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03/15/2010 - Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 2 Novak Djokovic barely survived his third-round match Monday at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters event, while world No. 3 Rafael Nadal cruised in two sets against Croatia's Mario Ancic.
The second-seeded Djokovic outlasted 25th-seeded German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3) on the hardcourts at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The 2008 Indian Wells titlist Djokovic staved off three match points while trailing 4-5 in the third set here on Day 5.
Djokovic prevailed in 2 hours, 35 minutes with a match-ending inside-out forehand winner. Up next for Djokovic will be 20th-seeded Croat Ivan Ljubicic.
The third seed Nadal dominated Ancic 6-2, 6-2 to also move to the fourth round. The Spaniard won 96 percent of his first serve points, 86 percent of total service points and is 4-1 all-time against Ancic.
The former top-ranked Nadal defeated Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray in last year's finale here. Nadal also captured the Indian Wells title in 2007. The six-time major champion Nadal is seeking his first title of any kind since May of last year.
Nadal got by his opponent in 1 hour, five minutes, recorded five aces and will meet either 15th-seeded John Isner or 17th-seeded Sam Querrey.
Czech Tomas Berdych, the 19th seed, maneuvered through No. 10 Fernando Verdasco of Spain in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3. Berdych will face 29th-seeded Victor Troicki in the next round.
Tough Argentine Juan Monaco, seeded 21st here, upset 11th-seeded former world No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain, 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-3.
Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic, the 20th seed, took down unseeded Argentine Brian Dabul, 6-2, 6-3. Ljubicic will next take on Djokovic. The contest lasted 1 hour 20 minutes with Ljubicic racking up 17 aces.
Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez upset No. 26 seed Thomaz Bellucci of Brazil, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. Garcia-Lopez will face Monaco.
The men's third round will conclude here on Tuesday, including matches for world No. 1 superstar Roger Federer, a fourth-seeded Murray and seventh- seeded Wimbledon runner-up Andy Roddick. The 16-time major titlist Federer will tangle with 27th-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.
This week's winner will collect $605,500.
<< Seton Hall women's hoops coach Mangina steps down
South Orange, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phyllis Mangina, head women's basketball
coach at Seton Hall, has resigned, the school announced Monday.
Mangina has spent the last 25 seasons in the position at her alma mater, and
compiled a 352-36
<< Seahawks release Grant, re-signed Tapp
Kirkland, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks released safety Deon
Grant and re-signed defensive end Darryl Tapp Monday.
Grant ranked among the team leaders in tackles in each of his three seasons
with the club, including a
<< Huselius paces Columbus over Oilers
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kristian Huselius played a huge role with a
goal and added three assists, as the Columbus Blue Jackets held on for a 5-3
win over the Edmonton Oilers at Nationwide Arena.
Antoine Vermette sealed the victo
<< Knicks finally win two straight, top struggling Sixers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danilo Gallinari finished with 21 points
to lead the New York Knicks to a 94-84 victory over the struggling
Philadelphia 76ers.
Rookie Toney Douglas added 20 points and seven assists for
Brooks sinks winning shot as Rockets stop Nuggets >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Brooks scored 31 points and drained the
game-winning jumper with 2.9 seconds left to lift the Houston Rockets over the
Denver Nuggets, 125-123 at the Toyota Center.
Kevin Martin added 29 points and L
Boozer, Jazz dominate reeling Wizards >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Boozer led the way with 23 points
and nine rebounds, and the Jazz sent the reeling Wizards to their eighth
consecutive defeat, 112-89, at EnergySolutions Arena.
Deron Williams added 17 poin
Red Wings gain three-point edge on Flames >>
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Holmstrom scored the game-winning goal
late in the third period, as the Detroit Red Wings edged the Calgary Flames,
2-1, in a battle between two playoff-hopeful teams at Pengrowth Saddledome.
Pavel
Quinn diplomatic about chance at earning No. 1 QB role >>
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brady Quinn officially became a member of the
Denver Broncos on Monday after passing his physical and was immediately
inundated with questions if he'll go into training camp trying to wrestle the
startin
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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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
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