It’s NCAA conference showdown time starting with the ACC, Big 10, SEC and culminating with the Big East Championship at Madison Square Garden on Sunday. Will top seeded Syracuse remain at the top? 

Not getting enough hoops?  There’s plenty of NBA action this weekend. Kobe helped he Lakers break their three game slide, they will meet Phoenix on Friday. Another NBA Championship favorites, Cleveland have a busy weekend with two games on tap

For all you gearheads the Bahrain Grand Prix revs up on Sunday. At LinesMaker we have World Champion Jenson Button at 12/1, he will be facing favorite Fernando Alonso at 5/2 and seasoned drivers Michael Schumacher and Felipe Massa both at 7/1.  Take a pit stop at LinesMaker and check out the great wagering odds.

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Luke Harangody bounced back into action for the Fighting Irish. He entered as the nation’s second-leading scorer at 23.3 points per game but missed 5 games after being injured in a 90-87 loss at Seton Hall on Feb. 11. He certainly wasn’t going to let Seton Hall beat them this time. He had 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench in the 68- 56 victory for the Fighting Irish (22-10). Tony Jackson helped by adding 13 points and six assists.

Notre Dame is the No 7 seed and now improves to 6-14 in the Big East tournament and are on a five-game winning streak. The 10th seed, Seton Hall (19-12), finished their 3 game-winning streak and Sunday’s game will decide whether they can scrap into the NCAA tournament.

After the victory, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey is being praised for the outstanding job he has done from the sidelines. He even decided to change their offense a month before the Big East battle, a radical move at this stage of the season… but it paid off.

Buffalo’s rookie Tyler Myers scored 55 seconds into the game and had three assists, but it was Thomas Vanek’s goal in the second period that sealed the Sabres a 5-3 victory over the Stars (29-25-12).  The teams were tied at three after the first 20 minutes but Buffalo dominated the final two periods as the Stars could only manage to get six shots on Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, who finished with 17 saves. This was the Sabres third straight win.

Coming out of the Olympic break the Stars have lost four of five important games and now the Western Conference play-off slot seems to be slipping away. Dallas has odds of 40 to 1 to win the conference at LinesMaker and now remain 5 points behind eight-place Calgary with odds of 30 to 1 and have no games in hand.

With just 1.9 seconds left Bryant hit a 17-foot jumper taking the Los Angeles Lakers to a 109-107 victory over the Toronto Raptors. This ended what was the Lakers longest losing streak this season.

The Raptors totally outplayed the defending champions through most of the three-quarters up until Bryant’s heroic shot in the fourth. Chris Bosh hit a 3-pointer with 9.5 seconds left to bring the game to a tie. Then Bryant eluded Antoine Wright’s defense getting the ball on the wing and moved nearly to the baseline for the jumper.

Bryant, who scored 14 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter, saved the Lakers’ win but hopefully he won’t need to again in the run up to the finals.  He showed his disappointment after the game and called the victory over the Raptors “garbage” and made it clear he wasn’t impressed that he was required to bail the Lakers out yet again. They definitely need the whole team to defend their NBA Championship title.

There were two dramatic and frightening crashes that prolonged the race by 16 extra laps. Carl Edwards caused the first by clipping Brad Keselowski’s car and sending it upside down into the grandstand. Speculation is that this was retaliation for a race last year at Talladega, in which Keslowski won after colliding with Edwards. Luckily Keselowski was ok and Edwards was ordered off the track and reprimanded by NASCAR.

The second crash involved 7 cars, this halted the finish and the race ran another two clean laps with Busch leading until the finish. This was his third race in Atlanta and his 21st career win.

Matt Kenseth reached the line half a second behind Busch, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya in third, then Kasey Kahne and Paul Menard.  The Hendrick team was nowhere near the top ten. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in 15th place as Busch broke Jimmie Johnson’s two-race winning streak.

Cooke has already been suspended twice this season for “unacceptable hits” and the Bruins who lost 2 -1 were angry, they had lost one of their best players to a cheap shot.

It’s “obvious that was definitely a dirty hit,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien, who said Cooke should be suspended. “That’s probably the classic blind-side hit to the head.” Cooke will not continue playing until he has been assessed and is not joining the Penguins in Toronto tomorrow.

It was Evgeni Malkin who scored the go-ahead goal for the Penguins early in the third period ending Boston’s five game winning streak. The Penguins remain unbeaten since the Olympic break.

Prince who had missed 32 games with back and knee injuries scored a season-high 29 points and brought down 10 rebounds. Richard Hamilton added 22 points and Jason Maxiell had a career high16 rebounds.

Will Bynum was filling in for Rodney Stuckey on Sunday night and proved his effectiveness in defense. Stuckey was hospitalized when he collapsed during the Pistons loss against the Cavaliers at Cleveland on Friday. It has since been confirmed after tests that he does not have any life threatening condition but unclear when he will return to the lineup.

Houston’s Kevin Martin got 27 points and Aaron Brooks 25 and the game was tied 102-102 at the end of regulation. Detroit’s Maxiell had a layup with 2:15 to play in overtime for a 109-105 Detroit lead, their defense took over from there and the Pistons held the Rockets (31-31) to two points to the end of the game.

No. 1 Syracuse was knocked from the top spot when they lost to the Cardinals at Louisville on Saturday. They had spent five days at the top of the poll and it was the first time Syracuse (28-3) had been ranked No. 1 in the regular-season for 20 years. This is their was the Orange’s second loss to Louisville in two weeks but they have already won the Big East regular-season title. Syracuse could be a great choice for bettors with odds at LinesMaker of 7-2 to win the NCAA Championships. Kansas are the favorites at 2-1.

No. 2 Kansas (29-2) beat Missouri on Saturday and they could be reclaiming the top ready for them to reclaim after the Syracuse loss. After finishing first in the Big 12 Kansas is has secured the position of overall top seed in the NCAA tournament. The Jayhawks had slipped from No 1. after falling to Oklahoma last week.

No 3 Kentucky’s Darius Miller and Eric Bledsoe had 14 points each to help fend off a comeback from Florida. Kentucky beat the Gators 74-66 victory in Lexington yesterday. Kentucky has completed an 18-0 home season and could be on its way to securing a top seed in the NCAA tournament. They have odds of 7-2 to win the NCAA Championship at LinesMaker along with Syracuse. The Wild Cats (29-2) have won the Southeastern Conference title after Vanderbilt lost to South Carolina on Saturday.

Fielder appeared to be the target of retaliation from an incident last year. He was hit in the back by the first pitch from San Francisco’s Barry Zito in first inning of the Gaints 5-3 victory over the Brewers. Why the retaliation? On September 6th Fielder had acted like a bowling ball and his teammates had fallen like pins in celebration of a walk–off home run against the Giants at Milwaukee’s Miller Park. There were rumors of a payback by the Giants.

Zito’s action seemed pretty childish, as did Fielder’s behavior last season, but Zito didn’t seem to care about any discipline he could face. Fielder saw it as “taking one for the team” but has decided he needs to “grow up” and stop being the bad guy.

The favored Giants had no hits through the first four innings but overcame a 3-0 deficit with four runs in the fifth.

NHL is back on the ice after its two week break forsome incredible Olympic hockey action.  Now the Olympic stars get back to their regular season teams in the run for Lord Stanley’s mug.

The NASCAR Kobalt Tools 500 takes place this Sunday. Will the Atlanta Motor Speedway see Jimmie Johnson retain his lead for the Hendrick team? Whatever the result the NASCAR season is just warming up and you can rest assured that LinesMaker will provide you with the best odds online through to the finish.

Remember, if you like prop bets, LinesMaker has a huge selection of daily betting options!

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Halladay, who spent his first 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, had been putting himself through a rigorous training schedule that paid off. He threw 24 pitches, 21 of which were strikes, and a pair of hitless innings while striking out three and he only allowed one base runner but only because of an error. Halladay struck out batter, Jorge Posada and then got Robinson Cano out on a fly ball to end the inning. Halladay also struck out Nick Swisher and Randy Winn to begin a 1-2-3 inning.

New York Yankeees ace CC Sabathia called Halladay “filthy” and their manager Joe Girardi said “He’s a strike-throwing machine who knows how to locate, with movement.” At LinesMaker the Yankees are 11 to 4 favorites to win the 2010 World Series Championship followed by the Phillies at 6 to 1.  The Phillies could be tough competition for the Yankees with Halladay on board.

Halladay will be facing his old teammates when the Phillies take on the Blue Jays on Friday.

Vasquez scored 20 points for the Maryland underdogs, including a clutch basket with 37 seconds left, leading No 22 ranked Maryland (22-7, 12-3 ACC) to a 79-77 victory. Devil’s guards Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer scored 20 and 19 points respectively for Duke (25-2, 12-3 ACC) making it a close game. The Terrapin’s forward Landon Milbourne went on to score the go-ahead basket with 1: 37 minutes remaining.

