Falkirk agrees to terms with Finnigan

Soccer Betting Lines

07/03/2009 - Falkirk, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Falkirk have agreed to a new contract with free agent striker Carl Finnigan.

Finnigan, 22, scored five goals in 19 appearances for the Bairns last season despite missing large portions of the year through injury.

"I know Carl was in and out at the tail end of last season when he was hampered by injuries and illness, but he has fantastic qualities," said new manager Eddie May.

Meanwhile, May is also hoping to re-sign former midfielder Marc Twaddle following two seasons at Partick Thistle.

He added: "We have also made an enquiry to Thistle about Marc and we are waiting to hear back whether it will be positive."

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)

Gamblersville Soccer Betting News

<< Braves' Johnson hits DL with wrist tendinitis
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves have placed second baseman Kelly Johnson on the 15-day disabled with right wrist tendinitis. Johnson has struggled thus far in 2009, hitting just .214 with five home runs, 20 runs b

<< Federer, Roddick land in Wimbledon final
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer and two-time runner-up Andy Roddick will do battle in Sunday's men's final at Wimbledon. The iconic Federer will appear in a men's record seventh straight Wimbled

<< Primus gets new deal from Pompey
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defender Linvoy Primus will extend his nine-year association with Portsmouth after agreeing to a new 12-month contract. The 35-year-old defender has been at Fratton Park since 2000 and has

<< Pens bring back Fedotenko for one more year
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Ruslan Fedotenko to a one-year contract on Friday. The 30-year-old tallied 16 times with 39 points in 65 regular-season games for Pittsburgh last season a

<< Jackson announces return to Lakers bench
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Lakers head coach Phil Jackson, fresh off a record 10th NBA Championship as a coach, announced on Friday he will return to the bench next year for a 10th season in LA and 19th as an N

M's Hernandez named AL Pitcher of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Mariners right-hander Felix Hernandez was named the American League's Pitcher of the Month for June. Over six starts, Hernandez went 3-0 with an 0.94 earned run average, allowing only four

Upton named AL Player of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tampa Bay outfielder B.J. Upton was selected as the American League Player of the Month for June. Upton, who garnered his first monthly honor, hit .324 in 26 games during June. He also belted five homers, s

Lincecum voted NL Pitcher of the Month for June >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum was named the National League Pitcher of the Month for June, the league announced on Friday. Lincecum posted a 4-1 mark with a 1.48 ERA during the month,

Braves P Hanson named NL Rookie of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson was named National League Rookie of the Month for June on Friday. The right-hander was a perfect 4-0 to go along with a 2.48 earned run average in five starts during the m

Pujols honored as NL Player of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols has been named the National League Player of the Month for June. A seven-time All-Star, Pujols batted .320 with a league-leading 14 homers and 35 RBI duri

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.