Hurricanes' Thomas granted extra year
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
08/18/2010 - Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami-Florida forward Adrian Thomas was given an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA after injuries cost him nearly two full seasons.
Thomas suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries four games into the 2006-07 campaign and again four games into 2007-08.
"It's a relief to get this approval from the NCAA," said Thomas. "I'm excited to have another opportunity to play college basketball, and I think we will have a really special group this season that can accomplish great things."
Thomas averaged 7.3 points and 2.7 rebounds last season and was the ACC's top three-point shooter, connecting on 42.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
"We're very pleased to have Adrian officially back on the team this season," said Hurricanes head coach Frank Haith. "He is very well respected among his teammates and has a great work ethic -- both on the court and in his graduate studies. He will continue to be a key player for us this season."
Miami was 20-13 last season, ending the campaign with a loss to eventual national champion Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clayton Kershaw pitched seven scoreless innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-0 win over the Colorado Rockies in the opener of a three-game series. Kershaw (11-7) allowed five hits and recorde
<< A's surge late to beat Jays
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coco Crisp went 3-for-4 with a walk and scored
the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, as the Oakland Athletics rallied for a
6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in the middle contest of a three-game
series.
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Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Rolen went 3-for-4 with three runs batted
in to back Bronson Arroyo's solid performance on the mound, as the Cincinnati
Reds rallied from an early two-run deficit to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks,
6-2, in
<< Royals put Bannister on DL
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have placed pitcher
Brian Bannister on the 15-day disabled list because of right rotator cuff
tendinitis.
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<< Thome's HR in 10th pushes Twins' division lead to four
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jim Thome played hero against his former
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Twins edged Chicago, 7-6, to widen their lead to four games over the White Sox
in the
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -Eli Manning is back on the field.The New York Giants quarterback joined teammates for stretching on Wednesday morning at training camp at the University at Albany.Manning, who needed 12 stitches to close a gash on the left side of
Yankees resume series with Tigers in the Bronx >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Yankees will once again be without star third
baseman Alex Rodriguez this evening when they continue their four-game series
against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium.
Rodriguez left Monday's tilt with
Als seek return to win column in clash with Bombers >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to bounce back from just their second
loss of the season, the Montreal Alouettes entertain the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
at McGill Stadium on Thursday night.
According to the most recent power rankings in t
Hamilton visits Toronto in pivotal Eastern Division matchup >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Currently tied for first place in the Eastern
Division, the Toronto Argonauts try to continue their recent run of success as
they face off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a divisional showdown at the
Rogers Cen
Slumping Cards turn to Wainwright in finale with Brewers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers have gotten a first-hand look this
year at just how dominating St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright can be.
Looking to play the role of spoiler, the team gets a chance this afternoon to
deal the All-S
What Is the Point Spread?
What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
How to Read Point Spreads
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
- Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
OR
- Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
-
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
- Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
OR
- Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score
Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.