Maryland and Duke will play their final games of the regular season on Saturday. This latest win brings Maryland into a tie with the Blue Devils for the best record in the ACC. If both teams win their last games the Terrapins will share the regular season title with Duke. However the Blue Devils will remain No 1 seed for it’s higher winning percentage against teams with a winning record.

The world’s former No. 1 Jankovic was stunned as she was ousted by Sevastova who is 19 years old and ranked 72nd in the world. This was Jankovic’s third upset in two days at Monterrey and her rating will now drop significantly with this last defeat.

Other seeded players faired better. Third-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia defeated Anna Tatishvli of Georgia 6-1, 6-2; No. 4 Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia downed Italy’s Roberta Vinci 6-4, 6-3; and No. 5 Agnes Szavay of Hungary beat Julia Goerges of Germany 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

It was fifth year seniors Arinze Onuaku and Andy Rautins who combined a total 35 points to clinch the victory. Onuaku scored a season-high of 21 points helping Syracuse to move up to 15-2 in the Big East and 28-2 overall. Ruatins added another 14 points.

Syracuse’s season has been amazing. They have won nine of their last 11conference home games and 42 of their last 45 games against unranked teams. Tuesday’s game against St. John’s saw them shoot 51.7 percent from the floor and 70.4 percent from the foul line. They definitely proved they are the nation’s No. 1 team. St John’s had no chance as they blocked shots, forced a lot of turnovers, forced them to take tough shots and got out in transition. Their last Big East title was won in the 1990-91.

LinesMaker.com currently has the betting odds at 7-2 for Syracuse to win the NCAA Championship.

New Jersey’s goalie Martin Brodeur was not playing well. His post-Olympic performance was poor, after being benched in the preliminary round following Canada’s 5-3 loss to the US. He let in three goals in the third period and the Sharks nearly managed to rally from a 4-0 deficit.

Thirteen Olympians played in the game, eight of who were on the teams in Sunday’s gold medal game. The five medalists playing for the Sharks — silver medalist Pavelski and Canadians Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Dan Boyle – however did not make much difference to the Sharks performance in the first two periods.

It was Devin Setoguchi who helped the Sharks recovery in the third period scoring two goals less than 2 minutes apart. Joe Pavelski added another with 8:28 remaining, but New Jersey managed to remain ahead scoring a third goal in the final minute.

The Boilermakers’ (24-4, 12-4 Big Ten) who were -4 favorites to win again Michigan State, were on a 10-game winning streak. Purdue’s coaches admitted Hummel was missed, but also said one player couldn’t account for Michigan State’s 46-20 rebounding edge.

Purdue have now lost all hope of a shot at the No. 1 ranking even though No 1 Kansas lost to Oklahoma State and No. 2 Kentucky to Tennessee the previous day. Michigan State is now level with Purdue in the Big Ten conference standings and Purdue falls half a game behind Ohio for the conference lead. Two wins could give Purdue a share of the conference title but it is uncertain how will they fair in their next games without Hummel. They meet Indiana on Wednesday.

Gordon, a part-owner in Johnson’s team and also four-time champion, had dominated the race but a pit stop strategy backfired on him and he came in third place. He was proud of the fact that he had lead 219 of the 267 laps. “Somebody once told me that if you’re going to get beat, make sure you’re getting a piece of it. That’s one positive to take out of it,” said Gordon, “It doesn’t matter to me who it is out there, whether it’s our own teammate or whether it’s a competitor, you want to go out there and compete against the best and you want to beat the best.

For the second straight week Kevin Harvick came in second to Johnson which means his run of four-year dominance on the track may be coming to a close.

This is the Suns second loss since the All –Star break. Could they be on the slide? Jason Richardson had a helping hand in their defeat when he, embarrassingly, missed the perfect opportunity to bring them to a tie. With 40 seconds left to play he mistimed a dunk, there was no-one ahead of him and his one-handed slam bounced off the rim to the shock of his teammates.
It was a great day for the Spurs. Tim Duncan had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Manu Ginobili also scored 21, including 11 points in the fourth quarter and Tony Parker, who had just returned after missing their loss at Houston on Friday due to illness, added 16 points.

The Spurs meet New Orleans tonight and are 3.5 point favorites and currently have 74% of the betting volume on the spread at LinesMaker. Last night was the Spurs second win in their last five games. Phoenix had won 11 out of their last 13. Despite being one of the top scoring teams in the league, LinesMaker has the Suns odds of winning the NBA Championship at +6000.

The goal was quickly followed by a massive eruption of not only the overwhelmingly Canadian crowd at Hockey Canada Place but an entire hockey mad nation from coast to coast. As the Canadians celebrated, a heartbroken Ryan Miller, who was without question was the best goaltender in the tournament, remained momentarily frozen, stunned in disbelief.

It was a remarkable finish to possibly the most anticipated game to ever take place in Canada. The Canadian squad controlled the balance of play throughout the game which saw Canada lead 2-0 on goals by Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry. The young and talented American team continued to create opportunities and battled back to send it into overtime with just 24.4 seconds left in regulation time. Ironically, the son of a Canadian hockey great, J.P. Parise, from the famed 1972 Summit Series against the former USSR, Zach Parise stuffed in a rebound past a sprawling Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo to dash the Canadian’s hopes for gold.

In the overtime, however, Canada dominated the four-on-four play and it ended when Team Canada veteran Jarome Iginla fed the puck from the corner to Crosby. Although Crosby had played well during the tournament he had been held off the score sheet in the two previous games. The extra room in overtime gave him the space to get a step on the US defenseman and score the greatest goal of his young life.

The 19 year-old Korean is reining world champion and had the weight of her small nation bearing down on her. In South Korea she is known simply as Queen Yu-na and her popularity is so immense she always travels with bodyguards.  The pressure did not affect her flawless performance, hurtling into jumps at full speed but touching down with beautiful grace and poise. When she moved on the ice her efforts were silent and smooth, no harsh scrapes to be heard just a crisp edge. She centered her spins perfectly and managed the most mind-boggling contortions with her quadruple spins. Even her expressions while she performed to Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” were impeccable.

When she finished she bent over and was unable to hold back her tears. The crowd showered the ice with soft toys and flowers in appreciation of a true ice queen. Japan’s Mao Asada won the silver medal and the bronze went to Canadian Joannie Rochette, who showed courage braving the ice just 4 days after her mother’s sudden death. South Korea’s only other gold medal in the Vancouver Olympic Games was also on the ice as the speed skating oval.

The injury resulted when Hummel made a drive for the basket. He will not be able to play for the rest of the season. This is a blow for Purdue as he is without a doubt the team’s most indispensible player. He ranks second on the team with 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game.

 ”Rob does something for us offensively and defensively that balances our team,” said Purdue coach Matt Painter when Hummel was out with a back injury last season. “He’s a facilitator. He moves the basketball, he makes the extra pass, he gets the ball inside. … Some of the basic things that don’t show up in a box score is what we miss.” Purdue struggled without him last season while he recovered from his back injury.

The Boilermakers (24-3, 12-3 Big Ten) are currently leading the Big Ten, are on a ten game winning streak and have their highest national ranking since 1994. LinesMaker have odds of +1200 for them to win the NCAA Championship. Now they are going to face a showdown with Michigan State on Sunday without a star player.

Switzerland lost 2-0 to the US yesterday in Vancouver. Zach Parise scored for the USA and goalie Ryan Miller stopped 19 shots from Switzerland. Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller was an asset to his team stopping 42 of 43 shots in the first two periods alone.

The US moves on to play Finland in Friday’s first semi-final. Miikka Kiprusoff got the shutout for Finland who beat the Czech Republic 2-0.

Meanwhile, the Canadian team was outstanding in beating Russia 7-3. It was the most anticipated game of the tournament this far as the two teams were widely expected to meet up in the gold medal match not the quarter finals. The Canadians were sharp and aggressive from the opening faceoff and put four goals past Russian goalie Evgeni Nabokov in the opening period. Canada will meet Slovakia in the semi-final.

Slovakia defeated defending champion Sweden 4-3. Pavol Demitra scored the final deciding goal.

Well that was Tuesday….

On Wednesday it was a different story for the Lakers, who took 60% of the betting volume at odds of +1.5, lost to the Dallas Mavericks. Bryant’s performance was nowhere near as heroic making just nine of twenty-three shots and scoring 20 points. Both the Lakers and Bryant seemed tired after their 101 – 96 loss to the Mavericks, who continued to pound them even without their new marquee player Caron Butler, who was sidelined after he had a bad reaction to medication.

The Mavericks’ DeShawn Stevenson played some excellent defense again Bryant in the first half, Terry was shooting clutch after clutch and their offense was formidable. The Lakers who are +140 favorite to win the NBA Championship are statistically the league’s second best rebounding team, but they only took 36, their average is 44.8. The Mavericks have odds of +1500, they had 41 rebounds and are now on a five game winning streak.

