No. 12 UNLV comes calling on Air Force

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - USAFA, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Closing in on the 20-win plateau, the 12th-ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels take their act on the road tonight as they clash with the Air Force Falcons in Mountain West Conference action at Clune Arena.

Since losing to San Diego State by just two points in the conference opener two weeks ago, the Rebels have rattled off three straight victories in league action. The first two were quite easy as the team topped TCU and New Mexico by a combined 40 points, but on Wednesday night the Rebels were brought back to reality. Suited up against the newest addition to the MWC, Boise State, the Rebels found themselves having to go to overtime on the road, but in the end they still squeezed out the 77-72 victory at Taco Bell Arena.

As for the Falcons, they actually took care of the Broncos in their conference opener rather routinely (74-59), but since then the program has dropped three in a row and all against MWC foes. Most recently, it was TCU that got the better of Air Force three nights ago in a 59-56 final at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Rebels hold a commanding 26-8 advantage, winning the most recent game during the quarterfinals of the MWC Tournament in Las Vegas last season, 69-53. The Falcons have played well at home over the years, posting a 7-9 mark in the series, but heading into tonight's clash the Rebels have reeled off eight straight wins over The Academy.

UNLV led by as many as nine points in the second half against the Broncos on Wednesday night, but still the team was forced to go to overtime but thankfully the Rebels scored the first points of the bonus frame and never trailed, en route to the five-point triumph. Mike Moser had yet another incredible effort for UNLV as he led the team in both scoring and rebounding with 18 points and a staggering 21 boards, his 11th double-double of the campaign. Chace Stanback and Oscar Bellfield contributed with 15 and 13 points, respectively, the latter handing out six assists as well. Moser has been an absolute beast in the paint for the Rebels with his 11.7 rpg, one of the highest averages in college basketball, his 14.2 ppg trailing only Stanback who is producing 14.7 ppg on the strength of his 47.9 percent accuracy behind the three-point line. Anthony Marshall (12.0 ppg) can not only score the ball he can also get it to teammates in key scoring situations, resulting in 103 assists which is actually second on the roster to Bellfield (9.1 ppg) who has dished out 114 over 22 games.

The Falcons were held silent for the final 4:05 of the second half on Wednesday night as they suffered the three-point loss to TCU on the road. Taylor Broekhuis tried to keep hope alive with his 15 points and seven rebounds, while Mike Fitzgerald and Todd Fletcher chipped in 14 and 12 points, respectively, but the team managed just seven points off the bench and a mere four offensive rebounds in the meeting. Despite being held to minimal production yet again, Michael Lyons is still the leading scorer for the Falcons with his 13.8 ppg, his 4.7 rpg also one of the top marks for a program that is notoriously weak on the glass. Fitzgerald is responsible for another 11.3 ppg, but between he and Lyons there's just 29 assists and 63 turnovers, a ration that is far from successful at any level. Nevertheless, the Falcons give themselves a fighting chance thanks to a defense that is one of the best in the nation with holding foes to just 57.3 ppg.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.