NCAA bans Portland State men's basketball from postseason

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

06/09/2010 - Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The men's basketball team at Portland State has been banned from competing in the NCAA Tournament for the 2010-11 campaign after the school fell too low on the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR) score list that was released Wednesday.

The NCAA said while APR rates showed improvement from last year, a total of 10 teams were subject to postseason bans this coming season, but just Portland State had to serve the penalty. UAB football, Colorado State men's basketball and Jacksonville State men's basketball received full conditional waivers and do not appear on any penalty list. The remaining six - Florida International baseball, Weber State football, Texas Southern men's basketball, Chattanooga football, Southeastern Louisiana men's basketball, and UAB men's basketball received conditional waivers of the postseason ban, but received scholarship and/or practice time penalties.

The overall multi-year Division I APR was 967, up three points from last year, according to the NCAA. The organization said football's average four-year APR is 944, up five points over last year; men's basketball is 940, up seven points; and baseball is 954, up eight points.

Syracuse men's basketball scored a 912 and will see a reduction of two scholarships. Colorado was hit with penalties in both men's basketball and football, losing one and four scholarships, respectively. The Buffaloes scored 920 on the APR in football and 897 in basketball.

The APR, now in its sixth year, is calculated on the eligibility and retention of scholarship student-athletes. Teams scoring below 925 out of 1,000 can face penalties, such as scholarship losses and restrictions on practice and competition. Rates are based on the past four years of performance.

"While only one team currently is subject to the postseason ban, the others remain subject to the penalty in future years if they do not meet their specific academic performance conditions or implement their academic improvement plans," said Kevin Lennon, NCAA vice president for academic and membership affairs.

Portland State said its officials made an appeal to waive any potential additional penalties based on academic enhancements and improvements by the program over the past year. In the three completed academic terms since Tyler Geving took over as men's basketball head coach, the Viking program has earned its two highest overall GPAs as a team in the past five years (Spring 2009, 3.00; and Winter 2010, 2.91). During the two years inclusive of 2007-09, Portland State has graduated seven of its eight seniors. The 2009-10 senior class of three is scheduled to graduate this year. The school also said, in the past two completed terms (fall and winter), Portland State basketball has recorded perfect APR scores.

"This is a very disappointing circumstance," said school athletic director Torre Chisholm. "The athletic program and university have been working very aggressively to improve the academic performance of student-athletes. This penalty is the result of past academic deficiencies. Unfortunately, men's basketball had fallen into a very deep APR hole. We just couldn't climb out of it fast enough."

The NCAA said this year 137 teams at 80 schools have been penalized for poor academic performance. Last year, 177 teams at 107 schools received penalties, and two years ago 213 teams at 123 schools were sanctioned. There are currently more than 6,400 teams in Division I.

Loteryamerica NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Kentucky-Notre Dame clash highlights SEC/Big East Invitational
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky and Notre Dame were among the eight teams chosen to play in this year's SEC/Big East Invitational, a two-night event held December 8 and 11 in Louisville and Pittsburgh. Joining Kentucky from

<< WPS announces All Stars
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Women's Professional Soccer announced the starting 22 players for its 2010 WPS All-Star game, which will take place on June 30 at KSU Soccer Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia. The starting 22 players were

<< Hewitt lands in Halle QFs
Halle, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt was an easy second-round winner Wednesday at the Gerry Weber Open, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up. The two-time major champion Hewitt humbled Dutchman Thiemo De B

<< 'Turfbreaking' set for EWU's red field
Cheyney, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans All-Pro tackle Michael Roos will be in attendance for a "turfbreaking" ceremony at Eastern Washington on Saturday, as the Big Sky Conference university moves toward installing a red turf field.

<< ESPN hoops analyst Phelps recovering from cancer surgery
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former college basketball coach and ESPN analyst Digger Phelps is recovering from successful prostate cancer surgery he underwent on Tuesday. The legendary coach was diagnosed on April 28 and had the

NFLPA issues challenge to structure of NFL television deals >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Football League Player's Association has initiated a legal challenge to the NFL's agreement with television networks, which allows the league to reap payments even if no games are pla

Nadal, Djokovic win second-rounders in London >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French Open champion Rafael Nadal and second-seeded Novak Djokovic highlighted Wednesday's second-round winners at the Aegon Championships, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up. Making a smooth transit

Report: Nets eyeing Johnson for coaching job >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Post is reporting that the New Jersey Nets have entered into discussions with Avery Johnson about the team's head coaching vacancy. Johnson was fired after the Dallas Mavericks' ouster from

2 BCS schools could lose basketball scholarships >>
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The NCAA's big boys have figured out how to beat up the little guys in the classroom, too.Spend more money.The newest Academic Progress Rate, released Wednesday, showed seven of the 137 teams facing penalties come from BCS confer

Pierce looks for better game, less foul trouble >>
BOSTON (AP) -Paul Pierce knows he has to improve his play in Game 4 of the NBA finals. First, he must stay out of foul trouble.The Boston Celtics' leading scorer in the regular season picked up his fifth foul in the first minute of the fourth quarte

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.

MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.