As things heat up on the ice at the Olympics in Vancouver this weekend, we have some cool betting options at LinesMaker. 

The men’s hockey battle will be fought on Sunday. Canada is still favored to win, but the Russians are a formidable force, and the US team has already shown their skill and determination on the ice. The quarter finals and bronze will be an exciting lead up to Sunday’s gold medal game.

The sprint is on! The next race of the Nascar Sprint Cup Series is being held at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this Sunday. Can Jamie Johnson retain his lead?

Hoops, hoops, Hoops! College Basketball is in judgment week in the run up to the conference championship titles. That’s 37 games to bet on in one week!

Also check out our NBA offerings. There’s lots of action to be had.

Don’t forget if you want a future bet on your favorite sport we have it at LinesMaker! 

Hot Specials this Week:

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It seems that he is certain his contract will not be renewed for next season. “I know I’m not going to be here next year,” Ramirez said Monday. He went on to say that he didn’t know why but he just knew that he wouldn’t be with LA. It has to be said Ramirez is renowned for saying curious or contradictory things so whether there’s any weight in his statement has yet to be seen.

The former World Series MVP is 37 years old and hasn’t ruled out retirement at the end of the season. He also stated he’ll see “where he and his family is at” the end of the season. This will be his 17th major league season and it seems that he may feel physically tired and that his best days in baseball are over.

To be fair he never really returned to his old form last year after a 50 game drug suspension. He was hitting .348 – six homers and drove in 20 runs in 27 games  -before the suspension but went on to finished the season at .290 – driving in just 43 in the 77 games – after his return.

It was after linebacker, and top team performer, Kristian Kiko Alonso was arrested on Saturday for suspicion of DUI that Holland made an update on his Facebook status. He wrote that Alsonso had been thrown off the team and went on to say what a travesty this was for the Ducks. Later, and shockingly, Holland went on to write in a later post: “I wish I could block whites as friends and only have blacks LOL, cause apparently I’m misunderstood.”

Alonso is the fourth Oregon team member to be arrested on suspicion of DUI, but school spokesman Dave Williford quashed Holland’s rumor of Alsono being released. So Holland’s post backfired on him. According to athletic director Mike Bellotti he had been given many chances and pep talks, since his transfer to the Ducks from California in 2006.

Villanova were, deservedly, odds on favorites to win at LinesMaker at -2 and took 64% of the betting volume. The Panthers (21-6, 10-4 Big East) were knocked-out by the Wildcats last year in a drama filled Big East matchup when Scottie Reynolds’ last-second dash to the basket took the Wildcats to a 78-76 victory and into the Final Four.

On Sunday the Panthers managed to hold off Reynolds, he finished with 20 points, managed three foul shots in the last 7 seconds which got the Wildcats (22-4, 11-3) within three, but Panther did not bend under Villanova’s pressure. Pittsburgh’s odds at LinesMaker are a long shot to win the NCCA Championships at +6000 but if they can keep this momentum up they may be a great bet. Is Villanova with odds of +1000 slipping? They have now dropped two straight games for the first time in two years.

Sunday’s game was a battle of the Supermen on court. Shaquille O’Neal has been known as Superman throughout most of his 17 year NBA career and Dwight Howard has also earned that nickname much to O’Neal’s chagrin., he has even been heard calling Howard an “impostor”. The game on Saturday definitely saw a visible battle of the NBA superheroes. Howard had 22 points and 16 rebounds for Orlando and O’Neal finished with 20 points.

Could history repeat itself this year? LinesMaker has the Cavaliers at betting odds of -275 s to win the Eastern Conference but Orlando eliminated them in the finals last year. The Magic is in great form; they have won nine their last eleven home games and the Cavs may be on a losing streak but they still are leading Orlando in the standings.

The US hockey team proved they were a skilled and determined team beating Canada 5 -3 on Sunday. They have now earned not only their place in the quarter finals, but Sweden’s 3-0 victory over Finland also gave the US hockey team the No. 1 seed in the tournament – a result that has amazed so called experts and fans alike.

Brian Rafalski scored two goals and Ryan Miller was spectacular as he defended the US goal from a barrage of shots. Miller stood up to Canada outshooting the US 45-23 by making 42 saves. “It’s probably one of the biggest games I’ve ever played,” Miller said. “When things happened we responded. We didn’t get nervous or anxious. We kept playing.” At the other end of the ice, Canadian goaltender Martin Broduer appeared sloppy at times and had two mishaps that led directly to US goals.

American fans went crazy and a flourish of red and white flags filled Canada Hockey Place as Ryan Kesler scored an empty net goal in the final minute to seal the victory. The US will play the winner of the Switzerland – Belarus game on Wednesday at 3 p.m EST.

What now for Canada? They still have a shot at the gold medal but face a much tougher road. They will need to beat Germany in a qualifying match and then face the talented Russians in the quarter finals.

The world’s richest sportsman has always been seen as a paragon of virtue – a man with true family values and morals. This persona was recently shattered after a car crash outside his Florida home his last November that lead to the revelation that he had been less than faithful to his wife. The “American Dream” was shattered, sponsors backed off and Woods hid from the public eye.

In front of a handpicked audience of 40 people – family, friends and agent he admitted: “I hurt my wife, my kids, my mother, my wife’s family, my friends, my foundation and kids all around the world who admired me.” Woods went on to say his behavior was “irresponsible” and he confessed to being unfaithful and having affairs.

Woods hardly made any reference his golfing career but did say he was unsure of he would return to the fairway. The 34 year old is only five major championships away from becoming the most successful golfer in history. He will now focus on rebuilding his relationship with his wife and children. This is the year of the Tiger so hopefully life can only get better for Woods from herein.

Rivera is entering the 2010 season looking healthy and, after throwing the final pitch of 2009 for the Yankees, he’s ready for action. This year is his final year of a three-year $45 million contract but he says he’s not concerned about his contract status. Being the best closer in history, posting 44 saves, 5 of those in playoffs, and a 1.76 ERA last season why should he be concerned? The Yankees are already 11-4 favorites to win the 2010 World Series 2010.

“How old do I feel? I feel 40,” he told the Associated Press on Thursday. “I think that age will not be a factor unless you put in your mind. ‘Oh, I’m 40. I feel strong. I’m ready to go. I want to play the game I love to play.” Shortstop Derek Jeter and manager Joe Girardi also have contracts ending this season but both are expected to re-sign with no issues. Rivera is pleased he has a contract this year and intends to carry on playing beyond 2010.

The Wizards acquired Al Thornton from Los Angeles, Cavaliers center Zydrunnas Ilgauskas and rights to Emir Predldzic, and the Clippers sent guard Sebastian Telfair to Cleveland. The question now is: With Jamison on board will the Cavs win the NBA title? He was with the Wizards for 4 years, proving to be a great asset to the team, popular with teammates and fans. He has been averaging 20.5 points this season.

LinesMaker has wagering odds of 3-2 for the Cavaliers to win the NBA Championship close behind favorites the Lakers at 7-5. They are heavy favorites to win the Eastern Conference. The Cavs (43-11) have the best record in the NBA so far and if they beat Denver tonight winning their 14^th straight game they will set a new franchise mark. Jamison’s shooting skills should help the Cavaliers to step up to the next level by opening up the lane for James and O’Neal.

Here’s LinesMaker review of some of the movers and shakers are fairing so far:

Moving Up

Favorites Kansas are not so much moving up but staying exactly where they have been. With wagering odds of 2.8 to win the championship they have remained consistently at No.1 giving it up briefly to Texas and Kentucky.

Louisville is back on track, they upset no 3 Syracuse Orange last Sunday 66-60 after losing against St. John’s by 19, the Cardinals (16-9).

On Saturday, in overtime, the New Mexico Lobos (23-3) beat Utah at home 68-65 and look to be heading for their first NCCA tournament since 2005.

The Butler Bulldogs’ (23-4) last loss was to Alabama-Birmingham on Dec. 22. The Bulldogs have won 15 games in a row since then, the have already won the Horizon League championship.

Ohio State (20 -6) were victorious over host Illinois 72-53 Sunday and to move into a first-place tie with Michigan State in the Big Ten at 10-3.

For the first time since 2004 the Richmond Spiders (20-6) are playing their way to the tournament.

Shaking Down

Connecticut’s Huskies lost 60-48 against Cincinnati on Saturday in Hartford. Their coach admitted he was embarrassed and it was the worst performance he seen since in his 24 years at UConn.

The Northwestern Wildcats lost 9-17 to Iowa on Wednesday, ruining any chances of them making the tournament.

The Florida Gators (17-8) lost to South Carolina and Xavier last week. They haven’t made the NCAA tournament in the last two years, since winning national titles in 2006 and 2007.

