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
03/05/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 34th-annual Big Sky Conference Tournament is set to begin this weekend, with quarterfinal action from campus sites and semifinal and championship games to be played in Ogden, Utah.
The Weber State Wildcats, by virtue of their 15-1 league ledger, captured the regular season crown and in the process, earned the top seed in the postseason, a first-round bye, and the right to host the final two rounds of the tournament. The Wildcats were dominant for much of the season, posting a 21-8 overall record, and closed out the regular season with a 12-game win streak.
Last year's tournament champion, Portland State, finished in a tie with Montana for second place in-conference at 11-5, but picked up the second-seed and the only other bye thanks to a tie-breaker. The Vikings were the only other team in the Big Sky to reach the 20-win plateau on the year (21-9) and enter this tournament with a four-game win streak in tow.
The Grizzlies picked up the third-seed and will host a quarterfinal matchup against Montana State on Saturday. Montana was 17-11 overall this year, but dropped two of its last three games to close out the regular season. The Bobcats had their ups and downs, but snuck into the postseason with the sixth and final seed in the tournament, tying Eastern Washington at 6-10 in league play, but edging out the Eagles, who did not make the cut.
The final two teams in the Big Sky Tournament are fourth-seeded Idaho State and fifth-seeded Northern Colorado. The Bengals will get a home game in the quarterfinals, thanks to a 9-7 conference mark. Idaho State, which finished 12-18 overall, was one of just four teams in the conference to post a winning record in league play, thanks to wins in five of the last six games. The Bears, who are making their first appearance in this event, picked up the fifth seed by going an even 8-8 in-conference. They bring a bit of momentum into tournament play as well, with wins in five of their last seven outings.
The winner of this event receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The first of two quarterfinal matchups features in-state rivals Montana and Montana State. The Grizzlies are no stranger to success in this tournament, having captured six titles and posting a 25-23 overall record. However, the last championship occurred in 2006. Still, Montana has the makeup of a team that could do some damage here. The team is not an offensive juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, but it does play great defense, leading the conference in scoring defense (64.7 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (.420) and blocked shots (3.89 per game). The scoring pool isn't deep in Missoula this season, but there is some star power, led by Big Sky leading scorer Anthony Johnson (17.5 ppg). Jordan Hasquet (10.9 ppg) provides a second option, although Montana averages a rather pedestrian 66.1 ppg (fifth in the conference).
Montana State is also putting up just 66.1 ppg this season, so expecting a barn-burner in the quarterfinals is probably a stretch. The problem for the inconsistent Bobcats is that the defensive effort wasn't exactly top-notch either, ranking seventh in the league at 69.9 ppg. The team hasn't shot the ball very well this year, ranking eighth in the conference in field-goal percentage (.411) and dead-last in three-point accuracy (.315). Bobby Howard and Will Bynum are the top offensive threats on the team at 10.7 ppg apiece, followed by Divaldo Mbunga (10.2 ppg), who ranks second in the conference in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and fourth in field-goal percentage (.545).
The other quarterfinal matchup features Idaho State against Northern Colorado. The Bengals are led by the duo of Amorrow Morgan and Matt Stucki, who are averaging 13.7 and 12.1 ppg, respectively, to rank among the conference's top 10 scorers. Stucki is much more than a scorer though, as he leads the conference in assists (113) and ranks sixth in steals (41). The team as a whole is averaging a modest 65.6 ppg, good for just seventh in the league, while allowing 68.9 ppg, sixth in the conference.
The Bears have certainly asserted themselves in their first full season in Big Sky play and the team has done it with timely scoring. UNC ranks third in the conference in terms of offensive proficiency, averaging 70.9 ppg. The Bears have shot the ball well (.462), especially behind the arc, where they lead the conference with a 40.3 percent clip. Northern Colorado boasts of three of the conference's top 11 scorers in Jabril Banks (12.3 ppg), Will Figures (12.0 ppg) and Devon Beitzel (11.9 ppg). John Pena is a valuable role player as well at 9.0 ppg. Banks is the most versatile performer though, ranking second in the league in field-goal percentage (.635) and sixth in rebounding (5.6 rpg).
