PHOENIX (AP) -Steve Nash says he's no Joe Namath but the Suns playmaker is not backing away from his post-game promise that Phoenix will beat the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals.
Not might win, not try hard to win, not hope to win.
The Suns didn't seem devastated by Thursday night's last-second 103-101 loss in Los Angeles. Quite the opposite. The close call seemed to bolster their belief they can win this series, even though the Lakers are up 3-2 and can advance to the NBA finals for the third straight year with a victory in Phoenix on Saturday night.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Bears sign top pick Major Wright
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears completed the signing
of their 2010 draft class on Friday by inking safety Major Wright to a four-
year contract.
Wright was Chicago's first pick, taken 75th overall in the third ro
<< Cardinals' Lohse has surgery
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Lohse
underwent fascial release surgery on his right forearm Friday, though a
timetable for his return has not yet been determined.
Lohse was diagnosed with
<< Celtics' Davis dresses for Game 6
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics will have the services of
Glen Davis for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals just two days after the
forward suffered a concussion.
Davis took an elbow to the face from Orlando's D
<< Lee earns medalist honors at Canadian Q-school
Parksville, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Richard Lee posted a two-under 70 Friday to
earn medalist honors at the Canadian Tour's Spring Qualifying School.
The Canadian Lee finished at five-under-par 283 at Morningstar Golf Club and
was one of si
<< Padres put Everth Cabrera on DL
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Padres have placed shortstop
Everth Cabrera on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 24, with a
strained right hamstring.
It is the same injury that had Cabrera on the disabled
Report: MLB issues fines in wake of White Sox balk flap >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball has reportedly fined
White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen along with pitcher Mark Buehrle and umpire Joe
West after the three were in the middle of a series of incidents tied to
called
A's rally in ninth to upend Tigers >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gabe Gross and Landon Powell each drove home a
run in the top of the ninth, lifting the Oakland Athletics to a 5-4 win over
Detroit in the opener of a four-game series at Comerica Park.
Powell also homered
Rios, Garcia pace White Sox over Rays >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Freddy Garcia bounced back from a poor
start and tossed seven innings of two-run ball while Alex Rios swatted a two-
run homer, as the White Sox bested the Rays, 4-2, at Tropicana Field.
Garcia (4-3)
Marcum, Jays shut down O's >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Hill hit a solo homer and drove in a
total of two runs to pace the offense, while Shaun Marcum tossed six scoreless
innings to pace the Toronto Blue Jays over the Baltimore Orioles, 5-0, in the
opener
Cano hits grand slam as Yankees rout Indians >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robinson Cano clubbed a grand slam during a
three-hit, three-run performance and Phil Hughes was effective through seven
frames, as the New York Yankees opened a four-game series against the
Clevela
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.