Surging Hokies take on Seminoles in Sunshine State

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/17/2007 - Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams sitting at opposite ends of the ACC landscape get together in Tallahassee this evening, as the red-hot 23rd-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, take on the Florida State Seminoles in league action from the Donald L. Tucker Center.

What a week the Hokies have had, as Virginia Tech thrust itself into the national spotlight with wins over powerhouses Duke and North Carolina in a seven-day span. In all, Virginia Tech has won four straight games and nine of the last 10, including knocking off then top-ranked North Carolina this past weekend, 94-88. With the win, the Hokies moved to 13-4 overall and a perfect 3-0 in league play.

The Seminoles are still in search of their first league win (0-3), having dropped three games in a row, including last weekend's 88-80 shootout loss at George Tech.

Florida State leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech, 21-16. Tech won the last game however, a 72-61 decision in Blacksburg a year ago.

The win over North Carolina halted an 18-game losing streak to the Tar Heels and was Tech's first home win over UNC since 1949. The Hokies fell behind early, but went on a 17-0 run in the first half to take a 10-point lead at the break. North Carolina made a run of its own in the second half, but clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch preserved the win for the home team. Five Hokies finished in double figures, led by Zabian Dowdell's 23 points. Fellow starters Jamon Gordon (17 pts) and Coleman Collins (12 pts) got in the act as well, while key reserves A.D. Vassallo (17 pts) and Nick Munson (10 pts) did the rest. Tech is an obvious dangerous team that has gotten the job done at both ends of the court this season. The team is averaging 74.4 ppg on a solid .473 shooting. Defensively, Tech is yielding just 59.7 ppg, while holding opponents under 40 percent shooting (.397). Dowdell, who was named the ACC Player of the Week recently, leads the team in scoring at 17.0 ppg. His backcourt partner, Gordon, adds 12.4 ppg, while adding a team-high 73 assists. Vassallo is one of the ACC's top reserves, with 11.6 ppg and is followed in the scoring column by Deron Washington (10.8 ppg, team-high 5.1 rpg).

The Seminoles are similar to Virginia Tech in many statistical categories, but have failed to put it all together in league play yet. The team has done a nice job at the offensive end of the court, averaging a solid 75.1 ppg, while shooting a healthy .486 from the floor. Defensively, the team has thrived at forcing turnovers, averaging almost 19 takeaways per game (18.9). Al Thornton is one of the conference's most under appreciated performers. He is shooting .547 from the floor and leads the Seminoles in scoring (17.3 ppg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and blocked shots (23). Auburn transfer Toney Douglas has fit in nice with his new team, averaging 13.6 ppg, while shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor (.497). Jason Rich rounds out the double-digit threats with 10.5 ppg. The Seminoles jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but could not sustain the momentum, as Georgia Tech went on an 18-4 run to take the lead for good. Douglas led the way with 22 points, followed closely by Thornton's 20. Uche Echefu added 13 points to the losing cause, as FSU shot a respectable .509 from the floor, including 50 percent from behind the arc (8-of-16). However, the 'Noles turned the ball over a costly 18 times in the game.

Starluckcaisno NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Red-hot Badgers play host to Boilermakers
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winners of 13 straight games, the second- ranked Wisconsin Badgers play host to the Purdue Boilermakers this evening in Big Ten action from the Kohl Center in Madison. Bo Ryan's squad has been a pi

<< Top-25 battle in the ACC
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Their reign atop the national polls was short-lived, now the fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels must find a way to bounce back from a devastating loss, as they invade Littlejohn Coliseum, for a b

<< Federer, Roddick advance; Baghdatis falls at Aussie Open
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Roger Federer and American star Andy Roddick were straight-set second-round winners, while 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis went by way of the upset Wednesday at the Australian Open.

<< Mauresmo, Kuznetsova, Serena move on at Oz Open
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Amelie Mauresmo, French Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova and two-time Melbourne titlist Serena Williams highlighted Wednesday' second-round winners at the Australian Open. The seco

<< Rangers extend offer to Sosa
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have offered Sammy Sosa a chance to return to the majors. Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told the Dallas Morning News that Sosa has been offered a minor league contract with an invita

Vandy aims for upset of 'Bama >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vanderbilt Commodores hope to thrill the Nashville crowd with an upset of the 10th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide this evening in an SEC tilt. Alabama opened league play with an ugly 88-61 loss to

