Bulldogs seek WCC perfection against Gaels

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/09/2009 - Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs haven't lost a single West Coast Conference game all season, and they are clearly favored in tonight's WCC title game against second-seeded Saint Mary's. The winner will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Saint Mary's has only one WCC tourney title, and that came back in 1997. The Gaels showed a great deal of poise and toughness to outlast the University of Portland last night by a 71-61 final in the semifinal round. The Gaels have now won their last six outings and own a 25-5 overall record.

As for Gonzaga, it ripped through the regular season, going a perfect 14-0 in the WCC en route to its ninth straight title and 11th in the last 12 years. The undefeated campaign was the third in the last six seasons for the Bulldogs, who are riding a seven-game win streak overall. Gonzaga has won an unmatched nine WCC Tournament titles and has appeared in the championship game 11 years in a row. The Bulldogs did, however, have their run of four straight championships come to an end with a loss to San Diego in the finals last season. Last night, Gonzaga crushed Santa Clara by a 94-59 final to earn a spot in tonight's tilt.

Thanks to a pair of narrow wins over the Gaels during the regular season, the Zags have pushed their series lead to 47-23 over Saint Mary's.

Patrick Mills is back for Saint Mary's, and the dynamic point guard gives the Gaels a legitimate shot to win tonight's showdown. Mills played 35 minutes against Portland, his much-anticipated return to action after missing eight games with a broken hand, and he finished with 12 points, the same total as teammates Omar Samhan and Carlin Hughes. Samhan also pulled down 13 rebounds, while Diamon Simpson posted 15 points and 14 boards. Adding further balance to the lineup for the Gaels was Wayne Hunter with 13 points. Saint Mary's earned an 18-2 edge in points from the foul line, an obvious key to victory. Mills is averaging 18.7 ppg and 3.9 apg, and he is one of the better point guards in all of college basketball. Samhan provides 13.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg, while Simpson is posting 13.6 ppg and 10.7 rpg.

Austin Daye was sensational for Gonzaga against Santa Clara on Sunday, as the forward poured in a career-high 28 points on the strength of a 10-of-13 shooting effort from the field. Point guard Jeremy Pargo contributed 16 points and five assists, while Micah Downs buried 4-of-5 three-pointers en route to 18 points. Steven Gray had 12 points off the bench for the Zags, and Matt Bouldin finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Gonzaga connected on 55.9 percent of its field goal attempts in the clash, including a stellar 13-of-22 showing from behind the arc. The fact that the club also forced 22 turnovers was key. Josh Heytvelt was limited to three points in 27 minutes of action against Santa Clara last night, but the Gonzaga standout is still posting 14.8 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Bouldin (13.7 ppg) and Daye (13.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg) are both consistent contributors, while Pargo, Gray and Downs all play major roles as well.

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Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.

"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."

Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

Get all your baseball betting lines, MLB lines and MLB team props at the My Sportbook.

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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.