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 Hardcourt Happenings - Missouri Valley ConferenceMatt Fargo - 1/19/2007 11:42 AM Hardcourt Happenings Throughout the college basketball season, Matt Fargo will be taking a look at teams that should pique your betting appetite, whether they are good or bad. We all know about Florida, North Carolina and UCLA but with 336 teams in division I college hoops, there are plenty of teams flying under the radar. Today’s session: Missouri Valley Conference This isn’t just about one te... |
| The NFLs Final Four Ben Burns - 1/16/2007 10:59 AM The NFL's Final Four By: Ben Burns After another exciting week, we're down to four teams. The Colts will host an old nemesis, the Patriots, in the AFC while the surprising Saints will march to Chicago to face the Bears in NFC. I've begun this week's column by recapping the stats from the current playoff season. It’s always wise to study history, so that's followed by a loo... |
| NFL Playoffs: Conference Championships! Mike Neri - 1/16/2007 10:22 AM NFL Playoffs: Conference Championships! by Mike Neri The conference title tilts take place this weekend in the NFL playoffs. Weather certainly won’t be a factor in the AFC championship game, being played inside the RCA Dome. However, the Saints/Bears game will be outdoors in chilly Chicago. The early Sunday forecast is an icy mix, with a high of 35 degrees, and wind ... |
| Coaches in the NFL Playoffs Big Al McMordie - 1/12/2007 5:11 PM Coaches in the NFL Playoffs By Big Al McMordie Last week I looked at the records of several NFL head coaches in the postseason. Given what took place over the weekend, it’s worth taking this a step further and analyzing what happens when the merits of different head coaches square off in the postseason. It will be interesting to see what Saints coach Sean Payton has up his sleev... |
| TOM STRYKERS NFL SYSTEM of the WEEK Tom Stryker - 1/12/2007 5:07 PM TOM STRYKER'S NFL SYSTEM of the WEEK NFL DIVISIONAL DANDY In the "Elite Eight" stage of the NFL Playoffs, the history book shows that the home team has performed very well. According to my database, hosts at this stage of the game are a respectable 79-25 SU and 59-42-3 ATS. Even though I think there are a couple of road teams that have a very good shot at pulling off an ups... |
| Halftime Wagering: Low Scoring is Commonplace Mike Neri - 1/12/2007 4:48 PM Halftime Wagering: Low Scoring is Commonplace by Mike Neri When making halftime wagers, it’s common in football for games to be lower scoring, if the situations fall right. The NFL playoffs can present opportunities, especially if the home team has a big halftime lead and either a strong running game or a great defense. I thought of this Monday night watching the nati... |
| NFL Playoff Notebook Mike Neri - 1/12/2007 4:46 PM NFL Playoff Notebook by Mike Neri The wild cards are over and now the winners face four rested teams. Teams with the bye week have historically had huge edges. They have two weeks to prepare and game plan, two weeks to rest, plus home field. The opponent has to play a physical playoff game then 7 days later be ready to play again – on the road. Think back to last s... |
| NFC Wild Card Weekend! Mike Neri - 1/12/2007 4:45 PM NFC Wild Card Weekend!by Mike Neri Cowboys at Seahawks: Three of the four NFC teams playing this weekend haven’t been playing like they want to win. Two of them meet here, both losing 3 of their final 4 games. The Cowboys defense has been awful of late, allowing 42, 28, 23 and 39 points the last four games. Their finale against the pitiful Lions was particularly gruesome, as they wanted to win... |
| Hardcourt Happenings - Air Force Falcons Matt Fargo - 1/8/2007 10:54 AM Hardcourt Happenings Throughout the college basketball season, Matt Fargo will be taking a look at teams that should pique your betting appetite, whether they are good or bad. We all know about Florida, North Carolina and UCLA but with 336 teams in division I college hoops, there are plenty of teams flying under the radar. Today’s session: Air Force Falcons Air Force bur... |
| AFC Wild Card Weekend! Mike Neri - 1/2/2007 1:56 PM AFC Wild Card Weekend! by Mike Neri It was another wild final weekend in the NFL playoffs. The NFC was pretty much set after the Giants won Saturday, but the AFC came down to the final game – and then some! The late afternoon game, the 49ers at Broncos, would decide the final seeds and the game went into overtime as football fans from coast to coast held their breaths.... |
