UConn leads top seeds for women's tourney

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Connecticut, Stanford, Tennessee and Nebraska all earned top seeds for the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins Saturday at campus sites around the country.

Connecticut (33-0) is the top seed in the Dayton Region, and will open play against Southern. The Huskies are the heavy favorite to win this tournament, as they have won an NCAA Division I women's record 72 straight games and went wire-to-wire as the top-ranked team for the second consecutive season.

Connecticut enters the tourney looking for its second consecutive national title, as the Huskies defeated Louisville last season in the championship game.

Stanford (31-1) is the No. 1 seed for the Sacramento Region, and faces UC Riverside, the Big West winner, in the first round. The Cardinal's only loss this season came against Connecticut in December, a game in which Stanford led at halftime.

The Cardinal could potentially face UConn in the national championship game, as the teams are on the opposite side of the bracket. Stanford lost to Connecticut in last year's Final Four.

Nebraska (30-1) received the top seed in the Kansas City Region and will take on Missouri Valley Conference champion Northern Iowa in the opening round. The Huskers were undefeated until Saturday, when they lost to Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

Tennessee (30-2) picked up the No. 1 seed for the Memphis Region, and will begin play against Ohio Valley Conference champion Austin Peay. The Lady Vols were the most recent champion other than Connecticut, having won titles in 2007 and '08, but were ousted in the first round in last year's tourney by Ball State. It was the first time Tennessee ever lost in the first two rounds of the Tournament.

Sportautochance NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Seahawks ink TE Baker
Kirkland, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Seahawks on Monday added depth at the tight end position by signing veteran Chris Baker. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 30-year-old Baker spent last season with the P

<< Giants, Jets to both host games opening weekend
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants and New York Jets will both host games at their new home, Meadowlands Stadium, on the opening weekend of the 2010 regular season. The Giants will play Sunday afternoon, September 12,

<< Djokovic sneaks into fourth round at Indian Wells
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 2 Novak Djokovic barely survived his third-round match Monday at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters event. The second-seeded Djokovic outlasted 25th-seeded German Philip

<< Packers re-sign T Tauscher
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Green Bay Packers on Monday re-signed veteran offensive tackle Mark Tauscher to a two-year contract. The Wisconsin product has spent his entire 10-year career with the Packers, who selected the 6-f

<< Iowa fires hoops coach Lickliter
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Iowa has fired head men's basketball coach Todd Lickliter. The school announced the news Monday, and while Iowa athletic director Gary Barta said he still believes Lickliter is "a trem

Stars' Modano out indefinitely >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Stars center Mike Modano will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery Monday for an appendectomy. The 39-year-old Modano did not practice with the team today and is not expected to play

Broncos release QB Simms >>
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos on Monday released quarterback Chris Simms in the wake of the acquisition of Brady Quinn. On Sunday, the Broncos acquired Quinn from the Browns in exchange for fullback Peyton Hill

Detroit F Prince suffers back injury >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince suffered an injury to his back and had to be assisted off the floor in the first quarter of Monday's game against the Boston Celtics. With 4:53 remaining in the qu

Ducks' Selanne, Getzlaf undergo MRIs >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anaheim Ducks forwards Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf underwent MRIs on Monday for injuries sustained in Sunday's 4-2 win over San Jose. Selanne, who scored career goal No. 599 in the victory, suffered an

Devils hold on to edge Bruins >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zach Parise scored the eventual game-winner late in the first period, as the New Jersey Devils held off the Boston Bruins, 3-2, at Prudential Center. David Clarkson had a goal and an assist for the Devils, who

Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

NFL Football Office Pools : NFL Football Contests

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules

Welcome to our free football office pool page. Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.

Football Pickem Pools: Your basic office pool format, where you pick the winner of each game, either against the spread or straight up. Spice up your pool by using confidence ranks, key picks, and other options. Pick 5 pools available. You can print NFL Football Office Pools here. Custom ranks available. Custom point spreads. Use Pro and/or College games, even D1AA games can be included. Many many other options.

Football Survivor Pools: Also known as Knockout, Suicide, Eliminator, Survival and Loser pools. Pick one team each week. If they win you advance to the next round. If they lose, you're out. The catch: You can only pick a team once. Many options like Pick a Team Only [Once,Twice,Unlimited], [1,2,3,4,5] Strikes and You're Out, Double Picks, Bye Weeks, Alias Entries and more. Very easy to set up and manage.

Football Share Pools: Pick college and/or pro football game winners using Vegas odds in our own unique Share Pool format. Accumulate points by picking pointspread and over/under winners. Risk as many points as you want on any game. The person with the most points (shares) at the end wins. Perfect for the Playoffs and Bowl Seasons.

Fantasy Football Pools: Fantasy football pool managers love our easy to use interface and custom settings. Points and head to head leagues, custom points, offline drafts, live scoring, waiver wire, trades and more. Live customer service by email or phone. $50 flat fee.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.