05/09/2008 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon will head into Saturday's top-three showdown with Nancy full of confidence after beating Sedan 1-0 in the semifinals of the French Cup on Wednesday.
The six-time defending Ligue 1 champions remain on course for a historic league and cup double as they will meet PSG in the French Cup final, and have a two-point lead on Bordeaux in the league with two games to play.
Saturday's contest with Nancy represents the biggest hurdle for Lyon because they will finish up at bottom-half club Auxerre, while Bordeaux faces a pair of bottom-half teams in Sochaux and Lens.
Nancy will have plenty to play for as well with the club chasing third place and a spot in the Champions League. Nancy owns a two-point lead on Marseille, which travels to Le Mans, but taking three points at the Stade de Gerland will be a huge challenge.
Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc may have to do without one of his top offensive weapons in Johan Micoud, who suffered a calf injury against Marseille last week.
The relegation battle is destined to be decided on the season's final day with three teams level on 39 points for the final relegation spot.
Last-place Metz is already headed down and will host Lorient, while Strasbourg must beat Caen to have a chance at survival.
Toulouse, Lens and PSG are battling for the final spot, and each team must play a top-half side on Saturday. Toulouse visits seventh-place Rennes, Lens travels to sixth-place Lille, and PSG entertains St Etienne, which is currently fifth.
Middle-of-the-table clubs Nice and Valenciennes square off at Stade Nungesser, and Auxerre invades Monaco.
All games will be played at the same time on the same day for the final two weeks.
<< Inter tries again for third straight title
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After failing to secure its third straight
scudetto last Sunday with a 2-1 defeat to rivals AC Milan, Inter Milan will
attempt to lift the title once again with a home victory against Siena on
Sunday.
<< Kolzig not returning to Caps
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig
has said that he will not be returning to the team he has spent his entire NHL
career with, according to a report on Friday.
Kolzig told the Washington Post th
<< Karlsson shoots course-record 61 to lead in Italy
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Karlsson fired an 11-under 61 in the
second-round of the Italian Open on Friday to set a course record and take a
two-shot lead.
Karlsson was at 15-under-par 129 overall, his 61 on Friday bre
<< Lo Duca, Estrada placed on DL
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals placed a pair
of catchers, Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada, on the 15-day disabled list
on Friday.
The club recalled catcher Jesus Flores from Triple-A Columbus, and rein
Report: Knicks negotiating with D'Antoni >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks are reportedly
negotiating with Suns head coach Mike D'Antoni to become their next coach.
The New York Post reported on its website on Friday, citing a league source,
that co
Drama at both ends of Premiership table on final day >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There is still plenty to be decided on
the final Premiership Sunday of the season, with Manchester United and Chelsea
both level on 84 points at the top, while three teams are separated by just
one poi
Atletico Madrid can lock up Champions League spot >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atletico Madrid hopes to secure a spot in the
Champions League on Sunday against Deportivo. But while that's Atletico's main
goal, Barcelona is also just three points away in third place.
Atletico Madrid beat
Quenneville will not return as Avs coach >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche announced Friday
that Joel Quenneville will not return as head coach for the 2008-09 season.
"After meeting with Joel, we mutually agreed that the best decision for both
parties
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
Sports Betting News: Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting