Blue Devils continue late-season push in clash with Hokies

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/28/2009 - Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils continue their late season run, as they invade the Cassell Coliseum this afternoon, for an ACC showdown with the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg.

With just three games to play, the Blue Devils trail league-leading North Carolina by just a single games in the standings. Mike Krzyzewski's team has turned things up a notch of late, winning three straight games, including a hard-fought 78-67 decision at Maryland this week. The victory in College Park pushed Duke's league mark to 9-4.

Seth Greenberg's Hokies are a few rungs down the conference ladder at 7-6, but the team did end a three-game slide recently, with an impressive 80-77 victory at nationally-ranked Clemson this week.

Still, Tech has not had much success against Duke over the years, with just seven wins in the 41 previous meetings. The Blue Devils are seeking the regular-season sweep after posting a rather easy 69-44 victory in Durham on January 4th.

Earlier in the season, Duke blew by Maryland (85-44), but this week the outcome was much closer, as the Blue Devils needed some timely shooting down the stretch to earn the victory. Gerald Henderson continued his strong play with 19 points, and was joined in double figures by freshman Elliot Williams (15 pts), Kyle Singler (13 pts) and Jon Scheyer (12 pts). Singler completed a double-double, with 10 rebounds, helping the Blue Devils earn a 39-28 advantage on the glass. One of the top teams in the country, it is no surprise that Duke has flourished at both ends of the floor this season. The team is putting up a healthy 79.1 ppg, while displaying strong defense as well at 64.7 ppg against. Henderson has definitely elevated his game, especially down the stretch, and is now leading Duke in scoring at 16.4 ppg. Singler is a perfect complement with his strong all-around game, averaging 16.0 ppg, while pacing the team in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and steals (46) and also ranking second in assists (74). Scheyer adds 13.8 ppg to the cause and is the team's top distributor (82 assists).

As a whole, Virginia Tech is not quite as explosive at the offensive end, averaging 72.3 ppg. However, the team does possess a potent trio of scorers in Malcolm Delaney, A.D. Vassallo and Jeff Allen. Delaney doesn't shoot the ball particularly well overall (.422), but does have 59 three-pointers to his credit, while leading the team in both scoring (18.8 ppg) and assists (102). Vassallo is another outside threat with a team-high 63 treys to this credit. The veteran is right behind Delaney in scoring at 18.4 ppg. The top player inside is forward Jeff Allen, who adds 14.0 ppg, while leading the way on the boards with nearly nine caroms per outing (8.8). Tech was able to end a three- game slide with a solid defense in the waning moments, earning a tough, three- point decision at Clemson this week. Delaney led the offensive charge with 26 points, followed by Vassallo, who poured in 21. Hank Thorns was the only other Hokie in double figures, adding 10 points.

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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.