11/27/2008 - Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Teague scored 24 points to lead No. 19 Wake Forest in a 75-69 victory over Cal State Fullerton in opening round action of the 76 Classic from the Anaheim Convention Center.
Al-Farouq Aminu and Chas McFarland both had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Demon Deacons (4-0), who advance to play Texas-El Paso on Friday. James Johnson had eight points and eight boards in the win.
Josh Akognon tallied 24 points for the Titans (2-3), who will face Saint Mary's on Friday. Jacques Streeter chipped in 11 points, nine boards and five assists in defeat. Gerard Anderson had 10 points and 12 boards.
The teams were knotted at 21 late in the first half, but Wake Forest outscored Cal State 16-8 to take a 37-29 lead at the half.
Teague's three-pointer with 16:35 left in the game gave the Demon Deacons a 46-33 lead. Teague also added a layup a couple of minutes later for a 15-point Wake Forest cushion.
CSF pulled within eight points on a three-pointer by Papa Guisse, but Teague answered with a three of his own to balloon it back up to an 11-point game, 57-46, at about the midway point.
Down by 13 moments later, the Titans used 10 straight points to get within 64-61. Akognon sparked the run with a pair from the charity stripe and Marcio Lassiter's layup closed it out with 3:22 showing on the clock.
Wake Forest's lead failed to drop below three points the rest of the way, as the Demon Deacons held on for victory.
Game Notes
Wake Forest shot 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from the field, while CSF was 35.2 percent (25-of-71) from the floor...Both schools had 43 rebounds...Thursday's game was not only the first meeting between the two programs, but it was the first time Wake Forest has faced a Big West school and the first time CSF has squared off versus an ACC program on the hardwood.
<< Detroit's Iverson misses practice, will not start Friday
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Allen Iverson will not start for the
Detroit Pistons in Friday's tilt against Milwaukee after the recently acquired
guard missed Thursday's 10 a.m. practice.
Head coach Michael Curry called for the T
<< Eagles CB Samuel out vs. Cardinals, Westbrook suits up
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Asante
Samuel will sit out Thursday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, while
running back Brian Westbrook will be in uniform in the Thanksgiving Day tilt.
Samue
<< Georgetown edges Wichita State
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Austin Freeman recorded a game-high 18 points
as 21st-ranked Georgetown got past Wichita State, 58-50, in the opening round
of the Old Spice Classic.
DaJuan Summers recorded 14 points for the Hoyas (3-0),
<< Predators swap forwards with Florida
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators acquired right wing
Wade Belak from the Florida Panthers for center Nick Tarnasky on Thursday.
Belak, 32, has no points and 25 penalty minutes in 15 games with Florida this
season.
Eskimos' Maciocia steps down as head coach >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Eskimos announced on Thursday
that Danny Maciocia has stepped down as the team's head coach and will assume
the duties of general manager and director of football operations.
Maciocia was hi
Report: Burke takes over as president and GM of Maple Leafs >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Burke has reportedly signed a contract
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Toronto's president and general manager.
The Toronto Sun is reporting that Burk
Leon leads Sport Frances Open >>
Santiago, Chile (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hugo Leon fired a six-under 65 on Thursday
to take the first-round lead of the Sport Frances Open at Sports Frances Golf
Club.
This is the first event of the season on the Canadian Tour. It is co
Eagles' OL Jean-Gilles carted off field >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Max
Jean-Gilles had to carted off the field with an apparent right leg injury in
the second quarter of Thursday night's game with the Arizona Cardinals.
Jean-Gilles
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.
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