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03/05/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 34th-annual Big Sky Conference Tournament is set to begin this weekend, with quarterfinal action from campus sites and semifinal and championship games to be played in Ogden, Utah.
The Weber State Wildcats, by virtue of their 15-1 league ledger, captured the regular season crown and in the process, earned the top seed in the postseason, a first-round bye, and the right to host the final two rounds of the tournament. The Wildcats were dominant for much of the season, posting a 21-8 overall record, and closed out the regular season with a 12-game win streak.
Last year's tournament champion, Portland State, finished in a tie with Montana for second place in-conference at 11-5, but picked up the second-seed and the only other bye thanks to a tie-breaker. The Vikings were the only other team in the Big Sky to reach the 20-win plateau on the year (21-9) and enter this tournament with a four-game win streak in tow.
The Grizzlies picked up the third-seed and will host a quarterfinal matchup against Montana State on Saturday. Montana was 17-11 overall this year, but dropped two of its last three games to close out the regular season. The Bobcats had their ups and downs, but snuck into the postseason with the sixth and final seed in the tournament, tying Eastern Washington at 6-10 in league play, but edging out the Eagles, who did not make the cut.
The final two teams in the Big Sky Tournament are fourth-seeded Idaho State and fifth-seeded Northern Colorado. The Bengals will get a home game in the quarterfinals, thanks to a 9-7 conference mark. Idaho State, which finished 12-18 overall, was one of just four teams in the conference to post a winning record in league play, thanks to wins in five of the last six games. The Bears, who are making their first appearance in this event, picked up the fifth seed by going an even 8-8 in-conference. They bring a bit of momentum into tournament play as well, with wins in five of their last seven outings.
The winner of this event receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
The first of two quarterfinal matchups features in-state rivals Montana and Montana State. The Grizzlies are no stranger to success in this tournament, having captured six titles and posting a 25-23 overall record. However, the last championship occurred in 2006. Still, Montana has the makeup of a team that could do some damage here. The team is not an offensive juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, but it does play great defense, leading the conference in scoring defense (64.7 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (.420) and blocked shots (3.89 per game). The scoring pool isn't deep in Missoula this season, but there is some star power, led by Big Sky leading scorer Anthony Johnson (17.5 ppg). Jordan Hasquet (10.9 ppg) provides a second option, although Montana averages a rather pedestrian 66.1 ppg (fifth in the conference).
Montana State is also putting up just 66.1 ppg this season, so expecting a barn-burner in the quarterfinals is probably a stretch. The problem for the inconsistent Bobcats is that the defensive effort wasn't exactly top-notch either, ranking seventh in the league at 69.9 ppg. The team hasn't shot the ball very well this year, ranking eighth in the conference in field-goal percentage (.411) and dead-last in three-point accuracy (.315). Bobby Howard and Will Bynum are the top offensive threats on the team at 10.7 ppg apiece, followed by Divaldo Mbunga (10.2 ppg), who ranks second in the conference in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and fourth in field-goal percentage (.545).
The other quarterfinal matchup features Idaho State against Northern Colorado. The Bengals are led by the duo of Amorrow Morgan and Matt Stucki, who are averaging 13.7 and 12.1 ppg, respectively, to rank among the conference's top 10 scorers. Stucki is much more than a scorer though, as he leads the conference in assists (113) and ranks sixth in steals (41). The team as a whole is averaging a modest 65.6 ppg, good for just seventh in the league, while allowing 68.9 ppg, sixth in the conference.
The Bears have certainly asserted themselves in their first full season in Big Sky play and the team has done it with timely scoring. UNC ranks third in the conference in terms of offensive proficiency, averaging 70.9 ppg. The Bears have shot the ball well (.462), especially behind the arc, where they lead the conference with a 40.3 percent clip. Northern Colorado boasts of three of the conference's top 11 scorers in Jabril Banks (12.3 ppg), Will Figures (12.0 ppg) and Devon Beitzel (11.9 ppg). John Pena is a valuable role player as well at 9.0 ppg. Banks is the most versatile performer though, ranking second in the league in field-goal percentage (.635) and sixth in rebounding (5.6 rpg).
Weber State is the most decorated team in the Big Sky postseason, having won eight tournament titles, while amassing a 34-23 mark in this event all-time. The Wildcats not only get to play their postseason games at home this year, but will also get the lowest remaining seed after the quarterfinal smoke clears. It has been balanced play at both ends of the floor that earned the Wildcats the regular season crown. Weber State ranks second in the Big Sky in both scoring and scoring defense, averaging 71.2 ppg, while allowing just 66.2. In addition, WSU ranked first in the league in free-throw shooting (.732). Kellen McCoy is the top offensive option for the Wildcats at 14.1 ppg. He is joined in double figures by Damian Lillard (11.7 ppg), with Daviin Davis (9.9 ppg), Steve Panos (9.7 ppg) and Kyle Bullinger (9.1 ppg) not far behind.
Portland State will await the highest remaining seed after the quarterfinals are completed. The Vikings have just one tournament title to their credit, but that came last season with a 67-51 decision against Northern Arizona. The defending tournament champs are also strong offensively, ranking first in the conference at 74.1 ppg. The Vikings also excel on the boards, tied with Montana State for the top spot in the league with 34.6 rpg. Jeremiah Dominguez was last year's Big Sky Player of the Year and hasn't disappointed this season either, ranking seventh in the league in scoring at 12.6 ppg. Dominic Waters (11.9 ppg), Phil Nelson (11.2 ppg) and Andre Murray (10.7 ppg) provide plenty of offensive support.
<< Report: Denver signs QB Simms
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos continued their off-season
spending spree by reportedly adding free agent quarterback Chris Simms to
their roster.
The Denver Post reports the 28-year-old Simms has joined the team, presumably
<< Gay helps Grizzlies top Clippers, snap eight-game skid
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Gay poured in a season-best 35 points
and pulled down eight rebounds and Memphis snapped an eight-game skid with a
118-95 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Marc Gasol had 20 points, eight boards
<< Kurt Barnes leads New Zealand PGA
Christchurch, New Zealand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kurt Barnes fired an eight-under
64 on Thursday to take the first-round lead of the New Zealand PGA
Championship.
Ryan Hammond birdied six holes in a row during the middle of his
<< Jazz down Rockets for ninth straight win
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Deron Williams scored a game-high 26
points and dished out 14 assists to propel Utah to its season-high ninth
straight win, 101-94 win over Houston.
"You know we always have battles with th
2009 America East Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are nine members of the America East
Conference, and all nine are set to participate in the 30th-annual America
East Conference Tournament. The prize awarded to the winner of this event is a
bid to the
2009 Southern Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 88th-annual Southern Conference
Tournament is set to begin on Friday from the McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga.
Once again the top team in the Southern Conference was the Davidson Wildcats,
who finished w
2009 West Coast Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West Coast Conference Tournament will
be held at a neutral site for the first time, as Orleans Arena in Las Vegas
will serve host to the 23rd annual event.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs, the only ranked team in
Dayton visits Xavier in pivotal Atlantic 10 battle >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dayton Flyers and 17th-ranked Xavier
Musketeers will do battle tonight in a game with major implications in the
race for the Atlantic 10 Conference title.
Xavier sits atop the A-10 standings with an 11-3
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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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)
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