2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second consecutive season, Alabama State grabbed the regular season title in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and will try to collect its first tournament championship since 2004 when the tournament opens this Wednesday at the Fair Park Arena in Birmingham.

The Hornets were the class of the SWAC this season, winning 19 games while finishing with an impressive 16-2 mark in conference play. Jackson State, which swiped the 2007 title in the SWAC, will play out of the second seed after finishing the season with a 15-3 mark in league play. The Panthers of Prairie View A&M closed out their season strong and captured the third seed with a 12-6 ledger. The fourth seed belongs to the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, who finished with an 11-7 record in league play.

After the Golden Lions there is a major drop off, as the fifth seed will be controlled by Southern. The Jaguars have won the SWAC title seven times, but this season Southern suffered 22 losses and finished with just an 8-10 mark in SWAC action. The league's defending champion, the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils had a far fall from grace this season, posting just a 7-11 mark against conference foes. The final two spots went to Texas Southern and Alabama A&M, but it is unlikely either team will have much of a shot against the powerhouses of the conference.

Quarterfinal round action will begin Wednesday afternoon with cat fight, as the second-seeded Tigers of Jackson State will battle the seventh-seeded Tigers of Texas Southern. Texas Southern only grabbed seven victories on the season, but the Tigers from the Lone Star State close out the regular season with four wins in their last five games. As for Jackson State, the Tigers from Mississippi are primed to grab their fifth league title and their second in three years. Jackson State closed out its regular season with 11 wins in its last 12 games, finishing the year with a very strong 15-3 record in league action.

The second quarterfinal game on Wednesday will pit the top-seeded Alabama State Hornets against the eighth-seeded Alabama A&M Bulldogs. The Bulldogs lacked consistency throughout most of the season, as the team racked up just eight victories, while finishing the year 6-12 in conference action. Alabama A&M's play down the stretch was also terrible, as the team dropped seven of its last eight games. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum are the two- time defending SWAC regular season champion Hornets. Alabama State, which closed out the regular season with nine wins in its last 10 games, was the top defensive team in the conference, limiting opponents to just 64.1 ppg.

Quarterfinal action will resume on Thursday when the third-seeded Prairie View A&M Panthers take on the defending SWAC Tournament champion Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State. MVSU will be playing out of the sixth seed this season after struggling to finish with a mere 7-11 league ledger. The Delta Devils, who dropped three of their last five games, were one of the worst defensive teams in the league, allowing 74.9 ppg, which ranked the squad ninth in the conference. As for the Panthers, they enter this tournament as the top scoring team in the league (71.0 ppg) and the second best defensive squad in the conference (68.0 ppg). Prairie View A&M closed out the regular season with five wins in its last six games, and will be playing for its first league title since 1998.

The final quarterfinal matchup will have the fifth-seeded Southern Jaguars take on the fourth-seeded Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions. The Jags have been one of the top teams in the SWAC Tournament, winning seven different times, while posting an impressive 37-22 all-time mark in the event. This season Southern was mediocre at best, posting an 8-10 conference mark, while closing out the year with four losses in its last six contests. As for the Golden Lions, they posted just a 12-17 overall mark on the year, but was much better in conference play, racking up an 11-7 record. The team won four of its last six games, and if a few things go right the Golden Lions could have a shot at their first SWAC title.

Pokerfanatik NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Sliding Sharks head to Minnesota
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still without their No. 1 goaltender, the San Jose Sharks will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season in tonight's battle with the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Sharks have lost four games in a r

<< Islanders hope to extend winning streak vs. Maple Leafs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The lowly New York Islanders will shoot for a third consecutive victory when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs for tonight's encounter at Air Canada Centre. The Islanders, who are last in the NHL with just 51 points, are

<< Slumping Caps face off against surging Predators
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After a winless homestand, the Washington Capitals have to try and regroup on the road. As luck would have it, they open that brief trek against one of the hottest home teams in the league. Washington will attempt to snap

<< Playoff-hopeful Blue Jackets host struggling Bruins
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets will try to build off a dominating offensive performance as they continue their push for the postseason by hosting the struggling Boston Bruins in tonight's test at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jac

<< Sabres shoot for victory over Flyers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will try to help their playoff chances by avoiding a second straight loss when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for tonight's clash at the Wachovia Center. The Sabres have lost four of their last six g

Blues begin key homestand against reeling Stars >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the St. Louis Blues are to get back into the playoff picture on their upcoming homestand, they are going to have to earn it. The team begins that key residency tonight versus the Dallas Stars at Scottrade Center. The B

Avs seeking momentum in home tilt with Thrashers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having halted their longest losing streak of the season, the Colorado Avalanche will try to string together back-to-back victories tonight in a home clash with the Atlanta Thrashers at the Pepsi Center. Colorado halted a s

2009 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Twelve of the 14 teams that make up the Atlantic 10 Conference will congregate in Atlantic City for the 2009 A-10 Tournament, which begins on Wednesday, March 11th. On the line is an automatic bid to the NCAA

2009 Southland Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are 12 teams in the Southland Conference, but only the top eight have been invited to participate in the 29th annual league tournament. The winner of this three-day event will receive a bid to the NCAA

2009 Pac-10 Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All 10 members of the Pac-10 Conference will compete for the league's tournament title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament in a four-day event that begins on March 11th in Los Angeles. The teams seeded sevent

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.