Gonzaga hosts USC Upstate in non-conference clash

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/03/2009 - Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs close out yet another highly successful regular season, as they welcome the USC Upstate Spartans to Spokane this evening, for a non-conference clash at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Mark Few's Bulldogs ran the table in the West Coast Conference with a perfect 14-0 league ledger. The team became the first in WCC history to post three undefeated conference campaigns. At 23-5 overall, Gonzaga heads into this season-finale with a six-game win streak in tow, including last weekend's 58-47 decision over San Diego.

Eddie Payne's Spartans have struggled this season to the tune of a 9-20 overall mark. However, eight of those wins came in Atlantic Sun action, including two straight to close out the month of February, with an overtime win against Mercer (93-90) followed by a blowout of Kennesaw State (80-51).

This game represents the first-ever meeting between these two teams in the hardwood.

The central problem for USC Upstate this season has been a lack of offense, as the team is shooting a mere .4-8 from the floor, leading to an anemic 61.1 ppg. The team also has a -2.2 rebounding deficit on the season, making it awfully difficult to have sustained success. Bobby Davis is the top threat for the Spartans, pacing the team in field-goal percentage (.537), scoring (14.6 ppg), rebounding (9.12 rpg) and steals (45). Nick Schneiders has done a solid job up front as well, averaging 9.6 points and 6.0 rebounds. The 7-3 junior is also a terrific shot-blocker, with 75 to his credit thus far. The Spartans posted a 29-point win over Kennesaw State, the largest of the season and largest in the school's Division I era. Schneiders led the charge with 20 points, while Chavis added 16. The Spartans were an efficient .545 from the field in the game, including 8-of-12 from behind the arc (.667).

The Zags finished off a perfect WCC slate with a stellar defensive effort against San Diego, holding the Toreros, to a meager 47 points, on just .372 shooting. Gonzaga itself only shot .444 from the field, but four of the five starters placed in double figures, led by Matt Bouldin's 15 points. Jeremy Pargo added 12 points in support, while Josh Heytvelt and Micah Downs chipped in with 11 points apiece. The Bulldogs have run the table in-conference because they have excelled at both ends of the floor. Gonzaga has more than enough firepower, averaging a steady 77.9 ppg, but can also turn up the heat defensively, holding foes well under 40 percent shooting (.370) and a mere 62.2 ppg. Heytvelt (15.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and fellow forward Austin Daye (12.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg) are a solid frontcourt duo. Bouldin (13.7 ppg) and Pargo (9.7 ppg, 5.0 apg) provide balance in the backcourt.

Wwwvegaspalms NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Preds, Oilers meet for key test in Nashville
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Playoff positioning in the Western Conference will be on the line when the Nashville Predators host the Edmonton Oilers tonight in a key showdown from the Sommet Center. Only one point separates these teams in the jumbled

<< Penguins try to stay hot for road test in Tampa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The recent absence of Sidney Crosby hasn't slowed down the Pittsburgh Penguins' playoff push. Tonight the team shoots for its fourth straight win when it visits the St. Pete Times Forum for a clash with the Tampa Bay Lightnin

<< Blue Jackets try to get on track against Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The playoff-hopeful Columbus Blue Jackets will try to avoid a fourth loss in five games when they host the Los Angeles Kings in tonight's clash at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets, who have never qualified for the postse

<< Flames begin epic swing in Ottawa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames start up a season-long seven-game road trip tonight at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place, where the Northwest Division leaders will take on the struggling Senators. Calgary enters this grueling 12-day trek with

<< Brodeur, Devils visit streaking Leafs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs aim to extend a season-best winning streak while the New Jersey Devils attempt to remain unbeaten since Martin Brodeur's return to action when these two teams face off at the Air Canada Centre this eve

Blackhawks host Ducks in key conference tilt >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to win consecutive home games for the first time in nearly two months when they host the Anaheim Ducks tonight at the United Center. Chicago plays the third and final game of a current homes

Billups returns to Motor City as Nuggets face Pistons >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver point guard Chauncey Billups will make his return to Auburn Hills this evening when the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets pay a visit to the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Billups was dealt to the Nuggets in Novemb

Desperate Wild resume road trip in Vancouver >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will try again for the first win on their longest road trip of the season in tonight's clash with the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place. The Wild have lost each of their last three games, including the first

2009 Sun Belt Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 33rd-annual Sun Belt Conference Tournament, which includes all 13 members, will begin at campus venues on Wednesday, before moving to Summit Arena for the final three rounds. The Western Kentucky Hillt

Brewers sign P Gallardo >>
Maryvale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers inked pitcher Yovani Gallardo to a one-year deal on Tuesday. The 23-year-old native of Mexico finished without a decision and a 1.88 earned run average in 24 innings over four start

Sportsbook Betting Lines

Who Makes the Sportsbook Betting Lines?

Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) is the world’s premier oddsmaking company and the most respected authority on making the lines. Mike Seba is a Senior Oddsmaker at LVSC and has been making lines for the last six years. In our extended interview, Seba explained that there are 4-5 oddsmakers assigned to make lines for each of the major sports (pro & college football and basketball; MLB, NHL, boxing, golf). Each of these oddsmakers bring unique opinions, strengths and weaknesses to the process. Oddsmakers at LVSC are professional sports junkies who love what they do and would probably do it for nothing if you asked them, but they do get paid for it. By necessity their approach is very research-oriented and concise, since with millions of dollars at risk there is little margin for error.

“You either have a passion for it or you don’t,” Seba said.

“The #1 thing for us is to make a line for each game that creates good two-way action. We do this by drawing from past experiences and applying them to current situations. People think it’s much more complicated, but it’s not. “

What are the Football Betting Lines Trying to Accomplish?

There is a common misconception that point spreads represent the oddsmakers’ prediction of how many points the favorite will win by. That is not the case at all – their intent is NOT to evenly split the ATS result between the teams; rather, their goal is to attract equal betting action on both sides. Stated another way, they want to create a line that half the people find appealing to bet one way while the other half find it appealing to bet the other way (known as ‘dividing the action’).

Divided action means the sportsbook is guaranteed a profit on the game because of the fee charged to the bettor (called juice or vig – typically $11 bet to win $10).

How the Opening Line Is Made

The opening line is the first line created by the oddsmakers, which is then sent out to sportsbooks. Of course there is an entire method to the madness on how the opening line is created. Seba explained that it all starts with each oddsmaker creating a line on each game based upon their own personal approach. This usually includes having up-to-date power ratings on each team.

Power ratings are the oddsmaker’s value of each team and are used as a guide to calculate a "preliminary" pointspread on an upcoming game. The power ratings are adjusted after each game a team plays. Examples of non-game factors that would require an adjustment to a team's power rating are key player injuries and player trades.

Once a game’s power rating based pointspread is determined, the oddsmaker will make adjustments to that line after considering each team's most recent games played and previous games played against that opponent. Also, adjustments are made after reading each team’s local newspapers to get a sense of what the coaches & players are thinking going into the game.

Since the oddsmaker’s ultimate goal is equally dividing the sports betting action, public perception and sportsbook betting patterns must be taken into account. For example, the public might have heavy betting interest week after week on a popular college football betting team such as USC. If an oddsmaker comes up with a preliminary line of USC -7, then an adjustment up to -7.5 or -8 would be made in response to the public’s expected USC bias.

The last step in the line-making process for each oddsmaker is taking one final look to determine whether or not the line "feels right." This is where common sense and past experience with how games are bet enters into the picture.

A round-table discussion among the 4-5 oddsmakers involved in making the line for each sport is then conducted and a consensus line is decided upon by the Odds Director before it is released to the sportsbooks. Of the 4-5 oddsmakers, generally the 2 most respected opinions are weighed more heavily by the Odds Director before he decides on the final line.

Why Sports Betting Lines Change

Once the opening line is released by LVSC, the individual sportsbooks decide if they want to make any adjustments before offering it to the public. Reasons for such adjustments include:

Experts working for the individual books having a strong opinion on the game

Individual books having players who consistently bet with certain tendencies (such as an extreme bias toward favorites or toward a certain popular team like USC)

The purpose of these adjustments, like all line adjustments, is to more equally divide the betting action.

Once betting begins, sportsbooks can adjust the line at any time. In doing so they attempt to make more attractive the team that is getting less action. By moving the line, sportsbooks can influence how the public bets on a particular game.

For example, if the pointspread on a game is 7 and most of the money is coming in on the underdog (taking the +7), sportsbooks will then move the number down to 6 ½ to try and attract money on the favorite.

Moving the line is the oddsmaker's effort to balance betting action, and often times such moves can have a major impact on a bettor’s decision. Oddsmakers can also change the line depending on various event-related factors such as player injuries or weather. Obviously, if the line comes out a week ahead of the event (which is the case in football), there is much that could happen during the week leading up to the event that could affect the line. Oddsmakers have to determine if any changes are necessary and send out an "adjusted line."

“The main objective is that our clients get equal action on both sides,” Seba said. “We’re not trying to pick the team that covers the spread, we’re trying to make it a coin flip, a tough decision (for the bettor). If we’ve done that, we’ve done our job.”

To visit this internet sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your sports betting needs and World Series odds.

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.