Weber State is the most decorated team in the Big Sky postseason, having won eight tournament titles, while amassing a 34-23 mark in this event all-time. The Wildcats not only get to play their postseason games at home this year, but will also get the lowest remaining seed after the quarterfinal smoke clears. It has been balanced play at both ends of the floor that earned the Wildcats the regular season crown. Weber State ranks second in the Big Sky in both scoring and scoring defense, averaging 71.2 ppg, while allowing just 66.2. In addition, WSU ranked first in the league in free-throw shooting (.732). Kellen McCoy is the top offensive option for the Wildcats at 14.1 ppg. He is joined in double figures by Damian Lillard (11.7 ppg), with Daviin Davis (9.9 ppg), Steve Panos (9.7 ppg) and Kyle Bullinger (9.1 ppg) not far behind.
Portland State will await the highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals are completed. The Vikings have just one tournament title to their credit, but that came last season with a 67-51 decision against Northern Arizona. The defending tournament champs are also strong offensively, ranking first in the conference at 74.1 ppg. The Vikings also excel on the boards, tied with Montana State for the top spot in the league with 34.6 rpg. Jeremiah Dominguez was last year's Big Sky Player of the Year and hasn't disappointed this season either, ranking seventh in the league in scoring at 12.6 ppg. Dominic Waters (11.9 ppg), Phil Nelson (11.2 ppg) and Andre Murray (10.7 ppg) provide plenty of offensive support.
<< Report: Denver signs QB Simms
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos continued their off-season
spending spree by reportedly adding free agent quarterback Chris Simms to
their roster.
The Denver Post reports the 28-year-old Simms has joined the team, presumably
<< Gay helps Grizzlies top Clippers, snap eight-game skid
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Gay poured in a season-best 35 points
and pulled down eight rebounds and Memphis snapped an eight-game skid with a
118-95 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Marc Gasol had 20 points, eight boards
<< Kurt Barnes leads New Zealand PGA
Christchurch, New Zealand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurt Barnes fired an eight-under
64 on Thursday to take the first-round lead of the New Zealand PGA
Championship.
Ryan Hammond birdied six holes in a row during the middle of his
<< Jazz down Rockets for ninth straight win
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deron Williams scored a game-high 26
points and dished out 14 assists to propel Utah to its season-high ninth
straight win, 101-94 win over Houston.
"You know we always have battles with th
2009 America East Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are nine members of the America East
Conference, and all nine are set to participate in the 30th-annual America
East Conference Tournament. The prize awarded to the winner of this event is a
bid to the
2009 Southern Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 88th-annual Southern Conference
Tournament is set to begin on Friday from the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga.
Once again the top team in the Southern Conference was the Davidson Wildcats,
who finished w
2009 West Coast Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West Coast Conference Tournament will
be held at a neutral site for the first time, as Orleans Arena in Las Vegas
will serve host to the 23rd annual event.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs, the only ranked team in
Dayton visits Xavier in pivotal Atlantic 10 battle >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dayton Flyers and 17th-ranked Xavier
Musketeers will do battle tonight in a game with major implications in the
race for the Atlantic 10 Conference title.
Xavier sits atop the A-10 standings with an 11-3
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.
MySportsbook.com, Online Sportsbook and Casino, is celebrating our 9th football season online since our launch in 1997. MySportsbook.com has experienced exponential growth, having taken over $8 billion in Sports and Casino Wagers since we opened our doors.
This year we will accept over $3 billion in wagers. Tens of thousands of winning wagers are created daily for the 300,000 people that have joined our website. In August of 2005, MySportsbook.com was acquired by Sportingbet, a UK company which is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange. Combined, MySportsbook.com and Sportingbet easily form the world's largest internet sportsbook company and one of the internet's most profitable companies. The acquisition has provided for added transparency and accountability to MySportsbook.com customers and thus provides more safety and security for our customers. Our business is audited by BDO Stoy Hayward, one of the largest auditing firms in London, and our accounts are published quarterly on the London Exchange. We encourage you to take a look around and truly hope you enjoy your experience.
Through advertising deals with the top handicapping sites in the world, MySportsbook.com reaches a global audience and is one of the most commonly visited gaming spots on the Internet.
MySportsbook.com offers the largest selection of casino games and sporting wagers on the Internet. We believe that an educated player is a more responsible gambler, thus we provide you with all of the latest news and handicapping information. MySportsbook.com is your ultimate destination for gaming information and wagering. You can start by signing up in the Casino or Sportsbook. Once you sign up you can use your same login in either the casino or Sportsbook. So do it now and start winning serious money Today!
If at any time you have a question, we have numerous people waiting to help you, so don't be afraid to call our customer service department. We do not take any telephone wagers but we can certainly answer any questions you may have about our service.
MySportsbook.com is officially licensed in Antigua as a preferred licensee recognized by the Directorate of offshore gaming of Antigua and Barbuda.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts credit cards 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