WAC rivals lock horns in Reno

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/27/2007 - Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah State Aggies take on their toughest opponent of the season tonight as they matchup against the 18th-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack in Western Athletic Conference action from the Lawlor Events Center in Reno.

The Aggies, currently third in the WAC standings with a record of 4-2, have won five straight games since falling in back-to-back outings versus Boise State and Fresno State to open league play earlier this month. The most recent win for USU came a week ago with a narrow 57-56 victory over San Jose State on the road.

As for the Pack, they bounced back from their first WAC loss of the campaign a week ago by posting an easy 84-67 triumph against Louisiana Tech at home on Thursday night. The decision pushed Nevada to 6-1 in league play and kept the squad in a tie for first place with the New Mexico State Aggies.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Aggies are ahead of Nevada by a commanding 23-9 mark even after the Pack defeated USU in the title game of last year's WAC Tournament with a 70-63 overtime decision.

Jaycee Carroll dropped in a game-high 22 points last week as the Aggies defeated San Jose State in California. The victory pushed Utah State to 12-0 this season and 23-2 when Carroll puts up 20 points or more in a contest. Also scoring in double figures for the Aggies was Chaz Spicer with 16 points, with the team getting a mere six points off the bench with only two players seeing action in a reserve role. Carroll, one of the nation's top three-point shooters a year ago, is at it again this time around as he is knocking down 44.3 percent out on the perimeter, which leads to his 21.1 ppg. But Carroll is much more than a deep threat these days because he is also first on the team with 5.9 rpg and has converted 83-of-89 (.933) at the free-throw line as well. Stephen DuCharme and Spicer account for 10.2 and 10.0 ppg, respectively, with the former chipping in 5.1 rpg and shooting almost as well from the field (.601) as he is at the charity stripe (.612). As a team, the Aggies are one of the most accurate shooters at the line in the nation with a mark of 77.2 percent after 20 games.

Ramon Sessions took over the spotlight for a change with the Wolf Pack as he tallied a game-high 21 points in the team's double-digit victory over Louisiana Tech on Thursday night. But more than shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free-throw line, Sessions also cleared seven rebounds and handed out a team-high seven assists as well. Nick Fazekas cruised through the evening with 13 points and seven boards, followed by Marcelus Kemp who posted 12 points. Hard to believe but Sessions, who has led the team in scoring in three of the last four outings, has actually been to the free-throw line more than both Fazekas and Kemp, converting 90-of-111 to come upon his 14.2 ppg. Sessions, who raises his scoring almost a full two points per game against WAC opponents, also paces the program with 88 assists, so the Pack is now much more than just Fazekas (19.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg), Kemp (18.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and those other guys. However, make no mistake, when the Pack needs a big play they always turn to the WAC's two-time Player of the Year in Fazekas before considering alternative options.

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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.