IUPUI and Oakland collide for Summit League title

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - Sioux Falls, SD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The IUPUI Jaguars and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies will battle tonight in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament. The prize for the winner is an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

IUPUI, the tournament's second seed, beat seventh-seeded Western Illinois in the quarterfinal round and third-seeded Oral Roberts by a 69-65 final in yesterday's semifinals. The Jaguars are now riding a six-game win streak, and their only previous league title came back in 2003. They have lost in the championship game twice since capturing the crown.

Top-seeded Oakland knocked off eighth-seeded UMKC on Saturday before besting fifth-seeded IPFW, 71-58, yesterday. The Golden Grizzlies won their only conference crown in 2005, and they have also lost two championship games since tasting victory. Last season, they dropped a heart-breaking 66-64 decision to North Dakota State in the final. Oakland is riding a 10-game win streak, even more impressive than IUPUI's current run.

IUPUI and Oakland split a pair of meetings during the regular season, and the Golden Grizzlies own a 19-14 advantage in the all-time series.

There is a tremendous trio of players on the IUPUI roster, and Robert Glenn leads the group with 19.6 ppg behind 58.9 percent shooting from the floor. In addition to his scoring ability, Glenn leads the team with 6.4 rpg and 45 blocks. Alex Young checks in with 18.4 ppg, and Leroy Nobles provides 13.3 ppg on the strength of his 43.6 percent shooting from three-point range. The Jaguars are scoring 75.0 ppg while allowing 67.0 ppg to opponents. In the four-point win over Oral Roberts yesterday, Glenn tallied 18 points, Nobles scored 17 and Young added 16, as all three players performed well under pressure. IUPUI connected on 56.3 percent of its field goal attempts, the most obvious key to victory.

There are four double-digit scorers in the fold for Oakland, but center Keith Benson is clearly the best player on the roster. Benson is scoring 17.3 ppg on 54 percent shooting from the floor, and he is ripping down 10.3 rpg to go along with a block total of 110. Johnathon Jones provides 12.7 ppg for the Golden Grizzlies, and he has handed out a stellar total of 212 assists to complement his 60 steals. Derrick Nelson (11.7 ppg) and Larry Wright (11.0 ppg) round out the group for Oakland, which is posting 76.8 ppg while holding foes to 71.2 ppg. Blake Cushingberry came through with a huge performance for the Golden Grizzlies against IPFW, as the starting guard finished with 23 points. Benson posted 17 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks in that tilt, and Oakland held the Mastodons to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor.

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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.