| NFL Playoffs - First Look Players Advantage - 12/31/2006 10:18 PM NFL Playoffs – First LookFirst off I must touch on the fact that my NFL season ended with a poor Sunday after success ruled for most of the season. On the final Sunday the “snowball effect” got the best of me and it was a tough situation to deal with. However, the key is to understand what happened and why it happened and then simply move ahead with great aspirations for the upcoming playoffs.On t... |
| You Win with Rebounds Mike Neri - 12/29/2006 6:14 PM You Win with Rebounds by Mike Neri Remember what coach Pat Riley used to say all the time? No rebounds, no rings! That was his mantra to his team, several of which were terrific offensive powerhouses. However, Riley knew that it's not offense that wins championships, but defense and rebounding. It's important to stress this because rebounding is not the easy part of the g... |
| Basketball Coaches Preach Different Styles Mike Neri - 12/29/2006 6:11 PM Basketball Coaches Preach Different Styles by Mike Neri One area that’s important to examine and understand is the role coaches play in college and pro basketball. This is an often overlooked aspect of the game can influence winning and losing, straight up and against the spread. A competent coach is not going to take a team with marginal talent deep into the NBA play... |
| Handicapping Bowl Games Big Al McMordie - 12/28/2006 4:29 PM Handicapping Bowl Games By Al McMordie Bowl season is in full swing. From a wagering standpoint, you have to approach bowls a little differently than regular season games. One reason is that teams often don’t have any common opponents and play against different conferences, which can make examining match-ups tricky. For instance, last week BYU of the Mountain West confere... |
| NFL Final Week: Talk is Cheap Mike Neri - 12/24/2006 11:38 AM It’s essential for sports handicappers to sift through talk by players and coaches to find the meaningful stuff from the baloney. For instance, here are a couple of quotes from NFL players this season. "We're a better team than we were last year and we expected to come in here and win this game." "We planned on coming back this year and beating Pittsburgh two times." The players? Bengals RB Rudi... |
| test Mike Neri - 12/24/2006 11:38 AM YouWinNOW GUARANTEED WINNERS from the Nation's Most PROFITABLE Handicappers This site is dedicated to making you money with your Sports Investments. For that reason alone you will only pay for a selection after it wins! You will NEVER pay for a losing selection on YouWinNOW.com. We have put together a team of the Strongest and most Profitable Sports Handicappers in... |
| Marquee Match-ups - More than Meets the Eye Players Advantage - 12/21/2006 5:30 PM Marquee Match-ups – More than Meets the EyeSaturday December 16th two of college basketball’s top teams met as the Pitt Panthers played the University of Wisconsin Badgers in Madison. The billing for the game was #2 versus #7. Although the seventh ranked Badgers were double digit winners over the second ranked Panthers the game offered some insight into two of the top conferences in the country.De... |
| Rocketman Sports Top 25 College Basketball Teams (12-12-06) Rocketman Sports - 12/13/2006 2:17 PM Rocketman Sports Top 25 College Basketball Teams (12-12-06) Let's see how the Rocketman rankings compare to the AP and the USA Today rankings. 1. Air Force 95.77 2. Florida 94.47 3. Duke 92.46 4. Clemson 92.17 5. Arizona 91.73 6. Mississippi State 91.39 7. Michigan State 91.32 8. Oregon 9... |
| Must Win Games...Friend or Enemy Players Advantage - 12/12/2006 3:03 PM Must Win Games…Friend or EnemyAs we enter the middle part of December the NFL schedule is really heating up with a lot of big games. There will be plenty of game with playoff implications. As a result, there will many times where you will read the phrase “this is a must win game”. Keep in mind that just because a team is in a “must win situation” does not mean they “must win” the cash. In principl... |
| Hardcourt Happenings Matt Fargo - 12/12/2006 10:36 AM Hardcourt Happenings Throughout the college basketball season, Matt Fargo will be taking a look at teams that should pique your betting appetite, whether they are good or bad. We all know about Florida, North Carolina and UCLA but with 336 teams in division I college hoops, there are plenty of teams flying under the radar. Today’s session: Cincinnati Bearcats It was only... |