Despite a promising start the Blazers drop to 19-5 after losing three of their last four games.

The South Florida Bulls (15-9) lost against Notre Dame and Marquette after upsetting Pittsburgh and Georgetown.

Back by popular demand! LinesMaker is offering customers their free March Madness Bracket Buster contest along with great betting odds throughout the tournament.

Another great betting weekend is about to begin at LinesMaker. The Olympics are in full swing with all eyes on the Canadian hockey team to see if they can win the gold on their home ice.

The PGA tour sees the world’s top 64 players at the Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona. The rest of the best will be on the fairway in Mexico for the Mayakoba Classic.

The UFC 110 commences this week at the Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia and two of the most anticipated fights take place over the weekend. On February 21 former champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira meets top contender Cain Velasquez in the heavyweight headliner, and Michael Bisping takes on Wanderlei Silva in the middleweight co-headliner. Here at LInesMaker Velasquez is favored 1.74.

Of course there’s plenty of hoops action to be had on the run up to March Madness

Hot Specials this Week:

• Get 10% free cash on all deposits this Thursday
• Nickel Juice on hoops odds on Friday between 3 and 8pm.
• Check the members area for a Paid to Play bonus.
• NEW! Double-Your-Money Weekly Sports Bet!
• Risk-Free Tuesdays in the casino
• Refer a Friend and get 50% of their initial deposit in additional free cash.

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There’s a lot of pressure on the Canadian athletes simply because losing at home is not an option.  Steve Yzerman has put together a stellar team but there are a few worrying issues dogging their performance.  Ryan Getzlaf is a rock solid team member and a great scorer but is suffering from an injured ankle and if the problem continues Jeff Carter, a star in his own right but not of Getzlaf’s caliber, may replace him. Also slap shot on the shin on Sunday has left Sidney Crosby limping, although he claims to be fine.

The team is facing is a downturn in the last NHL performances of some of it’s superstar players. Goaltender’s Martin Brodeur and Robert Luongo both got pulled recently. Luongo was pulled after giving up five goals in a loss to Minnesota Wild. Jarome Iginla and Eric Staal are not having their usual success either.  Let’s hope the team can regain the strength it seems to have lost over the lost two week.

Check LinesMaker for all the game odds for Olympic Hockey.

The Oregon Ducks (12-12, 4-8 Pac-10) lost their third straight game keeping them low down in the PAC-10 despite an early 9-point lead. The have now dropped eight out of ten games after a 2-0 start in the PAC -10. The Sun Devils were 8.5 favorites taking 66% of the betting volume at LinesMaker, and ASU and Oregon are both at +20000 to win the NCAA Championships.

After the Ducks took the early lead the Sun Devils (18-8, 8-5 Pac-10) were kick-started into action by Abbott who hit 5 of 13 shots from beyond the arc. They broke open a close game with a 12-0 run in the middle of the second half. Abbott managed to connect three times from beyond the arc during that stretch. The Ducks managed to get to 55-49 with two minutes left, but then a long three-pointer from ASU’s point guard Derek Glasser with a steal on the other end finished any speculation that the Duck could make a comeback.

Louisville’s defense managed to hold off Syracuse’s high scoring and efficient defense throughout the game. Other Big East Teams Connecticut, Cincinnati, Marquette and Notre Dame have failed to upset Syracuse so it was a real achievement for the Cardinals, they were in need of a signature win to help their NCAA tournament chances. Bad outside shooting contributed to the Syracuse loss, midway through the first half they led 22 -11 but were 29-28 by half time.

At LinesMaker, Syracuse have wagering odds of +400 to win the NCAA Championship but are they about to slide? They fallen to 24-2, 11-2 in the league after having 11 straight wins, their only other defeat was against Pittsburgh on Jan 2.

It was an unpredictable and drama filled season opener, the race was delayed twice due to track repairs to fill potholes in the tracks surface. In lap 8 there was a six-car crash and in lap 122 another repair was needed on turn 22 which stopped the race for 1 hour and 42 minutes.

The race saw over 50 lead changes making it one of the most competitive races in the history of the Daytona 500. The 23-year-old McMurray had 12-time Daytona winner Earnhardt in hot pursuit on his bumper but McMurray took the lead in the final two laps beating Earnhardt by .119 seconds. It was an emotional win for McMurray, he was hardly able to put words together for the press as he choked back the tears.

The news was not so good for Danica Patrick. Her NASCAR debut on Saturday in the Drive4COPD 300 Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway was cut short when she was involved in a 12-car crash in lap 69. Dale Earnhardt was also involved in the smoke filled crash, Patrick’s visibility was harbored and she crashed into the wall. Luckily she remained unscathed but was disappointed that she failed to finish in her debut and placed 35th out of 43 drivers.

There’s a lot of pressure on the Canadian athletes simply because losing at home is not an option. Steve Yzerman has put together a stellar team but there are a few worrying issues dogging their performance. Ryan Getzlaf is a rock solid team member and a great scorer but is suffering from an injured ankle and if the problem continues Jeff Carter, a star in his own right but not of Getzlaf’s caliber, will replace him. Perhaps worse, a slap shot on the shin on Sunday has left Sidney Crosby limping, although he claims to be fine.

The team is facing a downturn in the last NHL performances of some of it’s superstar players. Goaltender’s Martin Brodeur and Robert Luongo both got pulled, Luongo after giving up five goals in a loss to Minnesota Wild. Jarome Iginla and Eric Staal are not having their usual success either. It remains to be seen if the team can regain the strength it seems to have lost over the last two weeks. Be sure to check LinesMaker for odds on Olympic Hockey.

The Yellow Jackets managed to rally from a 60-52 disadvantage in the final five minutes but then Dews made his winning 15ft footer. It was a surprise to everyone as Dews had been missing shots throughout the game, even a free throw in the final minute. Luckily he redeemed himself in the end – literally – with his first game winner since high school.

The odds on the Hurricanes (17-7, 3-7 ACC) are +20000 to win the NCAA Championship at LinesMaker.  This only their second win in eight straight games. Georgia Tech (17-7, 5-5) has odds of +5000 to win the championship and have dropped from first to fourth in the conferences standings.

Speaking of the Olympics, the games open this weekend and we will have a full assortment of betting options available. We are aready taking some pretty heavy action on who will take home the gold medal in hockey as well as which nation will win the most gold medals.

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The Longhorns had earned the first No. 1 ranking in the school’s history earlier this season and were the Jayhawks biggest threat in the Big 12 but now they have lost five out of last seven games.  After a great start to the season, going 17-0, the Longhorns had potential to be contenders for national title. They now seem to have lost their momentum

In preseason polls Kansas was ranked at No. 1, they held this position for the first eight weeks of the regular season until their only loss at Tennessee. They have been ranked No 1 for two consecutive weeks after being knocked off the top spot for three. They have odds of +180 to win NCAA Championship.

Roy has been suffering from a hamstring injury since their game against Milwaukee on Jan. 13. He hasn’t played in 12 of the last 13 games, including Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Head Coach Nate McMillian, who wants to ensure the Blazers best player makes a full recovery, made the decision. 

This is Roy’s fourth season with the Blazers who have gone to 4 – 6 in Roy’s absence. The current odds for them to win the NBA Championship are +4000 at LinesMaker, it will be interesting to see if the odds change once he returns after the All- Star break. This was his third season on the All-Star team. NBA commissioner David Stern will be choosing Roy’s replacement.

MVP Drew Brees may be the most revered Super Bowl MVP ever, battling through a crippling shoulder injury and winning the championship for the beleaguered city of New Orleans. Brees finished with 288 yards on 32 of 39 passing. He threw two touchdowns and no interceptions and was sacked just once by the Colts Dwight Freeney in the second quarter. Freeney’s performance was hampered by his ankle injury which he says got very stiff in the second half, much like the rest of the Colts team.

Late in the first half things looked good for the Colts, the Saints were down 10 -3, and the Colts had just held off a fourth and goal. But a late drive resulted narrowed the lead to 10-6.  Then Payton set the tone for the Saints in the second half with one of the ballsiest calls in NFL history, an onside kick to start the second half. It was Garrett Hartley who took this game-changing onside kick, he should also be praised nailing three field-goal attempts — from 46, 44 and 47 yards.

The bettors at LinesMaker who put their money on the Saints will be rejoicing along with the people of New Orleans who spirits have certainly been lifted with this amazing win.

Boston was leading 51-40 at half time but they were completely dominated by the Magic in the third quarter, losing their first game in four starts. It was an outstanding defensive and offensive performance in the decisive quarter that clinched the victory.

Vince Carter scored a team-high 20 points and Dwight Howard had 16 and 13 rebounds for the Magic, they had a 19-0 run in the third to turn a nine-point deficit into a 70-60 lead behind a onslaught of three-pointers. Rajon Rondo paced the Celtics with 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds.

