NCAA Basketball Betting – Boilermakers, Buckeyes Clash In Columbus

While Super Bowl betting players are preparing for the big game in a couple of weeks, it’s still a while away, so they should get in on some college hoops action starting on Tuesday, when Purdue heads to Ohio State in a massive Big Ten clash.

Purdue Ohio State Betting – Tuesday, 9:00 PM ET

The Boilermakers (17-3, 6-1, No.14 as of Monday) put on a shooting clinic as they defeated Michigan State 86-76 at home on Saturday night as they shot 58% from the floor. E’Twaun Moore dropped a game-high 26 points, while JaJuan Johnson chipped in with 20 points for the Boilermakers, who made 22 of their 30 free-throw attempts (Michigan State was only 10-of-13). Those checking out NFL betting lines will tell you how much it pays to come out aggressive, and the Boilermakers did just that, racing out to a 10-point halftime lead before holding on in the second half. Purdue has to do a better job on the boards against Ohio State, as the Spartans outrebounded them 14-5 on the offensive glass.

The Buckeyes (20-0, 7-0, No.1 as of Monday) didn’t play their best offensive game, but they fought hard in a hostile environment and came away with a 73-68 win at Illinois after trailing by a point at halftime. Freshman sensation Jared Sullinger went for 27 points and 16 boards, while Jon Diebler added 15 points for the Buckeyes, who shot just 39.6% from the field, but they hit seven of their 15 three-point attempts, and they were 24-of-27 from the foul line. On the other hand, the Fighting Illini were 4-of-17 from long range and just 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. The Buckeyes are the class of the Big Ten, powered by an experienced group of shooters surrounding Sullinger, arguably the best big man in the country.

Your pay per head sportsbook should have the Buckeyes as the home favorites at “The Schott” in Columbus, where they have won 16 straight games. In fact, the last team to win in Columbus was Purdue, who edged the Buckeyes 60-57 last February, so there’s an added angle of revenge in this game. Last year’s win by the Boilermakers in Columbus was their first victory there since 1998, but they are 2-2-1 ATS in their last five trips there, and they’re 5-2 ATS away from home, while the Buckeyes are 5-6 ATS at home. This game will be decided by a couple of things: the matchup in the post between Johnson, a senior, and Sullinger, a freshman, will be great to watch and settle the “best big man in the Big Ten” debate. Second, the Boilermakers allow the opposition to shoot 31.2% from beyond the arc, while the Buckeyes shoot 39.9% from the three-point line. We’re going with Ohio State for the SU win, but don’t be afraid of the Boilermakers when checking out the sports betting spread.

NBA Betting – Lebron Can’t Save Heat From Getting Burned By Hawks

Even the return of the National Basketball Association’s biggest villain couldn’t help the Miami Heat prevent their fifth road loss of the season, a 93-89 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. Once again, it was the Heat that dominated another close game while the Heat continue to struggle in tight contests. This time, it was Joe Smith making the go-ahead layup in the extra frame, and Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford scored 19 each to help send Miami to its fourth straight loss. While it is still early in the season, there are online sports betting concerns for a Heat team that has struggled in close contests, particularly on this night where it seemed as though there were several mental lapses for the losing team.

Lebron James returned to score a game-high 34 points but it simply wasn’t close to being enough. James also registered 10 rebounds and seven assists, a huge night for him, but a closer look at the statistics would tell a different sports betting bonus story. Reading between the lines, James and Dwayne Wade actually weren’t as good as their stat line. James managed to score a total 34 points, while Wade scored 27. However, James and Wade hit just 19 of 50 total shots, and really did struggle from the field while taking command of the offense. The rest of the starters combined to score just two points, while Eddie House scored the most points off the bench with 12. The lack of production from their key scorers revealed a key flaw with the team, as it seems as though the success has been completely pinned on just a couple of individuals. With Chris Bosh out for the big three, there are holes in their game, and it will be on Wade to step up and make sure that the ball gets moved around.

The Heat fell to 1-7 in games that are decided by five points or less, compared to the Hawks’ mark of 8-4 in that same football betting-type category. Miami’s only close win this season came when they managed to score at the buzzer against a weak Washington Wizards’ team, which isn’t exactly inspiring for a team that many consider to be a legitimate contender to win an NBA title. Miami had the chance to win late in regulation, but were unable to convert a final possession.

