Palmetto State showdown pits Gamecocks against Tigers

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

12/06/2009 - Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arch rivals will collide at Littlejohn Coliseum this afternoon, as the South Carolina Gamecocks visit the Clemson Tigers in non-conference action.

The Gamecocks opened the season with four consecutive victories before dropping an 85-70 decision to Miami. Fortunately, South Carolina has bounced back from its only defeat, as its last two outings have ended with wins. On Wednesday, the club knocked off Western Kentucky in a 74-56 final, and the team has now held all but two of its opponents to 68 or fewer points.

As for Clemson, it led Illinois by 23 points at the beginning of the second half on Wednesday, but the Tigers allowed the Illini to complete the largest come-from-behind victory in program history. That 76-74 loss halted a two-game win streak for Clemson, which is 6-2 overall, including 2-0 at home. It seems likely that the Tigers will fall from the national poll regardless of the outcome of today's game.

South Carolina owns an 86-73 advantage in the all-time series with Clemson, but the Tigers have won the last five meetings.

South Carolina guard Devan Downey remains one of the nation's most underrated performers. Downey is netting 19.0 ppg, and he is dishing out 3.3 apg while recording more than two steals per contest. Dominique Archie provides 14.4 ppg and 6.0 rpg, while Brandis Raley-Ross brings 11.7 ppg to the mix. Mike Holmes is the fourth and final double-digit scorer on the roster, as he is generating 11.0 ppg. The Gamecocks are scoring 80.9 ppg while limiting opponents to 69.1 ppg. In the triumph over Western Kentucky last time out, Downey scored 15 points to pace the Gamecocks. Sam Muldrow had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Raley-Ross finished with 12 points as well. USC shot 9-of-22 from three- point range and limited the Hilltoppers to 34.4 percent shooting from the floor, impressive to say the least.

Clemson finished the game against Illinois shooting 39.3 percent from the floor. The Tigers struggled defensively in the second half, permitting the Illini to connect on 60.7 percent of their field goal attempts. Over the final 20 minutes, Clemson missed five of its nine free throws, a critical stat considering the two-point margin of defeat. Demontez Stitt posted 15 points in the setback, and Trevor Booker finished with 12 points and 10 boards. Overall this season, there are four double-digit scorers on the Clemson roster. Booker is tops with 13.6 ppg and 8.9 rpg, and both he and Tanner Smith are shooting over 50 percent from the field. Smith generates 11.3 ppg, and David Potter provides 10.4 ppg. As for Stitt, he adds 10.1 ppg to the equation. Clemson is averaging 80.6 ppg this year while holding opponents to 63.2 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.