Monthly Archives: March 2009

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Round of 64: Binghamton-Duke Odds Preview

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The Binghamton Bearcats and the Duke Blue Devils will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Greensboro Coliseum in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Oddsmakers currently have the Blue Devils listed as 21½-point favorites versus the Bearcats, while the game's total is sitting at 137.
Duke defeated Florida State 79-69 as a 6-point favorite in the ACC Tournament final on Sunday. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (134).
Jon Scheyer scored a game-high 29 points for Duke and Gerald Henderson added 27 points in the win.
Team records:
Binghamton: 23-8 SU, 1-0 ATS
Duke: 28-6 SU, 16-16-1 ATS

Duke most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 10-0
After playing Florida State are 4-6
After a win are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Duke is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games

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Round of 64: Akron-Gonzaga Lines Preview

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The Akron Zips and the Gonzaga Bulldogs will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Rose Garden in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Oddsmakers currently have the Bulldogs listed as 13-point favorites versus the Zips, while the game's total is sitting at 133.
Josh Heytvelt scored 17 points and grabbed six rebounds, as Gonzaga ripped St. Mary's 83-58 to win the West Coast Conference championship last Monday night.
Gonzaga won as 6.5-point favorites as the game played over the 138.5-point total listed by oddsmakers.
Team records:
Akron: 23-12 SU, 17-13 ATS
Gonzaga: 26-5 SU, 16-12 ATS
Akron most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
After playing Buffalo are 8-2
After a win are 6-4

Gonzaga most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
After playing Saint Mary's are 9-1
After a win are 9-1
A few trends to consider:
Akron is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
Akron is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games
Gonzaga is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games

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Round of 64: American-Villanova Lines Preview

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The American Eagles and the Villanova Wildcats will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Wachovia Center in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Oddsmakers currently have the Wildcats listed as 17-point favorites versus the Eagles, while the game's total is sitting at 129.
Villanova was defeated 69-55 by Louisville in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, as 4.5-point underdogs. That game's combined score fell UNDER the posted total of 140.
Dante Cunningham had 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the loss.
Team records:
American: 24-7 SU, 1-0 ATS
Villanova: 26-7 SU, 16-13 ATS

Villanova most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After playing Louisville are 4-1
After a loss are 9-1
A few trends to consider:
Villanova is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Villanova's last 12 games
Villanova is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games

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Round of 64: Michigan-Clemson Odds Preview

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The fans at Sprint Center will be treated to a game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Clemson Tigers when they take their seats on Thursday for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Oddsmakers currently have the Tigers listed as 5-point favorites versus the Wolverines, while the game's total is sitting at 138.
Michigan fell 60-50 to Illinois in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, as 2.5-point underdogs. That game's combined score fell UNDER the posted total of 119.
DeShawn Sims led Michigan with 15 points.
Clemson was defeated 86-81 by Georgia Tech in the opening-round of the ACC Tournament last Thursday, as 8.5-point favorites. That game's 167 points sailed OVER the posted total of 143.5.
Trevor Booker collected a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Team records:
Michigan: 20-13 SU, 16-11-1 ATS
Clemson: 23-8 SU, 12-13-1 ATS
Michigan most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
After playing Illinois are 5-5
After a loss are 6-4

Clemson most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After playing Georgia Tech are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4
A few trends to consider:
Michigan is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Clemson's last 9 games
Clemson is 17-8 SU in its last 25 games
Clemson is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
Clemson is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games

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Round of 64: Minnesota-Texas Lines Preview

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The fans at Greensboro Coliseum will be treated to a game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Texas Longhorns when they take their seats on Thursday for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Oddsmakers currently have the Longhorns listed as 4-point favorites versus the Golden Gophers, while the game's total is sitting at 127.
Minnesota was defeated 64-56 by Michigan State in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, as 7.5-point underdogs. That game's combined score went UNDER the posted total of 125.
Damian Johnson had 19 points, and Devron Bostick added 12 in a losing cause.
Texas was defeated 76-70 by Baylor in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament on Friday, as 4-point favorites, That game's 146 points made it OVER the posted total of 139.
A.J. Abrams shot 8-for-17 from the field with 20 points in a losing effort.
Team records:
Minnesota: 22-10 SU, 13-14 ATS
Texas: 22-11 SU, 11-18-1 ATS
Minnesota most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
After playing Michigan State are 6-4
After a loss are 6-4

Texas most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
After playing Baylor are 6-4
After a loss are 8-2
A few trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Minnesota's last 6 games
Minnesota is 4-11 ATS in its last 15 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Texas's last 6 games
Texas is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games

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NIT: Rhode Island-Penn State Odds Preview