While the spotlight has been on Wade and James for most of the season, the truth is that the member of the big three that was missing might actually be the key. Bosh has had a profound impact on the Heat’s interior game, as well as their ability to shoot from the outside, opening things up for the perimeter by demanding pay per head attention inside. James’ three-point percentage is 40.2 with Bosh in the lineup, compared to 29.9 without him, while the Heat as a team are a plus-12.5 overall in games he has played, compared to just plus-3.2 in games he has missed.

NHL Betting Picks - Bruins vs Flyers

NHL Betting Predictions

13 January, 2010

Boston v Philadelphia

ko 23:05 GMT

It should be a mighty clash between these two tonight and as I am following Bruins a bit closer, I have picked the game to rebuild some NHL betting pride . This is the third of four meetings this season with every team with a win in hand. Both are well in shape and it can easily go either way, but I will take the risk and consider a FT bet (no OT or penalties).

Last game

Bruins were flying for 6:0 against the poor Senators. Flyers are undefeated in 2011 and the last victim were Buffalo - 2:5.

My thoughts

Flyers are sitting on the top of the Eastern Conference and have a fantastic run in 2011 so far. Danny Briere just can't stop scoring for them and 21 goals in 38 games is a record bruins should take seriously enough. I expect Philadelphia to push for a repeat of their 2:1 win at Boston in December 2010 and rebuild some pride after losing at home 0:3 by the same opponent. I just see Flyers as the team with more steady performance and a win here should confirm their winning status. Bruins have the momentum too and are looking for their 3rd straight victory but I bet Philadelphia will give them a good fight to secure the top spot further.

Bet selection:
Take Flyers to win in the regular time and collect a fantastic 2.60, offered by bet-at-home

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Bookmakers of choice:
This season I will use mainly the following bookies to bet on NHL as I find them secure, trusted and user friendly:

bet365 or Bet-at-home.


Subscribe For More NHL Betting Picks via RSS:

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Before the game starts & after the final whistle:
I found playing poker as an great alternative on sports betting and a way to increase my bankroll seriously. And it is more fun, that is for sure. You can find me on 1/2 PL Omaha at:

Full Tilt & Bet365

NCAA Basketball Odds – Longhorns, Red Raiders Headed For Rivalry Showdown

Super Bowl betting players will see a number of rivals going at it in next weekend’s second-round action, and the same goes this week in NCAA basketball betting action as Texas heads to Texas Tech for a Big 12 tilt with the Red Raiders, who haven’t fared too well against the Longhorns in recent years, even at home.

Texas Texas Tech Odds – Tuesday, 7:00 PM ET

The Longhorns (12-3, 0-0) went into Saturday’s showdown with UConn ranked 12^th, and they shouldn’t drop too much after an 82-81 loss to the Huskies at home in overtime. Jordan Hamilton posted a double-double with 20 points and 11 boards, while J’Covan Brown came off the bench to drop another 20 points for the Longhorns, who were just 14-of-23 from the foul line, and they were outrebounded 48-38. This is surprising as the Longhorns are third in the country on the glass, and they’re going to need a better performance on the boards from someone other than Hamilton and Gary Johnson, who had 17 of the team’s 38 rebounds. At least NCAA football betting players who are fans of the Texas football team got to see the Longhorns win at Texas Tech in the midst of a horrible season.

The Red Raiders (8-8, 0-1) got the Big 12 portion of their schedule off to a bad start with a 71-59 loss to Baylor at home. Leading scorer John Roberson was suspended for two games and came off the bench to lead the team with 14 points in 37 minutes, while David Tairu added 13 points for the Red Raiders, who were down by 11 at the start of the game and never recovered. Shooting 35.8% from the field definitely didn’t help matters, although they did hit eight of their 20 three-point attempts.

Betting services will likely favor the Longhorns on the road in this Big 12 contest, and they’re 4-1 SU in their last five trips to Lubbock, including a decent 3-2 ATS. This year’s edition of the Longhorns are playing much better as a team than they did last year, when a number of freshmen, including Hamilton and Brown, were more concerned about getting to the NBA. They’re buying into a team system, and that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the conference. The Red Raiders can be a tough team at home, but they’re badly overmatched against the Longhorns, who are 30^th in points scored and second in rebounding. Texas Tech is 68^th in points scored, but only 246^th on the boards, and that’s going to hurt them badly, especially if they shoot as poorly as they did against Baylor. Take Texas in your sports book on Tuesday.

