Basketball Betting
 

Basketball Betting


NFL Football
NCAA Football
NCAA Basketball
MLB Baseball
NHL Hockey
Soccer
Auto
Horse Racing
Golf
Tennis
 

NBA Basketball Betting

Nebraska hires UTEP's Sadler

Basketball Betting Lines

08/08/2006 -

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) -Doc Sadler was introduced as Nebraska's new men's basketball coach Tuesday, a week after Barry Collier resigned to become Butler's athletic director.

The 46-year-old Sadler, who spent the past two seasons at Texas-El Paso, takes over a program that hasn't won a conference championship since sharing the Big Seven title in 1949-50 and is winless in six NCAA tournament appearances. The Cornhuskers haven't been to the tournament since 1998.

``The state of Nebraska deserves us to be in the NCAA tournament, and we want it to happen not next year, not two years from now. We want it to happen now,'' Sadler said.

In six years under Collier, the Huskers were 89-91, never finished higher than sixth in the Big 12 and made two NIT appearances.

Sadler went 48-18 at UTEP, making the NCAA tournament in his first season with the Miners. Last season UTEP was 21-10 and lost to Michigan in the first round of the NIT.

``I was told that if you could ever get the opportunity to coach at the University of Nebraska, you better do everything you can,'' Sadler said. ``I had a great job. I don't know if people realize that. UTEP is a great basketball job. Great fans, everything. Great tradition. But this is Nebraska, man.''

Sadler signed a six-year contract that, not including incentives, pays him $700,000 annually, athletic director Steve Pederson said. Sadler's contract at UTEP paid him a base salary of $300,000 a year.

Pederson and associate athletic director Marc Boehm met with Sadler in Los Angeles last week and again in Denver over the weekend before offering the job.

``He's got a great recruiting reputation, but what everybody said is that he's just a grinder,'' Pederson said. ``You get in there and you work and you work and you work. If everybody else goes to bed at midnight, you go to bed at 2 a.m. You can see that so clearly with him.''

Senior point guard Charles Richardson Jr. said the six returning players who are on campus have embraced Sadler's promise to play an up-tempo style.

``When I heard that, a light went on in my head,'' Richardson said. ``First thing I thought was that I've got to get in shape because I have to be prepared to play 40 minutes and run up and down 94 feet.''

Sadler's task at Nebraska was made more difficult with Monday's announcement that the team's best player, center Aleks Maric, was leaving the program. Maric averaged 10.9 points and 8.1 rebounds as a sophomore. He said he would transfer or play professionally in Europe.

Sadler said he would try to contact Maric and ask whether he would reconsider.

Sadler joined UTEP as an assistant coach in 2003-04, helping Billy Gillespie engineer an NCAA record-tying turnaround by going from six wins the previous year to 24 and UTEP's first NCAA tournament berth since 1992.

Sadler was promoted to when Gillespie left for Texas A&M.

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

<< Tuesday's NHL Transactions
NEW YORK RANGERS-Signed D Michael Sauer.PHOENIX COYOTES-Announced a one-year affiliation agreement with Phoenix of the ECHL.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be publis

<< Tulsa, UCF from unexpected winners to Conference USA favorites
Tulsa and UCF were an unlikely pairing in Conference USA's inaugural championship game.This season, a title rematch wouldn't be a surprise at all - despite the cautious manner in which coaches Steve Kragthorpe and George O'Leary approach the possibi

<< Dave Simmons hired as head basketball coach at McNeese State
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) -Dave Simmons, a former assistant at three Southland Conference basketball champions, was hired as head coach Tuesday at McNeese State.Simmons comes from Northwestern State, which won the conference title last season and defea

<< Bengals guard Steinbach charged with boating under the influence
NEWPORT, Ky. (AP) -Bengals guard Eric Steinbach was arrested and charged with boating under the influence on the Ohio River, becoming the fifth Cincinnati player in three months accused of breaking the law.A Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife

<< Owens says he'll likely miss first preseason game
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) -Terrell Owens said Monday that his nagging hamstring likely will keep him out of the Dallas Cowboys' preseason opener Saturday night in Seattle.``I would say so,'' he said. ``I'm not 100 percent, so I really wouldn't risk it. Th

Goodell chosen to succeed Tagliabue as NFL commissioner >>
NORTHBROOK, Ill. (AP) -Roger Goodell was chosen as the NFL's next commissioner Tuesday, succeeding the man who groomed him for the job, Paul Tagliabue.The 47-year-old Goodell worked his way from a public relations intern to perhaps the most powerful

Brash Bryant brings dash, deception to Niners >>
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -Antonio Bryant calls it a lullaby. He runs his receiving route with feigned disinterest, keeping his eyes small and his strides short - and just when his defender has relaxed, he sprints away for a catch.The San Francisco 4

Lo Duca denies gambling problem >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca on Tuesday denied he has a gambling problem and expressed sympathy for what his wife is going through after she filed for divorce in June.A report in the Daily News on Tuesday alleged Lo Duca had significant

Leinart last unsigned first-round draft pick >>
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) -Another day went by without Matt Leinart at the Arizona Cardinals training camp on Tuesday, a contract standoff that has coach Dennis Green shaking his head in disbelief.``I'm very surprised,'' Green said. ``I just didn't thin

UNDATED: the game. >>
AL CapsulesUNDATED: the game.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associate

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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

Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Betting

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.