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The Rhode Island Rams and the Penn State Nittany Lions will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Bryce Jordan Center in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament.
Odds aren't yet posted for this game, so check back later for the opening line and total.
Kahiem Seawright scored all of his 20 points in the second half to lead Rhode Island past Niagara 68-62 in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday night.
Rhode Island cashed as 4.5-point road underdogs as the teams played under the 155.5-point total listed by sportsbooks.
Talor Battle had 24 points and six assists to lead Penn State past George Mason 77-73 in overtime in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday night.
Penn State couldn't cover as 6-point home favorites as the game played over the 122-point total listed by sportsbooks.
Team records:
Rhode Island: 23-10 SU, 15-12-1 ATS
Penn State: 23-11 SU, 15-12 ATS
Rhode Island most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After a win are 8-2

Penn State most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
After playing George Mason are 1-2
After a win are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
Rhode Island is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Rhode Island is 11-3 SU in its last 14 games
Penn State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Penn State is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games

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NIT Picks and Predictions Are Up For March Madness Odds

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Today in the Daily Sports Roundup: Dwyane Wade and the Heat battle the Celtics, the Blackhawks meet the Blue Jackets, and action continues in the NIT.

NCAA Tournament Odds

In addition to the usual March Madness college basketball betting odds for the individual games, as well as odds to make it to the Final 4 betting line and win the Big Dance, sports bettors can wager on the lowest ranked seed to advance beyond the first round and to the Final Four. What No. 2 seed will be the first eliminated from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which mid-major conference will be the most successful and more prop betting odds for March Madness are up. 

The march toward Madness . . .

The NCAA Tournament begins its first-round action on Thursday, but college hoops fans can still get their fix on Wednesday with games in the NIT, CBI, and CollegeInsider.com tournaments. There are eight matchups in the NIT on Wednesday, with Miami at Providence, Duquesne at Virginia Tech, Jacksonville at Florida, Tenn-Martin at Auburn, Bowling Green at Creighton, Illinois State at Kansas State, Georgetown at Baylor, and Northwestern at Tulsa to end the night.

In the CBI on Wednesday it’s St. John’s at Richmond, Buffalo at Wichita State, Charleston at Troy, Vermont at Wisconsin-Green Bay, Houston at Oregon State, and Boise State at Stanford. Meanwhile, the CollegeInsider.com event offers up Belmont at Evansville, Mount St. Mary’s at James Madison, Portland at Pacific, Austin Peay at Bradley, Drake at Idaho, and Citadel at Old Dominion. Those three tourneys continue throughout March, but will be in the Big Dance’s shadow.

March Madness NIT picks and prediction, CBI and College Insider winners

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Tipping off on the hardwood  . . .

The NBA loads up with 11 games on the schedule for Wednesday night, including Dwyane Wade and the Heat on the road in Boston. That pair of Eastern Conference contenders last met on the hardwood on March 11, when the Heat pulled out a 107-99 home victory as a 3.5-point favorite. Wade poured in 32 points for Miami in that win, while Ray Allen led the Celtics’ attack with 27 points.

Also on the NBA schedule for Wednesday: Sacramento at Charlotte, Portland at Indiana, New Jersey at New York, Minnesota at New Orleans, Chicago at Oklahoma City, Denver at Memphis, Orlando at Milwaukee, Philadelphia at Phoenix, Washington at the Clippers, and Detroit at Houston. The Pistons and Rockets met on January 25, with Houston picking up a 108-105 victory in Detroit.

Taking a trip around the rink . . .

There are four games on the National Hockey League schedule for Wednesday night, including the Blackhawks in Columbus for a Central Division matchup. The Hawks and Jackets clashed on Friday, with Antoine Vermette scoring twice in a 5-3 Columbus victory. Rick Nash picked up his 33rd goal of the season in that game, and Brent Seabrook, Kris Versteeg, and Patrick Kane replied for Chicago.

Rounding out the Wednesday slate: New Jersey at Carolina, Dallas at Calgary, and Nashville at Anaheim. The Predators and Ducks are both still gunning for one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference, and Nashville will be looking for a repeat of their last meeting; Pekka Rinne stopped 28 of 30 Anaheim shots on February 5 as the Predators rolled to a 4-2 home victory over the Ducks .

Rounding out the Roundup . . .

Finally, the second round of the World Baseball Classic draws closer to a conclusion on Wednesday with action at both Miami‘s Dolphin Stadium and San Diego‘s Petco Park. In Miami it’ll be Venezuela vs. United States, with the winner of that matchup finishing in top spot in Pool 2. In San Diego it’ll be Cuba vs. the loser of Tuesday’s late-night matchup between Japan and Korea, and whoever comes out on top in that game will head to the Pool 1 championship on Thursday.

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2009 NCAA Tournament Picks and Predictions: Pitt Panthers

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The Pittsburgh Panthers are a huge seed on the March Madness odds for their opening round contest against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers as the NCAA Tournament kicks off in just a few days.