| NFL Week 15: Redemption! Mike Neri - 12/11/2006 8:40 PM NFL Week 15: Redemption! by Mike Neri It’s going to be an interesting NFL weekend. Not only are several teams locked in races for playoff byes and Wild Card spots, but several very likely playoff teams are off terrific beatings. You don’t want to be playing your worst football this time of the year. "We took a bad beating," said Bill Parcells. "We... |
| NBA Go-Against: Hot Shot Shooters Mike Neri - 12/9/2006 5:32 PM NBA Go-Against: Hot Shot Shooters by Mike Neri There are many facets to winning basketball, both straight up and against the spread: coaching, motivation, defense, home court, revenge. And, of course, the ability of players to put the ball in the hoop – offense. One aspect that’s tricky about offense is that some nights it simply isn’t there, no matter how g... |
| Second Half Wagering Big Al McMordie - 12/8/2006 8:25 PM Second Half Wagering By Al McMordie It was a wild weekend for football. In college, USC’s upset loss to UCLA sent the BCS title match-up into confusion, while in the NFL there were two safeties and a ton of turnovers in a sloppy Sunday that must have had offensive coaches pulling their hair out. Chicago QB Rex Grossman completed 6 passes and threw three interceptions,... |
| NBA: Early Season Betting Observations Mike Neri - 12/8/2006 8:23 PM NBA: Early Season Betting Observations by Mike Neri In all sports, some teams don’t change much from season to season, while other teams can change significantly. Changes occur because of obvious things, such as new players or coaches, and more subtle things, such as injuries, strategic shifts, or certain young players blossoming and getting better. I bring this up bec... |
| NFL Stretch Run Offers Profitable Opportunities Players Advantage - 12/6/2006 9:37 PM NFL Stretch Run Offers Profitable Opportunities The home stretch is underway in the NFL. As some teams battle for division titles, home field advantage and wild card berths, there are other teams that are in line for none of the above! The only battles they are in are for who comes up with the number one pick in Aprils’ NFL Draft. The idea that these teams are just playing out the string or simp... |
| Year of the Dog Ben Burns - 12/5/2006 10:09 PM Year of the Dog by Ben Burns Millions of people around the world that follow the Chinese Calendar will tell you that 2005 was the 'Year of the Rooster.' NFL bettors are more likely to remember it as the 'Year of the Favorite.' However, Chinese calendar enthusiasts and NFL gamblers alike can both agree that 2006 will always be remembered as the 'Year of the Dog.' Indeed, 'dogs... |
| NFL: Playoff Picture Ben Burns - 12/5/2006 10:00 PM NFL: Playoff Picture by Ben Burns With Week 12 now officially in the books, every team (Seattle/Green Bay was played after press-time) has played 11 of its 16 regular season games. Unlike some years, many of the division races have become surprisingly clear, particularly in the AFC. Knowing which teams still have 'something to play for' is important in handicapping December ga... |
| Hardcourt Happenings Matt Fargo - 12/4/2006 10:57 AM Hardcourt Happenings Throughout the college basketball season, Matt Fargo will be taking a look at teams that should pique your betting appetite, whether they are good or bad. We all know about Florida, North Carolina and UCLA but with 336 teams in division I college hoops, there are plenty of teams flying under the radar. Today’s session: Clemson Tigers The Tigers are u... |
| A Volatile Mix: Bad Coaches and Bad Defense Mike Neri - 12/3/2006 8:43 PM A Volatile Mix: Bad Coaches and Bad Defense by Mike Neri A lot of people are looking for teams that they want to BET ON. They look for reasons why one team will cover the number over the opponent, be it a better quarterback, home field edge, better defense, a faster secondary. Well here's another way of sports betting thinking: Look for teams that are good to BET AGAINST.... |
| Keep Close Eyes on the Schedule Mike Neri - 11/30/2006 11:42 PM Keep Close Eyes on the Schedule by Mike Neri When analyzing what game a team is playing each week, it’s also important to look at what games they played last week and what’s on tap the following week. Pro and college football teams do, and the truth is come teams don’t always take EVERY game as seriously as they should. Scheduling is one reason. The Cowboys... |
