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02/26/2009 - Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still in the hunt for the Big Ten title, the 20th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, welcome the Minnesota Golden Gophers to Champaign this evening, for a key conference clash at Assembly Hall.
Bruce Weber's Illini are 10-5 in league play and sit two games behind league- leading Michigan State with three games to play, including one on Sunday against the Spartans. The Illini have kept things close by winning four of their last five games, including last weekend's thrilling 70-68 nail-biter at Ohio State.
Tubby Smith's Gophers have been solid for the most part this season and their 20-7 overall mark is certainly indicative of that. Minnesota however, is just treading water in the Big Ten with an 8-7 mark and has lost four of its last six games, overall. Still, the team was able to halt a brief two-game losing streak, with last Sunday's 72-45 pasting of Northwestern.
Illinois owns a 68-16 advantage in this series at home and has won 10 straight against Minnesota in Assembly Hall, with the Gophers' last road win in this series coming back in 1996. Minnesota should have some confidence coming in though, having brought an end to an ugly 20-game skid against Illinois with a 59-36 decision in Minneapolis back on January 29th.
The Golden Gophers were superior in just about every facet of the game against Northwestern on Sunday, shooting over 50 percent from the floor, while limiting the Wildcats to a mere 14 total field goals. Minnesota also outrebounded NU 40-21 and outscored the Wildcats 21-11 at the free-throw line. Lawrence Westbrook led the offensive charge with 17 points. He has been the driving force at the offensive end all season long for Minnesota, averaging 12.5 ppg. Scoring depth is hard to come by in Minneapolis this season, with the next highest scorer coming in at just 8.8 ppg. Still, Minnesota is not known for its offensive prowess (68.5 ppg), but rather, its defensive tenacity, holding foes to an anemic 62.0 ppg, on under 40 percent shooting overall (.397).
Illinois is very similar in the fact that it is the defensive pressure which sets things up for the Illini at the offensive end. The top defensive team in the Big Ten this year, Illinois is allowing a meager 56.2 ppg, holding opponents under 40 percent shooting overall (.395), including under 30 percent from behind the arc (.290). Four of the five starters are averaging double digits for Illinois, but none can be called explosive. Demetri McCamey paces the team at 11.9 ppg and is followed closely by Mike Davis (11.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Mike Tisdale (10.9 ppg) and Trent Meacham (10.3 ppg). Chester Frazier rounds out the starting five and while not much of a scorer (5.4 ppg), he does lead the way in assists (5.4 apg) and steals (37). The Illini took a five- point lead at the half and never allowed the hometown Buckeyes to recapture the lead, as Bruce Weber picked up his 150th win at Illinois. The Illini shot 58 percent from the floor in the game and placed three players in double figures, led by Davis' 22 points. Meacham added 17 points to the cause, while McCamey finished with 15 points and a game-high seven assists.
<< Hawks seek upset of 19th-ranked Musketeers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Xavier Musketeers are
trying to hold on to first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings, and
they will take on the Saint Joseph's Hawks tonight at The Palestra in
Philadelphia.
Xavi
<< Bruins try to right ship in clash with Cardinal
Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked UCLA Bruins will attempt to
bounce back from a shocking loss as they take on the Stanford Cardinal tonight
in a Pac-10 Conference showdown.
UCLA has hit a rough patch, as the team has lost thre
<< Boilermakers hope to keep pace in Big Ten title race
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers continue
their push toward the Big Ten Conference regular-season title, and they need
to beat the Michigan Wolverines on the road this evening.
Purdue is hot on the heels o
<< Zags to try and pad stats in clash with Broncos
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having already claimed the West Coast
Conference regular season title for the ninth consecutive season, the 17th-
ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs will attempt to add yet another win to their already
impressive record
Fifth-ranked Tigers put win streak on the line in Birmingham >>
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers continue
their run through their Conference USA schedule, as they invade the Bartow
Arena to take on the UAB Blazers in conference action in Birmingham tonight.
The Tigers hav
Golf Tidbits: Youth is served >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I was going to be like hundreds of my
fellow golf writers and compose a column about Tiger Woods, but I'd rather not
write about his comeback mid-tournament.
Instead, I'm going to introduce you to three pl
Brodeur to return for Devils' clash with Avs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils will have future Hall of Fame
goaltender Martin Brodeur back in net for the first time since early November
when they host the Colorado Avalanche in tonight's interconference matchup at
Prudential Center
Fifth-ranked Tigers seek C-USA title in Birmingham >>
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers can clinch
their fourth straight Conference USA title tonight, as they invade Bartow
Arena to take on the UAB Blazers in conference action in Birmingham.
The Tigers have owned
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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