ST. John First Half Edge Leaving In Percent

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyshawn Taylor had 28 points and six assists as No. 7 Kansas downed previously unbeaten No. 3 Baylor, 92-74, in Big 12 action. Thomas Robinson had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford each added 11 points while Jeff Withey had 10 points and 10 boards for the Jayhawks (15-3, 5-0 Big 12), who have won eight straight.

 

Perry Jones III totaled 18 points and Quincy Miller added 17 for the Bears (17-1, 4-1), who set a school record for best start to the season.

 

"I chose St. John's because I think it's a perfect fit for me," said Branch in a statement from St. John's. "They have a great coaching staff who I feel can help me a lot with my game. Those guys are like teachers in a classroom, but teachers of the game. They know so much about the game. We have a really great team and I think we could compete with anyone in the future."

 

, (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Michigan Wolverines try to remain perfect at home, as they host in-state and Big Ten Conference rival Michigan State, which enters play as the ninth-ranked team in the country. Michigan, which along with Michigan State make up two of the five teams from the Big Ten Conference that are currently ranked, has won 11 straight decision at home this season, and 12 consecutive at Crisler Arena overall dating back to last season. However, the team's most recent outing over the weekend took place at Iowa and the Wolverines failed to find any magic at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as they stumbled in an awkward 75-59 final. The setback was the second in the last four games and dropped Michigan to 4-2 in league play as a result.

 

The Wolverines hold a 93-74 advantage in a series that dates back more than a century to 1909. Last season Michigan took both contests, the first being a 61-57 decision on the road, and then the first week of March it was a 70-63 triumph at home.

 

Michigan took itself out of contention against Iowa by shooting just 34.8 percent from the field in the first half, including 3-of-16 behind the three- point line. Obviously things improved after the break for the visitors, but not enough so that the Wolverines could prevent defeat. Trey Burke was responsible for a team-best 19 points, and Zack Novak 14 to go along with his game-high eight rebounds, yet the Hawkeyes still beat Michigan on the glass by a 39-30 margin. Tim Hardaway Jr. accounted for nine points, but he shot just 2-of-13 from the field and failed on all eight of his three-pointers. As a starter in all 18 games, it only makes sense that Hardaway would be the top scorer for the Wolverines with his 15.7 ppg, although one might have to question his persistence in trying to become a perimeter threat with just 28.6 percent accuracy beyond the arc. Burke (14.3 ppg) has also put himself out there as a passing threat now that he has almost twice as many assists (89) as anyone else on the roster.

 

Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will try to extend their winning streak to 10 games in a row tonight as they host the Arkansas Razorbacks in a Southeastern Conference battle at Rupp Arena. This will be the 33rd meeting between Arkansas and Kentucky. The Wildcats hold a 24-8 advantage in the rivalry. The Razorbacks ended a 10-game losing streak to Kentucky last season with an overtime victory, but have gone just 2-11 in Lexington all-time with their last victory in Rupp Arena coming during the 1993-1994 season.

 

B.J. Young and Mardracus Wade will lead the upset attempt tonight. Young might be the best rookie in the conference and has been excellent as of late, averaging 18.5 ppg on 60-percent shooting from the field. Wade's ability to spread the floor with his accuracy is extremely valuable to the Razorbacks. The sophomore guard is leading the SEC with a three-point shooting percentage of 49.3, after knocking down 3-of-4 from long range on his way to 14 points his last time out. Hunter Mickelson made a huge impact on the defensive end his last time out. The freshman forward recorded his second seven-block outing of the year against LSU. Despite playing just 16.6 minutes per game, Mickelson has blocked a shot in every game this year.

 

Rosemont, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas continue their road swing with a visit to Allstate Arena for a Big East showdown with the DePaul Blue Demons this evening. Tonight will be the 26th meeting in the all-time series. The Hoyas hold a 19-6 advantage in the rivalry and have won all encounters since the Blue Demons entered the conference.

 

Jason Clark is the go-to-guy for Georgetown so far. The senior guard leads the team in scoring, and seems to enjoy traveling as he carries an average of 17.6 ppg on 51.2 percent field goal shooting in games outside of Washington D.C. Hollis Thompson has been on a roll lately for the Hoyas. The junior forward has averaged 17.5 ppg in his last four games, which has brought his season total of double-digit outings to 15. Despite being the tallest player on the roster, Henry Sims is Georgetown's top assist man with 3.7 apg. Sims is the only player in the Big East in the top 15 in both assists and blocks.

Thegrek NCAA Basketball Betting Blog

<< FCS Players Leaves Defensive Against Big

<< Blind Luck With Havre Delaware

<< Padres Leads Schierholtz Down Home

<< Last Season Season Claim Disable With Home

<< Games Pirates Highlight Name Down Month

Jrue Holiday Of Paul Percent >>

Games Joins Celtics From Blazers >>

Knicks Anderson Crush Claim Into Stops >>

State Games Highlight Name Down Tonight >>

20 Points Maynor Claim Disable With Nuggets >>

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.