Baseball Betting

Georgia Tech downs Maryland to reach ACC semis, boost resume

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iman Shumpert scored 14 points and handed out four assists to help Georgia Tech fend off 19th-ranked Maryland, 69-64, in the quarterfinals of the 2010 ACC Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum.

The Yellow Jackets led by as many as 19 late in the first half, but Maryland clamped down defensively to whittle the deficit to one. The Terrapins forced 25 turnovers, 16 after the break, but could never pull in front.

Maurice Miller had 13 points, while Derrick Favors added 11 points and 11 rebounds for seventh-seeded Georgia Tech (21-11), which will meet either Florida State or NC State in the semifinals on Saturday.

Zachery Peacock also scored 11 points for the Yellow Jackets, who connected on 8-of-12 shots from beyond the arc.

Greivis Vasquez, ACC Player of the Year, finished with 17 points and five steals for the second-seeded Terrapins (23-8), who earned a share of the conference's regular-season crown with Duke.

Landon Milbourne totaled 15 points, six rebounds and five steals in the loss for Maryland.


<< Bobcats top Clippers; Wallace hurt ankle
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson poured in 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter while dishing out six assists, as the Charlotte Bobcats continued their stellar play at home with a 106-98 victory over the Los Angeles

<< Lightning escape Verizon Center with win over Caps
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Walker had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning got a big win in a 3-2 decision over the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center. Vincent Lecavalier and Brandon Bochenski each had

<< Monroe Doctrine: Hoyas dominate paint to reach Big East final
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Monroe dominated the paint with 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and 22nd-ranked Georgetown returned to the Big East Tournament final for the third time in four years with an 80-57 v

<< James returns, powers Cavs over Sixers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James ended with 23 points and Mo Williams chipped in 21, as Cleveland pulled out a tough 100-95 decision over the Philadelphia 76ers. James, who missed the previous two games due to a mildly sp

<< Holloway leads Xavier over Dayton in A-10 quarterfinals
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrell Holloway led all scorers with 22 points to lead the No. 24 Xavier Musketeers past the Dayton Flyers, 78-73, in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament. Jordan Crawford added

Kovalchuk, Devils clip Pens to tighten Atlantic race >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk posted a goal and two assists and Martin Brodeur stopped 34 shots as New Jersey clipped Pittsburgh, 3-1, at Prudential Center. Patrik Elias and Andy Greene also scored for the Devils, who hav

Collins, Kansas blow past Texas A&M in second half >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sherron Collins scored 26 points and dished out six assists, and top-ranked Kansas used a big run late in the second half to post a 79-66 victory over No. 23 Texas A&M in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tou

Prospal, Rangers down sliding Thrashers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vinny Prospal had two goals and an assist as the New York Rangers took a 5-2 decision over the Atlanta Thrashers in a battle between playoff contenders. Marian Gaborik had a goal and two assists while

Pierce leads Celtics in rout of Pacers >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Pierce scored 20 to lead a balanced attack, and the Boston Celtics got back to their winning ways with a 122-103 rout of the lowly Indiana Pacers. Rajon Rondo added 16 points and 11 assists for the Celt

San Diego inks CB Strickland >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers announced the signing of free agent cornerback Donald Strickland to a two-year contract on Friday. Strickland, 29, saw his playing time diminish with the New York Jets last season

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.