This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z 11/12/2015

This Week in Sports Betting, A-Z

by Ricky Dimon - 11/12/2015

A. Arkansas . What in the name of Michigan State, Georgia Tech, and Miami was going out there last Saturday night Oxford? Twice Ole Miss had the game won-first when it appeared to make a tackle on 4^th-and-25 in overtime and then when it appeared to sack Arkansas' QB Brandon Allen on a two-point conversion. But the Razorbacks converted their fourth down with a miracle, over-the-head lateral, eventually scored a touchdown, and then scored the game-winning two-point try following an initial face-masking call. BookMaker has Arkansas as a +7 underdog at LSU this week.

B. Brad Keselowski . A win last weekend in Texas would have punched Keselowski's ticket to contention at the Sprint Cup finale in Homestead, but he could not finish the job after leading 312 of 334 laps. Jimmie Johnson passed the No. 2 car with four laps remaining and ultimately took home the checkered flag. As such, Keselowski almost has to win this Sunday in Phoenix in order to advance. He is +500 at GT Bets to do so.

C. Connor McDavid . The Oilers' star rookie suffered a broken left collarbone last week and will be sidelined for several months. It is certainly a tough blow for Edmonton and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, who had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 13 games prior to the injury. The Oilers are +115 underdogs at Arizona on Thursday, according to Bovada Sportsbook.

D. Didn't lose by 50 . That's what whoever is running the Clippers' Twitter account had to say about the team's 112-108 setback against Golden State last Wednesday. It was a shot at the Grizzlies, who had fallen to the Warriors by 50 points (119-69) two days earlier. Hey, there are more than a few NBA clubs out there who probably think losing by only 50 to Golden State is a great accomplishment.

E. Enemkpali, I.K. Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan trolled his former team, the Jets, in epic fashion earlier this week by naming Enemkpali a captain for Thursday's showdown between the two AFC East rivals. New York, of course, is also Enemkplai's former team. The backup defensive end endured an unceremonious breakup with the Jets this offseason after slugging Geno Smith and breaking the quarterback's jaw. New York is a -2.5 home favorite over the Bills, per BetOnline Sportsbook.

F. Florida Panthers . They won! The Florida Panthers won! Okay, the Panthers are really not that bad. But after starting the season 5-3-1, they had gone on a five-game losing streak (0-3-2). It came to an end on Tuesday, when Florida found the win column for the first time since Oct. 27-exactly two weeks-by getting the best of visiting Calgary 4-3.

G. Greg Hardy . You just know that this whole Dallas Cowboys and Greg Hardy thing is going to end poorly-like Chris Brown and Rihanna poorly. For now, though, owner Jerry Jones continues to give Hardy a second (wait, isn't it more like third, fourth, or fifth at this point?) chance to make it in the NFL despite the recent emergence of domestic violence photographic evidence. SportsBettingOnline.ag has Dallas as a +1.5 underdog at Tampa Bay on Sunday.

H. Hanson, Tommy . The former Atlanta Braves' pitcher died of "catastrophic organ failure" stemming from an apparent drug overdose on Monday. Hanson went 49-35 with a 3.80 ERA during a five-year career from 2009 through 2013. He was 29. R.I.P.

I. Ingram, Mark . The Saints cannot blame Drew Brees for a surprising end to their four-game winning streak. Brees touched Tennessee to the tune of 387 yards and three touchdowns, but he got absolutely no support from the ground game. Ingram gained a putrid 54 yards on 22 carries and New Orleans finished with only 61 rushing yards in a 34-28 overtime loss. 5Dimes Sportsbook has both the Saints and the host Redskins at even money in Week 10.

J. Jason Pierre-Paul . Jason, I'm happy for you and imma let you finish, but former Marlins' closer Antonio Alfonseca was the best athlete with an abnormal normal number of fingers of all time! Actually, Pierre-Paul is quite good and fared well in his season debut with the Giants after having a finger amputated during the offseason. He recorded two solo tackles and two quarterback hits in New York's 32-18 win over Tama Bay.

K. Kobe Bryant . World peace (like, actual world peace-not the basketball player formerly known as Ron) will be achieved before Kobe wins another NBA title. Kobe is hinting that this season will be his last, and there is no reason to think he will change his mind based on recent returns. The Lakers are a horrendous 1-7, and the 37-year-old is averaging 16.5 points per game while shooting a dismal 32 percent from the floor and 20.8 percent from 3-point range. He has also missed two games because of a back injury.

L. Leonard Fournette . Thirty-one yards on 19 carries in the biggest game of the season is not going to get it done in a Heisman Trophy bid. You know what is going to get it done? Rushing 38 times for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Those were Derrick Henry's numbers in Alabama's 30-16 defeat of LSU last Saturday, making Fournette's day look even worse by comparison. MyBookie.ag has Alabama as a +160 favorite to win the National Championship.