Despite two key players returning for the Celtics they still lost. Leading scorer Paul Pierce had sat out two games after suffering a strain on the top of his left foot, he scored 13 points. Marquis Daniels, a key substitute, had missed 29 games following surgery on his left thumb finished with eight points.

Tyler Smith was also dismissed from the team for his role, while guards Cameron Tatum and Melvin Goins were reinstated Jan. 17th.

Through the University of Tennessee’s Sports Information Department, Volunteers head coach Bruce Pearl released a statement in which he said: “I have said all along that each individual involved in last month’s incident would be treated fairly—not necessarily treated the same—but treated fairly. From the time that he was suspended, Brian missed half the remaining season. As we’ve worked through this process, we have tried to learn, grow and move forward in a positive direction.

Tennessee went on to beat 9-point favorites South Carolina.

The Capitals are performing well this NHL season with brilliant goaltending to go with their potent offense. Alex Ovechkin triumphed scoring his NHL-leading 39th goal, and Michal Neuvirth has played well between the pipes leading the team to the longest streak in the NHL for nearly nine years.

A winning streak such as this has not been seen in the NHL since 2001 when New Jersey won 13 straight. Prior to that Pittsburgh held the record with 17 straight from March 9 – April 10, 1993.  Can the Capitals continue their run with a 14^th win when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins at home Sunday?

New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts

In Peyton Manning, the Colts boast the best QB in the game today.  That’s why they enter Sunday’s Super Bowl clash with the Saints as 4.5 point favorites.  Drew Brees and the Saints. however, have the league’s top ranked offense and can seemingly score at will when they are clicking.  Although some may say that the Colts weren’t tested in this year’s play-off matchups, they do boast a roster full of Super Bowl experience.  Will this give them the edge? Either way, this game is sure to be exciting!

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North Carolina’s coach Roy Williams admits there’s problems “It’s everything,” he said listing a number of failings from defending the dribble to capturing the backboards. “We’ve had 61 practices now,” he said, “and the things I’ve preached in the previous 21 years seemed to work. This year, those things haven’t worked.” The Tar Heels odds to win the NCAA Championship are +5000 certainly not the odds of a defending champ.

Preseason the Tar Heels were ranked no. 4 by the coaches but are now at 75 RPI computer ranking. Are there excuses for this performance? They did lose the top four scorers from 2009, including Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson, but still had a talented team. Seven-footer Tyler Zeller has a foot injury making this his second straight injury-marred season, but that doesn’t really account for such an abysmal record.

After Sunday night’s throttling at home by Virginia, 75-60, Ray William noted “How can you go any lower? Be honest. How can it be any worse than it is right now?

Members of the Colts and Saints were unable to take part in the Pro Bowl this year which was moved from its usual slot a week after Super Bowl to the week prior. Pro Bowl players from the Super Bowl teams such as Peyton Manning and Drew Brees watched from the sidelines.

It was Houston’s Matt Schaub who got the AFC to a quick and early lead with a 33 yard hook-up to Johnson just over 3 minutes into the game and then another touchdown pass to Denver’s Brandon Marshall. He finished with 189 yards on 13-of-17 attempts and took home the MVP award. 

The game saw a lot of big plays including AFC replacement, David Garrard, throwing for 183 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown to Vincent Jackson. Jackson himself made seven catches for 122 yards and Chad Ochocinco had a 40-yard reception. DeSean Jackson scored on a 7-yard pass from Rodgers and a 58-yard pass from Donovan McNabb, his regular quarterback with the Eagles.

Renault are wheeling out their new R30 which is considered to be more “svelte and attractive” than it’s predecessor according to their technical director James Allison. Its architecture makes it a far more aerodynamic and fuel efficient vehicle.

Red Bull Racing’s second team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, unveiled their new STR5 the first car they have built and designed themselves. Formula One had banned customer cars but after increasing its staff last year from 150 – 200, Toro Rosso were finally approved as an F1 Constructor.

Mercedes have a new GP team and F1 car for Michael Schumacher. The seven-time world champion was faster than teammate Rosberg within 20 laps, clocking a best lap of 1 minute, 12.947 seconds. But Felipe Massa’s new Ferrari beat Schumacher’s Mercedes for speed in the sessions. Massa is returning to Formula One after his life threatening crash last summer. He fractured his skull during the H the Hungarian Grand Prix last July.

The deal with the Flames that includes Phaneuf is a seven-player deal. The Leafs received Keith Aulie and Fredrik Sjostrom from Calgary in exchange for Ian White, Matt Stajan, Nick Hagman and Jamal Mayers. With Anahiem they traded goalie Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake for Giguere.

Toronto has odds of 300-1 win the Stanley Cup at LinesMaker obviously reflecting their terrible record this season – losing their last six games and they are in a tie with Carolina for last in the Eastern Conference. It will be interesting to see if these new acquisitions will change their fortunes.

 While the Colts are looking to repeat history, the Saints are looking to create their own. To do so, Drew Brees and the Saints need to come out fast and hard to shut down the Colts early. The Saints will also need big performances from Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey, and Darren Sharper. Reggie Bush may well be the most dynamic player in the NFL and is able to produce yardage in many ways. Jeremy Shockey is capable of 100+ receiving yards anytime he steps on the field and Darren Sharper’s big hits energize his team.

The battle in the trenches will be extremely crucial. If the Colts play without a healthy Dwight Freeney, it will allow the Saints’ backfield to receive rather than pass protect.

The Colts will need solid outings from receivers Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, and Dallas Clark. Rest assured Peyton Manning will be steady and confident as always, so the issue becomes whether the receivers will be as well.   The Colts’ linebackers are going to have to use their speed to shut down the explosive Reggie Bush.

At the end of the day, it will really boil down to whether Peyton Manning gets solid pass protection. If so, the Colts passing game will be extremely hard to stop. Given the opportunity, when Manning and the Colts get their shotgun in rhythm they become nearly unstoppable.

In this year’s final he will meet Andy Murray, the first British contender to make the Grand Slam singles in 74 years. Murray is now up against ‘the king’ again in his second ever final, Federer beat him in his first at the US Open in 2008.  Murray ousted Nadal in the quarterfinals and then beat Marlin Cilic in the semifinals. If he takes the title he will be the first British man to win a major singles title since Fred Perry in 1936.

The British fans could be sorely disappointed if Federer plays the way he did against Tsonga on Friday. LinesMaker has Federer as a -200 favorite to take the match and the title.

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The JR Motorsports team decision will be made after Patrick makes her stock car debut in the Feb. 6 ARCA race at Daytona. If all goes well for her, she could race the following week in NASCAR’s second-tier series. It will be a tough start for Patrick as over a dozen Sprint Cup regulars, including team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., take part in this race. Eranhardt has betting odds at LinesMaker of +3000 to win the Sprint Cup If she doesn’t make it, her debut will be the following week in Daytona.

For now her schedule is: Las Vegas (Feb. 20) and then a four-month gap to focus on the IndyCar Series. She will be returning to NASCAR at New Hampshire (June 26) and then onto Chicago (July 9), Michigan (Aug. 14), Dover, Del. (Sept. 25), Fontana (Oct. 9), Charlotte (Oct. 15), Madison, Ill. (Oct. 23), Texas (Nov. 6), Phoenix (Nov. 13), and Homestead, Fla. (Nov. 20).

But could this be a panic move? A strong offensive acquisition such as Stoudemire is very attractive to the Spurs at this time in the season. The Spurs (25-18) have lost five of their last six games, and dropped into sixth place in the Western Conference. Sports bettors can get odds of +700 for them to take the conference championship at LinesMaker.

The big question is whom will they have to part with to make way for Stoudemire? Would it be Manu Ginobili? That could be a difficult move for the franchise and fans. Stoudemire will be an expensive addition at $17.7 million a year so something will have to give.

South Carolina fans were ecstatic as was president Obama who, earlier that day, had commended them for raising over $1 million for the Haiti earthquake victims The Wildcats have been ranked No. 1 since 2003, every one of their opponents plays their best game in the hope of knocking them out. After their performance the Gamecocks may be on the bubble when March Madness come around.

The Gamecocks will play the Georgia Bulldogs at home on Saturday. Kentucky will play Commodores at home this Saturday and will need to tighten up their game to stay at the top.

Both teams are not renowned for their defense but have enough for when it counts. The Saints have the most potent offense and the Colts have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time in Peyton Manning. Both teams could come from behind to win in the final minutes.

Whatever the outcome, the game is sure to be action packed. Now both teams have two weeks to rest, prepare and fine-tune their play. According to LinesMaker.com, sports bettors have already begun placing their bets. The opening odds had the Colts as 4.5 point favorites but heavy action on Indy has already moved the line upwards.

The 31-year-old Panamanian Ruiz hit.255 with 43 RBIs and a career-high nine runs last in 2009. His postseason average is .303 after starting every Phillies playoff game the last two years and they have reached the World Series twice, winning in 2008.

