Friday,
November 17, 2006

 

CFB

Eastern Michigan-Kent

Record Pub

Wins in the final two games of the season would guarantee KSU just its third winning season since 1972. The Flashes
(5-5, 4-2) are also still alive in both the race for the MAC East Division title
and a bowl invitation. A win over Eastern combined with an Akron
win at division leader Ohio would
create a tie between the Flashes and Bobcats at the top of the division
standings. Ohio would still own
the tiebreaker with Kent State,
but that scenario would set up an interesting final week with Ohio,
KSU and Akron
all still alive for the East title. Kent’s
Julian Edelman will be back in the lineup at quarterback after sitting out last
week’s game at Virginia Tech with a bruise near his chest. Michael Machen, the Flashes’ starter in 2005, started in place of
Edelman, while freshman H-back Darren Rogers, a converted high school
quarterback, also took a few snaps on designed run plays. KSU
is expecting tight end Brian Bell to return to the lineup after a two-game
absence due to an ankle injury. Running back Tony Howard will most likely sit
out, however, with an injured rotator cuff. Howard also missed the Virginia
Tech game. Joe Duffy’s GodsTips.com,
Stevie Vincent’s BetOnSports360.com
and MasterLockLine.com are all now part of the OffshoreInsiders.com
Network.  

Central
Michigan-Northern Illinois

Press Notes

With a trip to the 2006 Mid-American Conference
Championship Game secured, CMU travels to defending West Division champ Northern
Illinois. CMU has won five straight, and six of its last seven
overall, and is seeking its first eight win-season
since the 1994 MAC champion Chippewas finished 9-3. NIU
has dropped two of its last three following a four-game winning streak. CMU
leads the all-time series, 21-19-1, but has dropped eight straight to the
Huskies.

Daily Chronicle

Actually, the Huskies could benefit from the Chippewas
winning the West last Saturday. Kelly might elect to rest some starters due to
the short week, and to limit the possibility of any major injuries occurring
before the Nov. 30 MAC Championship game at Ford Field. But the Huskies, who
have lost 12 of their last 13 games to Toledo,
own an eight-game series winning streak against the Chippewas, providing the
ideal motivational tool for Kelly. “I can probably lean on them a little harder
now,” Kelly said. “Obviously, they won a championship. Now, they need to finish
out. Northern Illinois is a team that’s trying to play
for a bowl game. They’re going to be ready. We’ve not beaten Northern
Illinois going into my third season. There is
plenty of things out there for me relative to getting our football team ready
to play a good Northern Illinois football team.” At 5-5
and 3-3, NIU coach Joe Novak said the Huskies have
more than pride on the line. The Huskies need to win their final two games to
claim their seventh straight winning season and to remain in the chase for a
bowl game. MasterLockLine.com
has the top plays from the top sports service in their highest ranked
sports.    

CBB

Xavier-Virginia Commonwealth

Press Notes

Xavier is off to a 1-0 start under third-year head coach
Sean Miller after winning its 17^th straight season opener with the
win over Coastal Carolina. XU was 21-11 overall last season, recording its
ninth 20-win season in the last 10 years and its 19^th 20-win season
in the last 24 years. XU has appeared in five of the last six NCAA Tournaments.
The Musketeers won the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championship by winning four games in
four days this past March, making NCAA history by accomplishing that feat twice
(having also done it in 2004). The 2006 championship was XU’s second A-10 title
in three years and its fourth in the past nine years, including 1998, 2002,
2004 and 2006. All five starters are back from the team that made the
late-season championship run, including seniors Justin Cage and Justin Doellman. Stevie Vincent’s BetOnSports360.com is pioneer in forensic
handicapping and part of OffshoreInsiders.com
Cage was the 2006 A-10 Championship MVP while Doellman has led XU in rebounding two straight
seasons. Junior forward Josh Duncan, who sat out the exhibitions due to injury,
returned Saturday.  Virginia
Commonwealth, 19-10 last season,
has a new head coach in Anthony Grant, a former long-time assistant under Billy
Donovan at Florida. Grant is no
stranger to Xavier fans, having played at the University
of Dayton from 1983-87.

