UConn's Calhoun receives five-year extension

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

05/07/2010 - Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Connecticut handed longtime men's head basketball coach Jim Calhoun a five-year contract extension running through the 2014 season on Friday.

The deal is effective retroactively from July 1, 2009 and is weighted with lofty figures for appearances as well as performance and postseason incentives.

Calhoun will receive a base salary of $325,000 for 2009-10 with a $25,000 bump in each additional year. In addition to the base salary, Calhoun's agreement calls for $1,675,000 in year one of the agreement for institutional speaking engagements and media-related appearances and will increase in each year after. The combined figures will total $2,300,000 for 2010-11, $2,700,000 for 2011-12 and $3,000,000 for 2012-13 and 2013-14.

"I am very happy that this new contract will allow me to finish my coaching career here at UConn," Calhoun said at a news conference Friday to announce the pact. "This is a tremendous show of recognition and support from (Athletics Director) Jeff Hathaway and (President) Michael Hogan."

Calhoun, who turns 68 on Monday, recently completed his 24th season as head coach at UConn and his 38th as a collegiate head coach. It was a trying season for both the program and Calhoun, who experienced health problems and left the team for seven games with an undisclosed condition.

The up-and-down campaign saw the Huskies finish 18-16, including a lowly 7-11 mark in conference play. An embarrassing 75-53 loss to St. John's in the first round of Big East Tournament preceded a loss to Virginia Tech in the second round of the NIT.

"Jim is one of the elite coaches in college basketball," remarked Hathaway. "He has taken UConn Basketball to the national championship level, and he is a valued representative of the University and the State of Connecticut."

A 2005 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Calhoun guided the Huskies to a pair of national titles in 1999 and 2004 and has gone 575-221 in his 24 years at the helm. He also coached 14 seasons at Northeastern, compiling a record of 248-137.

In 2009, Calhoun became the seventh Division I coach in NCAA history to reach 800 career wins. The year also saw the program mired in an investigation into NCAA rules violations related to the recruitment of Nate Miles. That and a myriad of health concerns led Calhoun to question his future in coaching following the Huskies Final Four loss to Michigan State.

Calhoun has survived cancer three times, including prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer in 2008.

Wsouthwest NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Aussie great Newcombe has skin cancer surgery
Sydney, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 John Newcombe underwent surgery to have a cancerous growth removed from the right side of his nose. "It's a cancerous growth so he (the doctor) had to cut...and finish

<< Dodgers to host Rockies in key divisional set
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier will bring his Triple Crown numbers and late-game heroics into Friday's opener of a three- game series versus the NL West-rival Colorado Rockies at Chavez Ravine. Ethier was at i

<< Angels, Mariners to square off in battle of reeling clubs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of slumping American League West rivals get together tonight in the Emerald City, where the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim collide in the opener of a three-game series at Safeco Field. The Marine

<< Bruins shoot for sweep in Philly
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will shoot for a sweep of their Eastern Conference semifinal series when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for Game 4 tonight at Wachovia Center. The sixth-seeded Bruins are just once victory away from e

<< Brewers head to Arizona for final leg of trip
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers should feel more confident about the next opponent on their 10-game road trip, as they try and continue their recent success against the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight at Chase Field. Milwaukee, which i

Canucks host Hawks in pivotal Game 4 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Blackhawks will try to grab a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals when they visit the Vancouver Canucks for tonight's pivotal Game 4 battle at General Motors Place. The second-seeded Blackhawks

Penn National joins MID in Maryland Jockey Club >>
Wyomissing, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Penn National Gaming and MI Development (MID) announced Friday morning the establishment of a joint venture to own and operate the Maryland Jockey Club. The Maryland Jockey Club conducts thoroughbred

Montreal to join MLS in 2012 >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montreal will be the home of Major League Soccer's 19th franchise, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber and expansion team owner Joey Saputo announced on Friday during a press confere

Lipscomb F Hodzic withdraws for NBA Draft >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lipscomb University forward Adnan Hodzic has withdrawn from the 2010 NBA Draft and will return to the school for his senior season. Hodzic had entered the draft on April 8, but did not hire an agent. "By

Lyon desperate to get back to Champions League >>
Valenciennes, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After reaching the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time in club history, Lyon is eager to return to Europe's premier club competition, but they must first get back into the top thr

Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship

(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.

MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts US credit cards needs.

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.