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03/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Memphis Tigers completed their third straight perfect Conference USA campaign and are the No.1 seed in the league tourney for the fourth consecutive year. Memphis has won 58 straight C-USA games, including the postseason, and has won this event in each of the past three years.
The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will be the second-seed following their 12-4 finish, while the UAB Blazers claimed the third spot at 11-5. The Houston Cougars and Texas-El Paso Miners both ended 10-6 with the conference, but the Miners won the crucial tie-breaker scenario and were awarded the higher seed and a first-round bye.
Three teams finished tied for sixth at 7-9 and after the tie-breaker rules were over with, UCF claimed the sixth spot, while Marshall and Tulane earn the seventh and eighth seeds, respectively. The East Carolina Pirates landed the ninth-seed at 5-11 and Rice won the tie-breaker with Southern Miss and was given the 10th seed. SMU placed last at 3-13 and picked up the 12th and final seed.
The 10th-seeded Rice Owls and seventh-seeded Marshall Thundering Herd kick off the tourney when they meet in the first round on Wednesday. Marshall won three of its final four games of the regular season, including a 76-62 besting of Rice, to move up the standings. The Herd though, has won just once in three prior appearances in this event. On the flip side, Rice posted four conference wins this season and while that may not seem like a lot, it is better than its 0-16 showing last season. The Owls are 2-3 all-time in this tourney.
First-round action continues with 11th-seeded South Miss taking on sixth- seeded UCF. After going 9-7 and earning the fifth seed last season, the Golden Eagles dropped off big time and finished just 4-12. Southern Miss has won its first round game in the C-USA Tournament three straight times and is 8-11 all- time in this event. As for UCF, it had earned a first round bye in each of the past two tournaments, but losses in seven of its final nine games ruined those chances this season. The Knights are paced by Jermaine Taylor, who leads C-USA in scoring and ranks third nationally with an average of 26.6 ppg.
The ninth-seeded East Carolina Pirates and eighth-seeded Tulane Green Wave mix it up in the third game on Wednesday. The Pirates finished 5-12 for the second year in a row and they enter the postseason riding a five-game slide. ECU has had no success in this tourney, dropping all five of its prior outings. Tulane is 6-13 all-time in this event, but it has never advanced to the championship game.
The opening round concludes with the 12th-seeded Mustangs and the fifth-seeded Cougars doing battle. SMU was swept by Houston during the regular season and has dropped the last seven meetings between the two programs. The Mustangs are just 1-3 in this tourney and will try to become the first 12th seed to win a game in the event since Southern Miss in 2003. On the flip side, the Cougars have gone 6-11 in the C-USA Championship and made it as far as the finals in 2007.
The second-seeded Hurricane will await the winner of the Rice/Marshall matchup in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Tulsa posted victories in each of its final five outings, as it reached the 20-mark for the third year in a row. As a seventh seed last season, the Hurricane won three straight games to reach the finals, where it eventually lost to Memphis.
The second quarterfinal game pits the third-seeded UAB Blazers against the victor of the Southern Miss/UCF duel. UAB, the last team to defeat Memphis three years ago, went 21-10 during the regular season, as it achieved a 20-win campaign for the sixth time in seven seasons. The Blazers are 12-13 all-time in this tourney, advancing as far as the finals in 2003 and 2006.
The top-seeded Memphis Tigers make their much anticipated debut against the survivor of the East Carolina/Tulane matchup on Thursday. The Tigers bring the nation's longest winning streak to the postseason at 22 games, and they also have the luxury of hosting the tourney. Memphis, which is 16-1 at home this season, has taken the last three titles in this event and it has won 12 of its last 13 games in the tourney. The Tigers are a healthy 28-3 overall and that has them in the hunt for a No.1 seed in the Big Dance.
The quarterfinal round will come to a finish when the fourth-seeded Texas-El Paso Miners square off against the winner of the SMU/Houston contest. The Miners earned an opening round bye for the first time in this event, and are just one win shy of a 20-win campaign for the first time since 2005-06. Texas- El Paso is led by Stefon Jackson, C-USA's all-time leading scorer with 2,261 career points.
<< 2009 Big 12 Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big 12 had seven teams finish the
regular season with 20 or more wins, tying it for the most of any conference,
and that should make for another exciting tournament.
Kansas, the defending national cham
<< Top-seeded Cavs open trip against Clippers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Eastern Conference's top team faces one of the West's
worst when the Cleveland Cavaliers take on the lowly Los Angeles Clippers at
Staples Center tonight.
The Cavs, who are kicking off a three-game west coast road
<< Suns, Mavs square off in the desert
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's a little early to talk about must win games but the
reeling Phoenix Suns desperately need to get back in the win column tonight
when they host the Dallas Mavericks in the opener of a three-game homestand.
The S
<< Thunder try to crown Kings in Cali
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder hope to follow up one of their
most impressive performances of the year tonight when they kick off a three-
game road trip against the lowly Sacramento Kings at ARCO Arena.
Nenad Krstic scor
With Carbonneau gone, Gainey leads Habs against Oilers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Canadiens may be coming off one of their
better showings in recent memory, but that still couldn't save the fate of the
team's head coach.
Bob Gainey takes over for the fired Guy Carbonneau behind the bench wh
Red Wings hope to bounce back in home tilt against Coyotes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will be attempting to put a humbling
home loss behind them when the Phoenix Coyotes take on the defending Stanley
Cup champions tonight at Joe Louis Arena.
Detroit had a two-game win streak come to an
Division-leading Devils, Flames tangle in New Jersey >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of first-place teams will battle tonight in the
Garden State, as the New Jersey Devils welcome the Calgary Flames to
Prudential Center.
The Devils are the top team in the Atlantic Division and with 87 points are
al
Sabres shoot for victory over Flyers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will try to help their playoff chances
by avoiding a second straight loss when they visit the Philadelphia Flyers for
tonight's clash at the Wachovia Center.
The Sabres have lost four of their last six g
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.
Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.
Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.
A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.
Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.
Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.
And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.
2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win
Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1
Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1
Donald Brown (IND) 5/1
Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1
Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1
Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1
Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1
Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1
Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1
Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1
Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1
Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1
Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1
Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1
Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1
Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1
Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1
LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1
Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2
Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1
Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1
Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1
Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1
Jason Smith (STL) 40/1
Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1
Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1
Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1
Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2
Pat White (MIA) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 9/1
To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.
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