The question for the Pitt Panthers isn’t going to be can they get past the first round – or the first weekend, for that matter – it will be a question of whether they can get beyond the Sweet Sixteen. The Panthers have been led by head coach Jamie Dixon for six seasons and in that time, they have qualified for the NCAA Tournament every single year. That’s a positive. But in those six years, they haven’t been past the Sweet Sixteen. That’s a negative.

March Madness betting handicappers have realized that the bar has been raised for the program, which is a good sign, but now they have to jump the new bar that has been set or they will be just half-satisfied once again.

The current version of the Panthers, though, is built for a serious run and quite frankly, anything besides the Elite Eight will be viewed as a huge disappointment. March Madness betting handicappers should take a good look at the Panthers’ roster. They are led by a talented point guard, Levance Fields, a senior forward who can fill it up in Sam Young and a powerful post presence in DeJuan Blair. Those three players are well above average at their positions, which is why the Panthers are where they are.

And while the scoring for this team has increased, March Madness betting sharps have noticed that the defense is just as stifling. Only seven opponents have scored more than 70 points per game on the Panthers this season.

There are a couple of issues for the Panthers to watch out for. For starters, the Panthers typically lose when DeJuan Blair gets into foul trouble. When he is forced to sit on the bench, the Panthers just don’t have the same inside-out game and the team struggles. In all four of the Panthers losses, Blair was in some sort of foul trouble. To be specific, Blair has fouled out in three games and in each of those games, the Panthers have lost.

Secondly, you have to wonder about health for this team. Maybe an early round exit from the Big East Tournament was a blessing in disguise for the Panthers, who were banged up near the end of the season. Fields used the extra week to recover, even though he played through pain against West Virginia. March Madness betting sharps shouldn’t be too concerned as of right now, but keep in mind that the Panthers might not be the healthiest squad heading to the Tournament.

Their first-round opponent, East Tennessee State, who have been a tricky first-round opponent in the past. No No. 16 seed has ever come closer to winning against a No. 1 seed than ETSU. In 1989, they fell short of top-ranked Oklahoma by one point. No No. 16 seed has ever defeated a No. 1 seed.

March Madness betting sharps should note that ETSU feels a little slighted that they got stuck with a No. 16 seed. They felt that with their RPI, they could easily have been one or two seedings higher. As a No. 14 seed, ETSU toppled the No. 3 Arizona Wildcats back in 1992.

Overall, this will be the eighth appearance by ETSU in the NCAA Tournament. They are just 2-8 to this point.

ETSU maybe is a bit better than a 16 seed and if they can get Blair into foul trouble, anything can happen. But the more likely scenario is the Blair dominates the paint, since ETSU hasn’t seen anyone of his caliber through their Atlantic Sun Conference run.

March Madness betting is all about the upsets but ETSU would need some miraculous help to get past the Panthers in this first round matchup.

For the best picks and predications against the spread, it’s OffshoreInsiders.com   

 

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NIT: New Mexico-Notre Dame Lines Preview

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The New Mexico Lobos and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will both be trying to pick up a win on Thursday when they battle at Joyce Center in the second round of the National Invitational Tournament.
Odds aren't yet posted for this game, so check back later for the opening line and total.
Daniel Faris scored 28 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead New Mexico past Nebraska 83-71 in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday night.
New Mexico covered as 8-point home favorites as the game played over the 127-point total set by sportsbooks.
Luke Harangody finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Notre Dame over UAB 70-64 in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday night.
Notre Dame covered as 5.5-point home favorites as the game played under the 147.5-point total posted by oddsmakers.
Team records:
New Mexico: 22-11 SU, 15-15-1 ATS
Notre Dame: 19-14 SU, 11-17 ATS
New Mexico most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 9-1
After a win are 7-3

Notre Dame most recently:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
After a win are 5-5
A few trends to consider:
New Mexico is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
New Mexico is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
New Mexico is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
Notre Dame is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home

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CIT: The Citadel-Old Dominion Lines Preview

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The Citadel Bulldogs and the Old Dominion Monarchs will both be gunning for a victory on Thursday when they meet at Ted Constant Center in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
Odds aren't yet posted for this game, so check back later for the opening line and total.
Team records:
The Citadel: 20-12 SU, 18-7-1 ATS
Old Dominion: 21-10 SU, 11-15 ATS
The Citadel most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
After playing Samford are 1-0
After a loss are 6-4

Old Dominion most recently:
When playing on Wednesday are 7-3
After playing Virginia Commonwealth are 6-4
After a loss are 7-3
A few trends to consider:
The Citadel is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The Citadel is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
The Citadel is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games
The Citadel is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games
Old Dominion is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Old Dominion is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Old Dominion's last 6 games at home
Old Dominion is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games at home

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