Top-25 foes meet in ACC action

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/25/2007 - Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of talented ACC teams will collide in Durham this evening, as the 10th-ranked Duke Blue Devils welcome the 19th-ranked Clemson Tigers to town.

Clemson enters this contest with an 18-2 record, the first time the program has been as successful in its first 20 games since 1986-87. After winning 17 in a row to open the campaign, the Tigers suffered back-to-back defeats to Maryland and North Carolina. Fortunately, they were able to get back in the win column with an impressive 74-54 decision over Boston College on Saturday.

Since losing two straight games to open league play, Duke has managed three consecutive wins over conference opponents, all by more than 20 points. On Saturday, the Blue Devils were completely dominant in a 79-56 romp over NC State, and they are now 12-1 at home.

Duke has won its last 19 games against Clemson, and the Blue Devils own a commanding 97-27 advantage in the all-time series with the Tigers. Furthermore, Duke is 52-4 at home against Clemson.

On Saturday, Clemson shot 50.8 percent from the floor and finished with only eight turnovers in the victory over Boston College. The Tigers managed 21 more field goal attempts than the Eagles, overshadowing the fact that the club shot a lowly 3-of-9 from the foul line. Leading the way in the win was Cliff Hammonds, as he netted 17 points. James Mays contributed 14 points, and Vernon Hamilton added 13 points. The Tigers are scoring 77.0 ppg while limiting opponents to 63.2 ppg. K.C. Rivers does not start for Clemson, but he leads the team in scoring with 14.3 ppg on the strength of his 42.4 percent shooting from three-point range. Mays is netting 13.5 ppg to go along with a team-high 7.3 rpg, and Hamilton adds 11.8 ppg. The fourth and final double-digit scorer for the Tigers is Hammonds with 11.1 ppg.

With five double-digit scorers, Duke certainly benefited from a balanced offensive attack in the victory over NC State on Saturday. Freshman standout Jon Scheyer led the charge with 10 points, and DeMarcus Nelson tallied 15 points. Josh McRoberts and Greg Paulus tallied 13 points apiece, and David McClure rounded out the group with 10 points. The Blue Devils connected on 52.5 percent of their field goal attempts, and they limited the Wolfpack to 34.1 percent efficiency from the floor while forcing them into 20 turnovers. Nelson is the leading scorer for Duke with 14.5 ppg, and McRoberts checks in with 12.6 ppg. As for Scheyer, he is averaging 12.1 ppg and seems to get better with every outing. The Blue Devils are posting 69.5 ppg while limiting opponents to 55.3 ppg on 38.8 percent shooting from the field.

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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.