A top-25 SEC showdown on tap in Gainesville
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/04/2012 -
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-25 foes collide in Gainesville this
afternoon, as the 12th-ranked Florida Gators play host to the 25th-ranked
Vanderbilt Commodores in an SEC affair at the O'Connell Center.
Billy Donovan's Gators are peaking at the right time. Florida enters this
contest with a six-game win streak in tow and moved to 6-1 in conference play
with a 74-66 victory over South Carolina on Thursday. The win was also the
18th straight at the O'Connell Center, tied for the fourth longest streak in
program history.
Kevin Stallings' Commodores are just a game behind the Gators in the SEC,
following Tuesday's 82-74 loss at Arkansas. Vanderbilt has split its last four
games and is 16-6 overall on the year.
This represents the 123rd meeting in this longstanding series. Vanderbilt
holds a narrow 63-59 series advantage. These two teams have traded sweeps in
the season series in each of the last three years. Florida is 12-3 against
Vanderbilt at home under Donovan.
The Commodores have a fighting chance in any game thanks to the dynamic duo of
John Jenkins and Jeffery Taylor. Jenkins leads the SEC in scoring at 19.9 ppg
and is shooting .481 from the floor overall, including 82-of-186 from three-
point range. Taylor is fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.4 ppg and can
also hit the long ball at a .463 clip (37-of-80). Scoring depth can be found
in the form of Lance Goulbourne (9.6 ppg), Brad Tinsley (9.4 ppg) and Festus
Ezeli (9.0 ppg).
Vanderbilt shot a solid 50 percent from the floor at Arkansas, but fell victim
to the Razorbacks' hot shooting in the second half (6-of-12 from three-point
range) in an eight-point loss. Jenkins hit four three-pointers himself and was
right on his season averaging with a game-high 19 points. Taylor poured in 18
points, Ezeli had 14 and Steve Tchiengang chipped in 10 in the loss.
One of the top offensive teams in the nation, Florida has a number of scoring
options at its disposal, leading to an impressive 80.4 ppg. The Gators rely
heavily on its long range acumen, delivering on 40 percent from behind the
arc. Kenny Boynton plays a big role in that regard, averaging 17.5 ppg ,
fueled by a .438 clip from three-point range (74-of-169). Perimeter help comes
in the form of Bradley Beal (14.2 ppg) and Erving Walker (12.7 ppg), who also
serves as the team's primary distributor (5.1 apg). Center Patric Young (11.1
ppg, 6.6 rpg) and Erik Murphy (10.3 ppg) provide the frontcourt balance.
The Gators jumped all over the Gamecocks early, building a 17-point lead in
the first half, but South Carolina battled back to trail by only nine at the
break. UF was able to hold off USC however, to remain unbeaten at home. The
Gators knocked down a season-high 23 free-throws in the win. Boynton led
the way 24 points, while Beal recorded his fourth career double-double with 17
points and 11 rebounds. Walker tacked on 14 points and dished out seven
assists. The team got the win despite shooting under 40 percent from the floor
and a season-low .250 from three-point range.
<< Top-25 foes tangle in Tallahassee
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of top-25 teams meet up in
Tallahassee this afternoon, as the 21st-ranked Florida State Seminoles and
16th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers take care of some ACC business at the Donald L.
Tucker Center.
Le
<< Syracuse and St. John's meet in Empire State showdown
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Syracuse Orange square off
with the St. John's Red Storm this afternoon in a Big East Conference clash
from New York's famed Madison Square Garden.
Syracuse has won 22 of its first 23 games t
<< Rebels and Pokes duke it out in Mountain West showdown
Laramie, WY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tied with San Diego State atop the Mountain
West Conference standings, the 11th-ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels are again out
on the road this afternoon as they tangle with the Wyoming Cowboys at Arena
Auditorium in La
<< TCU seeks upset of No. 17 San Diego State
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sharing the top spot in the Mountain West
Conference standings with 11th-ranked UNLV, the 17th-ranked San Diego State
Aztecs try to keep moving in the right direction tonight as they host the TCU
Horned Frogs at
<< OVC action features 10th-ranked Racers at Skyhawks
Martin, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Murray State Racers will try to
remain the only unbeaten team in Division I as they head to Skyhawk Arena for
an Ohio Valley Conference battle with the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks.
This will be the
Flyers host Devils in Atlantic Division matchup >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Atlantic Division rivals will collide this
afternoon in Philadelphia, as the Flyers welcome the New Jersey Devils for a
battle at the Wells Fargo Center.
This marks the fourth of six scheduled tilts between the c
Bulls continue long trip in Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls are in the midst of a nine-game road trip
and will continue the lengthy trek tonight against the Central Division-rival
Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.
The Bulls improved to 2-2 thus far on th
Timberwolves host Rockets in Twin Cities >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves aim to reach the .500 mark
tonight versus the Houston Rockets at the Target Center.
Minnesota is 11-12 on the season and has won seven of its last 11 games,
including Friday's 108-1
Pistons welcome Hornets to The Palace >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of also-rans get together tonight at The Palace of
Auburn Hills, where the Detroit Pistons will host the New Orleans Hornets.
The Hornets have lost four in a row and 13 of their last 14 games, including
Thursday
Knicks square off with Nets at MSG >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks will play their third game in as many
nights when they entertain the local New Jersey Nets Saturday at Madison
Square Garden.
The Knicks have lost the first two of back-to-back-to-back con
NFL Football Betting Online
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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