Nebraska entertains No. 22 Michigan

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/08/2012 - Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Meeting for the first time in nearly 20 years, the 22nd-ranked Michigan Wolverines and Nebraska Cornhuskers square off in Lincoln tonight for a Big Ten Conference tussle at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Michigan has won six of the previous seven meetings in the all-time series, but this is its first visit to Lincoln since 1964 when the then top-ranked Wolverines dropped a 74-73 decision to the hometown Huskers. The teams last meeting overall was on December 28, 1992.

The Maize and Blue got off to a sensational start to the 2011-12 season, logging a 12-2 record before a 73-71 loss at Indiana on January 5 started the team on a run of mediocrity that has seen it go 5-5 in its last 10 games. Michigan is coming off Sunday's 64-54 loss at rival Michigan State, and while the Wolverines are a perfect 13-0 at home this season, they are a disappointing 2-6 in true road games. They have lost two straight in enemy territory, and five of their last six road bouts overall.

Nebraska's first foray into Big Ten play has proven to be even more challenging than coach Doc Sadler had anticipated, as the team is just 3-8 in conference, and an even 11-11 overall. The Cornhuskers dropped a 69-61 decision at home to Minnesota on Sunday, giving the squad an 8-6 record in Lincoln this year. Nebraska has lost two in a row and three of its last four games overall.

Michigan simply couldn't match Michigan State's shooting prowess in Sunday's key conference clash, as the Wolverines hit just 39.6 percent of their field goal attempts while the Spartans made good on 52.2 percent of their's. The visitors failed to compete on the glass as well, grabbing a mere 16 rebounds compared to 40 for the home team. Zack Novak hit three of UM's seven three- pointers en route to 14 points, while Jordan Morgan and Trey Burke chipped in with 11 points apiece. Tim Hardaway, Jr., who leads the team in scoring this season with 14.7 ppg, went a woeful 1-of-10 from the floor to finish with just four points. Burke is the only other double-digit scorer for the Wolverines at the moment, and in addition to his 14.1 ppg, he also serves as the unit's primary playmaker with 4.9 apg. As a team, Michigan is averaging 67.0 ppg while allowing 61.0 ppg. The team shoots a decent 45.7 percent from the field, but is virtually even in rebounding margin (+0.4), and is on the plus side in turnover differential (+1.8).

Bo Spencer scored 18 points to lead three Cornhuskers in double figures, but those efforts went for naught as the home team dropped an eight-point decision to Minnesota over the weekend. Toney McCray (15 points, six rebounds) and Brandon Richardson (10 points) made solid contributions, but Nebraska lost the rebounding battle (31-24) and allowed the Golden Gophers to connect on 54.0 percent of their field goal attempts, which included a 41.2 percent showing from three-point range (7-of-17). Minnesota controlled all aspects of the scoring line -- 40-24 in the paint, 23-16 off turnovers, 14-6 in second-chance points, 12-4 on the break, and a whopping 40-7 in bench points. Spencer and McCray continue to rank one-two on the team's scoring chart this season, netting 15.5 and 10.5 ppg, respectively. Spencer's figure would be even higher if he shot better than the 39.9 percent he is at the moment, although he is one of the top free-throw shooters in the country, checking in at 87.9 percent (80-of-91). Overall, the Cornhuskers are putting up just 62.2 ppg while permitting 64.4 ppg. The team is dead even in rebounding, and commits an average of 14 turnovers per outing.

Allstarsportsboook NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Sabres open homestand against Bruins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Buffalo Sabres will try to open a four-game homestand on a positive note when they host the Boston Bruins this evening at First Niagara Center. The Bruins, meanwhile, will try to record consecutive wins for the

<< Western Illinois offensive coordinator resigns
Macomb, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Western Illinois is seeking an offensive coordinator following the resignation of Doug Ruse on Tuesday. He held the position over the the last two years, including the Leathernecks' 2010 FCS playoff season. "

<< Zvonareva, Kirilenko advance at Pattaya Open
Pattaya City, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time champion Vera Zvonareva and fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko were second-round winners Wednesday at the $220,000 Pattaya Open tennis tournament. The top-seeded Zvonareva moved on with

<< Ellis' 48 not enough, Durant lifts Thunder over Warriors
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant scored 33 points and made the go- ahead jumper with 14.2 seconds remaining, as the NBA-leading Oklahoma City Thunder snuck past Monta Ellis and the Golden State Warriors, 119-116. Durant also

<< Rangers lock up SS Andrus with 3-year deal
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers agreed to a three-year, $14.5 million contract with shortstop Elvis Andrus on Tuesday night, according to MLB.com. The deal, which is pending a physical, would make him a free agent af

ACC heavyweights square off in Chapel Hill >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the greatest rivalries in all of sports adds another chapter to its storied history this evening, as the 10th- ranked Duke Blue Devils and fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels square off in ACC action

Top-10 foes collide in Big 12 showdown >>
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Ferrell Center is the venue for a top-10 showdown for the second time in less than a month, as the sixth-ranked Baylor Bears play host to the seventh-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in a crucial Big 12 battle this evening

15th-ranked Seminoles set sights on Eagles >>
Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Florida State Seminoles look to remain in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings tonight as they head to the Conte Forum to take on the Boston College Eagles. This will be

Top-25 matchup pits Orange against Hoyas >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas will attempt to tarnish the second-ranked Syracuse Orange's perfect home record tonight as the two square off in a Big East battle at the Carrier Dome. This will be the 87th en

Demon Deacons and Cavs meet in ACC affair >>
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will attempt to snap their four-game losing streak tonight as they head to the John Paul Jones Arena for an Atlantic Coast Conference battle against the 19th- ranked Virginia

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.