Villanova visits West Virginia in Big East showdown
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/08/2010 - Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off their first Big East Conference loss of the season, the Villanova Wildcats will attempt to get back on track in Morgantown against the West Virginia Mountaineers this evening.
Villanova dropped a 103-90 decision at Georgetown on Saturday in a game that was never really close. That setback halted an 11-game win streak for the Wildcats, who are now 20-2 overall and 9-1 in league action. They had recorded four consecutive double-digit triumphs prior to Saturday's loss.
As for West Virginia, it has quietly put together a six-game win streak to move to 19-3 overall and 8-2 in conference. The club has posted back-to-back 19-point victories, including Saturday's 79-60 decision over St. John's. Expect the Mountaineers to play with a wealth of confidence this evening, as they are 9-1 at home this season.
Although Villanova holds a 20-18 edge over WVU in the all-time series, the Mountaineers have won four of the last five meetings.
Villanova trailed Georgetown by 19 points at intermission on Saturday after allowing the Hoyas to shoot 55.6 percent from the floor in the first half, including 8-of-13 from three-point range. Rather than make adjustments and improve in the second half, the Wildcats permitted an even higher shooting percentage over the final 20 minutes. Villanova turned the ball over 18 times in the tilt and was outscored 39-17 from the foul line. Both Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher scored 24 points in defeat, and Corey Stokes added 10 points. Through 22 games, Reynolds is averaging 18.7 ppg on the strength of his 40.5 percent efficiency from three-point range. Fisher checks in with 13.7 ppg, and Antonio Pena adds 11.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg. The Wildcats are generating 85.2 ppg while limiting opponents to 72.0 ppg on 40.5 percent shooting.
There are four double-digit scorers in the fold for West Virginia, and Da'Sean Butler leads the pack with 17.3 ppg. More than just a scorer, Butler also brings 6.2 rpg and 74 assists to the lineup. Kevin Jones provides 14.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg for WVU, which is getting 11.1 ppg and 8.7 rpg from Devin Ebanks. Darryl Bryant rounds out the foursome with 10.3 ppg and 76 assists for a Mountaineer squad that is netting 73.8 ppg while holding opponents to 61.5 ppg. Rebounding has clearly been a strength for the team, as it is ripping down 8.0 rpg more than foes. Butler was sensational against St. John's over the weekend, as he exploded for 33 points on the strength of a 7-of-7 effort from three-point range. The Mountaineers connected on only 25 percent of their total shots in the first half and trailed by 11 points at intermission. Fortunately, the team shot 65.5 percent in the second half, including 8-of-8 from behind the arc, and made good on all 11 free throws to claim the win.
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Lakers at Staples Center tonight.
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Chicago Ramblers at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
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tonight against the top team in the Western Conference, as they host the San
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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FOOTBALL BETTING LINES
NFL Football Sports BettingTwo playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
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