| CFB BCS Standings - Rocketman Style Rocketman Sports - 11/30/2006 1:21 PM CFB BCS STANDINGS – ROCKETMAN STYLE We thought we’d give you a look inside the Rocketman power ratings going into the Championship weekend in College Football. Let’s do it Rocketman style! We’re going to list our Top 20 along with their rating and then we’ll talk a bit about the BCS and... |
| THE LUCK BITCH Tom Scott - 11/30/2006 12:07 PM THE LUCK BITCH By: Tom Scott Some refer to her as Lady Luck, others as Dame Fortune. I call her the LUCK BITCH mostly because she deserves it. She incorporates everything imaginable into her back of tricks to make life difficult for rational handicappers and she has a particular fondness for messing with me. Last Sunday, she outdid herself. These are the two games I used... |
| Stretch Run: Go Against Teams Big Al McMordie - 11/30/2006 12:05 PM Stretch Run: Go Against Teams By Al McMordie With five games left in the regular season, we can certainly separate some of the pretenders from the contenders as the postseason approaches. Just as important, from a betting standpoint, we can pinpoint teams that have run out of steam or simply don’t care anymore. Either they’ve tuned out their coach, or just have not... |
| NFL December Preview Players Advantage - 11/28/2006 6:01 PM NFL December PreviewIt is time for the NFL to enter the month of December and that means it is time for the “haves” and the “have nots” to show their true “colors”. This can certainly help you come up with some extra “green”.Haves:Indianapolis had their hiccup against Dallas and yet they still were just a play away from winning that game. The Colts put points on the board like no other and they st... |
| Betting Strategy: Money Line Dogs Mike Neri - 11/27/2006 9:40 PM Each weekend, sports bettors work hard to identify winning edges and soft lines. Some bettors grow impatient and aren’t entirely satisfied with laying $330 to win $300, for example. They think about maximizing a small wager into a large, quick profit. While you can do this in the stock market, such as turning a penny stock into an outstanding profit, it still doesn’t... |
| Betting Strategy: Money Line Dogs Mike Neri - 11/27/2006 9:39 PM Each weekend, sports bettors work hard to identify winning edges and soft lines. Some bettors grow impatient and aren’t entirely satisfied with laying $330 to win $300, for example. They think about maximizing a small wager into a large, quick profit. While you can do this in the stock market, such as turning a penny stock into an outstanding profit, it still doesn’t... |
| Football Strategy: Attacking a Weakness! Mike Neri - 11/23/2006 10:44 PM Football Strategy: Attacking a Weakness! By: Mike Neri Strategically, football has similarities to war. Commanding officers use photographs of rival positions in an attempt to identify weaknesses in the enemy lines, then plot their offensive strategies accordingly. A smart commander doesn’t have his men go head on at the enemies’ strongest defensive positions – you exploit th... |
| Turnovers: Nothing Else Matters Players Advantage - 11/22/2006 9:44 PM Turnovers: Nothing Else MattersTruthfully the words in this title might be a little too strong. However, I have honestly had many weekends where, when it’s all said and done, I am left scratching my head and muttering those words. The fact is football is so impacted by turnovers that there are many times that they dictate the outcome of a game more than anything else! The weekend of November 18th... |
| Meat and Potatoes Football Big Al McMordie - 11/21/2006 7:11 PM Meat and Potatoes Football By Al McMordie With Ohio State/Michigan behind us and Thanksgiving upon us, this is the perfect time to be looking at meat and potatoes football. Ohio State coach Woody Hayes was fond of saying, “Three things can happen when you throw the football, and two of them are bad.” Hayes was old school, which meant he loved to run the football. While QB T... |
| NFL Notes Mike Neri - 11/19/2006 10:32 PM NFL Notes by Mike Neri It will be an interesting NFL weekend with several marquee match-ups, including the Chargers at Denver in a big AFC West showdown, and the Colts at Dallas looking to remain unbeaten. The Colts have gotten the job done each week, despite some deficiencies in their pass rush and run defense. None of which bothers the team. Their sacks are way done, ha... |
