Mid-majors require a bit more study
Teams such as Austin Peay aren't as well known to many bettors, but there's still money to be made with proper research.
While most college basketball bettors know all about teams from conferences such as the Pacific 10, Atlantic Coast and Southeastern, mid-major teams often get overlooked in the regular season.
But money can be won in games featuring teams from the Ohio Valley Conference just as it can with teams from the bigger conferences. The key is for bettors to look a little closer for trends.
That's certainly the case with Austin Peay, the defending OVC regular-season champion.
The Governors, 16-9 overall and 12-3 in league, are again the top team in the OVC but have not been a reliable pick for bettors. Heading into today's game against Samford, Austin Peay is 5-14-5 against the point spread, including 4-7 in its last 11 OVC games.
Samford, 11-12 overall and in the middle of the OVC standings with an 8-7 record, has covered the line better than Austin Peay. The Bulldogs are 9-10 against the spread, including covers in three of the last four games.
The Bulldogs also have a strong trend with the over/under combined points total. The under is 10-3 in Samford's last 13 games and 14-4-1 in its last 19 road games against a team with a winning home record.
Fresh off an impressive road victory over North Carolina, Duke (20-1 and 8-0 in the ACC) is an overwhelming 19 1/2 -point favorite at home against Boston College today.
The Eagles (12-9, 3-5) will have to overcome a few negative trends. They are 0-4 against the spread in their last four games against a team with a winning percentage better than .600 and 0-5 against the spread in their last five ACC games.
Boxing
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has a chance to prove that he's more than a novelty act tonight when he fights southpaw Jose Celaya in a 12-round super-welterweight bout in Mexico.
Chavez, son of legendary champion Julio Cesar Chavez, is 34-0 with 27 knockouts and is listed as a heavy favorite at -1500, according to Sportsbook.com. Celaya, 31-3 with 16 knockouts, is at +700.
College football
Now that national signing day has passed, oddsmakers have made no big changes to the line for the 2009 Bowl Championship Series national champion. USC still holds the top spot with 5-2 odds, according to both Bodoglife.com and Sportsbetting.com.
Next are Florida and Ohio State at 6-1, followed by Georgia at 7-1, Oklahoma at 8-1 and Louisiana State at 10-1. UCLA is listed at 75-1.
latimes.com
Georgia G Billy Humphrey (13 ppg; suspension) is IN today's probable starting lineup.
LSU F Anthony Randolph (14 ppg; leg) is IN today's probable starting lineup.
Kentucky guards Jodie Meeks (10 ppg; hip) and Ramel Bradley (16 ppg; virus) are NOT in today's probable starting lineup.
St. John's leading scorer F Anthony Mason Jr. (14 ppg; ankle) is NOT in today's probable starting lineup.
Penn State F Jamelle Cornley (12 ppg; mouth) is IN today's probable starting lineup.
Oklahoma C Longar Longar (13 ppg; leg) is NOT in today's probable starting lineup.
Memphis G Chris Douglas-Roberts (17 ppg; flu) is IN today's probable starting lineup while F Robert Dozier (10 ppg; disciplinary) is expected to come off the bench.
James Madison G Pierre Curtis (11 ppg; knee) is NOT in today's probable starting
Eastern Illinois G Romain Martin (14 ppg; ankle) is NOT in the probable starting lineup but G Bobby Catchings (11 ppg; undisclosed) is expected to start.
Portland leading scorer Brandon Roy (19.7 ppg) will miss tonight's game at Indiana due to a death in the family. Martell Webster is expected to start in his place.