Cleveland
State-Buffalo

Press Notes

Cleveland State
takes to the road for the first time during the 2006-07 season when the Vikings play three games in three
days. Cleveland State
takes to the road with an even 1-1 record after routing Notre Dame College,
88-62, on Monday night (Nov. 13) in the Wolstein Center. Buffalo comes
into the contest with a 1-1 record, including a 77-61 loss at South
Florida on Monday night.

Sacramento
State-Denver

Press Notes

The University of Denver men’s basketball team looks to
snap a two-game losing streak to the 2006-07 home season this Friday, Nov. 17
when it hosts Sacramento State (1-2). The Pioneers will be looking to avoid
their first 0-3 record to begin a season since the 1970-71 season. DU has been 0-2 seven times since that season, and has won
its third game seven consecutive times. Sacramento
State enters Friday’s game
following a home loss to San Francisco
Tuesday night. USF used a 23-0 run to open the second
half. Joe Duffy’s sports betting selections are at www.GodsTips.com  

Eastern
Kentucky-Ohio State

Press Notes

Thad Matta has directed the
Buckeyes to a 33-3 record in Columbus
in three seasons as head coach of the Buckeyes. He is 32-3 overall at Value
City Arena, which includes a 19-0 record vs. non-conference foes. When ranked as a Top 10 team (No. 4 USA Today and No. 5 in
AP) Ohio State has an all-time record of 198-51. As a Top 25 squad, the
Buckeyes are 297-91.

Elon-Wake Forest

Press Notes

Wake Forest,
2-0 following a thrilling 86-83 overtime win at Bucknell Tuesday. Elon, 1-1,
bounced back from an 83-49 season-opening loss at Georgia Tech to beat visiting
Montreat, 85-72.

Centenary-Utah State

Press Notes

Utah State
is 27-7 (.794) in the month of November under Morrill and has won 17 of its
last 21 games during the month. Utah State
(0-1) will play Centenary (1-1) in the first round of the 2006 BP Top of the
World Classic. As a team, USU is averaging 71.0
points and shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from
three-point range, while its opponents are averaging 88.0 points and shooting
51.6 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three-point range. Overall,
Centenary returns three starters and five lettermen from last year’s team that
went 4-23 on the season and finished in ninth-place in the Mid-Continent
Conference with a 2-14 league record. The Gents, who went 1-13 away from home
last year, are coached by Rob Flaska who is in his
second season as a collegiate head coach. MasterLockLine.com
has the top plays from the top sports service in their highest ranked
sports.    

Lamar-Texas
A&M

Press Notes

After posting a season-opening win over Texas
Southern, Lamar hits the road for three straight games at the Shelby Metcalf
Classic beginning with host and No. 12-ranked Texas A&M.
This will be the 15^th meeting between Lamar and Texas A&M, who is ranked No. 12 in both the AP and ESPN/USA
Today Coaches Top 25 poll, and the all-time series is deadlocked at 7-7. Lamar
is 4-1 in games played in Beaumont,
1-6 in College Station and 2-0 on a
neutral court. Texas A&M has won three of the last
four meetings, including two straight. By popular request, check out our new “Bet It Trinity” full year pass! You get
the top three sports services, every play in every sport for 365 days. Texas A&M won the last meeting, 77-74, on Nov. 24, 2001 in Beaumont.
Lamar’s last win was 76-69 in overtime on Dec. 18, 1999 in Beaumont.
This will be the second time Lamar has faced Texas A&M
when the Aggies were ranked in the AP Top 25. The
Cardinals won that previous meeting, defeating the No. 14-ranked Aggies 61-60 on Dec.
1, 1979 at the Great Alaska Shootout.