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03/12/2010 - Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Continuing to build on one of the best seasons in program history, the eighth-ranked New Mexico Lobos find themselves in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament tonight and will be facing the always tough San Diego State Aztecs at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
UNM, the regular-season champions in the conference and the top seed in the tourney, was pushed to the limit once again by an over-achieving Air Force squad on Thursday afternoon, just barely getting by in a 75-69 decision. The victory was the 15th in a row for New Mexico, a squad that began the MWC schedule this season with two straight setback to SDSU and UNLV.
As for the Aztecs, the fourth seed in the event, they too had their hands full in the quarterfinals and needed strong play down the stretch to come away with the narrow 72-71 victory over the Colorado State Rams. SDSU, which now has a record of 11-8 in this event over the years, played in the title game in 2009 and lost by a mere two points to Utah, 52-50.
SDSU nearly pulled off the season sweep of the Lobos as it posted a 74-64 win at home in the conference opener back on January 5th and then took New Mexico to overtime in The Pit a month later before bowing in an 88-86 final in Albuquerque. With the split it means UNM still leads the all-time series by a count of 38-28.
The winner of this meeting will be into the title game on Saturday and will face the survivor of the UNLV/BYU contest for the right to move on to the NCAA Tournament.
A pair of free throws by D.J. Gay with 23 seconds remaining proved to be the difference as the Aztecs held on for the one-point win against a pesky CSU squad that played most of the game without Andy Ogide who was ejected in the first half for throwing an elbow. Handling most of the scoring for the Aztecs were Malcolm Thomas, Chase Tapley and Billy White with 15 points apiece, followed by Kawhi Leonard who delivered 12 points and six rebounds before picking up his fifth personal foul. As one of the weakest free-throw shooting teams in the nation, SDSU nearly let the game slip away as it made only 17- of-28 at the charity stripe, not to mention a disappointing 1-of-10 beyond the arc. After 31 games Steve Fisher's group has managed to put up 23 victories in spite of an awkward 60.8 percent effort at the free-throw line. Leonard leads the group in scoring with 12.6 ppg and is also tops with 9.5 rpg, followed by Thomas with his 11.2 ppg and 7.9 rpg as the group holds a huge 6.8 rpg advantage over the competition.
With absolutely nothing to lose, ninth-seeded Air Force came out with guns blazing on Thursday and nearly turned the MWC Tournament upside down, but in the end the height of the Lobos was simply too much for the academy in the six-point decision. Darington Hobson, the first player to be name the MWC Player of the Year and the league's newcomer of the year in the same season, electrified the crowd with his 28 points and 15 rebounds, almost single- handedly beating Air Force (22 rebounds) on the glass by himself. Dairese Gary added 20 points as he made good on 14-of-15 shots at the charity stripe. Hobson, who at times allowed his emotions to get away from him versus the Falcons, has been an incredible performer for the Lobos this season with his 16.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, not to mention his 145 assists and 40 steals. Slowly developing his touch out on the perimeter, Hobson has also converted 37.8 percent of his three-point tries, but it is Roman Martinez (13.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) who handles most of the perimeter shooting with his 91- of-216 accuracy thus far.
<< Alabama challenges Kentucky in SEC Tournament quarterfinals
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats begin
play in the 2010 SEC Tournament with a quarterfinal-round matchup against the
Alabama Crimson Tide.
The winner of this game will move on to Saturday's semifinals to
<< Bonnies seek A-10 tourney upset of top-seeded Owls
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The two-time defending Atlantic 10
Conference Tournament Champions, the 17th-ranked Temple Owls, hit the floor at
Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this afternoon in the quarterfinals of the
34th annual event
<< Browns sign Ben Watson
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns have signed unrestricted
free agent tight end Ben Watson to a multi-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal for the former New England Patriots veteran were
not disclosed.
"We vi
<< Arizona's NCAA run all but over at 25
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Arizona's streak of 25 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances is all but over.The Wildcats lost to UCLA 75-69 in the Pac-10 tournament on Thursday night, dropping their record to 16-15, a number that almost certainly won't be good
Bulldogs face tall task in SEC tourney tilt with Commodores >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterfinal-round action of the 2010 SEC
Tournament pits the 20th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores against the darkhorse
Georgia Bulldogs.
The winner will move into the semifinals for a clash with either Mississ
Vols and Rebels duke it out in SEC Tournament >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The quarterfinal round of the 2010 SEC
Tournament pits the Ole Miss Rebels against the Tennessee Volunteers, the
nation's 15th-ranked team.
The winner of this game will take on either Kentucky or Alabama in S
Aggies to try and knock top-ranked Jayhawks from lofty perch >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and the
23rd-ranked Texas A&M Aggies are slated to do battle in the semifinal round of
the 2010 Big 12 Conference Tournament.
The winner of this contest will advance to Sa
Buckeye State rivals meet in A-10 Tournament >>
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In-state rivals clash for the third time
this season as the 24th-ranked Xavier Musketeers and the Dayton Flyers take
part in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament at
Boardwalk Hall
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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