Second-ranked Orange host Huskies in Big East affair
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/11/2012 - Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their sights still set on a Big East crown, the second-ranked Syracuse Orange welcome the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies to the Carrier Dome this afternoon.
The Orange won their fourth straight game with a thrilling 64-61 overtime decision against 14th-ranked Georgetown this week. The win was Jim Boeheim's 880th career win, moving him past Dean Smith and into sole possession of third place on the all-time wins list. The victory also pushed the team's record to 24-1, matching the best start in school history (2009-10).
The defending champs better flip a switch fast if they are to even make it into the Big Dance this year. The Huskies have lost five of their last six games, including a humbling 80-59 loss at Louisville this week. To make matters worse, head coach Jim Calhoun has taken a leave of absence for medical reasons, leaving the team in the hands of associate head coach George Blaney.
The Orange hold a 51-36 edge in the series with the Huskies including wins in three of the last four meetings. However, it was UConn that earned a 76-71 victory in the last matchup in the 2011 Big East Tournament.
The Huskies have paid the price for their youth this season, as a pair of sophomores and a pair of freshmen reside in the starting five. Sophomore guards Jeremy Lamb (17.2 ppg) and Shabazz Napier (13.1 ppg) are the top two scorers on the roster and are a dangerous backcourt tandem. Lamb leads the team with 49 three-pointers, while Napier heads the group in assists (5.5 apg). Freshman guard Ryan Boatright (10.4 ppg) has been in and out of the lineup due to eligibility issues, but has settled in of late. Freshman big man Andre Drummond (9.7 ppg, 7.5 rpg) has shown flashes of brilliance in the middle.
Not much went right for UConn at Louisville this week, as the team shot a poor .351 from the field, weighed down by a 3-of-14 showing from three-point range. In addition, the Huskies were outrebounded 45-36 and turned the ball over 15 times. Boatright led the way in defeat with 18 points. Alex Oriakhi and Roscoe Smith added 11 and 10 points, respectively, but Lamb and Napier combined for just 16 points.
Kris Joseph hit six three-pointers, en route to a career-high 29 points in the win over the Hoyas. The see-saw battle had 15 ties and 18 lead changes, before Syracuse outlasted Georgetown. The newly returned Fab Melo was instrumental in the win as well, finishing with 11 points, seven rebounds and six blocked shots.
The performance by Joseph was a little out of the ordinary, although the senior does lead the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg. Dion Waiters is the only other double-digit threat at this time at 12.2 ppg. A complete team effort this week, scoring depth is found in Brandon Triche (9.8 ppg), C.J. Fair (8.4 ppg), Scoop Jardine (8.2 ppg) and Melo (7.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 68 blocks). An efficient team, Syracuse is shooting .477 from the floor overall and averaging a healthy 77.6 ppg. The defensive effort has been stellar, with opponents averaging just 60.8 ppg and being held well under 40 percent shooting (.383).
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Florida Gators return to Gainesville looking to regain their swagger, as they play host to the Tennessee Volunteers in SEC action at the O'Connell Center. Billy Donovan's Gators headed int
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Kansas has been a model of cons
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Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a deflating last second loss to rival Duke, the fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels seek a quick turnaround, as the welcome the 19th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers to Chapel Hill this afternoon for a k
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Before the old Original Six foes
Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog 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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