November 16th, 2009

Suns, Rockets Set For Western Shootout

Sportsbook players should definitely check out the posted totals for Tuesday's game between Houston and Phoenix, as both are averaging at least 103 points a game. Who gets the upper hand in this track meet?
 
Suns vs Rockets betting odds - Tuesday, November 17, 8:30 PM ET
 
No one has held the Suns under 100 points, although their 101-100 win over Torotnto on Sunday was the closest anyone has come. Six Suns average at least 11.3 points a gme, led by Amare Stoudemire's 19.2 points, but the key to the Suns' NBA odds is, of course, Steve Nash. The heady point guard has 17.6 points, and his 11.5 assists is easily the best in the league. Of course, the Suns' defense is still terrible as they're fourth-worst in the league in that respect, but they're second in points scored, which always makes them fun to watch.
 
The Rockets were an afterthought in NBA odds after Yao Ming went down for the season, and Tracy McGrady is still in street clothes. But Houston has won six of their first 10 games of the year and perhaps more surprisingly, they're not far behind Phoenix at seventh in points scored. With the stars out, Houston is forced to play a team game, and in Rick Adelman's motion-oriented offense, ball movement is more important than isolation players. If you're looking for an online betting sleeper, the Rockets could be one to watch.
 
NBA odds should favor Houston as an online sports betting favorite at home, where they are 3-1 this season. The Suns have dropped three of their last four in Houston, but prior to that, they had won six in a row there. Houston won two of three with Phoenix overall last year, and Aaron Brooks had 19.3 points, while the Rockets may miss Yao's 17.3 points and 14.0 boards. Nash had 22.3 points and 11.0 assists against the Rockets, who play better team defense. We all know that defense is what gets you by in the NBA, and the Suns can't win all the shootouts, especially on the road. It'll definitely go over the posted total, though.
 
Internet betting pick: Houston
Posted by sportsbetting at 09:34 PM | Add a Comment

November 13th, 2009

Big 12 Picks



The sportsbook will be buzzing with the Pacquiao Cotto odds this weekend as the boxing event of the year takes place but there is some good college football action on the day before it. Here's a preview of a couple of key Big 12 games.

Texas Tech Red Raiders @ Oklahoma State Cowboys

So both teams turned out to be disappointments this year. After so much success last year, the Red Raiders were expected to take a step back but head coach Mike Leach emphatically stated that they would be just as good. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State was as high as No. 5 in the nation this year but have now lost twice in ugly fashion and are out of the BCS picture. Even so, this figures to be the most entertaining game in the Big 12 this week.

The Red Raiders are at a bit of a crossroads right now as quarterback Taylor Potts, who is still feeling the effects of a concussion, has been playing poorly of late while backup Steven Sheffield, who doesn't have the same talent, has been filling up the stat sheets.

Regardless, the Cowboys offense should be very efficient behind quarterback Zac Robinson and the potent running game. This will be a shootout and Texas Tech's quarterback situation figures to hamper them at some point in the game.

Sportsbook Review Picks: Oklahoma State -4

Texas Longhorns @ Baylor Bears

The Baylor Bears were expected to be a team on the rise in the Big 12 this year but it just hasn't turned out that way. The biggest issue has been the fact that the Bears lost star quarterback Robert Griffin to an injury and the team just hasn't been the same without him.

Baylor's offense hasn't done anything whatsoever since Griffin went down with a knee injury. This week, the No. 2 Longhorns come to town and Baylor just doesn't figure to have much of a chance.

Texas put forth a sluggish effort last week in a win against Central Florida and it's unlikely they play half asleep two weeks in a row.

Longhorns quarterback Colt McCoy can tie former Georgia quarterback David Greene for the most career wins as a starting quarterback. He should have a relatively easy time doing that as the Longhorns roll over the Bears this week.

Sports Picks: Texas -23.5

Posted by sportsbetting at 09:36 PM | Add a Comment

November 12th, 2009

How Will The AFC North Shape Up?

While most people in the sportsbook will be focused on boxing betting with the Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto mega event, the people in the North part of the country will be squarely focused on football. This week, the AFC North division in the NFL will keep things in house as all four teams play divisional games. The Cincinnati Bengals will faceoff with the Pittsburgh Steelers for first place while the Baltimore Ravens will try to pummel the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football. Below is a preview:

Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns

The Baltimore Ravens have had a rough time in the last month of the season. The Ravens started the season 3-0 and appeared to be one of the best teams in the league but since that time, they have lost four of their last five games.

To be fair, the Ravens have had some tough losses. The Ravens have lost twice to Cincinnati, who is atop the AFC North and is clearly one of the better teams in the league, and also Minnesota and New England, who are also division leaders.

On Monday night, they'll have to play on the road but they get a softball as they head to Cleveland. The Browns are one of the worst teams in the league and while they are coming off a bye week, they have spent the week off firing their general manager and questioning their head coach. Most recently, running back Jamal Lewis suggested that head coach Eric Mangini is wearing out the team.

The bottom line is that the Ravens are the significantly better team in this matchup and shouldn't have any problems disposing of the Browns.

