Longhorns' Ward, Williams granted medical waivers

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

05/13/2010 - Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Texas Longhorns guard Varez Ward and forward Shawn Williams have each been granted a medical hardship waiver by the Big 12 Conference for the 2009-10 season.

As a result, Ward will be a redshirt sophomore for the 2010-11 season, while Williams will be a redshirt freshman.

The players were lost to injuries early this past season. Ward ruptured his right quadriceps tendon in pre-game warmups for a November 24 contest against Pittsburgh, and underwent surgery on December 1. Ward had started Texas' first three games of the season and averaged 6.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in 23 minutes per game.

Williams suffered a left ankle injury December 12 against Texas State, and missed the rest of the year after having surgery on January 20. He played in seven of the Longhorns' first eight games, averaging 1.6 points and 1.7 boards in a little under six minutes per contest.

Reoma NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Warriors' Azubuike has successful knee surgery
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Golden State Warriors swingman Kelenna Azubuike underwent successful arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday. The procedure addressed patella tendonitis in his right knee. Azubuike will begin rehabilitation i

<< Sharks downplay regular season results vs. Chicago
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -Evgeni Nabokov views his 45-save masterpiece in Chicago the same way he does the seven-goal outburst the Blackhawks had in San Jose during the regular season.Both are absolutely irrelevant once the Western Conference finals be

<< Twins become players in international scouting
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Miguel Angel Sano wasn't just a prized Dominican prospect to the Minnesota Twins.Plenty of teams were in hot pursuit of the 16-year-old shortstop last fall, including heavy hitters on the international market like the New York Yank

<< Wild sign minor league team's top scorer, Daoust
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Jean-Michel Daoust (dowst) to a one-year contract.Daoust was the leading scorer last season for the Houston Aeros, Minnesota's affiliate in the AHL.The 26-year-old Daoust had 21 goals and

<< Columbus signs French midfielder Griffit
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Crew signed French midfielder Leandre Griffit, who played in the English Premier League with Southampton, on Thursday. Griffit last played with Union Royale Sportive du Centre of the Belgian

Hillman dismissed as Royals manager; Greinke gets first win >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alberto Callaspo hit a three-run homer and Zack Greinke threw six effective innings to pick up his first win of the season, as the Kansas City Royals snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 6-4 vi

Both conference finals to start Sunday >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League announced that both the Eastern and Western Conference finals will begin on Sunday. In the West, the top-seeded San Jose Sharks will host the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 at 3 p.m.

Munoz leads by one in Alabama >>
Mobile, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Azahara Munoz fired a seven-under 65 Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Bell Micro LPGA Classic. Munoz, a tour rookie, is not only looking for her first win, but also her firs

Nationals minor leaguer Bynum suspended >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington National minor league infielder Seth Bynum was suspended 50 games after testing positive for an amphetamine, a performance-enhancing substance, in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevent

Jones the early leader in Texas >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Matt Jones posted a six-under 66 Thursday to take a one-shot lead after one round of the Texas Open. Jones, who is looking for his first PGA Tour title, is coming off back-to-back top-10 finishes

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .