Blair dominates as No. 4 Pitt spanks DePaul

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/21/2009 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sophomore sensation DeJuan Blair posted a monster effort with 20 points and 18 rebounds -- 10 on the offensive glass -- as the fourth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers manhandled Big East cellar dweller DePaul, 80-61.

There was no letdown for Pitt (25-2, 12-2 Big East) after Monday's impressive road victory over top-ranked UConn. The Panthers will likely garner consideration for a No. 1 ranking next week thanks to No. 3 North Carolina's overtime loss at Maryland on Saturday.

Sam Young filled the bucket for 16 points in the blowout, while Tyrell Biggs and Jermaine Dixon chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively, in the club's seventh straight triumph.

The Blue Demons (8-19, 0-14) haven't won since topping Alcorn State back on December 28, a span of 14 games. Dar Tucker's 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists paced the team in all three categories.

The Panthers were in control from start to finish. An early 9-0 run had the hosts ahead, 12-3, three minutes into the game. DePaul hung tough for the remainder of the stanza and trailed 40-30 at the break.

Pitt was off and running in the second half, though, as Young started things with a three-pointer. Tucker hit a field goal on the Blue Demons' first possession, but the club failed to score for the next five minutes.

The inside-outside attack of the heavy favorites yielded a 13-0 run and a 56-32 lead after Blair's bucket around the 15-minute mark.

The lead was never seriously threatened the rest of the way, as seven straight Pitt points, capped by a Brad Wanamaker basket, had the hosts up 63-37, at the midway point.

Game Notes

Pitt improved to 17-0 at home this season...Pitt's Levance Fields doled out six assists to go with five points in the win...Will Walker netted five three- pointers for 17 points, while Jeremiah Kelly had 11 points for DePaul...Mac Koshwal, who came in averaging 13.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, logged 10 points and four rebounds in defeat...Pitt had a 49-25 rebounding edge.

Vagescasinoonline NCAA Basketball Betting News

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.


SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
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