Let's play two: Fredette carries BYU over Florida in extra time

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - Oklahoma City, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmer Fredette drilled a pair of huge three-pointers in the second overtime period and finished with 37 points, as BYU ended an eight-game NCAA Tournament losing streak with a 99-92 victory over Florida in the first round of the West Region.

Michael Loyd Jr. chipped in 26 points for BYU (30-5), which last won an NCAA tourney game in 1993 as a seventh seed in the first round against SMU. The Cougars, seeded seventh again this year, will next play the winner between Kansas State and North Texas in the second round on Saturday.

Another win could give the Cougars a huge advantage next weekend, as the West Region semifinals and final will be played in Salt Lake City. BYU, however, hasn't advanced past the second round since 1981 when the Cougars, behind Danny Ainge, knocked off Princeton, UCLA and Notre Dame before falling to Virginia in the regional final.

Kenny Boynton scored 27 points before fouling out in the second extra period for Florida (21-13), which was back in the NCAA Tournament after a two-year absence. The Gators had won the national championship in each of their last two tourney appearances and lost an NCAA game for the first time since a second-round setback to Villanova in 2005.

Blackjack-internet-blackjack NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Michigan to host Notre Dame in first night game at Big House
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Michigan announced Thursday it will host its first-ever primetime game on September 10, 2011 against rival Notre Dame. "This will be an unprecedented game day atmosphere th

<< Hamburg's Ze Roberto rules out move to MLS
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamburg veteran Brazilian midfielder Ze Roberto has dismissed rumors linking him with a switch to Red Bull New York in Major League Soccer at the end of this season. It had been suggested that the MLS s

<< Pavlyuchenko may stay at Tottenham
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko is now pondering staying at White Hart Lane beyond the end of the season, even though he seemed certain to move on in the January transfer window. The 28-year-old Russi

<< Bracket Breakdown
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Being a member of the selection committee for the NCAA Tournament is a thankless job that always comes with harsh criticism. This year is no different. While there were no real egregious omissions (perhaps M

<< Marlins to host Mets in Puerto Rico in June
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins will host the New York Mets for three games at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico from June 28-30, the league announced today. "Major League Baseball is thrilled to br

Old Dominion edges Notre Dame >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Keyon Carter made two crucial free throws with 9.6 seconds left in regulation, proving to be the difference as 11th- seeded Old Dominion knocked off sixth-seeded Notre Dame, 51-50, in the first round o

PSG fan dies following attack >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A Paris Saint-Germain fan who was attacked by rival supporters last month died Wednesday night after spending nearly three weeks in a coma. The 38-year-old PSG fan, who was not identified, sustained major h

Juve's Buffon not headed to Bayern >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gianluigi Buffon's agent has ruled out the possibility of the goalkeeper being used as a makeweight in any deal to bring Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery to Juventus. Recent rumors had suggested Bayern we

Birmingham, McLeish open contract talks >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has confirmed talks have begun over a new contract with the Premier League club. McLeish took charge at St Andrew's in November 2007 and led City to promotio

Villanova avoids upset, edges Robert Morris in OT >>
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scottie Reynolds was held out of the starting lineup by head coach Jay Wright, but came off the bench to score five of his team-high 20 points in overtime, as Villanova escaped with a 73-70 win over Ro

Best Horse Betting Online

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

MySportsbook.com offers Blackjack contest and $10,000.00 in Free Prize money!

Every month MySportsbook.com's casino host, Jack Black, gives away $10,000.00 in free casino prize money. To Enter - All you have to do is play at least 10 hands (total) of Blackjack on one of the specified dates of the blackjack contest. The online casino host randomly hands out free bonuses ranging from $50 - $500, and one lucky player who will receive a free $2,500.00 bonus.

"We have been running this monthly free blackjack contest to our active mebers for 5 years now, and the players just love it," says Jack Black, online casino host at MySportsbook.com. "And why wouldn't they love a free chance to win some extra online blackjack cash."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.