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01/04/2009 - Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will play host to the Virginia Tech Hokies in the ACC opener for both squads this evening.
Virginia Tech has won its last four games to improve to 9-4 overall, and the club is coming off a 75-66 decision over Charleston Southern. Amazingly, all four losses thus far have come by four or fewer points, including a pair of one-point setbacks.
As for Duke, it is 40-15 all-time in ACC openers. The Blue Devils are 11-1 overall this season, and they have posted three straight victories since suffering their only loss of the campaign to Michigan in Ann Arbor. On Wednesday, Duke rolled to a 92-51 victory over Loyola-Maryland in a truly lopsided affair.
Duke owns a 33-7 series lead over Virginia Tech, including wins in eight of the last 10 meetings with the Hokies.
There are three talented scorers on the Virginia Tech roster, and no other player is netting more than 6.3 ppg. Therefore, the importance of A.D. Vassallo, Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen can not be overstated. Vassallo leads the team in scoring with 19.0 ppg, and he is shooting 40 percent from three- point range. Delaney checks in with 16.7 ppg, and he is tops with 57 assists. As for Allen, he provides 13.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 23 blocks and 25 steals. The Hokies, who are generating 71.4 ppg, allow 64.3 ppg to their opponents. Both Vassallo and Delaney scored 16 points in the victory over Charleston Southern last time out. J.T. Thompson pitched in 15 points, and Allen finished with 11 points. The Hokies earned an 18-5 advantage in points from the foul line in the tilt and only turned the ball over six times.
Duke is averaging 84.0 ppg this season on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor, and the club is limiting its opponents to 61.5 ppg on 39.3 percent field goal efficiency. The Blue Devils are outrebounding foes by 10.5 rpg and have four double-digit scorers in the lineup. Kyle Singler paces the squad with 16.3 ppg, and he is tops with 7.8 rpg as well. Jon Scheyer provides 14.0 ppg, and Gerald Henderson checks in with 12.1 ppg. As for Nolan Smith, he rounds out the group with 10.9 ppg. Duke dominated every aspect of its game against Loyola-Maryland on Wednesday and would have won by an even greater margin if not for a disappointing 57.6 percent effort from the foul line and a 1-of-12 showing from three-point range. The Blue Devils connected on 54.5 percent of their field goal attempts while limiting the opposition to 31.7 percent shooting. A 48-31 rebounding advantage also helped the cause, as did 24 forced turnovers. Singler scored 20 points in that tilt, and Henderson was close behind with 19.
<< Bluegrass State rivals square off at Freedom Hall
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Non-conference rivals will collide at
Freedom Hall this afternoon, as the 18th-ranked Louisville Cardinals battle
the Kentucky Wildcats.
Expect Kentucky to play with a wealth of confidence this afternoon, as
<< Sun Devils and Golden Bears mix it up in Pac-10 action
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 17th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils and
California Golden Bears will try to make it two Pac-10 wins in a row tonight,
as they clash at Haas Pavilion in Berkeley.
ASU kicked off its Pac-10 slate in a domin
<< Top-ranked Tar Heels open ACC play against visiting Eagles
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels
finally open up ACC play this evening, as they welcome the Boston College
Eagles to Chapel Hill for a showdown from the Smith Center.
Roy Williams' Tar Heels have def
<< Big Ten showdown pits Illini against Wolverines
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten foes will collide in Ann Arbor on
Sunday afternoon, as the 23rd-ranked Michigan Wolverines play host to the
Illinois Fighting Illini.
Illinois carries a stellar 13-1 record into this clash, and the cl
Lakers aim for 15th straight home win vs. Blazers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Lakers aim to remain perfect on their five-
game homestand Sunday when they welcome the Portland Trail Blazers to Staples
Center.
The Lakers improved to 3-0 on the residency Friday when Kobe Bryant scored 4
Celtics invade MSG to take on Knicks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlantic Division rivals meet Sunday when the reigning NBA
world champion Boston Celtics invade Madison Square Garden to take on the New
York Knicks.
Paul Pierce scored a game-high 26 points, as the Celtics returned from a
Mavs hope to continue dominance over Grizzlies >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks shoot for their fourth consecutive win
Sunday when they arrive in Memphis to take on the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum.
Dallas will also be hoping to record its 14th straight win over the Grizz.
Memphis las
Pistons embark on road trip in LA vs. Clippers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons aim for their seventh consecutive win
Sunday when they embark on a four-game road trip in Los Angeles against the
Clippers.
The Pistons will also be aiming for their 11th straight triumph over the
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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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