Hamilton visits Toronto in pivotal Eastern Division matchup

Football Betting Lines

08/18/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Currently tied for first place in the Eastern Division, the Toronto Argonauts try to continue their recent run of success as they face off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a divisional showdown at the Rogers Center on Friday night.

Toronto is the surprise team in the league to this point in the season, putting up five wins in seven tries and taking all three of its home games in 2010. The squad remained perfect at home by knocking off Montreal in this same building last weekend by a final of 37-22, exacting revenge for a disappointing 41-10 setback at the Alouettes just a few weeks ago.

Cleo Lemon attempted just 19 passes on the night versus the Als the last time out, completing 13, yet he still accumulated 269 yards and logged three touchdowns in the victory, while Cory Boyd tacked on a game-high 63 rushing yards and a major of his own on 17 attempts coming out of the backfield for the squad.

Chad Owens put together a monster effort with his six catches for 163 yards and two scores and was consequently named the CFL's Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday after rolling up 291 yards of total offense in the meeting. A unanimous selection for the weekly honor, Owens now leads the CFL in combined yards after seven weeks with 1,197 yards.

Another high point of the game for Toronto was kick returner Ryan Christian who, when the Als decided to kick away from Owens in the second quarter, collected a kick at his own goal line and then proceeded to race 110 yards for a touchdown, breaking the club's all-time record for longest kickoff return, surpassing the 109-yard effort by Terry Greer in 1981.

But not all the news was good for the Argos last weekend as Jeremaine Copeland went out with an injury that was later determined to be a dislocated left elbow and could have the wideout on the sidelines for as long as six weeks, following the results of an MRI taken on Monday.

As for the Tiger-Cats, they picked up their second win in as many games last Friday night when they topped Winnipeg on the road by a score of 39-28. It was the fourth matchup in the first seven games between the two clubs, with the Ti-Cats winning their third decision of the season versus the Blue Bombers.

Quarterback Kevin Glenn threw three touchdown passes in the first half, converting 18-of-26 passes for 274 yards, while working through a couple of interceptions to lead his team on to victory. Receiver Arland Bruce III, who had posted a couple of impressive efforts in the two weeks prior, tallied two catches for 64 yards and a score in the win.

While running back DeAndra Cobb registered both a rushing touchdown and a receiving score for the visitors, the bigger story for the Tiger-Cats was Marcus Thigpen who scored on a five-yard run on the first drive of the contest. While the run itself wasn't all that impressive, the scoring play represented the fifth different way (kickoff return, punt return, missed field goal return, pass reception) in which Thigpen has registered a major this year, becoming the first player in CFL history to achieve the feat in a single campaign and doing so in less than half a season.

From a defensive standpoint, tackle Matt Kirk made his presence known against Winnipeg by coming up with his first two sacks of the season, a performance worthy of being named the CFL's Canadian Player of the Week.

Thigpen enters this week ranked third in the league in combined yards with 1,016, one of only three players in the CFL to have already eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark. Adding to Hamilton's attack is Bruce III who is easily the league leader in receiving yards with 744 and has five touchdowns on 45 receptions thus far. It also helps that Dave Stala has posted 34 catches for 398 yards and two touchdowns and Marquay McDaniel has reeled in 33 passes for 435 yards and a couple of scores in order to give defenses something else to thing about as they arrange their pass coverages versus Hamilton.

Glenn has one of the best efficiency ratings (102.2) in the league after seven games, thanks to throwing 14 TDs and having tossed just six picks on 244 attempts. His yardage total of 2,164 yards, thanks in large part to the big- play ability of Bruce III, is third in the league at the moment.

Lemon started off the 2010 campaign rather quietly for the Argos, learning the ropes as he went along in this his first CFL season, but he has come on of late and has now completed 60.7 percent of his passes and is finally getting his squad into the end zone on a consistent basis. But Lemon's success hinges greatly on Boyd who is first in the league in yards from scrimmage with 785 after seven games. In his first professional season in the Great White North, Boyd has provided a huge spark for the team in most of their outings, gaining at least 100 yards in four of seven contests and averaging 6.1 yards per carry as he ranks first in the league in rushing with 711 yards on 117 attempts.

As well as the Toronto offense has performed thus far, there has to be some concern for an Argos defense that is ranked last in the league with a whopping 451.1 yards per game allowed. Granted, the team has had to face Anthony Calvillo and the Montreal Alouettes a few times, but still the numbers look rather daunting on that side of the ball and tell the story of a team that is bound to crack sooner rather than later. Yet, as bad as the yardage numbers might be for the Argos, the fact remains that the team is in the middle of the pack when it comes to points allowed (28.4 ppg) and Hamilton is actually further down the list with 29.0 ppg. Some of that has to do with the fact that Toronto's pass coverage has tied Calgary for the league lead in interceptions with nine, while the Tiger-Cats are last on that chart with just four.

In terms of the all-time series between the clubs, Hamilton is ahead by a count of 117-86-2, dating back to the 1950 campaign. The Tiger-Cats won the most recent meeting last year, 26-17, in Toronto, giving them two victories in the last three encounters. Following a bye next week, the teams are set to face each other again on September 6 in Hamilton, and will also be back at the Rogers Centre in the middle of October to complete their season series.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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