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Boilermakers and Golden Gophers meet in Big Ten semifinalsNCAA Basketball Betting Lines03/13/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A chance to play in the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game will be on the line this afternoon when the sixth-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the second-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in semifinal round action at the Conseco Fieldhouse. The Golden Gophers began the tournament with a 76-55 victory over Penn State, and followed that with an impressive 72-67 overtime decision over Michigan State on Friday. Minnesota might be playing as the sixth seed, but the team has won six of its last eight games. The sixth-ranked Boilermakers moved into the semifinal round with a solid, 69-61 victory over Northwestern on Friday. It was the 13th win in the last 14 games for Purdue, which is looking to repeat as the Big Ten Tournament champs. The Boilermakers currently own a 95-78 edge over Minnesota in the all-time series and have won the last five meetings. This season Purdue narrowly defeated the Golden Gophers twice. The Golden Gophers were not intimidated by the 14th-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Friday, and proved it by grabbing a five-point overtime victory to move into the semifinal round. Minnesota shot just 39.0 percent from the floor, but finished a solid 10-of-23 from behind the arc and also connected on 16-of-21 attempts from the foul line. Devoe Joseph led the way with 17 points, while Blake Hoffarber tallied 14 points. Colton Iverson and Lawrence Westbrook finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the win. Westbrook comes into this matchup leading the Gophers with 12.7 ppg, while Hoffarber is contributing 10.6 ppg for Minnesota, which as a whole is netting 73.4 ppg. The Boilermakers shot just 29.6 percent from the floor in the first half and went into the break down four points against Northwestern. However, Purdue stormed back in the second stanza and by the final buzzer the team had claimed an eight-point victory. The Boilermakers only shot 35.3 percent from the matchup, but connected on 29-of-39 attempts from the foul line. E'Twaun Moore poured in 28 points in the win, while JaJuan Johnson added 22 points and eight rebounds. Without Robbie Hummel on the floor, Moore has stepped up his production and comes into this contest averaging 17.0 ppg, to go along with 87 assists. As for Johnson, he is posting 15.1 ppg and a team-best 7.2 rpg for Purdue, which as a whole is producing a respectable 72.0 ppg.
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Betting the NFL preseasonRule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games." When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night. The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine. “I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.” The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark. “We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.” The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long. “It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.” Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play. “You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt." So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps? “Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says. Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins. Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet. Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter. “If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says. Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider. The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason. “We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003. Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
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