Huskers hustled by Kentucky in NCAA Tournament

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/29/2010 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A'dia Mathies posted 21 points as she played a major role in Kentucky's 76-67 win over Nebraska in the semifinals of the Kansas City Regional at the Sprint Center.

Also scoring in double figures for the fourth-seeded Wildcats (28-7), a team playing in the regional semifinals for the first time since 1982, were Victoria Dunlap and Keyla Snowden with 18 and 13 points, respectively, the duo shaking off a combined nine turnovers along the way.

Leading the way for the top-seeded Cornhuskers (32-2) was Dominique Kelley with 22 points and Kelsey Griffin who registered a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the setback. Cory Montgomery chipped in 14 points and Lindsey Moore 10 in the losing effort.

A layup by Kelley to start the night's scoring represented the lone advantage for the Huskers who, despite shooting 60 percent from the field in the first half, trailed at the break by a score of 43-34.

In the second half Nebraska dropped all the way down to 38.7 percent from the floor, allowing the Wildcats to secure the nine-point decision.

Kentucky made up for 16 turnovers and just 6-of-12 shooting at the charity stripe by hitting on an even 50 percent from the floor and 8-of-16 beyond the arc on the night.

Nebraska, which won 30 straight games to begin 2009-10 and set a new school and Big 12 Conference record in the process, was part of the Sweet 16 for the first time ever.

Kentucky now advances to a regional final for the first time in school history on Tuesday night and will clash with an Oklahoma squad that defeated Notre Dame earlier Sunday, 77-72.

Sprotsillustrated NCAA Basketball Betting News

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Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

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.