Gamecocks take on Volunteers in SEC action

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/06/2010 - Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers will have the Knoxville faithful on their side tonight as they play host to the South Carolina Gamecocks in SEC action.

Back on January 26th, South Carolina carried a three-game losing streak into a showdown with unbeaten Kentucky, so the fact that the Gamecocks were able to score an upset of the Wildcats was certainly surprising. They won a second straight game last weekend over Georgia by a 78-77 final and have been idle since that affair. South Carolina is 13-8 overall, including 4-3 in conference, and the hope tonight is that the club can improve a 1-5 record in true road games.

As for Tennessee, it has recorded back-to-back wins to improve to 17-4 overall and remain in contention for the SEC crown with a 5-2 league record. On Thursday, the Vols got the job done at the defensive end in a 59-54 victory over LSU. Tennessee has reason for confidence this evening, as the squad is 11-1 at home thus far.

Tennessee owns a 31-23 series advantage over South Carolina, and the teams will meet again in two weeks.

There aren't many players nationally that mean as much to their respective teams as Devan Downey does to South Carolina. He has been the squad's leading scorer in 10 consecutive outings and is averaging 22.9 ppg to go along with 3.6 apg and 64 steals. Brandis Raley-Ross has emerged as a solid second scoring option for the Gamecocks, but his 10.2 ppg won't scare any opponents. Through 21 outings, USC is generating 74.7 ppg while allowing 69.0 ppg. Downey exploded for 33 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the floor in the victory over Georgia last time out. Sam Muldrow added 19 points and 11 boards for the Gamecocks, who shot 51.8 percent form the floor, including 9-of-17 from three- point range. It certainly helped the cause that they only turned the ball over nine times.

Tennessee is scoring 76.9 ppg this season while allowing 64.4 ppg to opponents on 39.2 percent shooting from the field. The Vols are led by Scotty Hopson's 13.3 ppg, and Wayne Chism is close behind with 12.2 ppg to go along with his 7.1 rpg and 30 blocks. Those two players are the only active double-digit scorers on the Tennessee roster. Chism was outstanding against LSU on Thursday, as he shot 9-of-15 from the field and finished with 20 points. The Vols shot only 30 percent from the floor in the first half, but 52 percent efficiency over the final 20 minutes enabled the club to seal the win. Defensively, the Vols held the Tigers to 30.5 percent shooting, including 5- of-23 from three-point range.

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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.