| NCAA Home Court Advantages Matt Fargo - 11/18/2006 11:22 AM Cameron Indoor Stadium, Dean Smith Center, Allen Fieldhouse, Pauley Pavilion, Rupp Arena These are all college basketball arenas that even the less knowledgeable hoops fans have heard of. They are some of the toughest and most intimidating venues that road teams visit. Home advantage is important in all sports but none more so than in college basketball where even very average teams can have a... |
| Rocky Atkinsons Race Day (Miami 11-19-06) Rocketman Sports - 11/17/2006 4:48 PM Rocky Atkinson's Race Day (Miami 11-19-06) We head into the final weekend of Nascar Nextel Cup Racing this year. The final race is upon us and one driver will be crowned Nextel Cup Champion on Sunday. The Nextel Cup boys head down to Miami to race on the 1 ½ mile oval track. We do want to take this time to thank all of our readers for tuning in each and every week. Lo... |
| BCS Late Season Shakeup Players Advantage - 11/15/2006 1:41 PM BCS Late Season Shakeup This past weekend’s upsets in college football put a few teams plans on hold. Not only as to how they were going to get into the BCS title game but possibly if their plans were out the window for good! The upsets also breathed some new life into a couple programs that before Saturday really were not in the discussion at most roundtables! The fight to be number two after t... |
| Betting trends-- good play or bad?? Tex Green - 11/13/2006 8:22 PM Hey Fellas, Tex Green here I would like to shine a bit of light on a question I have been asked a numerous of times... "How much do you take into consideration of past betting trends when making a pick?" Well first off, betting trends are a big part of making the right play. However with today's parity in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB it's hard to say whether or not using a "tre... |
| Showdown Saturday Big Al McMordie - 11/13/2006 11:31 AM Showdown Saturday By Al McMordie There’s nothing like a late season rivalry showdown or a battle of unbeatens. This weekend offers a couple of gridiron dandies, as Keith Jackson might say. Here’s a look at the best of showdown Saturday. Michigan at Ohio State: Folks have been waiting for this one for weeks, as the longtime rivals not only come in undefeated, but also... |
| NFL Home Dogs Biting and Barking Mike Neri - 11/12/2006 8:02 PM NFL Home Dogs Biting and Barking by Mike Neri It was quite a weekend for home dogs in the NFL. This is nothing new, as it’s always tougher to play your best football on the road than at home. Conversely, underdogs that are at home are always worth a look. Being a home dog means the opponent is better, at least as far as the general perception with fans and bettors. ... |
| Weathering the Storm Big Al McMordie - 11/12/2006 7:57 PM Weathering the Storm By Al McMordie As the pro and college football seasons slip into November, it’s time to think about important changes taking place. No, not how much turkey and pie you can stuff down your face on Thanksgiving, but factors that are beginning to seep into sports handicapping analysis that weren’t there in September. In case you haven’t noticed... |
| Michigan at Ohio State: An Early Look Mike Neri - 11/12/2006 7:54 PM Michigan at Ohio State: An Early Look by Mike Neri Let’s face it: There will be two national championship games in college football this season. One will come in early January as No. 1 meets No. 2. But the first one to get excited about takes place next week as No. 2 Michigan heads to No. 1 Ohio State. Both are unbeaten. Before that game takes place it’s going to be... |
| NBA Week 1 Recap Players Advantage - 11/7/2006 6:10 PM NBA Week 1 RecapThe NBA season is a week old and it is the perfect time to take a look at what we have seen so far and how we can use that to our advantage in the upcoming weeks!Perfect So FarNew Orleans/OKC Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Utah Jazz are unbeaten so far. This will not continue of course but the message here is don’t be overly surprised if you see each of these teams come playo... |
| Inside the Boxscores Week 10 Part 2 Matt Fargo - 11/7/2006 11:48 AM Inside the Boxscores is a weekly feature from Matt Fargo that has been widely recognized as the best summation in college football. He takes an in-depth look at each game and pulls out the most pertinent information that will help you handicap games in the future. College football is filled with quirky plays, misleading scores and surprise endings. Fargo takes you inside the action. (12)... |
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