2011 R+L Carriers Bowl to Become a Classic
The Louisiana Superdome will come to life on December 17th as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl begins. The San Diego State Aztecs play the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns in a battle to the finish. The Aztecs come into play with an 8-4 record and a 4-3 record in the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs average 29.8 points per game on offense and 24.4 points per game on defense.
The Aztecs are led by senior quarterback Ryan Lindley (2,740 yards – 52.5 completion pct – 20 td's / 8 int – 122.9 rating). The running game is in competent hands with star sophomore running back Ronnie Hillman (287 carries – 1,656 yards – 19 td's). Hillman had a 99-yard touchdown run in a loss against Wyoming on October 29th. Hillman reminds some watchers of previous Aztecs standout and latest NFL Hall Of Famer Marshall Faulk who also ran all over the field against opposing teams in the early 1990's.
The Ragin' Cajuns defense will have their hands full in trying to slow down Ronnie Hillman on the ground. Both defenses will definitely get a workout in this shootout of two great teams. The two-way threat of Gautier versus the ground game of Hillman will be a spectacle. Both squads will look to put a lot of points on the board in this classic.
Canucks Score 1-0 Over Bruins to Win Game One
The Vancouver Canucks were huge favorites going into Game One of the NHL Finals, and they came up big in the late third period to take the 1-0 lead over the Boston Bruins.
Raffi Torres scored the game's only goal with just 18.5 seconds left to play in regulation.
For the previous 59 1/2 minutes of play, Vancouver looked visibly frustrated, as Boston's defense was strong enough to keep the Canucks from finding any easy goals.
Dallas Falls Short in Game One in Miami
After their 92-84 win last night at home, the Miami Heat are just three more wins away from getting that NBA Title the Big Three came together for in the first place.
The Dallas Mavericks hung around most of the game, even building an eight point lead in the third quarter, before the Heat clamped down on defense.
And in the fourth quarter, it was all James-Wade time, with the Mavs shooting their worse percentage of the postseason and having a terrible offensive night.
How Long Will the NFL Lockout Continue?
With only 100 days left until kickoff of the regular season, football fans are getting understandably nervous about the NFL lockout.
Will opening weekend's games be played at all? Or will they be delayed for several weeks?
Unfortunately, while the lockout is going on, and the two sides battle in court, the upcoming football season looks less likely to begin on time and feature as many games as we have become accustomed to throughout the years.
Celtics Look to Go Up 3-0 Against New York Knicks
The question remains: Will the Knicks have enough firepower to pull out a win in game three?
Carmelo Anthony is coming off what many are calling the best game of his career. He literally kept the Knicks hanging around with the aging Celtics in game 2.
If Carmelo can keep up his torrid pace, which many critics believe he can't, then the Celtics will have no problem in game three, and a 3 – 0 lead pretty much means the end of the road for the Knicks.
Playing the Early Position in Texas Holdem
You are going to be in early position every single day that you play Texas Holdem. How do you play from early position?
If you want to keep it as simple as possible then only play from early position with aces or kings and fold everything else.
Most people won't do and that is why most players lose when playing from early position.
Tuesday Night in the NBA – No Underdog Victorious
In Tuesday night's NBA Playoffs matchups, it was all about the favorites – none of the underdogs managed to pull out a victory.
The Mavericks rolled over the Trail Blazers, the Celtics fended off the Knicks, and the Magic evened the series against the Hawks.
With these series now moving to the lower seeds' home courts, let's look at how last night's games played out.
Game One in the NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference
Most of the first games of the first round of the playoffs in the NBA Eastern Conference turned out as we all expected.
The only real upset was the Orlando Magic's loss to the Atlanta Hawks by 10 points.
But while the other three first round games went to the favorites, there are still a lot of questions about each team in the East, based on their performances over the weekend.
Playing Aggressively in Shorthand Poker Tables
There are going to be times when you play poker that you will be at shorthanded tables.
Some players really do well at shorthanded tables while other players struggle.
