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01/27/2007 - South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Undefeated at home this season, the 22nd-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempt to remain that way, as they host the Villanova Wildcats in Big East action from the Joyce Center this afternoon.
This is the second time in the last 10 days that these teams have faced off, with Villanova capturing the first meeting, 102-87. Since then, Jay Wright's squad has strung together two more victories, with impressive performances against Texas (76-69) and most recently, at Providence (82-73). The win over the Friars moved Villanova to 14-5 overall and 3-3 in league play.
The Irish are a half game better at 4-3 in Big East tilts, but Mike Brey's team is coming off a 71-68 loss at St. John's, the team's second loss in the last three games. Still, the Irish return home where they have won all 14 games this season and are enjoying a 16-game homecourt winning streak overall.
The Wildcats hold a 16-12 edge in the series with Notre Dame and have won the last three meetings.
Villanova's top player, Curt Sumpter has been nursing a bone bruise the last two games, but that hasn't stopped the team from winning. In fact, Jay Wright has utilized several other players, who have stepped up when needed lately. In the victory over Providence, freshman Scottie Reynolds erupted for a team-high 20 points to lead the way. Backcourt mate Mike Nardi was right behind with 19 points, while Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark tallied 13 and 11 points, respectively. Sumpter did play sparingly, coming off the bench for 16 minutes of work, finishing with seven points and four rebounds. On the season, Sumpter leads the team in both scoring (18.3 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg) and getting him healthy is a priority the rest of the way. Nardi (14.3 ppg) and Reynolds (12.2 ppg) are decent complements with their perimeter efforts. Nardi is shooting .381 from long range this year and paces the team with 51 three- pointers. The team as a whole is averaging a steady 77.5 ppg, on .456 shooting.
Notre Dame has plenty of scoring punch, as one of the top offensive teams in the nation at 83.3 ppg (seventh nationally). The team is shooting .479 from the floor and nearly 40 percent from behind the arc (.397). Russell Carter is one of the Big East's most exciting players, as he is draining 44.7 percent of his three-point shots (59-of-132), en route to a team-high 18.3 ppg. Several others are averaging double-digits in support, with Rob Kurz (14.2 ppg), Colin Falls (12.8 ppg) and Luke Harangody (11.1 ppg) all getting in the act as well. Carter erupted for a career-high 32 points, but it wasn't enough in a three- point setback to St. John's. Falls poured in 16 points in support, but Harangody was held to a season-low one point. The Irish shot .439 from the floor, but really struggled in the second half, converting a mere 9-of-30 attempts (.300).
<< BYU puts lengthy home winning streak on line vs. Air Force
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The BYU Cougars put the nation's third-longest
home winning streak on the line today as they battle the 16th-ranked Air
Force Falcons in Mountain West Conference action from the Marriott Center.
Trailin
<< Red Storm seek upset in Steel City
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. John's Red Storm are coming off a
big-time win over a league opponent, and they will attempt to score a Big
East upset on the road today against the ninth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers.
St.
<< Memphis goes in search of ninth straight win
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The premier team in Conference USA is the
11th-ranked Memphis Tigers, and they welcome the Southern Miss Golden
Eagles to town this afternoon.
With back-to-back wins, Southern Miss has improve
<< Big Ten foes meet in Bloomington
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time rivals will meet in Bloomington
this afternoon, as 23rd-ranked Indiana and Michigan collide in a Big Ten
Conference contest.
Michigan carried a two-game win streak into Wednesday
Pacers close out homestand vs. Toronto >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers will close out a four-game homestand
this evening when they welcome the Toronto Raptors to Conseco Fieldhouse.
Indiana is 2-1 on the homestand and has posted back-to-back wins, including
Wednesday
Hawks welcome 76ers to Philips Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers open a three-game road trip when
they visit the Atlanta Hawks tonight at Philips Arena.
The 76ers had a two-game winning streak stopped with Friday's 105-97 loss to
the LeBron James-less Clev
Portland takes on Grizzlies in Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Memphis Grizzlies will open a five-game homestand this
evening when they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to FedExForum.
Memphis, which is last in the Southwest standings and 8-13 at home this
season, comple
Hornets aim to sting visiting Jazz >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Northwest Division-leading Utah Jazz hit the road this
evening to take on the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets at the Ford Center.
Utah has won five of its last six games, including Friday's 116-111 victory
over
Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.
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