Fifth-ranked Tigers put win streak on the line in Birmingham

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/26/2009 - Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers continue their run through their Conference USA schedule, as they invade the Bartow Arena to take on the UAB Blazers in conference action in Birmingham tonight.

The Tigers have owned the conference for three+ seasons now and have strung together an amazing 54 consecutive conference wins. John Calipari's squad is a perfect 12-0 in league play this year and brings an 18-game win streak overall into this contest, following a 70-63 decision at UTEP last Saturday.

The Blazers are a dangerous squad with an unblemished record at home (12-0) and are the only team in the league with a perfect home mark. Mike Davis' squad has won six straight games and nine of its last 10 overall, following Saturday's 86-56 demolition of Southern Miss.

The Tigers hold a 27-10 edge in the all-time series and have won six straight and 10 of the last 12 meetings. Memphis is seeking the regular season sweep after posting an 81-68 decision back on January 17th at FedExForum.

There is little reason to think any team in Conference USA can hang with the Tigers, as they have flourished at both ends of the floor, averaging a hardy 76.2 ppg, while allowing a meager 59.1. Memphis lost All-American Derrick Rose after just one year last season and the team could be headed down the same path with the way freshman Tyreke Evans is playing. The young guard is getting it done in every facet of the game, leading Memphis in both scoring (17.1 ppg) and steals (58), while ranking second in assists (99) and third in rebounding (5.3 rpg). Help in the backcourt comes from Antonio Anderson (10.5 ppg, team- high 113 assists) and Doneal Mack (9.1 ppg), while forwards Robert Dozier 12.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Shawn Taggart (10.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg) handle things in the frontcourt. Memphis trailed UTEP by three points at the half, but shot a scorching 59 percent after the break to take a seven-point win on the road. Evans was once again masterful in the win, hitting 9-of-13 from the floor to finish with a game-high 25 points. Anderson added 10 points to the cause, while Taggart and Dozier each chipped in with eight.

The Blazers make the most of their opportunities and despite averaging a rather pedestrian 73.8 ppg this season, UAB leads the conference in field-goal percentage at a .470 clip. The team possesses a trio of potent scorers, led by Robert Vaden. The veteran guard is netting 18.3 ppg this season to rank fourth in the conference and has the green light to fire away, with 244 three-point attempts on the year. He has converted on 89 of those tries to rank first in the league. Paul Delaney III averages 16.6 ppg and ranks second in the conference in field-goal percentage at an impressive 58.9 percent. Lawrence Kinnard adds 15.1 ppg and is Conference USA's top rebounder at 9.0 caroms per outing. UAB set a school record with 15 three-pointers in a 30-point rout of Southern Miss on Saturday. Vaden and Channing Toney each tallied 22 points to pace the Blazers, as Vaden hit six three-pointers in the game. Delaney and Kinnard both poured in 15 points in support, as UAB shot .555 from the field, including the same .555 from behind the arc.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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

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