The three-year deal will buy out each of Ruiz’s arbitration years and he will be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season. Other arbitration-eligible players have agreed to a new contracts with the Phillies are; right-handed reliever Chad Durbin who signed a one-year deal Tuesday, and Joe Blanton and Shane Victorino also finalized three year contracts late last week. LinesMaker currently has the Phillies favored to to win the World Series in 2010  at 6-1 odds.

This will be the second time in four years and their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. The Colts vs. Jets betting odds at LinesMaker had the Colts favored by 8.0 points and most bookmakers expected a fairly low-scoring game. It was a rough game for the Jets, who even with their 17 -13 lead after the first half, could not contain Manning in the second where he just carved them up.

Indianapolis is listed as a 5.5 favorite at LinesMaker to win the Super Bowl Championship game in Miami. The perfect scenario plays out for the Colts as they head to Super Bowl with Manning.  “We’re glad to have an opportunity to be going back,” Manning said. “We know we’re going to be playing a great team. I’m really glad we have two weeks to get ready.

This is the furthest the Saints have ever progressed in the playoffs and 2009 has been their best season by far. When they beat the New England Patriots on November 30, the team went to an 11–0 record for the first time in franchise history. They won their first 13 games and set a team record for the longest undefeated season opening (13-0).

Now the Saints go to Super Bowl the first time in their 43- year history to face the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning, four-time NFL Most Valuable Player. Bettors can place your Super Bowl bets at LinesMaker where the Saints have odds of +175 to win and are 5 point underdogs against the spread. This will be a great challenge for the Saints and great viewing for fans.

Brian Elliot earned the highest honor. The Ottawa Senator netminder stepped in for Pascal Leclaire and won all four of his starts. Elliott’s week started allowing one goal on 23 shots in a 5-1 win against Boston. In the Senator’s next game, he allowed just one goal on 30 shots against the Chicago Blackhawks. In the game with St Louis he had 27 saves and stopped 32 if 33 shots for the Senators in a 2 – 1 victory against the Bruins. He certainly deserved the NHL’s top accolade for the week.

The second star was Craig Anderson who has helped to take the Colorado Avalanche from last in the Western Conference in 2008-09 to first in the Northwest Division this season. His week saw him allow only one goal out of 81 shots winning three straight, including a pair of shutouts.

The third NHL star is Pittsburgh’s captain Sidney Crosby who had 8 points last week, six of them in a single game, a 6-4 win against the Islanders, which was a career best.

In the AFC game, the Jets are the big surprise of the playoffs this year. They have won seven of their last eight games and have covered the spread in 5 straight road games. Their defence has been highly opportunistic in capitalizing on their opponents mistakes but there is one small problem, Peyton Manning and the Colts offense do not make very many mistakes.

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This is the Saints second time in the playoffs, their last was in 2006 when they lost to the Bears. Brett Farve will need to make another solid outing for the Vikings to match points with the Saints strong offense lead by Brees. The Vikings last NFC Championship appearance was in 2000 when they lost 41 – 0. Their defense could be weakened if they cannot get Defensive End Ray Edwards back in the line up – he is suffering from a knee injury.

The Colts look as though they will advance to Super Bowl. They are a perfect 4-0 against the spread in their last 4 games when favored 3.5 to 10 points. The Colts have averaged 25.6 points per game and are favored to win the Championship by 7.5 points at LinesMaker. The Colts need to have potent passing game but if the Jets defense is true to their top ranked form and they can shut down Peyton Manning they will win.

Where to begin? Stanford, which has made 15 tournament appearances since 1989, is playing under .500 this year. Arizona, who has appeared in 25 straight NCAA tournaments, lost at home to Brigham Young by 30. Oregon State lost a game to Seattle by 51, Southern California banned itself from postseason play because of rules violations, and even UCLA, with a record 11 tournament championships, has achieved a dismal 7-10 record. Admittedly they have been knocked back by injuries, the departure of sophomore Drew Gordon and the loss of freshman Irue Holiday to the NBA. The Bruins have also had an awful season.

Peca became an unrestricted free agent after spending the past two with the Columbus Blue Jackets. “I truly have enjoyed my entire career as an NHL player,” said Peca. “Playing the game at the highest level, with and against the top hockey players in the world, has been a pleasure.

In 864 NHL games with Vancouver, Toronto, Columbus and the New York Islanders, Peca scored a total of 176 goals. “Today, I can honestly say that I am able to walk away from the game as a player knowing that I always left everything I had on the ice,” he said. “I appreciate everything hockey has given me, and I hope that I earned the respect of my great teammates and opponents by playing the only way I knew how to.

With Chargers down 17-7, San Diego kicker Nate Kaeding failed on a 40 yard field goal attempt with 4:38 remaining in the match. San Diego did score a touchdown with just over two minutes left, but were unable to recover the ball on the onside kick that followed. The Chargers could not stop New York from getting a first down on the next series and could only watch as the clock ticked down on their season and Super Bowl dreams.

Shonn Greene, the Jets rookie running back came through with another 100+ yard performance — his second straight in the playofs. He had 128 yards on 23 carries as well as a touchdown. His 53-yard touchdown run is the longest post-season run in franchise history for the Jets and gave New York a 17-7 lead with only eight minutes left in the game.

Until late in the second quarter it became a defensive battle for the Ravens. Peyton Manning sent a touchdown strike to rookie Austin Collie followed by another touchdown pass to Pro Bowl wide receiver Reggie Wayne. This took the Colts to a 17-3 lead. The Ravens running game managed only 33 yards between their star rushers Ray Rice, Le’Ron McClain and Willis McGahee. Joe Flacco of the Colts took it to a 20-3 lead with a field goal that finished off the scoring.

The early betting line at LInesMaker has the Colts 7.5 point favorites when they meet the New York Jets for the AFC Championship next Sunday.

The first six minutes saw two touchdowns from Tim Hightower and the high-powered Saints offense lead by Brees. The scoring continued through the first quarter: Jeremy Shockey caught a 17-yard touchdown pass followed by an incredible 46-yard run by Reggie Bush. His run took the Saints to a 21-7 lead.

As if the red hot Saints offence was not enough, the Cardinals were not only missing key player Anquan Boldin but they also lost Antrel Rolle and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to injury during the game. In the end, New Orleans cruised to a 45-14 blowout victory.

It’s been less than five months since Farve’s latest un-retirement and joining the Vikings and Sunday’s game saw him throw four touchdown passes. Perhaps his emotional outburst was due to the fact that the Vikings are now one game away from the Super Bowl, and Farve could be making his first appearance in 12 years. The

Vikings looked strong in first quarter as a 49-yard touchdown strike from Favre to Sidney Rice put Minnesota ahead of Dallas 7-0. Shaun Suisham then cut the Viking lead with a 33-yard field goal bringing the Cowboys as close as they would ever get. Minnesota will face top-seeded New Orleans Saints for the NFC title. LinesMaker has the Saints favored by 4 points and the betting action has been fairly even with a slight edge to the Saints.

Cards vs Saints Sat 4:30 EST
In this matchup, whoever has the ball last will likely be victorious. Warner proved last weekend how explosive he and the Cardinals can be. Brees, on the other hand, leads the NFL in scoring, averaging 32 points a game.

Ravens vs Colts Sat 8:15 EST
Peyton Manning and the Colts have been taking it easy down the stretch and are well rested. Can this be the winning formula? Or will the Ravens use their momentum and their ferocious defense to shut down Indy?

Cowboys vs Vikings Sun 1:00 EST
This will be a punishing physical game. Romo has beaten his so-called December jinx and looks poised to drive the Cowboys deep into the playoffs. Favre and the Vikes destroyed the Giants in the season finale but were inconsistent during the last month.

Jets vs Chargers Sun 4:40 EST
On a 11-0 run, the Chargers will be favored. The Jets, however, with their league-leading defense, should be feared. Rookie QB Mark Sanchez thrived last week against the Bengals and will be relying heavily on their run game.

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San Diego Chargers: With eleven straight wins, Philip Rivers is clearly an MVP. A week off to prepare for this week’s game against the Jets and odds for them to win are -7 at LinesMaker. The Chargers also have odds of +300 to win Super Bowl 2010.

New Orleans Saints: The big question is, will the Saints bounce back after their poor regular season finish? Their playoff game against the Cardinals will reveal all. The Saints are the class of the NFC and they hold home-field advantage throughout, the even odds at LinesMaker to win the NFC Championship reflect this. A quick start is required to regain their momentum.

Indianapolis Colts: In peak condition and experienced. The Colts have focused on Super Bowl rather than going for a perfect season. They are favorites to win at LinesMaker with wagering odds of +250 and if they don’t make the big game they will have failed.