Rebels and Tigers meet in Baton Rouge >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked LSU Tigers have the talent in place for another run at the Final Four, and they are clearly favored in tonight's game against a talented yet inconsistent Ole Miss team. On Saturday,

Vols try to right ship at Auburn >>
Auburn, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, led by SEC Player of the Year hopeful Chris Lofton, invade Auburn tonight for a battle with the Tigers. Tennessee had a streak of nine consecutive wins before los

Butler puts perfect home mark on the line >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Butler Bulldogs are the favorites to win the Horizon League title this season, and they will attempt to avoid an upset tonight as they host the Youngstown State Peng

Buckeyes host Wildcats in Big Ten action >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at opposite ends of the Big Ten Conference standings meet in Columbus tonight, as the Northwestern Wildcats come calling on the seventh-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Northwestern started

American Idol Betting Odds: Season 6  

The online gambling websites are in the process of deciphering each American Idol contestant and his or her chances of winning Season 6 to come up with the early American Idol betting lines.

Tim Dalton of MySportsbook.com has been locked away in a soundproof room coming up with all the latest tallies, we are told. "American Idol has become one of the most significant betting events of the year," claims Jack Black of MySportsbook.com.  "Last year, millions were bet during the season across the globe, not just in America.

It's tough early on since we really do not have a glimpse as to how well each of these individuals will perform solo on a week-to-week basis.  It's like Week 1 of the NFL.  Pre-season means nada!

We do know the 24 finalists however.

Sanjaya Malakar is the young man whose sister failed to make it into the Top 24.  He's very low key but - unless he totally flubs - will probably win over the young girlie vote for a few weeks anyway.  He's too young to go all the way, according to Payton O'Brien. 

Brandon Rogers - Who?

Phil Stacy is the military guy who missed his daughter's birth because of the Memphis audition.  He should go a good distance.

Chris Sligh - He's got the humor and in many ways he's the Anti-American Idol much like last year's winner Taylor Hicks was.  And this is why he'll probably get pretty far in this competition.  He's chubby, white with a big curly afro....but more importantly, a great voice!  People love "real", not "real cute" to go all the way. 

"Blake Lewis should go far because of his uniqueness and looks.  He's the boy next store with a twist - he beat boxes.  But on top of this, he's a great singer, and I adore him," Payton O'Brien relayed.

A talented beat-boxer Blake Lewis was a hit during the group sing in Hollywood but Simon explained that this is a singing contest just before he told him he was “in.”

Paul Kim has caught our own roving reporter, Jenny Woo's eyes. 

"I love the fact that there is a Korean American on the show and he is bound to get more Asians tuning into the show," Woo said from her Miami Beach estate.  "There has never been a major presence of Asian-Americans on American Idol in the past.  He's a hottie with a nice voice so that should help to take him far.  Expect heavy betting action from the Asian community."

Sundance Head - He's not perfect, but he's got the personality that will take him through a few weeks, plus he's got the lineage (son of Roy Head - whose 1965 single, "Treat Her Right," hit No. 5 in the charts) 

And the others:

Rudy Cardinas
AJ Tabaldo - the 5th time is the charm
Nicolas Pedro
Chris Richardson
Jared Cotter

The girls

"Melinda Doolittle has one of the best voices," says MySportsbook.com Reporter and an acclaimed dancer in her own right, Destiney Lewis.  "It is great to see a back up singer step out like she has.  The girl needs to gain more confidence but that can also be a positive.  I think she will go far."

Alena Alexander - Those tears (she never seems to stop bawling) should get her far.

"Single mom Lakisha Jones I suspect will be a pretty big favorite entering Week 1 of the competition," says Destiny Williams.  Jones is an excellent singer and down to earth.  "She'll have a wide appeal," echoed O'Brien.

Nicole Trellis - Seems to exert confidence.

Amy Krebs - a powerful singer.

Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Hailey Scanardo
Jordan Sparks
Stephanie Edwards
Leslie Hunt
Sabrina Sloan

MySportsbook.com is offering a 20% signup bonus with an initial deposit (i.e. open your American Idol betting account with $300, receive another $60 in which to bet with). 

Last two contestants will be?

1 Male/1 Female +100 (a $10 bet pays $10 plus your initial $10)

2 Males +170 (a $10 bet pays $17 plus your initial $17)

2 Females +130 (a $10 bet pays $13 plus your initial $10)

MySportsbook.com is an online sportsbook accepts Visa Credit Cards and online sportsbook accepts Mastercard Credit Cards for easy American Idol betting lines. 

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .