Gaels and Zags collide in key WCC affair

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/09/2012 - Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Saint Mary's Gaels have the opportunity to all but end Gonzaga's reign atop the West Coast Conference, as the two teams meet in Spokane this evening at the McCarthey Athletic Center.

Saint Mary's has been a picture of consistency over the last few seasons and is one of just eight teams in the nation to record at least 25 wins in each of the last four seasons. The team is closing in on its fifth straight year, entering this contest at an impressive 22-2. Even more impressive is Saint Mary's unblemished 11-0 mark in-conference. The Gaels have won 12 straight games overall, including an 84-73 win over San Diego last week.

The Bulldogs have some work to do and will need help elsewhere to keep their streak of West Coast Conference titles moving forward. Gonzaga has won 11 straight league crowns, but currently sits at 8-2 in conference play, picking up that eighth win last week on the road at Pepperdine, 72-60.

The Bulldogs own a 53-26 lead in the all-time series with Saint Mary's but it is the Gaels seeking the regular-season sweep after routing Gonzaga in Moraga back on January 12th, 83-62.

Four Gaels notched double figures in the win over San Diego last week, led by Rob Jones and Stephen Holt's combined 51 points. Jones was 12-of-23 from the floor and led all scorers with 28 points. Holt was 6-of-10 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line in pouring in 23 points. Matthew Dellavedova had a strong game as well, finishing with 17 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Brad Waldow chipped in with 10.

Saint Mary's has earned its national ranking with superior play at both ends of the floor, resulting in a gaudy +16.1 scoring margin. The team is shooting a healthy .481 from the floor overall and netting 77.0 ppg. Dellavedova and Jones are a lethal inside/out combination. Dellavedova leads the team in scoring at 15.5 ppg and is shooting just over 40 percent from behind the arc (53-of-132). He also finds time to lead the West Coast Conference in assists (6.4 apg). Jones is averaging a double-double with 14.8 points and a conference-best 10.7 rebounds per game. Holt contributes in a number of ways, ranking third in scoring (11.2 ppg) and second in both rebounding (4.9 rpg) and assists (3.5 apg). Jorden Page (8.3 ppg) and Waldow (8.2 ppg) round out the starting five.

Gonzaga is behind Saint Mary's in terms of offensive proficiency, but remains dangerous at that end, averaging 73.7 ppg on .462 shooting. Forward Elias Harris leads the way in the frontcourt, pacing the team in both scoring (13.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg). He gets help down low from center Robert Sacre (11.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg). Freshman guard Kevin Pangos has made an immediate impact on this team, netting 13.0 ppg, while leading the team in assists (3.4 apg) and three-pointers (48).

In the 12-point win at Pepperdine, Gonzaga shot a cool 50 percent from the floor and outscored the Waves 21-6 at the free-throw line. Pangos and Sacre led the way offensively with 15 points apiece. Guy Landry Eli added 13 points while Harris chipped in nine.

Wwgohip NCAA Basketball Betting News

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Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.