West Virginia and Kentucky fight for right to move to Final Four
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/27/2010 -
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A berth in the "Final Four" is on the line
tonight in Syracuse, New York, as the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats and the
second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers do battle in the 2010 NCAA Tournament
East Regional Final.
The winner of this game will take on either Duke or Baylor next Saturday in
Indianapolis.
West Virginia has won its last nine games to improve to 30-6 overall, and its
most recent triumph was Thursday's 69-56 decision over Washington. The
Mountaineers, who won the Big East Conference Tournament, crushed 15th-seeded
Morgan State in the first round of this event before knocking off 10th-seeded
Missouri by nine points in the second round. WVU is now 23-22 all-time in the
NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers finished sixth in the final regular-season
AP Poll, their best finish since placing fifth in 1960.
As for Kentucky, it took down "Cinderella" Cornell by a final of 62-45 on
Thursday, thanks to one of the best defensive efforts that we have seen by any
team in "Sweet 16" action over the last quarter century. The Wildcats are led
by first-year head coach John Calipari and are one of only two No. 1 seeds
remaining in this tournament (Duke). Three UK starters are freshmen, and while
youth can be a detriment, Calipari's squad has been dominant, winning its
first and second round games by 29 and 30 points, respectively, prior to the
triumph over Cornell. The Wildcats are making their record 50th NCAA
Tournament appearance and own a 101-44 record in the event all-time. They are
35-2 overall this season and won both the SEC regular season and tournament
titles.
The Wildcats own a 13-4 series advantage over the Mountaineers, which includes
seven straight wins over WVU.
Prior to the "Sweet 16" matchup with Washington, West Virginia starting point
guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant broke his foot in practice, knocking him out of
the tournament. Many wondered how the loss would affect the Mountaineers, and
early on the team did struggle at times offensively against the Huskies.
Fortunately, WVU played tremendous defense, limiting Washington to 39.3
percent shooting from the floor while forcing 21 turnovers. Rebounding was a
huge key to the Mountaineers as well, as they finished with a 49-29 edge on
the boards. Kevin Jones led three double-digit scorers with 18 points, and he
ripped down eight rebounds as well. Da'Sean Butler added 14 points, and Devin
Ebanks finished with a dozen. Butler is the team's leading scorer through 36
games with 17.4 ppg, while Jones (13.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Ebanks (12.0 ppg, 8.3
rpg) are solid contributors as well. WVU is generating 72.8 ppg while limiting
foes to 63.1 ppg.
Kentucky has advanced to the Regional Finals for the 31st time in program
history, and there are a few obvious reasons for the 17-point win over
Cornell. Above all, it was a sensational defensive effort that saw the
Wildcats limit the Big Red to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor, including
a 5-of-21 effort from three-point range, 20 percent below the club's average
efficiency from behind the arc. Rebounding was also key to the victory, as
Kentucky earned a 41-28 edge on the boards. DeMarcus Cousins scored 16 points,
while fellow freshman Eric Bledsoe added 12 points. Patrick Patterson ripped
down 12 rebounds, and John Wall dished out eight assists. Wall has racked up
236 assists this season, and he has 62 steals as well to go along with 16.6
ppg. Cousins provides 15.1 ppg and 9.9 rpg, while Patterson posts 14.5 ppg.
Bledsoe is netting 11.4 ppg for Kentucky, which is scoring 79.6 ppg while
permitting just 64.7 ppg on 37.8 percent shooting by opponents.
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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl
NFL Super Bowl Betting
The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
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