Struggling Wildcats seek turnaround in Queen City
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/02/2010 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ninth-ranked Villanova Wildcats will try to get things straightened out tonight, as they take on the desperate Cincinnati Bearcats in Big East play at Fifth Third Arena.
In one of the most anticipated matchups of the season, the Wildcats came up short, 95-77, at newly top-ranked Syracuse on Saturday. The game was virtually for the Big East title, as Villanova is now 12-4 and two games back of the Orange with only two contests remaining. Losers of three of its last four games, Villanova has stumbled a bit of late and could use a win tonight to regain some confidence.
Cincinnati meanwhile, is in major need of a win tonight and a strong finish if it hopes to catch the eye of the NCAA Tournament committee. The Bearcats have several quality wins to their credit, but have won just twice in their last seven games. On Saturday, the team was handed a 74-68 setback at nationally- ranked West Virginia to fall to just 7-9 in the Big East.
This is just the sixth all-time meeting between Villanova and Cincinnati, with the Wildcats holding a 4-1 advantage in the series.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early 20-12 lead on Saturday and it was all downhill from that point. Villanova had trouble competing with the Syracuse big men, as the Wildcats allowed 42 points in the paint and were outrebounded 23-15 on the offensive glass. Scottie Reynolds paced the team in defeat with 16 points and three assists, while Corey Fisher had 14 points and six helpers. On the season, Reynolds tops the roster in scoring (18.9 ppg) and steals (46), to go along with 3.3 apg. Fisher tacks on 13.8 ppg and a team-best 4.1 apg for the Wildcats, while Antonio Pena adds 11.1 ppg and a team-high 7.5 rpg to the mix.
The Bearcats went more than nine minutes without a field goal at one point in the second half, as they watched a 13-point advantage evaporate into a 74-68 loss at West Virginia on Saturday. Cincinnati shot a horrific 29.0 percent from the floor, including just 2-of-11 from downtown in the second half after hitting on 50.0 percent from the field and 7-of-10 from long distance in the first 20 minutes. Deonta Vaughn turned in 15 points and five assists to guide the Bearcats, while Lance Stephenson posted 14 points and nine rebounds. Stephenson currently paces the team in the scoring department at 11.6 ppg and he also brings in 5.2 rpg. Vaughn puts forth 11.3 ppg and a team-best 3.5 apg, and Yancy Gates contributes 10.6 ppg and a team-high 6.1 rpg.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers close out a brief three-game homestand on Tuesday by hosting the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have never beaten the Lakers at Staples Centers, dropping 10 straight games in the b
<< Thunder finish homestand vs. Kings
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA's most improved team, the Oklahoma City Thunder
hope to finish up a three-game homestand in perfect fashion tonight when they
welcome the Sacramento Kings to Ford Center.
The Thunder improved to 2-0 on their reside
<< Heat hope to stop slide vs. Warriors
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are still struggling. Tonight they'll try to put the brakes on a four-game
losing streak versus the Golden State Warriors in the opener of a three-game
homestand at A
<< Celtics and Pistons battle at The Palace
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics hope to put an embarrassing loss behind
them when they pay a visit to the Detroit Pistons Tuesday night at The Palace
of Auburn Hills.
Boston just went 1-2 on a three-game homestand and suffered a 104-96
<< Iverson will not return this season
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers announced Tuesday
that Allen Iverson will not return to the team this season.
Iverson had missed the team's last four games and also sat out five games
before the All-Star bre
Huntington, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a chance to claim the outright title in the Conference-USA on the line, the 24th-ranked Texas-El Paso Miners will tangle with the Marshall Thundering Herd at the Cam Henderson Center. The Miners current
Zags close out regular season against Roadrunners >>
Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the West Coast Conference title already in
hand, the 18th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs close out their regular season with a
non-conference bout against the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunner.
The Bulldogs ran th
No. 6 Ohio State plays for Big Ten title against Illinois >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes set their
sights on at least a share of the Big Ten title, as they welcome the Illinois
Fighting Illini to Columbus this evening for a conference showdown at Value
City Arena.
Bears meet Red Raiders in Big 12 battle >>
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Settling into the Top-25 for the eighth
consecutive week, the 21st-ranked Baylor Bears try to stretch their school-
record run even further as they take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Big 12
Conference action to
Top-ranked Orange continue Big East run against Red Storm >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Syracuse Orange are now the top-ranked
team in the nation and they have clinched a share of the Big East regular
season title. The St. John's Red Storm are next up for coach Jim Boeheim's
squad as the two tea
MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
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According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
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Teams that should be in: Stanford
Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.
Should be in:
Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.
| Southeastern Conference odds | |
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.
Work left to do: Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney. Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson. Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable. Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile. |
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