Sports Betting Pick: Ravens -10

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers

The Cincinnati Bengals have already beat the Steelers once this season but they may have a tough getting the season sweep. For starters, the first matchup took place in Cincinnati and this one will be in Pittsburgh. Beyond that, the Steelers have gotten healthier since then with the return of Troy Polamalu to the starting lineup and they have developed a rushing attack with Rashard Mendenhall.

The AFC North still goes through Pittsburgh and the Steelers will make a statement this week. The winner of this game takes control of the division and while the Bengals have been doing well this year, they aren't good enough to beat the Super Bowl champs on the road.

Sports Picks: Steelers -7

Posted by sportsbetting at 09:29 PM | Add a Comment

November 11th, 2009

UFC 105 Betting - Quick Picks

From Pacquiao Cotto betting to the NFL to UFC 105, we have a busy sports weekend ahead. Now is therefore a good time to figure our your quick picks for UFC 105, which takes place Saturday in England. Here's a parlay to try for the main event.

Randy Couture -120 over Brandon Vera

Randy Couture is ancient at age 46 and certainly past his prime but that doesn't mean he can't overcome Brandon Vera. After three years fighting giants like Brock Lesnar and Gabriel Gonzaga at heavyweight, Couture returns to light heavyweight. If he could hold is own as a wrestler in a higher weight class, he'll clearly be the stronger man battling Vera at 205 pounds. Couture still always shows up for fights in great shape and will attempt to tire out Vera, who still has a reptuation for not training as hard as he should. Expect Randy to try and get inside Vera's striking range and pin him against the cage for some Greco-Roman wrestling and dirty boxing. Couture will make it his fight and win ugly. Tom Brady may do the same in NFL betting on Sunday.

Sportsbook heartbreak: If Couture tries to stand and trade with the speedy, technically sound striker Vera, he's in trouble. Randy's chin isn't great anymore after years of punishment.

Mike Swick -210 over Dan Hardy

Dan Hardy is no slouch; he's a solid boxer who proved against Rory Markham two fights ago that he does have significant power in his hands. But Mike "Quick" Swick does the same things Hardy does and more. Swick can win on the feet with his kickboxing or take the fight to the ground and use his lanky frame to create leverage and set up submissions. Don't be surprised if he goes for the takedown against Hardy. In the end, Swick is the safest of the three main UFC sports picks; he's simply a more polished fighter than Hardy.

Sportsbook heartbreak: Hardy will try and get Swick to brawl and trade punches, hoping he can land a haymaker. If Swick gets into a streetfight, he could get caught.

Michael Bisping -115 over Denis Kang

It's hard to believe how quickly Michael Bisping's star has fallen; that just shows how devastating Dan Henderson's knockout victory over him was. In reality, though, Bisping's only losses are to Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson -- two world-class fighters. He has a tough battle against the versatile Kang but Bisping, a former light heavyweight, is the bigger, stronger fighter. He'll be much more careful and likely will control the fight with well-time strikes and perhaps takedowns.

Sportsbook heartbreak: Kang is definitely more of a finisher than Bisping -- he wins most of his fights via knockout or submission. Bisping will thus have to keep his chin tucked and avoid getting caught in bad positions on the ground.


Posted by sportsbetting at 09:24 PM | Add a Comment

November 9th, 2009

Gamecocks Aim To Pull Out Upset Of Top-Ranked Gators

The sportsbook odds aren't tilted towards an upset when No.1 Florida heads to South Carolina on Saturday, and an old Gator will be aiming to take down his former team: South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is a legend at Florida, winning the Heisman in 1966 before leading them to the national title as a coach in 1996.
 
Florida at South Carolina odds - Saturday, November 14, 3:30 PM ET
 
The Gators (9-0, 7-0) put in a solid, if unspectacular effort in a 27-3 win over Vanderbilt, and Tim Tebow was 15-of-20 for 208 yards and a touchdown, along with 27 yards and a score on the ground. The Gators also held the Commodores to 199 yards of offense, but the nine penalties they committed may be worrying to coach Urban Meyer. The Gators are still the online betting favorites to win the national championship, but they haven't been very convincing at all this year.
 
The Gamecocks (6-4, 3-4) fell 33-16 at Arkansas for their second straight loss, and they collapsed in the second half as they held a 16-10 lead just 13 seconds into the third quarter. Stephen Garcia was 20-of-34 for 327 yards, one touchdown and a pick, while adding a score on the ground. South Carolina's defense has let them down over the last two games on the road, allowing an average of 32 points. 
 

Online betting odds have the Gators listed as 15.5-point favorites, and they've won five of their last six trips to South Carolina, who are 5-0 at home this year. After losing two in a row on the road, the Gamecocks will be itching to get back home, and their defense will be the thing that keeps the Gators from covering the spread. The Gators' No.2 defense will keep the South Carolina off the board, but the Florida offense isn't as explosive as past seasons. Due to high expectations, college football lines for the Gators' games have been very high this year, and they're only 3-4-1 against the spread. Take Florida to win straight up in your NCAA football picks, but don't expect them to cover, especially away from home.

Posted by sportsbetting at 10:03 PM | Add a Comment
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