 |
 Wattiors |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
Lone Warrior: Ellis can't do it allBasketball Betting Lines02/03/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Monta Ellis is taking the term 'workhorse' to a new level for the Golden State Warriors. Usually reserved for running backs, the previous expression fits Ellis' contributions to a tee. Ellis has started all 45 games he has played in and is averaging 41.8 minutes per contest this season, second most of any player in the NBA. Ellis is on pace to shatter all of his personal marks and has seen 40-plus minutes of action in 30 games in 2009-10. He has competed the entire 48 minutes of a game 10 times this season, including all 53 minutes in an overtime loss to Denver back on January 20. A second-round pick of Golden State in 2005, Ellis has scored 30 or more points eight times in his previous 14 outings and is sixth in the NBA with 26.0 points per game. In a win over Chicago on January 18, Ellis scored 36 points on 14-of-39 shooting and recorded the most shots by a Warrior since Hall of Famer Rick Barry was 20-of-39 for 42 points back in 1975. Golden State just dropped its sixth straight game on Tuesday against Houston, as Ellis shot 13-of-22 for 34 points, but the rest of the team combined to shoot 36.8 percent. Impressive rookie Stephen Curry failed to help out and fellow scoring threat Corey Maggette is battling a hip injury on the bench. "We just weren't very good. Our D-leaguers looked like D-leaguers. Our rookie (Curry) didn't have a very good game. Monta had a very good game but he just didn't have any help," said Warriors head coach Don Nelson, who is the second- winningest coach in NBA history and just 11 wins away from breaking Lenny Wilkens all-time record. It doesn't help that newcomer Raja Bell is out for some time after undergoing wrist surgery. Ellis has been on fire since the Warriors acquired Bell in November, averaging 27.7 points, 5.6 assists, 2.28 steals and 43.1 minutes over 36 games. Before the deal Ellis was recording 19.3 ppg. Ellis hopes to get some help Wednesday in the finale of a three-game road trip at Dallas. The Warriors (13-34) could use a boost as well with the upcoming trade deadline, but it might not be worth it since they're 13 1/2 games off the eighth and final postseason spot in the West. IT'S BEEN A ROUGH DEBUT FOR RAMBIS The Minnesota Timberwolves have posted consecutive wins just twice this season under new head coach Kurt Rambis, and haven't won three in a row since January of last season. The struggling squad can achieve that feat later this week against the mighty Dallas Mavericks on the road. The odds are certainly stacked against the T'Wolves since they've dropped nine in a row away from the Twin Cities. Al Jefferson is the lone star with a team-best 17.8 points per game, but players such Corey Brewer, Ryan Hollins and Kevin Love have stepped up their game. Brewer is averaging 17.7 ppg in his last 11 contests, while Hollins is posting 17.5 points per game in his previous two. "That's your job in the NBA. If you are a big in the paint, you should be able to score and produce off feeds from your teammates or just be ready on any given night," Hollins said on the team's site. "This isn't a team where pretty much the core guys are here, we are all new and we are all learning each other. The biggest thing is my connection with the point guards, I'm starting to get a better connection with Jonny [Flynn] and Ramon [Sessions]." In order to improve his second unit, Rambis has been bringing Kevin Love off of the bench the last four games and he responded by scoring a career-high 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against the Knicks. Don't expect that to happen against the Mavericks. Minnesota (11-38) is last in the Western Conference. PAUL'S INJURY OPENS DOOR FOR COLLISON Darren Collison had to have known playing time in New Orleans was going to be few and far between with All-Star Chris Paul running the floor. Paul is the Peyton Manning of the Hornets with his ability to spread the ball around and make everyone better. Now Paul has to worry about making himself better and will have surgery on his left knee Thursday to repair a meniscal tear, the team announced. Paul will have the procedure performed in Pensacola, Florida by Dr. James Andrews. A timetable for Paul's return will be determined following the surgery. "Obviously you never want to be in this position to replace a guard like Chris Paul in the middle of the season," said New Orleans general manager and head coach Jeff Bower. "We want to continue to take advantage of the talent and skills that Darren (Collison) and Marcus (Thornton) have shown over the course of this season." Collison is averaging 15.2 points, 8.3 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game in 10 games as a starter for Paul. He had 16 points and 14 assists in a win over Phoenix on Monday, just one day after netting 17 points and handing out a Hornets franchise rookie record 18 assists. Those are some pretty sweet numbers, but it won't help erase the loss of Paul. Paul averaged 20.8 points, 11.9 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game in January. Center Emeka Okafor has been throwing his weight around to the tune of 12.3 points on .587 shooting and 9.3 rebounds in his previous seven contests. The Hornets (26-22) have lost two of their last three games and sit just a full game behind Oklahoma City for the final playoff spot in the West. Unfortunately for New Orleans, Houston and Memphis are in the same boat.
