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03/15/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hours after winning their record 18th ACC Tournament title on Sunday, the Duke Blue Devils were awarded the No. 1 seed in the South Region in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
Duke (29-5), backed by the triumvirate of Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith, is the top seed for an 11th time and will face the winner of the opening-round game between Big South champion Winthrop and SWAC winner Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which had started its season with 11 straight losses. Those two teams will tangle in Dayton on Tuesday for the right to advance to Jacksonville.
"For our senior class I am so happy," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. "Not many teams in my 30 years in the ACC have won both the regular season and the [ACC] Tournament, and I think because they did it, and we played such a tough schedule, these kids were rewarded with a No. 1 seed."
The Blue Devils, whose only loss in the past 13 games came at Maryland on March 3rd, may face one of the three Big East teams slated in their portion of the bracket if they get past Friday's first-round matchup, as either Louisville or California will be waiting in the round of 32.
Also on Friday, the Cardinals (20-12), the No. 9 seed and the only team that defeated Big East regular season champion Syracuse twice this season, will face the Pac-10's Golden Bears (23-10), who were given the No. 8 seed after falling to Washington in the conference finale.
Villanova (24-7), despite losing five of its last seven games, is seeded second in the South thanks to a strong showing in Big East play and a veteran club that reached last year's Final Four. In the first round on Thursday, the Wildcats meet Northeast Conference champion Robert Morris (23-11), which is seeded 15th in the Big Dance for a second straight year.
The third seed was given to Baylor (25-7), which fell short of appearing in its first Big 12 title game with a loss to Kansas State in the semis of the conference tourney. Nevertheless, the Bears, led by LaceDarius Dunn (19.4 ppg), were given a high seed and will face No. 14 Sam Houston State (25-7), the Southland Conference champion.
"Sam Houston is very well coached. They have done very well against Big 12 schools teams in the past few years and we know we will have our hands full," Baylor head coach Scott Drew said after learning of Thursday's first-round matchup.
Purdue (27-5) picked up a No. 4 seed after there was speculation it might steal a coveted No. 1 slot just three weeks ago. The Boilermakers have dropped just two games since, but they more importantly lost the services of star forward Robbie Hummel to a knee injury.
"I felt we would be a 1-3 [seed]. Our resume says we're a two or three," proclaimed Purdue head coach Matt Painter, who admitted Hummel's injury caused his team's stock to slip. "I don't begrudge the committee for putting us as a four seed. They did what they felt was best. I think it can serve as motivation for our guys to play better."
On the heels of its 69-42 loss to Minnesota in the Big Ten semifinals, which included an embarrassing 11-point first half, Purdue gets a stiff first-round test on Friday against No. 13 seed Siena (27-6), fresh of its third consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title. The Saints have advanced to the second round in each of the past two seasons, including an upset of Vanderbilt as a No. 13 seed in 2008.
The always interesting 5-12 matchup on Friday pits Aggies vs. Aggies, as Texas A&M (23-9), the ninth seed, battles Utah State (27-7). Texas A&M ended its season on a nice run, winning nine of its last 12 games, though two loses came against Kansas, the current No. 1 team in the nation. Utah State, meanwhile, had won 17 in a row before being upset by New Mexico State in the Western Athletic Conference title game on Saturday.
The final Big East team in this part of the bracket is Notre Dame (23-11), which used a late-season run to earn the No. 6 seed. The Fighting Irish changed up their style of play to win six straight before losing a heartbreaking decision to eventual tourney champ West Virginia in the semis.
Waiting for the Irish in the first round on Thursday is No. 11 seed and Colonial Athletic Association champion Old Dominion (26-8), making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.
Rounding out the South Regional is a battle between schools in mid-major conferences, as No. 7 Richmond takes on No. 10 Saint Mary's on Thursday. The Spiders (26-8) held their own in a surprisingly competitive Atlantic 10 Conference, winning 12 of 13 games before losing a 56-52 decision to Temple in the title game on Sunday. The Gaels (26-5) also made the finale in their conference but toppled nationally-ranked Gonzaga to win the West Coast Conference.
The region's Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games will be played at Houston's Reliant Stadium on Friday and Sunday, March 26 and 28.
<< Syracuse-Vermont rematch highlights West
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite losing in the quarterfinals of the
Big East tournament and staring at an injury to starting forward Arinze
Onuaku, Syracuse is the No. 1 seed in the West Region as the Orange head into
a much-
<< NCAA Capsules-East Regional
Lexington, 32-2.Nickname: Wildcats. Coach: John Calipari.Conference: Southeastern. Bid: SEC champion.Region: East. Seed: No. 1.Tournament Record: 100-45, 50 years. Last appearance: 2008.Scoring: Team (79.2); John Wall 16.9; DeMarcus Cousins 15.3; Pa
<< NCAA Capsules-South Regional
Durham, N.C., 29-5.Nickname: Blue Devils. Coach: Mike Krzyzewski.Conference: Atlantic Coast. Bid: ACC champion.Region: South. Seed: No. 1.Tournament Record: 88-30, 33 years. Last appearance: 2009.Scoring: Team (78.4); Jon Scheyer 18.7; Kyle Singler
<< Top-ranked Jayhawks draws top overall NCAA seed
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -Look who's lurking deep in the Midwest bracket where Kansas proudly sits as overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.It's none other than Tennessee and Oklahoma State - the ``2'' in that glittering 32-2 record that the Jayhawks
NCAA Capsules-West Regional >>
Syracuse, N.Y., 28-4.Nickname: Orangemen. Coach: Jim Boeheim.Conference: Big East. Bid: At large.Region: West. Seed: No. 1.Tournament Record: 50-32, 32 years. Last appearance: 2009.Scoring: Team (81.5); Wesley Johnson 16.0; Andy Rautins 11.7; Kris J
Indiana hoops: Hoosiers far behind state's top 3 >>
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Basketball still rules in Indiana. Even if the Hoosiers no longer rule basketball in the stateThey're not even in the top three.For the 20th time in the past three decades, at least three teams from the state of Indiana have m
World Cup of Golf to become biennial event >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The World Cup of Golf will return in 2011 as a biennial
event so it does not conflict with the sport's inclusion in the Olympics, the
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Arenas: 'I deserve to be punished' for gun prank >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -Gilbert Arenas says he deserves to be punished for bringing guns to the locker room.The suspended Washington Wizards guard tells Esquire magazine he wasn't using ``longevity thinking'' when he took out four guns in what he says was
Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.
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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?
I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.
Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.
There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.
Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.
For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.
A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.
The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.
Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.
So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.
Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.
“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.
Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.
“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.
It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.
Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.
The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.
“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.
“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”
Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.
The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.
“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”
Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?
“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.
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