Big East/SEC Challenge on tap in Starkville
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
12/03/2011 - Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West Virginia Mountaineers play their first true road game of the season, as they invade the Humphrey Coliseum this evening, to take on the 21st-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs as part of the Big East/SEC Challenge.
Bob Huggins' squad has opened up with four wins in its first five games. The lone loss on West Virginia's record came against Kent State (70-60), but since then, the team has strung together three straight victories, including a 77-56 rout of Akron earlier in the week.
Rick Stanbury's Bulldogs are also off to a fast start, winning seven of their first eight outings. The one blemish was a 68-58 setback to Akron back in early November. MSU enters this game with a six-game win streak in tow following an 82-59 drubbing of North Texas last weekend.
These two teams have met just one other time. In 2007, the Mountaineers posted a 63-62 in the NIT semifinals.
The Mountaineers have shown the ability to win games at either end of the floor this season, as evidence by a +17.6 scoring margin. The team is netting 79.0 ppg and is connecting on nearly half of its shots (.486). Opponents meanwhile, are being held under 40 percent from the floor and amassing a mere 61.4 ppg. Scoring depth is apparent with four players averaging double figures, but the undeniable leader has been forward Kevin Jones. The 6-8 senior ranks second in the Big East in scoring at 21.0 ppg and paces the league in rebounding at 12.2 rpg. Darryl Bryant (14.4 ppg), Jabarie Hinds (11.8 ppg) and Deniz Kilicli (10.6 ppg) round out the top scoring threats. In the 21-point win over Akron, Hinds scored a game-high 19 points, Jones was once again a beast in the low post with 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Bryant and Kilicli chimed in with 11 points apiece.
The Bulldogs are not as explosive at the offensive end of the floor, but the numbers aren't bad either. MSU is averaging 73.2 ppg and doing so on a healthy 46.3 percent shooting. Mississippi State also boasts a +6.9 rebounding margin and is forcing 14.0 turnovers per game. The team boasts of a trio of reliable scorers, led by guard Dee Bost and his 17.0 ppg. Bost also paces the squad in assists (30) and steals (20). He receives help in the backcourt by Rodney Hood, who is putting up 13.0 ppg. Arnett Moultrie has been a force up front and is averaging a double-double with 16.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Moultrie missed two games due to injury, but returned against North Texas and made the Mean Green pay the price, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds. Bost poured in 18 points and doled out five assists, while Hood and Jalen Steele chipped in with 11 points each.
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The South Florida Bulls seek their first true road victory, as they travel to Lawrence this weekend for a non-conference showdown with the 15th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks at the Allen Fieldhouse. Stan Heath's Bull
<< Marquee matchup pits North Carolina at Kentucky
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the most storied programs in college
basketball hook up in Lexington this afternoon, as the top-ranked Kentucky
Wildcats play host to the fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels at Rupp Arena.
Roy Willia
<< Top-25 foes meet for state bragging rights
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their first loss of the season, the
ninth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers seek a quick turnaround, as they welcome the
16th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles to Madison to renew their rivalry at the
Kohl Center.
<< Zags and Illini square off in Champaign
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs continue an
early season gauntlet, as they take on the Illinois Fighting Illini this
afternoon in non-conference action at the Assembly Center in Champaign.
Mark Few's Bulldog
<< Hogs and Huskies collide in Big East/SEC Challenge
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arkansas Razorbacks hit the road for the
first time this season and face their toughest challenge to date, when they
take on the eighth-ranked Connecticut Huskies in Hartford, as part of the Big
East/SEC Chal
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When their careers are over, John Tortorella and Brad Richards may best be remembered for what they accomplished with the Tampa Bay Lightning. For now, the coach/player duo are trying duplicate that past success wi
Jets resume homestand vs. Devils >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Jets will play the third of five straight
games as the host when they take on the New Jersey Devils Saturday evening at
MTS Centre.
The Jets dropped the opener of their residency versus Ottawa before reb
Hurricanes shoot for a win with Pens in town >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes will try to put the brakes on a
five-game losing streak and get Kirk Muller his first win when they welcome
the Pittsburgh Penguins for tonight's clash at RBC Center.
The Hurricanes fired Pau
Caps, Sens collide at the Verizon Center >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals will try once again to get Dale
Hunter his first NHL win, as the struggling club hosts the Ottawa Senators
tonight at the Verizon Center.
Hunter, a former star player for the Caps, landed
Panthers conclude trek in San Jose >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers have struggled to score goals as of
late, but that didn't stop head coach Kevin Dineen from praising his club
after its latest setback.
The Panthers hope to wrap up a four-game road trip tonig
Betting Football
NFL Football Betting OnlineIs 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.