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.

Sportsilne NCAA Basketball Betting News


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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.