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03/11/2010 - Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A rematch of the regular-season finale has 14th-ranked and second-seeded BYU taking on the seventh-seeded TCU Horned Frogs in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Mountain West Conference Tournament tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
BYU, which has just one tournament title to show for its efforts over the first 10 years of the league's existence, has a record of 12-9 in the event overall. The Cougars have had one of their most successful seasons ever, sporting 28 wins in 32 opportunities and putting up 13 league wins in 16 chances. The Achilles' heel for the program this season came in the form of New Mexico to which the Cougars lost twice.
As for the Horned Frogs, a squad that has won just once in five tries in this tournament since joining the league, they dropped two straight and four of their last five games to close out the regular season and finished at just 5-11 in league play. Four of the team's league victories came against Wyoming and Air Force, the two weakest programs in the league.
The Cougars have dominated this series over the years with 15 wins in 18 opportunities. BYU won at home this season with a 76-56 final the first week of February, and then crushed the Frogs in the regular-season finale in Fort Worth with a resounding 107-77 victory.
The winner of this meeting will be back in action on Friday, taking on the survivor of the Utah/UNLV contest in the semifinals.
Ronnie Moss is the glue to the Horned Frogs this season, not only leading the group in scoring with his 14.6 ppg, but also responsible for 185 assists over the course of 31 outings which placed him among the nation's elite in that category. Add to that the fact that Moss shot 37.3 percent from three-point range and was the most productive perimeter shooters for the group and it is easy to see how he earned all-conference honors this season. Zvonko Buljan (12,4 ppg) was solid on the glass for the program with his 8.6 rpg, which is all the more reason why he should remain in the paint and not out on the perimeter where he shot only 26.9 percent. Edvinas Ruzgas (10.7 ppg) is really the one who should be setting himself on the outside where he made good on 41.8 percent of his tries for a team that attempted nearly 700 three-point shots during the regular season.
As if it were going to be a surprise, Jimmer Fredette earned All-MWC First- Team honors after he posted 20.6 ppg this season and delivered on a whopping 141 assists in his 30 appearances for the Cougars. A tough defensive matchup for many opponents, Fredette was comfortable both slashing to the rim and drawing contact, resulting in his 171-of-194 (.881) shooting at the free-throw line, as well as setting up on the perimeter and knocking down 47.2 percent of his three-point tries. Jackson Emery (12.6 ppg) plays a similar style to Fredette with his 4.4 rpg, 87 assists and 74-of-176 out on the perimeter. Relegated to coming off the bench for the majority of the season, Jonathan Tavernari made it work for him as he finished with 10.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg and also 40 percent shooting behind the three-point line himself as he earned the MWC's Sixth Man award. Put it all together and you have a BYU group that was one of the best in the nation with a scoring margin of almost 19 ppg.
<< No. 1 Kansas begins Big 12 Tournament play against Texas Tech
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks are the top
seed in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, and they are slated to do battle
with the ninth-seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders this afternoon in the
quarterfinal round.
<< Cowboys tangle with Wildcats in Big 12 quarterfinals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterfinal action of the Big 12
Conference Tournament pits the ninth-ranked and second-seeded Kansas State
Wildcats against the seventh-seeded Oklahoma State Cowboys.
Awaiting the winner of this tilt is a
<< Redskins add TE Ryan
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins agreed to terms with
tight end Sean Ryan on Thursday. Details of the contract were not disclosed.
Ryan appeared in 10 games, making eight starts, for Kansas City last season
and ha
<< Redskins sign free-agent tight end Sean Ryan
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -Free-agent tight end Sean Ryan has signed with the Washington Redskins.Ryan caught 14 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns for the Kansas City Chiefs last season.He has 26 catches for 240 yards and those two TDs in six NFL seas
Longhorns and Bears meet in Big 12 Tournament >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Baylor Bears are seeded
third in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, and they will begin action in the
event tonight with a quarterfinal-round matchup against the sixth-seeded Texas
Longhorns.
Vols open SEC Tournament against hapless Tigers >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers are set
to take on the LSU Tigers in the first round of the 2010 SEC Tournament.
The winner of this contest will move on to face Ole Miss, the West Division's
second seed,
Cornhuskers battle Red Raiders in Big 12 Tournament action >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies are the
fourth-seeded team in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, and they will play a
quarterfinal-round game against the surprising 12th-seeded Nebraska
Cornhuskers today.
Mountaineers and Bearcats collide in quarterfinal action >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-seeded and seventh-ranked West
Virginia Mountaineers begin their march towards a Big East Tournament title
tonight, as they face off against the 11th-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats in the
quarterfinals at M
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.
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