Aberdeen, Rangers battle for second place

Soccer Betting Lines

12/22/2006 - Aberdeen, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With league-leaders Celtic a whopping 14 points clear of the rest of the pack, it is time to start playing for second place for the rest of the Scottish Premier League.

On Saturday, second-place Aberdeen, maybe the hottest team in the SPL, host third-place Rangers, just two points behind their hosts.

Aberdeen are looking to secure their first spot in European competition since 2002, and will be in a great position to do so with a win over Rangers. The Dons have continued to push their way towards the top, starting the season in the middle of pack and jumping teams week after week. Aberdeen have won five of their last six league contests, including their last five matches on home soil.

Rangers have struggled recently at Pittodrie, leaving town empty-handed in their last two trips. Paul Le Guen's men are coming off of a 1-1 draw with Glasgow rivals Celtic last time out, and are looking to build on that result with a run of positive play to take them back into second. Rangers have been plagued by bouts of inconsistency this season. Every time they put together a string of wins, they seem to suffer a deflating loss.

The club will be without 21-year-old defender Steven Smith, who is suffering from a groin injury. The team also will be missing Kris Boyd, Chris Burke and Ian Murray, who have all missed extensive time this season with long-term injuries.

The first week in April is a long time away, and there are many matches to be played between then and now, but a win by Aberdeen on Saturday would push their edge over Rangers to five points, which is a big margin considering the high-flying Dons recent form. The maximum points for Rangers would move them up by a point and give the team momentum for a push towards a strong second- half finish.

In Saturday's other action in Scotland, table-toppers Celtic host Falkirk, a resurgent Dundee United entertain Hearts, Inverness visits bottom-feeders Dunfermline, St Mirren is just one point from clearing relegation and travels to Hibernian and fourth-place Kilmarnock hosts Motherwell, who is just one spot from the bottom.

WEEKEND SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES

SATURDAY

Celtic - Falkirk

Aberdeen - Rangers

Kilmarnock - Motherwell

Hibernian - St Mirren

Dunfermline - Inverness

Dundee United - Hearts

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Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.