Bluegrass State rivals square off at Freedom Hall
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
01/04/2009 - Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Non-conference rivals will collide at Freedom Hall this afternoon, as the 18th-ranked Louisville Cardinals battle the Kentucky Wildcats.
Expect Kentucky to play with a wealth of confidence this afternoon, as the team has won six straight games. The Wildcats, who are 11-3 overall, are coming off an 84-52 decision over Central Michigan on Monday. They have only played one true road game to date, and that tilt resulted in a 19-point loss to top-ranked North Carolina on November 18th.
As for Louisville, it has lost two of its last three games after a blistering 7-1 start to the season. On Wednesday, the Cardinals suffered a heartbreaking defeat against UNLV in a 56-55 final. The other losses came against Western Kentucky and Minnesota, surprising considering the lofty expectations of Rick Pitino's team entering this season.
Kentucky owns a 26-13 series lead over Louisville, including wins in three of the last four meetings with the Cardinals.
Kentucky relies heavily on the talents of two players, Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson. Meeks, an explosive guard, is netting 24.1 ppg on the strength of his 43.2 percent shooting from three-point range. In a victory over Appalachian State in mid-December, Meeks poured in 46 points, proof of his enormous ability. As for Patterson, a power forward, he provides 19.3 ppg and 9.4 rpg. The big man is shooting a staggering 72.2 percent from the field and has blocked 30 shots. In the 32-point romp over Central Michigan last time out, Meeks posted 23 points on the strength of a 5-of-8 showing from behind the arc. As for Patterson, he finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Michael Porter and Josh Harrellson pitched in 12 points apiece for the Wildcats, who connected on 53.6 percent of their field goal attempts and racked up 22 assists. Defensively, they limited the overmatched Chippewas to 31 percent shooting from the floor.
The best player for Louisville so far this season has been freshman forward Samardo Samuels, who is averaging 14.7 ppg on 54.5 percent shooting from the floor. More than just a scorer, Samuels is pulling down 7.0 rpg as well. Earl Clark provides 13.1 ppg and 8.6 rpg for the Cardinals, who are getting 11.6 ppg and 8.8 rpg from Terrence Williams. One of the most versatile players in the Big East Conference, Williams is also dishing out 5.0 apg and tops the roster with 26 steals. Louisville is averaging 76.2 ppg this season while holding opponents to 59.0 ppg on 37.4 percent shooting from the field. In the one-point loss to UNLV, Preston Knowles paced the Cardinals with 11 points, while Samuels and Clark both scored 10 points. Contributing significantly to the loss was the fact that Louisville shot just 29.6 percent from the field.
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 17th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils and California Golden Bears will try to make it two Pac-10 wins in a row tonight, as they clash at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley. ASU kicked off its Pac-10 slate in a domin
<< Top-ranked Tar Heels open ACC play against visiting Eagles
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels
finally open up ACC play this evening, as they welcome the Boston College
Eagles to Chapel Hill for a showdown from the Smith Center.
Roy Williams' Tar Heels have def
<< Big Ten showdown pits Illini against Wolverines
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten foes will collide in Ann Arbor on
Sunday afternoon, as the 23rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines play host to the
Illinois Fighting Illini.
Illinois carries a stellar 13-1 record into this clash, and the cl
<< Azarenka, Bartoli cruise at Brisbane; Kirilenko withdraws
Brisbane, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli
breezed through first-round action at the $220,000 Brisbane International, a
2009 season-opening event on the WTA Tour.
Seventh-seeded Russian Maria Kirile
<< Azarenka, Bartoli cruise; Kirilenko withdraws in season-opening event
Brisbane, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Victoria Azarenka and Marion Bartoli
breezed through first-round action at the $220,000 Brisbane International, a
2009 season-opening event on the WTA Tour.
Seventh-seeded Russian Maria Kirile
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - McArthur Court in Eugene is the site of today's Pac-10 Conference clash between the UCLA Bruins and the Oregon Ducks. UCLA opened Pac-10 play on Friday against Oregon State, and the result of that tilt was a 69-
Duke opens ACC slate at home against Virginia Tech >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will play host
to the Virginia Tech Hokies in the ACC opener for both squads this evening.
Virginia Tech has won its last four games to improve to 9-4 overall, and the
club is c
Raptors finish homestand vs. Magic >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Raptors conclude a three-game homestand Sunday
by welcoming the Southeast Division-leading Orlando Magic to Air Canada
Centre.
The Raptors improved to 1-1 on the residency Friday when Andrea Bargnani
finished
Lakers aim for 15th straight home win vs. Blazers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers aim to remain perfect on their five-
game homestand Sunday when they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to Staples
Center.
The Lakers improved to 3-0 on the residency Friday when Kobe Bryant scored 4
Celtics invade MSG to take on Knicks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlantic Division rivals meet Sunday when the reigning NBA
world champion Boston Celtics invade Madison Square Garden to take on the New
York Knicks.
Paul Pierce scored a game-high 26 points, as the Celtics returned from a
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.