What is the key to winning when the table is not full?
Exciting NBA Season Due to Resurgence of Chicago Bulls Basketball
With the NBA regular season closing out in a few days and the playoffs opening in just over a week, now is a good time to reflect on this past year in basketball.
The 2010-2011 NBA has been one of the most exciting in recent memory, maybe the most exciting since the late 1990s.
And much of the reason for that is the resurgence of basketball in the city of Chicago, which has failed to achieve any level of elite success in the regular season in previous years.
Playoff Picture Shaping Up for NHL Western Conference
Wednesday night made the NHL Playoffs picture quite a big more clear with a lots of decisive games.
One team managed to guarantee a spot in the postseason, two other teams took a step closer to improving their positions, and one team was officially eliminated from any possibility of making it.
Daley Looking to Obtain Welterweight Title From Champ Diaz
This Saturday night, Nick Diaz will attempt to defend his Strikeforce Welterweight Title against challenger Paul Daley in the most anticipated MMA fight of the week.
The event will be held in San Diego, CA at the Valley View Casino Center, and will be the first Strikeforce event since being acquired by Zuffa, owners of the UFC franchise.
Professional Poker Players Now Able to Deduct Expenses
If you are a professional poker player then you got some good news recently when it was announced that business expenses can now be deducted on your tax return.
Professional players can now deduct things like travel and lodging expenses.
The courts made a ruling recently and for once, poker players actually came out on top.
Mavericks at Lakers in Late NBA Action
In one of the biggest NBA games of the week, the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks.
Los Angeles currently boasts the second best record in the NBA Western Conference, while the Mavericks are just behind in third place.
Both teams have an outside chance of catching the San Antonio Spurs for the first seed in the West, so tonight's game is vitally important to the upcoming playoffs.
Lakers Look to Overcome Trail Blazers Sunday Night
While most of the weekend belongs to the NCAA Tournament, there are a lot of exciting games in the NBA to watch, as well.
One of the most anticipated matchups is the Portland Trail Blazers' trip to Los Angeles to play the Lakers on Sunday afternoon.
The game tips off at 9:30 PM EST at the Staples Center.
Preview for Kansas State-Utah State Game
The Utah State Aggies were shocked to find out that they were awarded the No. 12 seed in the NCAA tournament, as they expected their regular season record would have earned them a higher placement.
But a lower seed means having to play a higher-ranked team, and in their first game of the tournament, they take on the Kansas State Wildcats.
Cotto Takes on Mayorga in Saturday Night Boxing
Saturday's Pay Per View bout between Puerto Rican Legend Miguel Cotto and Carlos Mayorga should be a good one.
Even though these two warriors are a bit aged, Mayorga brings an action packed style into the ring and claims that "the old Mayorga" is back and ready to do battle.
Top Ten in the NCAA For Conference Tourney Week
Shooting 93% from beyond the arc is going to win a team a lot of games, and while the odds are against the Ohio State Buckeyes keeping up this torrid shooting pace, it sure is fun to watch and speculate about. After Saturday's thumping of Wisconsin, the Buckeyes are once again the top team in the country, and anyone who watched the game could not possibly question the choice.
The Buckeyes were 14-15 from beyond the arc, and they looked virtually unstoppable with their inside/out attack against the Badgers. With conference tourneys beginning this week, it is almost a certainty that the Buckeyes will be a number one seed on selection Sunday.
Kevin Durant’s Ankle Injury to Keep Him Out of Hawks game
The Oklahoma City Thunder may be playing Friday night in Atlanta without their star Kevin Durant. Durant, the NBA's top scorer, sat out practice on Thursday with a sprained ankle and is questionable for Friday night's game.
Thunder head coach Scott Brooks said that it is doubtful that Durant will play against the Atlanta Hawks.
Will the Mavericks Lose to the Pacers Again Friday Night?
