ETSU wins Atlantic Sun for second straight year

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/06/2010 - Macon, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Tubbs led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points, and the East Tennessee State Buccaneers secured their second consecutive Atlantic Sun tournament championship with a 72-66 victory over Mercer.

Tommy Hubbard added 14 points and six rebounds for the Bucs (20-14), who will make their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and ninth in school history. ETSU lost a hard-fought battle with top-seeded Pittsburgh last year, 72-62, in a first-round matchup.

Micah Williams contributed 13 points and nine boards, Isiah Brown had 12 points and Adam Sollazzo posted 11 points for East Tennessee State, which, as the fifth seed, beat fourth-seeded Campbell in the quarters before knocking off second-seeded Jacksonville in the semis.

The Bucs had lost both regular season games to Mercer this season.

E.J. Kusnyer led the Bears (16-17) with 16 points, but Mercer was unable to capture its first conference championship since 1985. Brandon Moore added 13 points in the loss.

A Daniel Emerson tip shot and Jeff Smith free throw helped the Bears tie the game, 60-60, with just over two minutes to go.

ETSU, though, went ahead for good on a pair of Williams free throws that were followed by a Tubbs three-pointer for a 65-61 advantage with under 1 1/2 minutes remaining.

Sollazzo padded the lead with two free throws for a six-point edge with a minute to play, although Kusnyer answered with a three for Mercer to make it a one-possession game.

Emerson brought the Bears to within 68-66 with 35 seconds left with a pair from the line, but Tubbs was able to hit both of his shots after a foul to restore a four-point lead. Mercer was unable to respond.

ETSU held an 11-point lead, 21-10, after a Jocolby Davis dunk midway through the first half, but Mercer battled back and faced only a two-point deficit at halftime, 37-35.

The Bears grabbed a 42-41 lead with 15 minutes left on a James Florence three, but the Bucs answered with the next seven points and held a slim lead down the stretch.

Game Notes

Mercer, the sixth seed, beat third-seeded Belmont in the quarterfinals and eighth-seeded Kennesaw State in the semifinals...ETSU had won the first eight games in this series before getting swept by the Bears in the regular season...The Bucs have won this tournament only twice -- 2009 and 2010...East Tennessee State is 2-9 all time in the NCAA Tournament, with its last win coming in 1992 over Arizona...Emerson and Florence each finished with nine points.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.