<< Ayala returns to Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Argentina captain Roberto Ayala is set to return to his homeland after 15 seasons of playing in Europe as he will join Racing Club. The 36-year-old defender left Spanish side Real Zara
<< Freeney says ankle is feeling "a lot" better
<< Schalke completes Gavranovic move
<< Bremen terminates Tosic contract
<< Hornets' Paul to have knee surgery
Eagles bring in Jauron to coach DBs >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have hired former Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron as the team's senior assistant/defensive backs coach. Jauron, 59, replaces Brian Stewart, who left to become the d
Lopez lands in Johannesburg QFs >>
Serena, Clijsters to meet at MSG >>
NBA Hall-of-Famer, Knicks great McGuire passes away >>
Brewers claim P Estrada from Washington >>
MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years. Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet. The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well. MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC. In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State. Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting. Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL. In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.
|
| Notre Dame Ohio State West Virginia Texas USC Florida California Auburn Oklahoma Iowa Louisville Florida State Michigan Miami (FL) LSU Penn State Virginia Tech Nebraska Tennessee Georgia Arizona State Oregon Clemson Texas A&M Texas Tech Alabama Arkansas Boston College Michigan State Maryland South Carolina Colorado Purdue Georgia Tech TCU UCLA Arizona Pittsburgh Iowa State Wisconsin North Carolina State Virginia North Carolina Fresno State Hawaii Northwestern BYU Oregon State UNLV Field (Any Other Team) |
5-1 7-1 8-1 8-1 8-1 12-1 15-1 15-1 18-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 40-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 70-1 70-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 100-1 150-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 200-1 250-1 250-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 300-1 400-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 500-1 1000-1 1000-1 40-1 |
ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
| Miami (FL) Florida State Virginia Tech Clemson Georgia Tech Boston College Maryland Virginia North Carolina State North Carolina Wake Forest Duke |
2-1 2-1 3-1 7-1 15-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 30-1 50-1 500-1 |
ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
| Texas Oklahoma Nebraska Texas Tech Colorado Iowa State Texas A&M Kansas State Missouri Kansas Baylor Oklahoma State |
7-5 9-5 9-2 12-1 14-1 15-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 35-1 100-1 100-1 |
ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
| Auburn Florida LSU Georgia Tennessee Arkansas Alabama Mississippi South Carolina Mississippi State Kentucky Vanderbilt |
5-2 11-4 4-1 6-1 7-1 7-1 9-1 20-1 28-1 75-1 100-1 300-1 |
For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.
2007 online football betting Preview
My fellow Americans, as tempting as it may be to don the coat and HD-ready tie in order to deliver this State of the Game address before the cameras, I know better. As Brad Paisley sings on his latest album, "I'm so much cooler online."
The ideas for this annual essay to kick off the MySportsbook.com college football betting preview flowed like frat-house beer, which is to say they were cheap and spilled all over the floor. The 2007 season will be better than 2007, if only because there will be more of it. A year ago, the NCAA Football Rules Committee made two rule changes in the interest of speeding up the game. These changes went over like Kobe burgers at a vegan banquet.
To its credit, the rules committee rectified its mistakes. This season the clock once again will start when a kickoff is received, rather than when it is kicked, and the clock will not start so quickly on a change of possession.
However, kickoffs have been moved back five yards, to the 30, which will force more returns. (Thus forcing the clock to run. Clever, huh?) Special teams might decide a lot of games, because coaching strategy will come straight out of another new Paisley lyric (almost), I'd like to check you for kicks.
Paisley sings with a twang, which is why he's appropriate for this college football season. The sun coming up over the 2007 college football betting lines season rises from the south. It's a Southern football world. As the Southeastern Conference begins its 75th year, the power shift is noticeable.
Eight-figure budgets, glamorous settings -- and that's just for the head coaches. The SEC has four coaches who have won national championships -- the greatest aggregation of coaching know-how since Eddie Robinson dined alone.
Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer have given lie to the idea that a conference championship game is too daunting a hurdle on the road to No. 1. In six of the past 10 seasons, the national champions played and won a conference championship game -- three of the six (Tennessee, 1998; LSU, 2003; Florida, 2007) from the SEC.
2007 College Football Betting Preview
There will be more of the same this season, if the preseason prognostications are correct. Six SEC teams are in the preseason coaches' poll, more than from any other conference. Only one conference has talent so deep that a team with 15 returning starters, including the best quarterback in the league, from an eight-win season is considered an afterthought. That may speak more to Kentucky's losing legacy than to the wisdom of the predictions, but there you have it. And seriously, keep an eye on Wildcats QB Andre' Woodson.
The reach of the South extends all the way to No. 1. Take a look at the team that is a consensus pick to win the national championship. The quarterback is from Shreveport. The best wide receiver is from Nashville. The top recruit is from New Orleans.
So what's the campus doing in Los Angeles? Hey, it is the University of Southern California.
USC lost two Pacific-10 Conference games a year ago, the first time that had happened in five seasons, and university officials withstood the urge to form blue-ribbon panels to unearth the cause of such a disaster. Instead, the Trojans gathered themselves and routed Michigan, 32-18, in the Rose Bowl.
USC's losses at Oregon State and at UCLA last year should have given pause to those who question the Pac-10's football prowess (such as, without naming names, L.M. from Baton Rouge). The league only got deeper this season; Dennis Erickson is taking over an Arizona State team that never quite got out of its own way under his predecessor, Dirk Koetter.
Erickson will resume his quest to become the first coach to win a national championship at two schools. Both he and Spurrier, now in his third season at South Carolina, returned to college football at schools with lower profiles than where they won their titles.
That isn't the case for the third coach looking for the national championship double. You may have missed this, but NASA reported the astronauts on the space shuttle last spring made contact with what can only be described as beings from another galaxy.
The leader of the aliens said, "We come in peace," followed by, "So how do you think Nick Saban will do at Alabama?"
The public is reacting to the new Crimson Tide coach as if he is the Barry Bonds of college football -- beloved at home for what his fans believe he is going to do, hated on the road for his intimidating attitude and for what his detractors believe he did (bend NCAA recruiting rules). I made this comparison from the dais at a charity dinner in Mobile, Ala., last month, and the chill that washed over me didn't come from the air conditioning.
Saban will attempt to prove that he can remake in Tuscaloosa what he built in Baton Rouge, much like another member of the national championship fraternity. Bobby Bowden is attempting to remake at Florida State what he built at, um, Florida State. Bowden rebuilt his offensive staff, bringing in four new coaches led by Saban's former offensive coordinator, Jimbo Fisher, to jump-start an offense that has been dead for a couple of years.
Las Vegas Sports Lines
The Atlantic Coast Conference is expected to show new signs of life, too. That is said with no disrespect toward last season's champion, Wake Forest, which provided one of the best story lines of 2007. The Demon Deacons begin this season in their customary position, overshadowed by the Virginia Techs, Miamis and Florida States.
It's not that Wake will find it difficult to duplicate its success in 2007 as much as the feeling that success engendered. Surprising success is the narcotic of sport. It never feels quite so euphoric the next time. Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has figured this out. He refers to 2007, when a league looked down upon by fans and foes alike took three undefeated teams into November, as "Cinderella."
The fairy tale may be over, but the Big East has four genuine Heisman Trophy candidates in Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm, West Virginia tailback Steve Slaton and quarterback Pat White, and Rutgers tailback Ray Rice. Rutgers, as did Wake Forest and, of course, Boise State, proved last season that the have-nots in college football occasionally have quite a lot.
The Broncos' rousing 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl has raised the profile of all schools in conferences that don't get automatic BCS bids. This season, TCU and Hawaii are the preseason favorites to burst through the BCS doors and earn an at-large bid. The Warriors return 14 starters from an 11-3 team, including quarterback Colt Brennan.
Brennan not only broke the single-season record with 58 touchdown passes in 2007, but he also led Division I-A in passing efficiency (186.0). The senior is expected to contend for the Heisman Trophy, and neither his success nor the rise of his team should come as any surprise in the 2007 season.
After all, Hawaii is the southernmost team in the country.
To visit this sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
|