With starting Center Tyson Chandler out for an expected two games, the Dallas Mavericks will have to rely on their reserves to pick up some of the slack in Friday night's game against the Indiana Pacers. Brendan Haywood is the probably starting center for the Mavericks, who are seeking to win their eighth game in a row, as well as their ninth home game in a row.
Dallas is currently playing without Caron Butler, who has been out since the beginning of 2011 with a right patella tendon injury. Butler had been scoring 15 points per game on average. Chandler had been averaging another 12.8 points and 10.0 rebounds during the previous 18 games. He has been instrumental in helping Dallas go 17-1 in their last 18 games.
How Much Difference Does the NFL Combine Really Make?
Every year, the NFL Combine is held for a week in February at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is designed to give college athletes intent on playing in the NFL an opportunity to showcase their strength, speed, and power.
Nearly 300 players were invited to participate this year, and now that it is over, the real work of evaluating the athletes begins for the 32 football organizations that make up the NFL.
Ohio State Retakes the Top of the NCAA
After two conference wins this past week at Illinois and Indiana, the Ohio St. Buckeyes reclaimed the top spot in the nation by splitting the 31 possible votes with the Kansas Jayhawks. The change occurring after Duke's upset loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday night. After starting the season 24 -0, the Buckeyes fell off the top spot with their first loss at Wisconsin; However, the Buckeyes have spent 15 weeks this season inside the top three in the country. They have undoubtedly one of the most consistent of the elites and will more than likely receive a number one sewed in the tournament.
Kansas slipped into the number two spot in the country. The Jayhawks are currently entrenched in a conference battle with Texas, who fell three spots to number eight this week. The Cougars of BYU continued to impress and rose to the three position with a big conference win over San Diego State this past Saturday. Duke fell from first to fourth and Pittsburgh, despite a loss to Louisville, actually rose to the five spot.
Thunder Travel to Orlando to Try to Win
Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic are powerhouses in the NBA right now, with many observers predicting either of the two teams to show up in the NBA Finals in 2011. And on Friday night, both teams will meet in Florida. Kevin Durant of the Thunder and Dwight Howard of the Magic are the two players to watch tonight.
The Thunder have not won a game in Orlando in nearly seven years, but with Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson as possible players tonight, the momentum may finally shift away from the Magic. The Magic are currently listed as the -6.5 favorites to win tonight. Oklahoma City is on top of the Northwest Division with their 36-20 record, a distinction they have not held since 2005 when they were the Seattle SuperSonics.
What Can The History of Super Bowls Tell Us About The Winner in 2011?
Odds to win Super Bowl edges are hard to come by as there are no real secrets now days but the past few years do show some winning traits with the NFL Super Bowl odds to look out for.
The first thing that a sharp handicapper will want to do is take into account the public and media hype and take a good hard look at the opposite direction. There is a reason that the dog has covered the spread in 7 out of the last 9 Super Bowl games and that the Super Bowl has gone under the total in 5 of the last 6 seasons.
The reason for those trends is because the public is always thinking "favorite" and "offense" which means that the underdog and the under bring consistently better than expected value.
Without question, an on the field characteristic that can give any sharp handicapper a Super Bowl wagering edge is a good defense.
While the New Orleans Saints defense was much maligned and poorly rated last year as they headed into their Super Bowl matchup with Indianapolis it was also true that it was trending in the right direction and improving towards the end of the season and also that it was better than the Indianapolis Colts defense.
Sharp sportsbook handicappers picked up on this and took advantage of that with enhanced value on the Super Bowl odds as the Saints upset the Colts in a 31-17 payout as 4.5 point dogs.
Quarterback is another key characteristic of winning a wager on the Super Bowl going all the way back to the very first matchup when Bart Starr led Green Bay to an easy payout with the odds to win Super Bowl over Kansas City.
There is no more important position on the team and the past Super Bowls of recent years have winning signal callers such as Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton and Eli Manning, and of course Tom Brady.
Finally, as with any great organization, it all begins with leadership, and coaches such as Bill Belichick have proven to give bettors an edge in the long run.
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