Butler hopes to continue winning ways in Motor City

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/27/2007 - Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Butler Bulldogs continue to be the class of the Horizon League, and they hope to score yet another win in today's meeting with the Detroit Titans.

On Thursday, Butler once again showed its toughness by knocking off a solid Loyola-Chicago team on the road by a 70-66 final in overtime. The victory was the fourth in a row for the Bulldogs, who are a stellar 18-2 overall this season, including 6-1 against Horizon League foes.

With back-to-back wins, Detroit has managed to improve to 7-12 overall and 4-4 in conference. Like Butler, the Titans also recorded an overtime victory, as the 91-84 decision over Wisconsin-Milwukee featured the team's best offensive output of the season by a wide margin.

Butler holds a 33-27 edge in the all-time series with Detroit, and the teams will meet again next month.

A.J. Graves was the hero once again for Butler in the win over Loyola-Chicago just two days ago, as the standout guard nailed three shots from behind the arc in overtime. Graves finished with 26 points, and the fact that he missed two free throw attempts in the contest was surprising considering that he entered the contest as the nation's most efficient shooter from the charity stripe. Pete Campbell pitched in 12 points for the Bulldogs, who only committed seven turnovers in 45 minutes of action. Defensively, they limited Loyola to 34.3 percent shooting. All of the positives enabled the squad to overcome a 48-35 rebounding disadvantage. Graves is averaging 18.6 ppg this season and is undoubtedly a front-runner for Horizon League Player of the Year honors. Mike Green adds 13.4 ppg to the lineup for the Bulldogs, and Brandon Crone is contributing 10.6 ppg.

Prior to scoring 91 points on Thursday night, Detroit had been held to 66 or fewer points in nine consecutive outings and had not surpassed 73 points in any game. The Titans shot 50.8 percent from the floor against Wisconsin- Milwaukee, and they racked up 20 assists in the contest. A 41-22 rebounding advantage, including 17-9 on the offensive glass, certainly helped the team. Jon Goode scored a team-high 18 points off the bench to lead the way, and Ryvon Covile finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Detroit also got 14 points apiece from Chris Hayes, Brandon Bell and Brandon Cotton. Cotton is the team's leading scorer through 19 games with 17.9 ppg, and he is netting an even more impressive 19.5 ppg against league foes. As for Covile, he is averaging 13.2 ppg and 11.3 rpg overall. The Titans are far from explosive at the offensive end, as they are only scoring 61.9 ppg this season.

Fpxsports NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Tide puts perfect home record on line
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa is the site of today's SEC battle between the Arkansas Razorbacks and Alabama Crimson Tide. Not much has gone right for Arkansas lately, as the team has lost four of it

<< Trojans attempt to slay Golden Bears in Berkeley
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an attempt to salvage something from their trip to the Bay Area, the 25th-ranked USC Trojans will take on the California Golden Bears in Pac-10 play from Haas Pavilion this evening. The Tro

<< Top-25 Pac-10 tilt features Oregon at Washington State
Pullman, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A top-25 battle in the Pac-10 takes place in the Pacific Northwest this evening, as the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks take on the 20th-ranked Washington State Cougars from Friel Court in Pullman

<< Sooners attempt to continue mastery of Aggies
College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sitting in a logjam atop the Big 12 standings, the sixth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies return home to the friendly confines of Reed Arena, as they play host to the Oklahoma Sooners in confere

<< Top-25 battle pits Tar Heels against Wildcats
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A rare non-conference treat late in the season takes place in the desert this afternoon, as the fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels come calling on the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats in Tucson.

Big Ten foes meet in Bloomington >>
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time rivals will meet in Bloomington this afternoon, as 23rd-ranked Indiana and Michigan collide in a Big Ten Conference contest. Michigan carried a two-game win streak into Wednesday

Memphis goes in search of ninth straight win >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The premier team in Conference USA is the 11th-ranked Memphis Tigers, and they welcome the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to town this afternoon. With back-to-back wins, Southern Miss has improve

Red Storm seek upset in Steel City >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. John's Red Storm are coming off a big-time win over a league opponent, and they will attempt to score a Big East upset on the road today against the ninth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. St.

BYU puts lengthy home winning streak on line vs. Air Force >>
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The BYU Cougars put the nation's third-longest home winning streak on the line today as they battle the 16th-ranked Air Force Falcons in Mountain West Conference action from the Marriott Center. Trailin

WAC rivals lock horns in Reno >>
Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah State Aggies take on their toughest opponent of the season tonight as they matchup against the 18th-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack in Western Athletic Conference action from the Lawlor Events

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.