Dallas Cowboys: After knocking out the Eagles the Cowboys move up in the rankings and they look like they are ready for a fight. Tony Romo is playing superb football and the team is big and physical. Can they slay the Vikings this weekend?

Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings are at -120 to beat the Cowboys straight up at LinesMaker and only 10% more of the bettor’s money is on them. They walloped the Giants in week 17 but will this set their standard for the playoffs? Their suspect defense and offensive lines could allow a victory to Dallas.

Arizona Cardinals: Last weekend saw great play by the Cardinals this weekend they are in New Orleans to face the Saints. Many commentators believe their luck has run out. But Kurt Warner is playing fantastic football and they could end up being the NFC’s sleeper surprise. We have odds of +240 for them to beat the Saints.

Baltimore Ravens: After defeating Tom Brady and the Patriots the Ravens will be facing Peyton Manning this weekend. They will need to continue their superb performance to ensure a victory. It’s a tough task expecting them to defeat two giant teams in back to back weeks.

New York Jets: Most believe the Jets will end their season up against the Chargers. Betting volume at LinesMaker, however, is in their favor at 53% ATS. It’s a shame as the Jets had a great win over the Bengals, playing both great offense and defense.

The age of 47 may be considered to be rather old to make this career change in any profession let alone mixed martial arts. Since his retirement from his 14-year career in football, however, he has found it hard to keep still and he’s been keeping himself fit and healthy. Walker says: “I always loved it, and I wanted to be the ultimate gladiator, so that’s why I’m getting into the cage,” He is a sixth-degree black belt in taekwondo. As he notes: I might be 47, but I don’t look or feel like I’m 47.

The profiles of Strikeforce and Walker will certainly both get a boost from this deal. Let’s hope that the move is a knockout move for Herschel not of him. LinesMaker will have betting odds posted a few days before the event.

The Lakers (28-9) have lost four games in a row on the road and three out of four overall. The team has been enduring a succession of injuries: Bryant broke his right index finger prior to Monday’s back spasm; forward Pau Gasol missed his fifth consecutive game because of a left hamstring injury; forward Ron Artest had issues with his right index finger, as did backup guard Sasha Vujacic with his right hamstring.

How will this plague of injuries affect the odds on the Lakers? At LinesMaker Sportsbook they are +160 favorites to win the 2009/2010 NBA Championship. The betting action on the Lakers at LinesMaker is favoring the Lakers by 2 to 1 for tonight’s game against Dallas. Clearly NBA bettors and oddsmakers are still favoring them despite these setbacks and losses.

Giants general manager Brian Sabean wanted a left-handed hitter to balance a lineup which is mainly right-handers including DeRosa, Rowand, Sanchez and Renteria. He will be a great asset to the Giants despite coming off a season where he has hit a career-low .241 with 15 homers and 85 RBIs in 150 games for Baltimore and Detroit.  Usually he is a .282 career hitter with 203 home runs and 782 RBIs in 10 seasons with the Rays, Orioles, Astros and Tigers. Baseball betting is starting to pick up at LinesMaker on the various future bet options. The Giants are currently listed as a 30-1 long shot to win the World Series in 2010.

Mulligan was hired by RCC in 1966 where he compiled a 196-87 record in nine seasons, winning five conference titles. His coaching produced a crowd-pleasing, fast-paced style of basketball and he was said to have one of the “greatest offensive” minds ever. The players he coached loved the freedom he gave to make the game fun, his sense of humor and his techniques ensured he got the best from his players.

Mulligan finished his coaching career with three seasons at Irvine Valley College, bringing them national acclaim and retiring in 1995. Five years ago he had bypass surgery following two strokes, and had faced a number of health issues since.

Burrows is accusing the referee of targeting him in the Canucks’ 3-2 loss to Nashville in Vancouver on Monday. Burrows alleges that Auger told him in the warm-up before Monday night’s game that he was going to “get me back” for a Dec. 8 incident between him and Nashville’s, Jerred Smithson, that left Burrows sprawled on the ice. . Auger gave a charging major and a game misconduct to Smithsonon the play. He later felt he had been tricked by Burrows into making the call when Burrows returned for his next shift and the NHL reviewed the video and overturned the penalties ruling that Burrows had taken a dive.

Burrow’s received penalties from Auger for diving which is rarely called and and a seemingly phantom interference in the third period He also got called for a ten minute misconduct in the dying seconds of the game. Burrows watched from the penalty box as Nashville’s Shea Weber scored to help seal the Nashville victory.

The Jets now continue to the second round of the playoffs next weekend. They are the number five seed and they will be traveling to San Diego to meet the Chargers. The NY Jets are now playing their best football of the season at the right time, but will have a lot of work to do to get past the Chargers and take the title. LinesMaker has wagering odds of +700 for the Jets to win the AFC and at +1400 to win 2010 Super Bowl.

Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner faced one of the NFL’s toughest defense, and without the help of receiver Anquan Boldin, Warner went on to routinely pick apart the Packers, showing why he is still considered a clutch playoff performer despite the date on his birth certificate.

The Packers were 2 point favorites and looked like a team which would dominate heading into their wild card matchup but on Sunday the underdog Cardinals and Warner who showed why they should be feared.

The betting action at LinesMaker was heavy on the Packers with over 63% of the betting volume. While Packer bettors may be disappointed, those on the Cardinals, to cover and win outright, along with the over 62% of bettors who were on the over, are all cashing winning bets.

Dallas seems to be on a roll playing their best football of the season. Their defense shut down the Eagles, putting a stop to their running game and eliminated any downfield options. The victory is the Cowboys first since 1996 and advances them to next weekend’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

LinesMaker has the Cowboys as 2.5 point favorites against the Vikings next weekend and the betting action has already been heavy. Check our betting trends to see how our members are betting.

Ray Lewis and a strong performance by the entire Ravens defense was a key factor shutting down the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. The game saw an 83-yard touchdown run by Ray Rice that was the second-longest post-season run from scrimmage in NFL history.

The Ravens offensive also supplied 33 points, including four offensive touchdowns bringing the Patriots season to an early and shocking end. The Patriots have closed out the season with an uncharacteristic effort which looked nothing like the previous teams from the last decade and now fans are left wondering what the future might hold for a team that entered the season as the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl.

The Tide have met the Longhorns nine times and this was their first win. Alabama joins the 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes and this year’s Boise State team as the only teams to finish a season with a 14-0 record at college football’s highest level.

Alabama’s keys to victory on this night were simple: running the ball and creating turnovers. Another factor adding to Alabama’s victory was the shoulder injury that knocked out McCoy early in the game. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram scored two touchdowns for Alabama.

Saturday January 9

New York Jets @ Cincinnati 4:30PM EST
The Jets pummelled the Bengals 37-0 last Sunday. Although the game meant nothing to Cincinnati, this embarrassing loss must have left some mental wounds.

Philadelphia @ Dallas 8:00PM EST
Dallas dominated the Eagles on Sunday, winning 24-0. McNabb has struggled this season against the Cowboys. Romo, on the other hand, has surpassed 300 yards in both games.

Sunday January 10

Baltimore @ New England 1:00PM EST
A banged up Tom Brady will surely be missing WR Wes Welker this weekend. He has been one of Brady’s “go to” receivers. His absence may allow the Ravens to provide double coverage on Randy Moss.

Green Bay @ Arizona 4:40PM EST
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are on fire! With a 33-7 drubbing of the Cardinals on Sunday, they have won 6 of their last 7 and are looking unstoppable. The Cardinals better hope that Larry Fitzgerald can pull off some heroics similar to last January if they hope to be victorious.

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Alabama and Texas both have perfect records heading into tonight’s matchup. Bookmakers, however, are counting on Alabama’s strong run defense coupled with Texas’ weaker running game to give the Crimson Tide the edge. LinesMaker has Alabama as 4 point favorites.
The Crimson Tide defense is giving up just 79 yards per game on the ground. With the Longhorns being one-dimensional on offense, Alabama’s ninth-ranked pass defense will likely be a key factor.

The Tide ranked fifth nationally in interceptions with 20 while giving up just nine touchdowns through the air. It seems Alabama is destined to win their first national title since 1992 – just like they did that year, with defense. Betting action as LinesMaker is roughly 60 – 40% in favor of the Tide. Regardless of the outcome, we are all looking forward to a great game to cap off an exciting college football season.

The big story, however, was Chris Johnson who became the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. He then scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run with 4:33 remaining. Johnson joins Eric Dickerson, Jamal Lewis, Barry Sanders, Terrell Davis, and O.J. Simpson in the 2,000-yard club.

The unrest seemed to spur Tech on to a 41 – 31 victory over Michigan State, just covering the 9.5 point spread. It was no real surprise to LinesMaker members who put 62% of their betting action on Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders took the lead from the Spartans on backup quarterback Steven Sheffield’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Detron Lewis with 5:03 to play. Sheffield was inserted to lead the go-ahead drive after starter Taylor Potts suffered an injury after throwing for 384 yards and two touchdowns. Sheffield led the eight-play, 77-yard drive that included a 43-yard pass to Lyle Leong on third and 12.

