Gators and Gamecocks collide in Gainesville

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-ranked Florida Gators put a five- game win streak on the line this evening, as the welcome the South Carolina Gamecocks to Gainesville for an SEC showdown at the O'Connell Center.

Billy Donovan's Gators are very much in the hunt for the conference crown thanks to their recent run of victories. Florida is second in the SEC at 5-1 and enter this contest following a 69-57 win over Mississippi State last weekend.

Darrin Horn's Gamecocks are at the opposite end of the league standings, residing in the league cellar with Georgia at 1-5. South Carolina has lost five of its last six games, including a 66-62 setback at Ole Miss last Saturday.

Florida holds a 38-22 lead in the series with South Carolina and has won nine of the last 12 meetings. The Gators are seeking a regular-season sweep after posting a 79-65 win over South Carolina in Columbia on January 14th.

In a close game throughout, the Gamecocks came up just short in Oxford against Ole Miss this past weekend. Malik Cooke led the way in defeat with 17 points. USC drained eight three-pointers in the game, but still shot just 40 percent from the floor. Brenton Williams added 15 points off the bench for USC, while Anthony Gill chipped in with 10. A lack of consistency on the offensive end has directly contributed to South Carolina's sub par record. The Gamecocks are shooting a mere 41.7 percent from the floor, leading to 62.8 ppg. The roster is void of any prolific scorers, as Cooke and Bruce Ellington are the only reliable double-digit threats at 12.7 and 10.8 ppg, respectively. Gill is just under the mark at 8.3 ppg.

Florida has had no issues with scoring this season, averaging a robust 80.7 ppg, shooting .481 overall, including an impressive .408 from behind the arc. Kenny Boynton is one of five Gators averaging double figures, averaging 17.2 ppg. Boynton is one of the nation's premier snipers, hitting 43.5 percent from three-point range and amassing 70 three-pointers to date. Bradley Beal (14.1 ppg) and Erving Walker (12.6 ppg) add to the perimeter assault. Center Patric Young (11.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Eric Murphy (10.6 ppg) give the team balance up front. The Gators drilled 11 three-pointers in the 12-point win over Mississippi State. Beal led four Gators in double figures with 19 points. Murphy finished with 14 points, while Young and Walker tacked on 12 and 10 points, respectively. Boynton however, struggled in the game, hitting just 1- of-6 from the floor and finishing with just two points.

Candustand NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< No.10 Murray State meets SEMO in OVC action
Murray, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Murray State Racers put their flawless record on the line this evening, when the team takes on the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks in a key Ohio Valley Conference matchup at the CFSB Center. S

<< Hokies battle Blue Devils in Blacksburg
Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils get back to conference business, as they travel to Blacksburg to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in an ACC matchup at Cassell Coliseum. The Blue Devils took a break from

<< Tressel headed back to Akron in non-coaching role
Akron, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel has been hired at the University of Akron in an administrative role. Tressel, who received a graduate degree from Akron in 1977, will not work in the athletic

<< Spurs entertain Hornets in Alamo City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs will resume a three-game homestand tonight versus the New Orleans Hornets at the AT&T Center. The Spurs have been nearly unstoppable at home and have opened 11-1 in the Alamo City for the sixth ti

<< Baffert holds the aces in Robert B. Lewis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Not only does Bob Baffert have the favorite in this Saturday's Robert B. Lewis at Santa Anita, but the silver-haired trainer also has what could be the future Kentucky Derby champion entered in the Grade II event.

24th-ranked Bulldogs set sights on Cougars >>
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs continue their quest for the top spot in the West Coast Conference as they head to the Marriott Center to square off with the BYU Cougars. This will be just the second meeting bet

Gaels and Toreros tangle in WCC affair >>
Moraga, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Saint Mary's Gaels put an 11- game win streak on the line this evening, as they welcome the San Diego Toreros to Moraga for a West Coast Conference matchup at McKeon Pavilion. Randy Bennett's Gae

Stony Brook to visit Syracuse, Army >>
Stony Brook, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stony Brook will travel to FBS programs Syracuse and Army and play six home games as part of its 2012 football schedule. It will be the second straight year Stony Brook has scheduled two FBS opponents. The

Bombers extend contract of GM Mack >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday extended the contract of general manager Joe Mack through 2014. Mack began his current role as the head of football operations in 2010, returning to the club for wh

Bombers re-sign QB Pierce >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have re-signed veteran quarterback Buck Pierce. Per team policy, terms were not disclosed. "We are thrilled that we were able to get a deal done with Buck," said Blue Bomb

MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.

(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977.  Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.

Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer.  In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season. 

MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season.  Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite.  After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.

Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions.  They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals.  The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.