Colsaerts joins Grace in lead at Fancourt
Golf Betting Lines
01/21/2012 -
George, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nicolas Colsaerts carded a four-under
69 Saturday to join Branden Grace atop the leaderboard after three rounds of
the Volvo Golf Champions.
Grace, the second-round leader, birdied the last for a two-over 75. The duo
ended 54 holes at 10-under-par 209 at the par-73 Links at Fancourt.
The third round was playing in wet and windy conditions. Grace's 69 was one of
10 sub-par rounds on the day.
Masters champion Charl Schwartzel fired the low round of the day with his
five-under 68. He jumped into a share of third with two-time U.S. Open winner
Retief Goosen (70). They are one shot off the lead at minus-nine.
European Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal managed a one-under 72 and is
alone in fifth place at eight-under-par 211.
The field is an exclusive one with only winners from last year's European Tour
schedule, winners from the first two events of 2012 and current tour members
under the age of 50 with more than 10 victories.
MORE TO FOLLOW.
<< Kvitova, Sharapova, Serena reach Aussie round of 16
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded Petra Kvitova,
fourth-seeded Maria Sharapova and five-time champion Serena Williams were a
trio of third-round winners Saturday at the Australian Open.
The Wimbledon and WT
<< In the FCS Huddle: Sam Houston State not hurt by later recruiting
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the rest of the Southland Conference
had the luxury of devoting more time to high school recruits the last two
months, everybody agrees they still are chasing Sam Houston State.
Just like they did in
<< Southeastern Louisiana adds three more signees
Hammond, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - First-year Southeastern Louisiana football
coach Ron Roberts announced the signing of three players to increase the
program's mid-year transfers to five.
Signing with the Lions were safety Theo Alexander (St. L
<< NASCAR Hall of Fame inducts its third class
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darrell Waltrip and Cale Yarborough's long-
awaited arrival to the NASCAR Hall of Fame is over, as both three-time
champions in NASCAR's premier series were among those inducted during a
ceremon
<< Love's buzzer beater lifts Timberwolves over Clippers
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Love knocked down a three-pointer as
time expired, sending the Timberwolves to a 101-98 comeback victory over the
Clippers on Friday night.
Minnesota, which has won three straight and four of fiv
Djokovic, Murray, Hewitt reach fourth round Down Under >>
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last year's champion Novak Djokovic
and runner-up Andy Murray, as well as Aussie hero and former finalist Lleyton
Hewitt, were among Saturday's third-round winners at the Australian Open.
The worl
Drew practices tough love with Hawks >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sometimes you need a pat on the back and
sometimes you need a kick in the butt.
If Jim Ross was at the microphone last night in Philadelphia, you could bet he
would have been talking about the educated fee
Cardinals fly into Steel City to take on struggling Panthers >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still searching for their first Big East
Conference win of the season, the Pittsburgh Panthers will give it another try
tonight as they play host to the 23rd-ranked Louisville Cardinals.
Louisville opened th
Wolverines and Razorbacks do battle in non-conference action >>
Fayetteville, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Michigan Wolverines play
their final non-conference game of the regular season today, as they pull into
Fayetteville to challenge the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Michigan is 15-4 on the year, and
Wildcats seek end to long drought in clash with Cowboys >>
Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seeking their first win in Stillwater since
1993, the 25th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats tangle with the Oklahoma State
Cowboys today in Big 12 Conference action from Gallagher-Iba Arena.
Both teams have iden
Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting
So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.
Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?
If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)
Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).
In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.
Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.
As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.
(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)
If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.
Atlantic Coast Conference
Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech
The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.
Work left to do:
Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.
Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).
Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.
For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com
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American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout
An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.
Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off. Randy was not impressed though. Paula thought he started off fantastic. "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either.
Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed. Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact. He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition.
Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula. Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.
Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next. Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential. Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell. He sang "Careless Whisper".
22 year old Chris Richardson was up next. He was listed with +1100 odds coming in. He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great.
Nick was boring and pitchy. Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week. Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition.
Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds . These of course were the early odds. He was considered original for picking an "odd song". He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.
Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good.
Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds. Great voice and a great sense of humor. He's a real standout. Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit. Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig".
Jared Cotter followed. He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition. The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good.
22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next. "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon. Though the judges felt he performed okay. Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.
Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition. He was the last to perform. He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start.
Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys. Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.
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