The Steelers still have a faint playoff pulse heading into later action on Sunday, but now need losses by Baltimore, Denver and the New York Jets to reach the postseason and defend their Super Bowl title.

The Dolphins lost a pair of quarterbacks during the game. Starter Chad Henne suffered an eye injury in the first half and Pat White took a brutal hit from Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor in the third quarter. Miami almost rallied with Tyler Thigpen at the reigns, fighting back from a 27-10 deficit to pull within three points before a late interception derailed the effort.

Houston is primarily competing with Denver, Baltimore and the New York Jets for a wild-card spot. The Texans need two of those teams to lose to make the first postseason appearance in the eight-year history of the franchise.

Meanwhile, in the NFC, the Saints will be seeded No. 1 in the playoffs, and Minnesota can get the No. 2 seed if Dallas loses to Philadelphia later today.

Arenas has already acknowledged putting three pistols in the safe in his Verizon Center locker, to keep them away from his young children, he claims. The police are also investigating the incident although there is some debate as to whether the guns where drawn or not.

The NBA is a gun culture and New Jersey’s Devin Harris claims 60% to 75% of players carry guns. “People know we got money, they know our schedule, but I feel safer with it. I’ve carried a gun since 1984. I understand it’s dangerous, I understand if I pull it, I better use it. But I’ve never, ever come close to using it.” He said

The NBA prohibits the possession of firearms at NBA venues and functions. The league would like to bar carrying guns entirely but it would be unconstitutional. Linesmaker has the Wizard’s at odds of +10000 to win the NBA Championship for 2009/2010.

We also have a ‘Paid to Play’ bonus for this coming Monday, January 4th. Play our online craps game and bet a minimum of $15 we will add $15 to your betting account. Win or lose you get the bonus cash! LinesMaker is the only site on the planet that literally will pay you to play!

Happy new year and enjoy the games!

The Falcons had taken a 42-35 lead with 32 seconds left on a 51-yard pass from Sheehan to Barnes. But Idaho answered with a 50-yard heave from Enderle to Davis that got the ball to the Bowling Green 16. After an incompletion with 8 seconds left, Enderle found Komar. The public consensus was fairly even according to LinesMaker members who had a slight edge on Bowling Green based on the total betting volume.

Zac Lee threw a 74-yard touchdown pass to Niles Paul in the third quarter which highlighted Nebraska’s dominance. The Huskers delivered on the defensive side of the ball and they earned their first shutout in 46 bowl appearances. The Wildcats didn’t stand a chance in this game. The public consensus was with the Huskers with nearly twice the betting volume on the Huskers who were favored by 2 points.

Eagles vs. Cowboys
The winner takes the NFC East title and potentially a bye in the first-round of the playoffs while the loser gets a wild-card slot. Theagles have won six straight but the knee injury to Jamaal Jackson could mean alot more pressure on Donovan McNabb.

Patriots vs. Texans
Houston needs to win and have two of the Broncos, Jets and Ravens lose to make the playoffs. They face Patriots who have locked up a playoff spot and seems unlikely many of their starters will see significant time on the field.

Colts vs. Bills
Most of Indy’s regulars will get limited playing time as the Colts already have the top seed for the AFC playoffs. Curtis Painter could make his first NFL start but whoever runs the ball for the Colts will face the league’s worst run defense.

Saints vs. Panthers
The Saints have the top seed in the NFC but with the team losing two straight, their starters are more likely to see significant playing time.. Carolina has a solid ground attack but their backfield is pretty banged up. New Orleans has struggled as of late against the run.

Titans vs. Seahawks
Titans RB Chris Johnson is up against a suspect Seahawk defense and looking to get his name in the record books. He is only 75 yards away from breaking the NFL record for yards from scrimmage (2,429) set by Marshall Faulk ten years ago and just 128 yards away from becoming the 6th player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season.

Jaguars vs. Browns
With the emergence of RB Jerome Harrison the Browns have won three straight. On the flipside, the Jaguars have their last three. The Jags still have a slim chance at making the playoffs but need to win and alot of help as four of the Ravens, Steelers, Jets, Texans and Steelers will need to lose.

Bears vs. Lions
Jay Cutler of the Bears had a great game last week and faces the NFL’s weakest pass defense against the Lions. It appears that Detroit will likely start Daunte Culpepper after Drew Stanton’s poor start.

Steelers vs. Dolphins
Both the Steelers and Dolphins have an shot at the playoffs. Pittsburgh’s Roethlisberger has had a career season but he Steelers’ are still without Polamalu, who is unlikely to play. Pittsburgh has lost their last three road games. Watch for Miami’s Chad Henne to go to the air, especially with RB Ricky Williams nursing a bad shoulder.

49ers vs. Rams
A loss will lock up the top draft pick for the Rams. Wide receiver Isaac Bruce, who has been inactive lately, is expected to make his NFL curtain call in the stadium where he had so much success with the Rams.

Falcons vs. Buccaneers
Both teams are out of the playoffs but have each won two in row. Tampa has held foes to 17.4 per game in its last 5. Atlanta is 2-5 on the road.

Packers vs. Cardinals
There’s a strong possibility these teams could face each other in the playoffs next week in the same place, so expect a bit of gamesmanship in this one.

Chiefs vs. Broncos
Denver is likely bound for the playoffs, but will be looking for a win. Denver has lost 7 of their last 9. With Brandon Marshall being benched this week the Broncos will likely go to the ground attack aganst the Chiefs who have been weak against the run.

Ravens vs. Raiders
Baltimore merely needs to win to make the playoffs but Oakland will not make it easy. Quarterback Charlie Frye is expected to start for the Raiders against a banged up secondary. Baltimore will need to capitalize on their ground game.

Redskins vs. Chargers
With two straight wins and a first-round bye in the playoffs i is unlikely that many of the San Diego regulars will see a lot of field time. This will likely be the finale for Jim Zorn, the Redskins coach.

Among the 23 players named for the Olympic team were Sidney Crosby, Scott Niedermayer and Martin Brodeur. The squad will be trying to improve upon its disappointing finish four years ago in Italy. The men’s hockey team has won gold a record seven times since the first Games in 1920.

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Crosby, was controversially left out four years ago, this time around he was a certain to make the squad. Anaheim Ducks defenseman Scott Niedermayer, will be captain for Vancouver 2010. He will anchor a defense that includes four players seeing their first Olympic action — Chicago Blackhawks teammates Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, Nashville Predators’ Shea Weber and 20-year-old Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings.

Record-breaking goaltender Martin Brodeur, of New Jersey Devils’, was also named to the squad who will face a lot of pressure to achieve gold to satisfy their fellow Canadians. Brodeur was in the team when Canada ended a 50-year gold medal drought at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

The Players Selected:

Goaltenders: Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils), Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks), Marc-Andre Fleury (Pittsburgh Penguins)

Defensemen: Scott Niedermayer (Anaheim Ducks), Chris Pronger (Philadelphia Flyers), Dan Boyle (San Jose Sharks), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings), Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks), Brent Seabrook (Chicago Blackhawks), Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)

Forwards: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Jarome Iginla (Calgary Flames), Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins), Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim Ducks), Dany Heatley (San Jose Sharks), Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks), Brenden Morrow (Dallas Stars), Rick Nash (Columbus Blue Jackets), Mike Richards (Philadelphia Flyers), Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks), Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes), Joe Thornton (San Jose Sharks), Jonathan Toews (Chicago Blackhawks)

Bergfors and Langenbrunner scored for the Devils, who are 4-0 against the Penguins this season. New Jersey has won 14 of its past 17 games overall while the Penguins have dropped three in a row. LinesMaker Stanley Cup odds have the Penguins are at +400 favorites to repeat as champions and the Devil’s are at +1200. With the Devil’s strong performance of late, they could offer a great betting value.

They could be giving the Colts a run for their money for the Super Bowl 2010 title.  LinesMaker has betting odds of +400 for the Chargers and the Colts at +250 to win the Super Bowl.

Peyton Manning pleased the fans and showed his true MVP quality by throwing three touchdowns in the first 23 minutes of the game. The Colts are now the seventh team in league history to start 13-0, including this year’s Saints. All in all, it was a great Sunday for Indy. Review current NFL lines for the Colts and all NFL games at LinesMaker.

The Chargers have won their 16th straight in December, all with Rivers at the helm. Rivers was 21 of 32 for 272 yards with a touchdown (the 100th of his career) and an interception, his first in five games. Vincent Jackson caught seven passes for 120 yards, and Gates had 44 yards receiving to go over 1,000 for the second time.

The betting action was heavy on the Chargers who were the underdogs at +3.5, at LinesMaker they took 68% of the betting volume on the game.