izzo's club is a perfect 15-0 at home, but just 4-3 in true road bouts, and 4-5 away from East Lansing all told when you factor in the two neutral-site setbacks to kick off the campaign.
Ohio State is an even more impressive 21-3 this year, with nine of its first 11 Big Ten bouts winding up in the win column. The Buckeyes are riding a six- game win streak, with the latest victory coming in an 87-84 nail-biter versus visiting Purdue this past Tuesday. That win was OSU's 39th straight at home, the streak beginning with a 66-55 triumph over Michigan on February 27, 2010. The school record for longest home win streak is 50 games set between 1960-64.
Michigan State owns a 63-53 lead in the all-time series with Ohio State, but the Buckeyes have won the last three meetings, with the last being a 71-61 decision in Columbus on February 15, 2011.
Draymond Green logged a monster double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds in leading Michigan State to its recent 20-point win over Penn State. Green, who also added five assists to his impressive stat line, was joined in double figures in the scoring column by Branden Dawson and Adreian Payne with 12 points apiece, and by Keith Appling who tallied 10 points to go with his game- high seven assists. As a team, the Spartans shot a pedestrian 43.4 percent from the field, but held the Nittany Lions to 38.5 percent, which included a dreadful 20.8 percent showing in the first half. As it has pretty much all season long, MSU easily won the battle on the boards (44-25), and outscored PSU both at the foul line (23-11) and in second-chance points (18-1). Green continues to play like a man possessed for the Spartans, as he is averaging a double-double consisting of 15.2 points and 10.6 caroms per contest, while also leading the team in steals (35) and tying for the club-lead with Dawson in blocks (24). Appling (11.8 ppg) is the only other double-digit scorer at the moment, but the unit has six guys in all that average at least 7.0 ppg. Michigan State owns significant margins in both scoring (+14.8) and rebounding (+10.8), but is dead even in turnover differential.
The Buckeyes and Boilermakers went toe-to-toe in Columbus earlier this week, and in the end the former prevailed to keep their lengthy home win streak in tact. William Buford scored a career-high 29 points, 21 of which came in the second half, while Jared Sullinger poured in 18 and Deshaun Thomas and Aaron Craft both chipped in 13 apiece for Ohio State, which made good on 52.0 percent of its total shots, nine of which were from three-point range, while claiming a 26-17 edge in points from the charity stripe. Purdue shot an equally efficient 51.9 percent from the field and both teams took extremely good care of the basketball, combining for a mere 11 turnovers. OSU won the rebounding battle, 32-23. Like Green for MSU, Sullinger (17.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg) excels in both scoring points and coming up with loose balls, while strong support comes from both Buford (15.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Thomas (14.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg). For the season, Ohio State is outscoring the opposition by a staggering 20.3 ppg, outworking them on the glass by 7.5 rpg, and taking advantage in the giveaway/takeaway game by 5.5 tpg. Additionally, the Buckeyes are shooting a stellar 49.1 percent from the floor, while holding foes to a mere 39.7 percent.
<< Bearcats hope to clip wings of 18th-ranked Golden Eagles
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles will
try to keep pace in the race for the Big East Conference regular-season title,
as they entertain the Cincinnati Bearcats today at the Bradley Center in
Milwaukee.
<< High-flying Cardinals pay visit to struggling Mountaineers
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Louisville Cardinals take
aim at their sixth straight win today, as they pay a visit to the West
Virginia Mountaineers in Big East Conference action.
Louisville is coming off an 80-59 rout of
<< 25th-ranked Crimson set sights on Tigers
Princeton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Harvard Crimson will look to
add onto their best start in school history as they head to Jadwin Gym to take
on the dangerous Princeton Tigers in Ivy League action.
This will be the first of tw
<< Georgia seeks upset of No. 20 Mississippi State
Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A good old-fashioned dog fight will take
place in Starkville today, as SEC foes Georgia and Mississippi State do battle
at Humphrey Coliseum.
Georgia comes in with an overall record of 11-12, and the team's
Top-10 collision on tap in Columbia >>
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-10 foes square off in a crucial Big 12
affair, as the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers welcome the sixth-ranked Baylor
Bears to Mizzou Arena this afternoon.
Frank Haith's first season in Columbia has been hig
No.1 Kentucky takes act on the road >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Kentucky Wildcats put their
unblemished SEC record in harm's way this evening in Nashville, as they take
on the dangerous Vanderbilt Commodores at Memorial Gym.
John Calipari's Wildcats are you
Blue Devils take on Terps in Durham >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their biggest win of the season, the
10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils return to Cameron Indoor Stadium, as they play
host to the Maryland Terrapins in ACC action this afternoon.
Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Dev
Kings and Suns square off in Sac-Town >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After unseating the Western Conference-best Oklahoma City
Thunder, the Sacramento Kings hope to keep the momentum going this evening
versus the Pacific Division-rival Phoenix Suns at Power Balance Pavilion.
The Kings recor
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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