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Hokies simply overwhelmed by Blue Devils in second halfNCAA Basketball Betting Lines01/04/2009 - Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Singler totaled 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead fifth-ranked Duke to a 69-44 victory against Virginia Tech in the ACC opener for both schools at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Gerald Henderson added 15 points, eight boards and four helpers for the Blue Devils (12-1, 1-0 ACC), who improved to 41-15 all-time in ACC openers and posted a fourth straight win since suffering their only loss of the campaign to Michigan in Ann Arbor, December 6. Nolan Smith chipped in 13 points and Jon Scheyer 11 in the win. Malcolm Delaney was the high scorer with 12 points for the Hokies (9-5, 0-1), who saw their four-game win streak come to an end. Jeff Allen had nine points and A.D. Vassallo seven in the loss. Each of Tech's four losses prior to the game had come by four or fewer points, including a pair of one-point setbacks, but the Hokies went cold in the second half, hitting just 6-of-18 from the floor en route to the 25-point drubbing. Virginia Tech kept things close in the first half despite falling behind 11-0 out of the gate. A three-pointer from Vassallo got the Hokies within six, 23-17, but Duke showed its fire-power and answered with a 9-2 spurt. Henderson started the run with a three and ended with a slam to make it 32-19 with 5:41 left in the half. A trio of Delaney jumpers over the final 2:24 got the Hokies within eight, 39-31, at the break. It was all Blue Devils in the second half, though, outscoring Tech by a 30-13 margin en route to an easy win. The Hokies' top three scorers in Vassallo, Delaney and Allen went for a combined five points and Tech got just six total field goals in the frame on the way to a 36.7 percent shooting effort overall. Duke shot 40.7 percent from the floor for the game and connected on 19-of-20 free throw attempts. Game Notes Duke owns a 34-7 series lead over Virginia Tech, including wins in nine of the last 11 meetings with the Hokies...Tech committed 18 turnovers and got to the line just 12 times, making seven of those attempts...Duke owned the glass by a 38-28 margin.
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Horse Betting(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine). The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late. "You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest. "A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve." When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential: CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped. DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins. PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge. You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike. "You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders." Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of. (By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.) Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout." But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing." Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you." Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front." All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold. In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse. "Now," says Avello, "it's time for action." To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs. |
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