Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting
02/22/2012 - College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In one of the more lopsided series in the Big 12 Conference, the fourth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks will try to continue their dominance over the Texas A&M Aggies when the two square off tonight at Reed Arena in College Station.
Kansas has won 18 of the previous 19 meetings with A&M, the most recent of which being a 64-54 decision in Lawrence on January 23. The Aggies' lone victory over the Jayhawks occurred in a battle of top-10 teams at Allen Fieldhouse back in 2007.
Kansas is an impressive 22-5 on the year, and the team's 12-2 league ledger has it in first place, a half game up on Missouri in the race for the Big 12 regular-season title. The Jayhawks are currently riding a four-game win streak, with their most recent triumph coming in an 83-50 shellacking of visiting Texas Tech on Saturday. KU has won its last two games outside of Lawrence and is 6-2 in true road bouts this season.
Texas A&M is an even 13-13 on the year, and the team has really struggled in conference play, sporting a 4-10 record to this point. The Aggies are coming off Saturday's 71-62 home loss to Missouri, and the setback was their fifth in the last six games overall. Still, A&M is 11-5 at home this season giving the team at least some confidence heading into tonight's affair.
With such an outstanding record, it's no surprise the Jayhawks rank among the league leaders in several statistical categories, including first in field goal percentage defense (.378), rebounding margin (+6.4), assists (16.0 per game) and blocked shots (5.7 per game). Kansas boasts the league's fifth-best scorer in Tyshawn Taylor (16.6 ppg), and its top rebounder in Thomas Robinson (11.8 rpg) and shot blocker in Jeff Withey (3.4 bpg). Robinson scored 16 points on 60 percent shooting from the field while also adding a career-high five assists in leading KU to its recent rout of Texas Tech. The Jayhawks, who had three other players reach double figures in the contest, made good on 56.3 percent of their total shots, and they drained a sizzling 60.0 percent (9- of-15) from three-point range. Defensively, they allowed the Red Raiders just 40.9 percent field goal efficiency while goading them into 20 turnovers. A 32-21 rebounding advantage certainly helped matters, as did a 20-8 edge in points from the foul line.
Texas A&M is one of the worst offensive teams in the Big 12 this season, netting a mere 61.4 ppg behind 43.8 percent field goal accuracy and a league- worst 64.6 percent showing at the charity stripe. The Aggies however, have performed well at times at the defensive end, and they come into this game as the conference's leader in three-point field goal percentage against (.292). Elston Turner ranks in the top-10 in the league in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and three-point field goals (57). In the recent loss to Missouri however, it was the tandem of Khris Middleton and Jordan Green that led the Aggies, netting 15 and 14 points, respectively. As a team, A&M shot a solid 49 percent from the floor, but the Tigers drained 56.1 percent of their total shots, which included eight treys. The Aggies secured a mere 16 rebounds in the game, and were outscored at the free-throw line by a 17-9 margin. Turner finished with just seven points behind a dismal 2-of-10 shooting effort.
<< Avs shoot for season sweep of Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last night, the Kings found the offense they have been so
sorely lacking but it still resulted in a third straight loss.
Los Angeles looks to rebound this evening and avoid a season series sweep at
the hands of the hosting
<< Struggling Sixers invade Space City to take on Rockets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers should consider themselves lucky to
still have a sizable lead atop the Atlantic Division standings since they're
currently mired in a season-high four-game losing streak.
The Sixers look to end their
<< Bucks and Bulls clash in the Second City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose recently made his return to
the hardwood following a five-game absence due to lower back spasms.
Rose and the Bulls will try to give the Central Division-rival Milwaukee Bucks
a few spasms Wed
<< Howard, Magic visit Deron and the Nets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic will try to continue their mastery of the
New Jersey Nets when the two clubs clash tonight from the Prudential Center.
Orlando has won eight in a row and 12 of the past 13 matchups between the
teams, and
Mountaineers pay visit to 20th-ranked Fighting Irish >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matching their longest win streak in Big
East Conference play ever, the 20th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish try to
extend their run of good fortune tonight as they host the West Virginia
Mountaineers at the J
Aztecs try to right ship in MWC clash with Cowboys >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Losers of three in a row, the 24th-ranked San
Diego State Aztecs try to regain their footing tonight as they clash with the
Wyoming Cowboys in Mountain West Conference action at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs, who
Spartans and Gophers mix it up in Big Ten action >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans
will try to remain in sole possession of the Big Ten Conference's top spot as
they head to Williams Arena for a league bout with the Minnesota Golden
Gophers.
This
Indiana steps out of conference to entertain NC Central >>
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked Indiana Hoosiers host the
NC Central Eagles tonight to end their non-conference slate at Assembly Hall.
Tonight will be the third encounter between Indiana and the Eagles. The
Hoosiers hold
Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"
A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.
In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.
"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."
Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.
But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"
Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.
This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.
Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.
In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.
No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.
And that's all any bettor can ask for.
To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)
But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)
Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.
The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.
Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.
Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | NFL Football Betting | College Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | College Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting