Wattiors Basketball Betting News

<< Tigers to recall Sborz
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers will recall pitcher Jay Sborz on Tuesday to fill the roster spot created when Rick Porcello was demoted to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday. Sborz is 1-1 with a 3.04 earned run average

<< Graeme McDowell, the sole survivor
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At the end of Sunday's round, it was just a routine two-putt par that gave Graeme McDowell a piece of golf immortality. It was anything but a routine Sunday, however. Pebble Beach played extremely tough

<< Charlotte Bobcats 2010 Draft Preview
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As it stands right now the Charlotte Bobcats do not have a pick in the 2010 draft. That's not necessarily a a huge concern since Larry Brown really doesn't like to rely on young players anyway. Two of the team's last three

<< Indians demote Huff
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have optioned pitcher David Huff to Triple-A Columbus. Huff is just 2-9 with a 6.04 earned run average in 13 starts this season. He took the loss on Saturday against Pittsburgh aft

Denver Nuggets 2010 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nuggets are coming off another solid regular season and a seventh straight playoff appearance but George Karl's battle with neck and throat cancer proved to be too much to overcome as the team bowed out in the first round

Federer avoids first-round shocker at Wimbledon >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Six-time champion Roger Federer was on the ropes Monday but managed to avoid an opening-round shocker against game Colombian Alejandro Falla at Wimbledon. The 60th-ranked Falla stunned Federer by winning

Chile downs record-setting Swiss >>
Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Gonzalez scored 15 minutes from time as Chile downed 10-man Switzerland, 1-0, on Monday at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium to take over the top spot in Group H. Switzerland set the rec

Detroit Pistons 2010 Draft Preview >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Kuester's first year in the Motor City was a bit of a disaster, resulting in just 27 wins and a birth in the NBA Draft Lottery, an unfamiliar position for a franchise that had gone to the postseason eight consecutive tim

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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