Last Time Helps First Half Over Razorbacks

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyshawn Taylor had 28 points and six assists as No. 7 Kansas downed previously unbeaten No. 3 Baylor, 92-74, in Big 12 action. Thomas Robinson had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford each added 11 points while Jeff Withey had 10 points and 10 boards for the Jayhawks (15-3, 5-0 Big 12), who have won eight straight.

 

Perry Jones III totaled 18 points and Quincy Miller added 17 for the Bears (17-1, 4-1), who set a school record for best start to the season.

 

Queens, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Branch has transferred from Texas A&M to St. John's. Branch, who appeared in 11 games for the Aggies in the fall of 2011, can begin practicing with the Red Storm but cannot play until December of 2012.

 

, (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Michigan Wolverines try to remain perfect at home, as they host in-state and Big Ten Conference rival Michigan State, which enters play as the ninth-ranked team in the country. Michigan, which along with Michigan State make up two of the five teams from the Big Ten Conference that are currently ranked, has won 11 straight decision at home this season, and 12 consecutive at Crisler Arena overall dating back to last season. However, the team's most recent outing over the weekend took place at Iowa and the Wolverines failed to find any magic at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as they stumbled in an awkward 75-59 final. The setback was the second in the last four games and dropped Michigan to 4-2 in league play as a result.

 

As for the Spartans, already 3-2 against ranked foes in 2011-12, they are coming off a loss of their own on Saturday as they bowed to Northwestern on the road in an 81-74 final. The defeat was just the third of the year for a program that had won 15 in a row since falling to top-ranked North Carolina in the season opener and then sixth-ranked Duke four days later.

 

Michigan State led by as many as nine points in the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena versus Northwestern over the weekend, but in the final minutes of the period the momentum swung in favor of the Wildcats who eventually claimed the seven-point win. Keith Appling scored a team-best 17 points in 36 minutes for the visitors, but he shot just 4-of-13 from the floor and missed all five of his three-point tries. Draymond Green, accurate on 4-of-5 from three-point range, tallied 14 points and also made an impact in the paint with 14 rebounds as well. In addition to proving himself a worthy perimeter shooter at 40.7 percent, Green has forced opposing defenses to pick their poison because he is also leading the Spartans on the glass with 10.1 rpg as well. Scoring 15.8 ppg Green, who is second on the unit with 61 assists and paces MSU in both blocks (21) and steals (27), is one of only a few players in the nation who is averaging a double-double. Appling checks in with 12.9 ppg and is the only one ahead of Green in the passing department with his 69 dishes through 18 games.

 

Arkansas's 13-4 overall record has given it its best start since the 2007-2008 campaign as first-year head coach Mike Anderson has infused a winning attitude back into the program. The Razorbacks improved to 2-1 in SEC play with a 69-60 win over LSU on Saturday, which was their eighth win in nine outings. Not only will Arkansas be attempting to hand the Wildcats their first conference loss of the year, it is also seeking its first road victory of the year in this one. A win would have an impact on the SEC standings, as the Razorbacks are tied for third place as they trail Vanderbilt and the Wildcats by one game.

 

John Calipari has won 45 straight at Rupp Arena since taking over the helm, which is the longest home-winning streak in the nation. Kentucky survived a close call with Tennessee its last time out, as it won 65-62 to make its overall record 17-1 and its SEC mark a perfect 3-0. Kentucky has outscored its opponents by a league-best 20.4 ppg this season, The Wildcats' high-powered offense is ranked second in the league with an average of 79.3 ppg, on a conference leading 48.3 percent shooting from the field. Kentucky is atop the SEC standings in rebounding margin and blocked shots as well.

 

The Wildcats have been racking up blocked shots behind Anthony Davis' NCAA leading average of 4.6 per game. Davis is just one block away from the program's single season record of 83. The freshman forward has contributed in other aspects as well, as he has tallied nine double-doubles already. Terrance Jones, Doron Lamb, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marquis Teague all own scoring averages in double figures and have the ability to step into the spotlight and take over games which makes the Wildcats a nearly impossible team to stop.

 

Jason Clark is the go-to-guy for Georgetown so far. The senior guard leads the team in scoring, and seems to enjoy traveling as he carries an average of 17.6 ppg on 51.2 percent field goal shooting in games outside of Washington D.C. Hollis Thompson has been on a roll lately for the Hoyas. The junior forward has averaged 17.5 ppg in his last four games, which has brought his season total of double-digit outings to 15. Despite being the tallest player on the roster, Henry Sims is Georgetown's top assist man with 3.7 apg. Sims is the only player in the Big East in the top 15 in both assists and blocks.

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Betting Football

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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.