Falcons swoop into Salt Lake City

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/16/2007 - Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The victories are becoming a little tighter, but they still keep coming as the 13th-ranked Air Force Falcons hit the road to take on the Utah Runnin' Utes at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City tonight.

On Saturday, the Falcons needed a late basket to make it by the Wyoming Cowboys, 58-56, on the road. The squad made it happen and has now won 13 straight games since falling to perennial powerhouse Duke by a score of 71-56 in late November. The current overall win streak has the Falcons tied with both New Mexico State and Wisconsin for the longest active streak in the nation, while the team's 25 straight at home are tied for the second longest in the nation behind Gonzaga.

Meanwhile, the Utes continue to go spiraling out of control with their sixth consecutive setback on Saturday in an 86-82 overtime decision versus New Mexico on the road. Utah, which is 0-4 in conference play, has now lost all three overtime games it has played this season.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, Utah holds a commanding 42-11 advantage, dating back to a 108-57 thrashing in the first-ever meeting back in 1965. But the most recent meeting went to Air Force by a final of 52-51 a season ago.

Jacob Burtschi scored 18 points, but none were more important than the final two which came at the buzzer in the victory over Wyoming on Saturday. Burtschi finished the afternoon shooting 3-of-5 behind the three-point line and added six rebounds in the narrow win. Dan Nwaelele chipped in 13 points and three assists, while Tim Anderson accounted for 10 points, six boards and three dishes as well. Down by two points at the break, Air Force had a dismal first half shooting just 26.7 percent from the field, but then bounced back in the second frame to make 14-of-23 from the floor. Nwaelele continues to be the top scorer for the program with his 15.1 ppg, shooting a sizzling 51.2 percent from three-point range to rank among the best in the nation. Burtschi adds 13.9 ppg and is good for a team-high 5.8 rpg, in addition to having 48 assists against only 14 turnovers. Discipline has always been key to the program's success and this year is no different with the squad averaging a mere 10 turnovers per contest, while posting about 16 assists per game.

A three-point play by Curtis Eatmon with 41 seconds to play pushed the game into overtime against New Mexico, but in the extra frame the Utes never led and allowed a winnable game to slip away over the weekend. Eatmon finished with 11 points, five assists and five rebounds off the bench for Utah, while Johnnie Bryant and Shaun Green accounted for 19 and 14 points, respectively. Green cleared a team-high seven rebounds and handed out three assists, knocking down 4-of-7 chances beyond the arc before fouling out. Bryant, the leading scorer the last three games, is still second on the unit overall with his 15.8 ppg, trailing Luke Nevill who is accounting for 17.2 ppg and a team-high 8.1 rpg. Bryant, who leads the team in assists with 44, is shooting an impressive 43.7 percent from beyond the arc, but that still doesn't come close to Green (12.5 ppg) who has converted an amazing 56.8 percent out on the perimeter. Considering the Utes have such accuracy behind the three-point line one would think they'd have more than a mere five wins to this point in the season.

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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.