NBA Betting – No Troubles In Lakers Land Despite Rumors

It is the beginning of January, and as we near the middle point of the NBA online sports betting season it seems as though there may be a lack of things to talk about. After all, the Miami Heat are on top of the Eastern conference standings ahead of the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, and nobody likes to talk about a winner. There is still much less parity in the association than other sports such as college football betting. Nobody has brought a gun in a locker room, or climbed in to the stands at an arena and engaged in a brawl with a fan so really, there isn’t much of note to talk about. Except for the Los Angeles Lakers that is, who are in the news once again.

Head coach Phil Jackson said something, than superstar Kobe Bryant said another, and then a couple of teammates refused to give their comment. Where was Ron Artest through all of this? Yes, after the latest episode to take place at the Staples Center the defending NBA scores champions were in the news again after the hometown faithful booed them off the court. That is, those that stayed did. The Lakers are 24-11 overall, which is good for the top spot in the Pacific division, but trail both the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks in the Western conference standings after treading around the .500 mark over their last 10 games. Los Angeles did manage to take down the Detroit Pistons with a 108-83 beatdown on Tuesday night, but now we are talking about a team that has won just 11 of 35 games this season. So is there a problem with the purple and gold?

The answer is absolutely not. Jackson ranks among the best coaches the association has ever seen, and Bryant among the best sports betting bonus superstars of all-time after moving in to tenth on the all-time list in scoring. The Lakers boast the perfect group to play the supporting cast with Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest, and a young group of depth players coming off the bench that seem to be showing improvement. But that’s not all. Think about the experience that comes with consecutive NBA titles, and a handful of Western conference championships. Factor in the home advantage of playing at a sold out venue like the Staples Center every other night, and the big picture begins to come in to focus. The Celtics played .500 ball down the regular season stretch a year ago, and ended up forcing the Lakers to a deciding seventh game in the NBA Finals. Now, it’s the Lakers that are taking a step back to go forward during the regular season, and although it will make the headlines since there isn’t much to talk about right now in the league, the bottom line is that it is irrelevant, and that there is nothing wrong with the Lakers. Just wait and see.

NHL Betting Picks - Bruins vs Wild

NHL Betting Predictions

6 January, 2010

Boston v Minessota

ko 23:05 GMT

Thursday night is reserved for hockey as we are taking a good rest from the soccer betting in front of the upcoming busy weekend. We have two teams well in form here, ready to take on each other for the first time in 2010/2011 season. Boston are back at home after a long (3-0-2) away run and I will try to convince you a home win is likely.

Last game

Minnesota took an defensive approach which brought them the victory in Jersey with a 3rd quarter winner (for 2:1) . Bruins have recorded the same result against the Maple Leafs on Monday.

My thoughts

I have the feeling Bruins will push for a home win after they are coming back from a long road trip and will try to cheer their fans up. Team news are positive as their only missing man will be Mark Stuart. On the other end we have a longer list on injured reserve.

I expect a low scoring affair but need to improve the odds a bit. That is why I will take a fix bet on the full time result. It should be a defensive battle and a close one for sure, but Boston have more arguments to grab the victory in front of the fans. It looks like the bookies believe the same and the price for a home win went below 2.00.

Bet selection:
Take Boston to win in the regular time and collect a 1.80, offered by bet-at-home

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Bookmakers of choice:
This season I will use mainly the following bookies to bet on NHL as I find them secure, trusted and user friendly:

bet365 or Bet-at-home.


Subscribe For More NHL Betting Picks via RSS:

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Before the game starts & after the final whistle:
I found playing poker as an great alternative on sports betting and a way to increase my bankroll seriously. And it is more fun, that is for sure. You can find me on 1/2 PL Omaha at:

Full Tilt & Bet365

Premier League Betting - City to hold Arsenal

Bukomir's Predictions

5 January, 2010

Emirates Stadium

Arsenal v Man City

ko 19:45 GMT

City have not won on Arsenal home ground since the 1975/76 season.

Enough now?

This one is why we love the game! Top fight on the top of the table between two of the title pretenders. City have a bad record on Arsenal home soil but history means nothing when millions speak. City are well in shape, tough to beat and are desperate to rebuild some pride after 0:3 loss by Gunners earlier this season. Are they capable of holding Arsenal at Emirates?

