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02/04/2012 - Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich fell two points off the pace of first-place Borussia Dortmund on Saturday after it was held to a 1-1 draw at the Imtech Arena by Hamburg.
Borussia Dortmund claimed sole possession of first place in the Bundesliga on Friday with a 2-0 win over Nurnberg, placing additional pressure on Bayern and Schalke in their Saturday contests.
But neither team was able to keep pace this week as they were both only able to produce one point for their efforts.
Bayern faced a difficult test at the Imtech Arena when Italian midfielder Jacopo Sala put Hamburg in front in the 23rd minute.
It took the visitors nearly 50 minutes to equalize, but the breakthrough finally came in the 71st minute through Ivica Olic.
The draw means that both teams have managed to take just four points from their last three games.
Bayern's once comfortable lead in Germany's top flight has vanished as it sits tied with Schalke for second place on 41 points.
Hamburg, meanwhile, improves to 23 points where it is tied with Stuttgart for 10th place in the Bundesliga.
Bayer Leverkusen 2, Stuttgart 2
Leverkusen, Germany - There was high drama at the BayArena on Saturday as Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart played to a 2-2 draw with both sides being reduced to 10 men.
Stefan Kiessling and Julian Schieber traded first-half goals as the two teams headed into the break tied at a goal apiece. Simon Rolfes then converted a penalty kick two minutes into a second period littered with yellow cards. Michal Kadlec was sent off for Bayer Leverkusen, as was Cristian Molinaro for Stuttgart. The visitors left it late to add even more drama to the affair, as Martin Harnik netted in second-half stoppage time to earn a share of the points.
Bayer Leverkusen has drawn two straight as it sits nine points adrift of a place in the top four, while Stuttgart snaps a four-game losing skid in league play to remain mid-table.
Hannover 1, Hertha Berlin 0
Berlin, Germany - Hannover won its second-straight Bundesliga match on Saturday, edging 10-man Hertha Berlin 1-0.
Mohammed Abdellaoue recorded the only goal of the game in the 68th minute, eight minutes before Sebastian Neumann was given his marching orders for picking up his second yellow card.
Hertha Berlin has lost three straight as it remains just two points above the relegation zone, while Hannover, unbeaten in its last seven Bundesliga contests, occupies seventh place on 30 points.
Schalke 1, Mainz 1
Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Schalke and Mainz traded goals on opposite sides of halftime as the two clubs played to a 1-1 draw at the Veltins-Arena on Saturday.
Mainz took the lead 14 minutes into the first half through Mohamed Zidan's first goal of the Bundesliga season, but Chinedu Obasi, on loan from Hoffenheim, equalized for Schalke 14 minutes into the second half.
It was a costly draw for Schalke as it falls two points behind Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund. Mainz, meanwhile, sits in 12th place on 22 points.
Hoffenheim 2, Augsburg 2
Sinsheim, Germany - Hoffenheim went back and forth at the Rhein-Neckar Arena on Saturday as the two sides came out even in a 2-2 draw.
Sascha Molders put the visitors in front in the 31st minute, but Hoffenheim responded immediately as Peniel Mlapa equalized seven minutes later. The second half saw Hoffenheim go in front after Roberto Firmino converted a penalty kick in the 52nd minute, but Augsburg was able to tie it up in the 72nd minute thanks to a goal from Sebastian Langkamp.
Hoffenheim has drawn three of its last four Bundesliga matches and sits eighth with 24 points, while Augsburg has drawn two straight to remain in the relegation zone on 17 points.
Wolfsburg 0, Monchengladbach 0
Wolfsburg, Germany - Wolfsburg and Monchengladbach produced a stalemate at Volkswagen Arena as they played to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.
Wolfsburg remains tied with Hoffenheim on 24 points while Monchengladbach misses out on the opportunity to move into second place as it stays fourth on 40 points.
<< Syracuse thumps St. John's as Boeheim ties Dean
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fab Melo returned to the Syracuse lineup after
a three-game absence and the sophomore center paid immediate dividends with 14
points, as the second-ranked Orange controlled the paint and rolled to a 95-70
victory
<< Georgetown cruises past South Florida
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henry Sims had 13 points, nine rebounds and
five assists, as No. 14 Georgetown cruised past South Florida, 75-45, on
Saturday.
Otto Porter added 12 points and Jason Clark finished with 11 for the
<< Berdych, Monfils to meet for Montpellier title
Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Berdych and Gael Monfils were
semifinal winners Saturday and will meet for the title at the Open Sud de
France tennis tournament.
The top-seeded Berdych had little trouble in a 6-3, 6
<< Serbs, Belgians even after first day at Fed Cup
Charleroi, Belgium (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Serbia and Belgium are even after the
first day of play at their Fed Cup quarterfinal.
Jelena Jankovic gave Serbia the first point on Saturday with a 7-5, 7-5 win
over Kirsten Flipkens, but Yanina
Irish down No. 15 Marquette for fourth straight win >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pat Connaughton drained five three-pointers
en route to a game-high 23 points, as Notre Dame earned its fourth straight
win and snapped Marquette's seven-game winning streak with a 76-59 victory
over th
Boynton helps Florida down Vanderbilt >>
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenny Boynton scored 18 points, as No. 12
Florida earned a 73-65 win over No. 25 Vanderbilt in Saturday's hard-fought
SEC showdown.
Bradley Beal added 16 points and seven rebounds while Erving Walker
No. 6 Baylor holds off Oklahoma State >>
Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Perry Jones III had 16 points and 11
rebounds as No. 6 Baylor survived to take a 64-60 win over Oklahoma State.
Pierre Jackson scored 16 points while Quincy Acy added 11 points and 12
rebounds
Pens edge Bruins for ninth win in 10 games >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marc-Andre Fleury made 28 saves as the
Pittsburgh Penguins edged the Boston Bruins, 2-1, at TD Garden.
Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cooke tallied goals for the Penguins, winners in nine
of their last 10 ga
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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