Big East action pits Mountaineers at Friars
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/20/2007 -
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In need of a quality win, the Providence Friars host the 22nd-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in a key Big East
showdown from the Dunkin' Donuts Center tonight.
The Friars have had a solid campaign thus far, but they still have a lot of
work ahead of them to earn an invite to the NCAA Tournament.
Providence, which hasn't defeated a ranked opponent since beating Marquette
(74-59) in its Big East opener, enters the contest fresh off a 71-66 victory
over St. John's on Saturday. The win put an end to a brief two-game slide
and improved the team to 16-9 overall and an even 6-6 in league play. It
was also the Friars' 15th home win in 17 games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center
this season.
As for WVU, barring a major collapse, it seems pretty certain it will make an
appearance in the NCAA Tournament behind a 20-6 record. On Saturday, the
Mountaineers defeated Seton Hall, 81-71, to improved to 8-5 in league play.
WVU, which has now posted three straight 20-win seasons for the first time
since 1985-87, takes to the road, where it has gone just 3-4 thus far.
In terms of the all-time series, Providence owns an 10-9 edge over WVU,
although the Mountaineers have won the last four meetings.
The Mountaineers possess one of the best turnover margins in the Big East, as
they are forcing their opponents into 17.2 turnovers per game, while
committing just 11.4 tpg themselves. Another area WVU has excelled in has been
defense, as it is allowing just 59.5 ppg. Offensively, Frank Young leads the
way with 14.2 ppg and he is shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range. Joe
Alexander has provided a nice complement to him and he is turning in 12.2 ppg
and a team-high 4.6 rpg. Darris Nichols adds 10.2 pg and 4.3 apg, while
Da'Sean Butler chips in with 10.1 ppg off the bench. In the team's last game,
Young tallied 18 points and collected five caroms in leading WVU to a 10-point
win over Seton Hall. Nichols posted 17 points and five assists for the
Mountaineers, who shot 57.4 percent from the field, including a 9-of-23 effort
from long range.
The Friars have a definite advantage on the boards in this game, and they are
outrebounding their opponents to by a solid 7.6 rpg on the season. The team
has also fared well at the offensive end of the court, where it is averaging a
hardy 77.1 ppg on an efficient 49.3 percent shooting from the floor. Herbert
Hill currently leads the team in scoring with 17.0 ppg and he is also ripping
down 8.3 rpg. Sharaud Curry is second on the roster in scoring (16.9 ppg) as
well as assists (4.9 apg), while Weyinmi Efejuku adds 13.9 ppg and 4.4 rpg.
Geoff McDermott is another player worth mentioning, as he leads the team in
rebounding (9.4 rpg), assists (5.5 apg) and steals (51) to go along with his
10.9 ppg average. In the squad's previous outing, Efejuku poured in 22 points
and recorded three steals, as the Friars earned a five-point win over St.
John's. Curry netted 18 points, while Hill notched a double-double with 16
points and 11 rebounds. Providence converted 18-of-20 free-throw attempts in
the game and dominated the boards 39-24.
<< Badgers take top-ranking into East Lansing
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The now top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers
have made the trip to East Lansing for tonight's Big Ten Conference
clash with the Michigan State Spartans.
Five consecutive wins have enabled W
<< Lone Star State rivals meet in Austin
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Intrastate and Big 12 rivals will collide
in Austin this evening, as the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns welcome the
Texas Tech Red Raiders to town.
Back-to-back wins have enabled Texas Tech to
<< Falcons soar into Sin City
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No longer the only member of the Mountain
West Conference among the nationally-ranked, the Air Force Falcons put their
three-game win streak on the line tonight as they visit the UNLV Runnin'
Rebels
<< Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
Signed quarterbacks Mike McMahon and Tom Arth.
<< Lakers' Radmanovic out at least eight weeks
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Lakers forward Vladimir
Radmanovic will be sidelined at least eight weeks after separating his right
shoulder.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the 26-year-old Radmanovic sustaine
Argonauts ink QB McMahon >>
Toronto, Ontario (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Argonauts signed former NFL
quarterback Mike McMahon on Tuesday.
In 29 career NFL games, spread over five seasons with Detroit and
Philadelphia, McMahon completed 229 of 515
Pistons visit Central Division-rival Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division-leading Detroit Pistons try to
get back on the winning track tonight when they hit the road to visit the
Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.
Detroit had its seven-game winning streak halted with las
Nuggets, Spurs clash in San Antonio >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs have recovered from their eight-game
road trip and return to the AT&T Center this evening to host the Denver
Nuggets.
San Antonio, which is second in the Southwest standings, went 4-4 on the swing
a
Wild try to end futility against Dallas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will try to stop their longest current
losing streak against any team in the league when they host the Dallas Stars
this evening at Xcel Energy Center for the final time this season.
Minnesota has droppe
Murray goes for win No. 600 as Senators host Oilers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams headed in different directions face off tonight
at Ottawa's Scotiabank Place, where the Senators wrap up a three-game
homestand with a matchup against the slumping Edmonton Oilers.
Ottawa has won the first two ga
Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Bet on NFL Football
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
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To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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