Butler puts perfect home mark on the line

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/17/2007 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Butler Bulldogs are the favorites to win the Horizon League title this season, and they will attempt to avoid an upset tonight as they host the Youngstown State Penguins.

On Saturday, Youngstown State was able to halt a three-game slide with an 81-63 decision over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The win enabled the Penguins to improve to 3-3 in league play and 8-10 overall. Of the 10 true road games that they have played thus far, seven have resulted in defeat.

Butler will attempt to remain perfect at home this season improve its already stellar 15-2 overall record. The Bulldogs moved to 3-1 in Horizon action on Saturday with a 62-47 decision over South Dakota State, as strong defense was again the key to victory.

Butler has won 10 of the 12 all-time meetings with Youngstown State.

The 81 points that Youngstown State scored on Saturday marked the team's second-best offensive output through 18 games. Quin Humphrey totaled 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Penguins to the victory over Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Byron Davis tallied 17 points and five assists, and he also registered the squad's only three steals. Keston Roberts scored 14 points, John Barber netted 12 points and Jack Liles had 10 points for Youngstown State, which shot an even 50 percent from the field while limiting the Panthers to 36.1 percent efficiency. Humphrey is averaging 17.7 ppg and 6.6 rpg, and he should be considered one of the best players in the league. Roberts adds 16.4 ppg for the Penguins, who are posting 67.5 ppg this season, a slightly higher average than the 67.0 ppg that they are surrendering.

Butler is limiting its opponents to 56.4 ppg this season on 40.1 percent shooting from the floor, and the Bulldogs have committed just 172 turnovers in 17 games. They play tremendous team basketball and rarely make costly mistakes, and the results of the sound plays are reflected in the 15-2 record. A.J. Graves leads the club in scoring with 18.8 ppg, and he always has the ball late in close games because of the fact that he is one of the nation's best free throw shooters. In fact, he has only missed one attempt in 83 trips to the foul line. Mike Green is contributing 13.6 ppg for Butler, and Brandon Crone adds 10.5 ppg. Crone scored 14 points in the win over South Dakota State, as he was the only starter to reach double figures. Butler shot 51.2 percent from the field and limited its overmatched opponent to 36.1 percent shooting. Graves sat out that game after having oral surgery, but he should be back in the lineup tonight.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.