Kentucky can clinch share of SEC title with win at Tennessee

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/27/2010 - Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will attempt to clinch a share of their 44th SEC title, as they invade Thompson- Boling Arena to battle the 19th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers in a premier matchup in Knoxville.

The Wildcats took one step closer to that conference crown with Thursday's 82-61 rout of South Carolina. The win was the eighth straight for Kentucky, which avenged its only loss of the season. With a two-game lead in the league standings, a win today will give the team a share of the SEC title.

The Volunteers are coming off a 75-62 loss at Florida this week. The setback to the Gators ended a brief two-game win streak for Tennessee and dropped the team to 8-5 in conference action.

This is the 209th all-time meeting in this series, with Kentucky holding a 143-65 edge. The Wildcats are 49-45 in games played in Knoxville. They swept the Vols last season and are seeking the same this season, after posting a 73-62 victory in Lexington on February 13th. Tennessee's 65 wins in the series are the most by any other Kentucky foe.

The Wildcats avenged their only loss of the season with relative ease, thanks in large part to the performance by Patrick Patterson. The junior forward hit 10-of-12 shots from the floor to tally a season-high 23 points. DeMarcus Cousins added a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while fellow freshman John Wall tallied 12 points. Wall though, struggled in a couple of areas, hitting just four of his 15 shots in the game and committing six of the team's 10 turnovers. Wall and Cousins have played like seasoned veterans and not freshmen this season. Wall leads the team in scoring (16.7 ppg) and the SEC in assists (6.2 apg). Cousins has been equally dominant inside, netting 16.3 ppg and pulling down 10.2 rpg (second in the ACC). Patterson (15.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg) adds to the frontcourt play, while yet another freshman, Eric Bledsoe (10.6 ppg) does the same along the perimeter.

The Volunteers are a dangerous squad at both ends of the court and the only team in the country to hand top-ranked Kansas a loss. Tennessee is shooting a steady .456 from the floor, leading to nearly 75 points per game (74.9). Scotty Hopson and Wayne Chism form a solid inside/out combo. Both players are averaging 12.9 ppg to pace the team. Hopson leads Tennessee with 42 three- pointers, while Chism is tops in rebounding (6.9 rpg) and blocked shots (40). Bobby Maze (9.4 ppg) and J.P. Prince (8.3 ppg) provide some scoring depth. The Vols turned the ball over 14 times, shot just .397 from the floor and were outrebounded 38-29, all keys to the 13-point loss to Florida in Gainesville. Hopson was able to hit 8-of-15 shots for a team-high 20 points. Cameron Tatum added 13 points off the bench, while Maze chipped in with 11.

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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.