Moore and Purdue down Northwestern in Big Ten quarters

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - E'Twaun Moore scored 28 points and JaJuan Johnson added 22 with eight rebounds, as sixth-ranked Purdue defeated Northwestern, 69-61, in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big Ten Conference Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Jeremy Nash buried a three-pointer in transition to trim Northwestern's deficit to 62-61 with 45.8 seconds to play in regulation. Purdue guard Chris Kramer was then fouled on the way to the hoop and converted the three-point play at the stripe with 36 seconds showing on the clock.

The Boilermakers (27-4) prevailed when Moore made four free throws after desperation threes by Alex Marcotullio and John Shurna were off the mark.

No other player scored more than five points for second-seeded Purdue, which advanced to play the winner between Minnesota and No. 11 Michigan State.

Drew Crawford posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the seventh-seeded Wildcats (20-13), who beat Indiana in the opening round. Shurna finished with 16 points and six boards.

Wwwskybook NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Onuaku day-to-day with right quadriceps injury
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Syracuse forward Arinze Onuaku is day-to-day with a right quadriceps injury. Onuaku was hurt in Thursday's 91-84 loss to Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. He underwent an MRI on

<< Bobcats' Wallace leaves game with ankle injury
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace left Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a sprained left ankle. With 1.5 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Wallace stole the ball fr

<< Tight end shuffle: Browns sign Watson, release Heiden
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns shifted their focus at the tight end position on Friday, signing unrestricted free agent Benjamin Watson to a multi-year contract and also releasing Steve Heiden. Financial terms of the

<< Lehigh tops Lafayette for Patriot League title
Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - C.J. McCollum poured in a game-best 20 points to go with seven rebounds, as the top-seeded Lehigh Mountain Hawks punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with a 74-59 victory over the third-seeded Lafayet

<< Thunder rookie Harden expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks
Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oklahoma City Thunder rookie guard James Harden is expected to miss the next 2-to-4 weeks with a strained right hamstring. To replace Harden on the roster in the interim, the team recalled guar

Holloway leads Xavier over Dayton in A-10 quarterfinals >>
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrell Holloway led all scorers with 22 points to lead the No. 24 Xavier Musketeers past the Dayton Flyers, 78-73, in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament. Jordan Crawford added

James returns, powers Cavs over Sixers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James ended with 23 points and Mo Williams chipped in 21, as Cleveland pulled out a tough 100-95 decision over the Philadelphia 76ers. James, who missed the previous two games due to a mildly sp

Monroe Doctrine: Hoyas dominate paint to reach Big East final >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Monroe dominated the paint with 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and 22nd-ranked Georgetown returned to the Big East Tournament final for the third time in four years with an 80-57 v

Lightning escape Verizon Center with win over Caps >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Walker had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning got a big win in a 3-2 decision over the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center. Vincent Lecavalier and Brandon Bochenski each had

Bobcats top Clippers; Wallace hurt ankle >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson poured in 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter while dishing out six assists, as the Charlotte Bobcats continued their stellar play at home with a 106-98 victory over the Los Angeles

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.