Last game

Arsenal were superb in Birmingham and 3:0 for the visitors was a fair exit. Gunners appeared to be too fast for the home lads and kept the control of the game in all of the 90 minutes.

City managed to squeeze the victory by 1:0 at home against Blackpool despite the missed penalty and the unexpectedly tough opponent. They currently sit on 2nd with Arsenal 1 place and 2 points behind, but with one more game in hand.

My thoughts

If you search for a safety bet on this one, stop reading now. I will use the derby on Wednesday night for taking the risk and shooting on a bet that is likely to more than treble my stake.

Nothing special as for the team news, with David Silva the only influential name to miss the game for the visitors. Balotelli is also ruled out, but Tevez is fit and will lead the attacking formation. Arsenal have no fresh injury concerns.

For me Arsenal have two faces this season and after the superb win in Birmingham I expect them to show the other one. City are very well organized defensively, have a proven record of clean sheets this season and can take a very physical approach to this game. I see them trying to destroy Arsenal game early in the midfield and prevent them playing the sublime "touch and go" style. The home side is so vulnerable when face such a tough to penetrate team - they often get nervous quickly after the first 25 minutes and we saw what Newcastle managed to steal from Emirates after such a scenario.

Man City are also dangerous on counter attacks and are able to field quick and creative wings such as Adam Johnson (he scored the goal against Blackpool). Tevez will be hungry to say "I'm sorry" for the missed penalty and you can consider taking him to score anytime as a side bet for a fair price of 2.50 in bet365.

But my focus will be on the draw here as the result is still missing from Arsenal home fixtures. City are very hard to be beaten and the 0:0 against Man United came to prove that, specially in the big derbies. Tough game in line for Arsenal - the draw offers a value here.

Bet selection:
Take the draw and collect a huge price of 13/5 , offered by bet365

WON

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Bookmakers of choice:
This season I will use mainly the following bookies to bet on England Premier League as I find them secure, trusted and user friendly:

bet365 or Bet-at-home.


Subscribe to Betting Premier League Picks via RSS:

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Before the game starts & after the final whistle:
I found playing poker as an great alternative on sports betting and a way to increase my bankroll seriously. And it is more fun, that is for sure. You can find me on 1/2 PL Omaha at:

Full Tilt & Bet365

Championship Betting Picks Goals

Bukomir's Predictions

4 January, 2010

Cardiff City v Leeds United
ko 19:45 GMT

WON
I have chosen the desert of this round as both teams are in the play-offs zone, have attacking minded squads and are really focused on getting promoted. The game can go easily either (or neither) way, so I will focus my prediction on the Goals market and add an accumulator to my strategy for Tuesday.

Last game

Cardiff City are curently sitting 5th in the table, with a game in hand and a point behind their visitors on Tuesday night. The team became a victim of Bristol City improving home form and was blown 3:0 on 1st of January. Leeds United were unexpectedly hold at home by Boro - 1:1 but still managed to find the net once. The team is in an unbeaten run of 12 matches.

My thoughts

I will keep backing Leeds on the Goals market, every game they play, as their strikers just can't stop scoring. At the same time defense doesn't show any sign of improvement, despite the overall good team form, which makes "both teams to score" a value bet in huge percent of United games. The goals brought Leeds into the play-offs zone and I am sure they will keep pushing upfront, specially against a direct competitor fro promotion.

Cardiff have scoring veterans Chopra and Bellame ready to rebuild some pride and the home crowd will loudly support their efforts. A home win here will mean one place up in the table.

While it is likely scenario, I prefer to minimize the risk and bet on the action itself. 8/13 is a value bet to take when we have Leeds' squad fielded.

Bet selection:
Take "both teams to score" option and earn a fair price of 1.61 (8/13 in fractional), offered by bet365

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Bookmakers of choice:
This season I will use mainly the following bookies to bet on England Championship as I find them secure, trusted and user friendly:

bet365 or Bet-at-home.


Subscribe to Betting Premier League Picks via RSS:

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Before the game starts & after the final whistle:
I found playing poker as an great alternative on sports betting and a way to increase my bankroll seriously. And it is more fun, that is for sure. You can find me on 1/2 PL Omaha at:

Full Tilt & Bet365