M. Manchester City . City somehow tied last-place Aston Villa 0-0 in an English Premier League match on Sunday. Well, the good news for the Sky Blues is that they are still in first place (tied) on the EPL title. Doubly good news is that they aren't Chelsea.

N. Nine . That's the number to which Golden State extended its season-opening win streak on Wednesday night. Stephen Curry and company went on the road to hammer Memphis 100-84 and reach 9-0 for just the second time in franchise history (tied the mark set by the 1960-61 Philadelphia Warriors). They are the 19^th team in NBA history and the first since the 2013-14 Pacers to start 9-0. The Warriors are -8.5 favorites at Minnesota on Thursday, as indicated by GT Bets.

O. Out . Just when you thought the Colts could not be any more thrilled with playing in the laughingstock that is the AFC South, Andrew Luck went down with a lacerated spleen in Week 9 and is likely to miss approximately four games. But no matter. As bad as the Colts get, they will never be as bad as Houston, Jacksonville, or Tennessee. We're talkin' about playoffs!

P. Patrick Kane . Kane is finally enjoying a much-needed positive stretch both on and off the ice. The Blackhawks' forward learned on Tuesday that he will not be charged in the sexual assault case against him. Less importantly, he was named the NHL's First Star of the Week. Kane scored in four straight games and contributed four points in last Sunday's 4-2 win over Edmonton.

Q. Quincy Enunwa . The Jets' receiver will sit out on Thursday night against Buffalo to complete his four-game suspension stemming from a 2014 domestic violence-related arrest. What is more surprising: that Enunwa was actually targeted 10 times in a game earlier this season (Week 3 vs. Philadelphia), or that a Jets' quarterback managed to complete five of those 10 targets?

R. Roethlisberger, Ben . Big Ben left last Sunday's 38-35 win over Oakland with a mid-foot sprain that is expected to sideline him for several weeks. Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin said there is an outside chance Roethlisberger could be in uniform against Cleveland this weekend, but the veteran almost certainly will not play. Pittsburgh is a -4.5 home favorite, as indicated by WagerWeb.

S. Strike . Jonathan Butler can eat again. Missouri can play football again. Both parties were prepared to do neither until school president Tim Wolfe resigned, and that's exactly what Wolfe did on Monday amidst allegations of racial injustices on campus.

T. Transformation . Citi Field briefly turned from a baseball stadium to a cricket pitch last Saturday for an exhibition featuring some of the all-time great cricketers-including Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar. Mets' fans were surely confused trying to figure out cricket rules, but probably not as confused as they were while watching their team try to field grounders during the World Series.

U. UK . Kentucky was 38-0 last season before pulling a 2007 New England Patriots and losing at its last stop. A national semifinal upset loss to Wisconsin ended the Wildcats' title hopes in abrupt and alarming fashion. Nonetheless, they are once again favored to win it all thanks to a trio of upper-classmen starters and another hand-picked recruiting class. UK is a +749 favorite at BetDSI Sportsbook to win the National Championship.

V. Vanderbilt . You know we're in for a laugher at the SEC Championship when one of the participants clinches its spot with a 9-7 win over Vanderbilt. That's right; 9-7 over Vanderbilt. And at home. The Gators are -8 favorites at South Carolina this weekend, per BookMaker.

W. Washington, James . TCU suffered its first loss of the season, 49-29 at Oklahoma State last weekend. Part of it was the Horned Frogs' own doing, as quarterback Trevone Boykin threw a ridiculous four interceptions. But Washington also played a major role. The Cowboys' sophomore receiver caught five passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns. In his last two games, Washington is averaging a laughable 42.7 yards per reception. That has translated into 384 yards and five scores. Oklahoma State is +2000 at Bovada Sportsbook to win the National Championship.

X. X-rays . They were negative on Brook Lopez's foot following New Jersey's loss to Milwaukee last Saturday. And thanks to that, the Nets are no longer winless. They improved to a still-awful 1-7 mark on Wednesday by pulling off a 106-98 road upset of Houston. Lopez recorded a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with five blocks.

Y. Year-end championship . Year in and year out, the longest season in sports belongs to tennis. But the 2015 campaign will finally come to an end next week in London. Led by a dominant Novak Djokovic, the top eight players are prepared to battle each other at the World Tour Finals. Djokovic is a -180 favorite at BetOnline Sportsbook to win the title.

Z. Zhuhai . Speaking of tennis, Venus Williams wrapped up her remarkable season ranked in the Top 10 (seventh, to be exact) thanks a title last weekend in Zhuhai. At 35, Venus is the oldest woman in the top 10 since January of 1995 (37-year-old Martina Navratilova).

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