Hoyas and Bulls collide in Big East Tourney

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/10/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big East Tournament continues today, as the ninth-seeded South Florida Bulldogs tussle with the 22nd-ranked and eighth-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in second-round action at Madison Square Garden. The winner of this game will move on to the quarterfinals against top- seeded Syracuse on Thursday.

Winner of its last three games heading into the postseason, USF finished 9-9 within the league, by far its best mark since joining the Big East. The Bulls carried over their success into the league tourney yesterday, notching a 58-49 win over 16th-seeded DePaul. It was the first-ever win in the team's second appearance in this event, as USF also reached the 20-win plateau for just the third time in the 39-year history of the program.

The Hoyas meanwhile, have a storied history, especially in the Big East Tournament, where they have won a record 46 games and seven titles. Georgetown earned a first-round bye with its 10-8 finish in conference play, although the team won just two its final six outings.

Georgetown leads the head-to-head series with USF, 5-3, but the Bulls knocked off the Hoyas, 72-64, in Washington, D.C. on February 3rd.

The Bulls held DePaul to a dismal 29.9 percent shooting performance from the floor, as they came away with a 58-49 victory in first-round play yesterday. USF, which took a 30-15 lead to the intermission, made 43.3 percent of its field goals and scored 50 points in the paint. Dominique Jones led the charge with an all-around effort of 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals. It was a typical effort from Jones, one of the premier players in the Big East. A first-team all-league choice, Jones averaged a league-best 23.2 ppg in Big East play during the regular season and he also posted 6.1 rpg and 3.7 apg. Mike Mercer added 14 points and five boards in yesterday's win, a nice improvement from his regular-season production of 9.5 ppg.

The Hoyas are a good shooting team, as they are hitting on 49.8 percent of their attempts from the floor and 38.8 percent from long range. Austin Freeman, a second-team all-conference pick, leads the team in scoring at 17.3 ppg and he shoots 47.9 percent from beyond the arc. Greg Monroe is another big time talent for this Georgetown club, as the 6-11 center nearly averages a double-double with 16.0 ppg and a team-high 9.6 rpg. A first-team all- conference choice, Monroe is also a terrific passer for a big man, dishing out 3.6 apg. Chris Wright adds 14.2 ppg and a team-high 4.0 apg to the mix for Georgetown, while Jason Clark chips in with 10.3 ppg.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog 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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