Beat Vikings and Bulldogs win outright Horizon League title

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/28/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Butler Bulldogs will try to wrap up the outright Horizon League title today, as they host the Cleveland State Vikings at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

With a 78-57 trouncing of Youngstown State on Thursday, the Bulldogs clinched a share of their third consecutive HL regular-season championship at 14-3 within the conference. Butler however, is just one game ahead of UW-Green Bay and because the Phoenix own the tie-breaker, the Bulldogs would need a win or UW-Green Bay loss today in order to lock up the top-seed in the upcoming league tournament. The top seed gets to host the later rounds of the HL Tournament and that would be big news for the Bulldogs, who are a healthy 13-1 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

As for CSU, it too has a lot on the line and needs a win in order to secure the No.3 seed in the postseason tourney. CSU, the preseason favorite in the HL, is the hottest team in the conference having won eight straight league bouts, including a 71-64 triumph at Valparaiso on Thursday. The win pushed the Vikings to 21-9 overall and 12-5 in conference play, leaving them just one game ahead of Wright State for the third spot.

Today's game marks the 31st all-time meeting between CSU and Butler, with the Bulldogs holding a commanding 24-6 advantage in the series, including a dramatic 50-48 victory in an earlier meeting this season.

The Vikings shot a scorching 61.0 percent from the floor and converted an efficient 20-of-25 free-throw attempts, as they downed Valpo on Thursday. The team also forced Valpo into 15 turnovers, generating 19 points off those mishaps. J'Nathan Bullock headed the charge with a 25-point, six-rebound performance, while George Tandy tallied 15 points and six boards off the bench. On the season, Bullock tops the roster in each scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) and he also has 34 steals to his name. Norris Cole chips in with 12.3 ppg, and Cedric Jackson has been in charge of running the offense, dishing out a team-best 5.5 apg. Jackson also has an impressive 89 steals to his credit, helping CSU limit foes to just 59.2 ppg.

The Bulldogs held YSU to a dismal 35.8 percent shooting from the floor, including just 3-of-14 from downtown, as they coasted to victory on Thursday. Butler hit on 54.9 percent of its chances from the field and dominated the boards, 40-25. Leading the way was Matt Howard, who registered a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Gordon Hayward logged 14 points and four assists, and Willie Veasley had 12 points and eight boards in the winning effort. On the campaign, Howard is both the team's leading scorer (14.4 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg) and he has also blocked 44 shots. Hayward has provided a nice complement to him with 13.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg and he also has a team-best 44 steals on the season. Shelvin Mack adds 11.8 ppg and 3.6 apg for Butler, which is holding opponents to a mere 57.5 ppg.

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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.