Azcardonals NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< NHL fines Lightning F Moore
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League fined Tampa Bay Lightning forward Dominic Moore $2,500 on Friday. The fine stems from an interference play to New Your Rangers forward Ruslan Fedotenko on Thursday. The in

<< Wi leads by 3 at Pebble Beach; Tiger falls six back
Pebble Beach, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlie Wi carded a three-under 69 on Friday at Pebble Beach to take a three-stroke lead after two rounds of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Wi, who was one of three first-round leaders, finis

<< Jackets place Lebda, Methot on IR
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets placed defensemen Brett Lebda and Marc Methot on injured reserve Friday. Lebda was signed by Columbus on January 19, and has picked up one goal in five games since. M

<< Berdych, Stepanek give Czechs 2-0 lead
Ostrava, Czech Republic (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 7 Tomas Berdych and countryman Radek Stepanek gave the Czech Republic a 2-0 lead in Friday's opening singles rubbers against visiting Italy. Bolstered by a 90 percent first-

Paul lifts Clippers over Sixers in final seconds >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Paul hit the game-winning shot with 3.2 seconds remaining as the Clippers downed the 76ers, 78-77, on Friday. A pair of Lou Williams free throws had Philadelphia up, 77-76, with 18 seconds left, bu

Bulls rout Bobcats >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One can wonder what the score might have looked like if Derrick Rose had suited up. Even with the reigning league MVP resting his ailing back, the Chicago Bulls made it look easy by posting a 95-6

Buccaneers name Mike Sullivan offensive coordinator >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers named Mike Sullivan as their new offensive coordinator on Friday. Sullivan has spent the last eight seasons as a member of the New York Giants coaching staff and the past two years as

Wade, Heat beat Wizards >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade scored 26 points to lift Miami to a 106-89 victory over Washington on Friday. Chris Bosh scored 24 points to go with 11 rebounds, while LeBron James added 18 points and nine assists for t

Betting Football

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.