Wildcats and Hoosiers mix it up in Big Ten action

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/15/2012 - Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten Conference rivals square off in Bloomington this evening, as the Northwestern Wildcats have come calling on the 18th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers.

Northwestern comes in sporting a 15-9 overall record, which includes a 5-7 mark in conference play. The Wildcats recently had a modest three-game win streak stopped in an 87-77 loss at Purdue, which dropped the team's record in true road games this year to 2-6. Following this clash, NU will play three of its final five regular-season games at home, where it is 10-3 on the year.

Indiana is an impressive 19-6 to this point in the campaign, and the team has won seven of its 13 Big Ten bouts. The Hoosiers claimed an 84-71 triumph over Illinois at home last Thursday in their most recent outing, giving them two straight wins and victories in three of their last four games overall. IU is a near-perfect 14-1 at home this season, its only loss in Bloomington coming against Minnesota back on January 12.

Indiana owns a commanding 109-46 lead in the all-time series with Northwestern, but the Wildcats have won six of the last seven meetings, including two of the last three in Bloomington.

John Shurna scored 30 points in leading four Wildcats in double figures, but still the visitors to Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana found themselves on the short end of an 87-77 final against the hometown Purdue Boilermakers on Sunday. Reggie Hearn finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, Drew Crawford tallied 14 points and Dave Sobolewski chipped in a dozen for Northwestern, which shot 49.1 percent from the field, making 10 three-pointers along the way. Unfortunately for the 'Cats, the Boilermakers nailed 11 treys, claimed a 24-11 edge in points from the foul line, and committed a mere five turnovers. Shurna has certainly proven himself to be one of the better players in the Big Ten, as he averages 19.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game to lead his team in both categories. Additionally, he paces the club in three-point baskets (65), blocked shots (37) and steals (28). Crawford is also having a stellar campaign, netting 16.8 ppg on the strength of his 41.0 percent effort from downtown, the team as a whole hitting its three-pointers 38.6 percent of the time.

Cody Zeller went 5-of-8 from the field and 12-of-14 at the free-throw line to finish with 22 points, as he led Indiana to its 13-point win over Illinois last week. In addition to Zeller's effort, Christian Watford and Victor Oladipo scored 18 points apiece, and Jordan Hulls tallied 15 points and seven assists for the Hoosiers, who drained half of their 42 field goal attempts, hitting 7-of-12 three-point tries for good measure. A huge 35-12 advantage in points from the foul line was clearly the difference, as IU attempted 42 free throws and the Illini just 15. Zeller (15.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg) leads the team in both scoring and rebounding this season, while Watford (12.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg), Hulls (12.2 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Oladipo (10.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg) have been consistent contributors as well. As a collective unit, Indiana is putting up 78.7 ppg in dropping 49.6 percent of its total shots and 43.6 percent of its long-range bombs, while at the defensive end giving up 65.9 ppg with its foes shooting 42.2 percent from the floor overall and 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.

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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.