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03/03/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 28th annual Northeast Conference Tournament gets underway on Thursday, March 5th with four quarterfinal-round games to be played on the home court of the higher seeds. After the opening round, the teams will be reseeded so the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals.
Mount St. Mary's is the defending NEC Tournament champion, and the team earned the No. 2 seed in this year's event following a season in which it went 17-12, 12-6 in conference. The top seed is Robert Morris as the Colonials logged a 21-10 overall mark, including a 15-3 ledger in NEC play, en route to their second straight NEC regular season title. Sacred Heart and Long Island both finished with 12-6 league ledgers to tie Mount St. Mary's, and while the Mountaineers were awarded the second seed, the Pioneers claimed the third seed and the Blackbirds settled for the fourth.
All games will start at 7:00 pm (et) on Thursday, with top-seeded Robert Morris facing eighth-seeded St. Francis-NY. The Colonials have performed well at both ends of the floor this season, ranking second in the NEC in both scoring offense (71.3 ppg) and scoring defense (66.4 ppg). They are led by Jeremy Chappel and his 16.6 ppg (third-best in the conference), and Rob Robinson adds 11.6 ppg while Jimmy Langhurst chips in with 10.1 ppg. Chappel is also the team's leader on the boards, coming up with 6.3 rpg, while pacing the league in steals (2.55 per game). Robert Morris is the league's top three- point shooting team (.397), but its worst at defending the long-range shot (.377).
As for St. Francis-NY (10-19, 7-11 NEC), it is averaging a mere 65.9 ppg despite being in the top half of the conference in three-point shooting (.365). Ricky Cadell is the Terriers' top point producer, checking in at 15.1 ppg behind 47 percent field goal efficiency. SFNY was the only NEC team to beat RMU on its home floor this season, taking an 87-79 decision on December 4, 2008. No eight seed has ever knocked off the No. 1 seed in the history of this event.
No. 2 seed Mount St. Mary's gets a crack at seventh-seeded Wagner in the quarterfinals, and the defending NEC Tournament champs boast three double- digit scorers, led by Jeremy Goode and his 15.8 ppg. One of the top playmakers in the conference, Goode has dished out 120 assists and is shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. The team, which leads the league in scoring defense (63.3 ppg), owns a scoring advantage of 5.5 points, as well as positive differentials in both rebounding (+1.4) and turnovers (+1.6).
Wagner (16-13, 8-10 NEC) is a middle-of-the-pack team in most statistical categories, netting 67.6 ppg while allowing 68.2 ppg. The Seahawks rank third in the conference in both three-point shooting (.381) and turnover margin (+0.28). The team is led offensively by Joey Mundweiler (14.0 ppg), Jamal Smith (11.9 ppg), Llewchean Radford (11.2 ppg) and Justin Drummond (10.5 ppg). Mundweiler is coming off a record-setting performance as he drained 11 three- pointers in the regular-season finale against Monmouth, helping Wagner win for the fourth straight time.
Third-seeded Sacred Heart, the league's top scoring team during the regular season (73.7 ppg), opens the tournament by hosting Central Connecticut State (13-16, 8-10 NEC), which was awarded the sixth seed after losing a tie-breaker with Wagner. The Pioneers, who have won five straight coming into the postseason by an average of nearly 21 ppg, knocked down 48.3 percent of their field goal attempts this season, which includes a 39.3 percent showing from downtown. As good as Sacred Heart is beyond the arc, the team is also effective in thwarting the long-range aspirations of the opposition, yielding just a 32.9 percent success rate through 29 games. The Pioneers are the NEC's top team in assists (17.07 per outing) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.05), while ranking second in steals (7.86 per game). Joey Henley (15.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is the club's top man both in scoring and on the glass, while Corey Hassan (11.2 ppg) contributes as well.
CCSU is averaging just 64.8 ppg despite a solid showing both from the field (.446) as well as the foul line (.724). The Blue Devils, however, are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the conference (.318, 4.17 three-point FGs made per contest). Ken Horton finished the regular season as the NEC's second-leading scorer at 16.6 ppg.
The fourth-seeded Long Island Blackbirds kick off tournament play at home against No. 5 seed Quinnipiac. Even though Long Island is the worst shooting team in the conference (.409), it ranks third in scoring offense (70.4 ppg). The Blackbirds are led by Jaytornah Wisseh and his 15.3 ppg, and Kyle Johnson and Julian Boyd average double digits as well with 13.7 and 10.3 ppg, respectively. Ron Manigault ranks second in the NEC in rebounding (8.7 rpg), less than a board per game behind Quinnipiac's Justin Rutty (9.5 rpg).
Rutty, a 60.3 percent shooter from the field, ranks second on the Bobcats (14-15, 10-8 NEC) with his 14.9 ppg, while James Feldeine paces the team and the conference with 16.8 ppg. Quinnipiac finished the regular season ranked atop the league in rebounding margin (+5.6) and third in scoring defense (66.7 ppg). Free-throw shooting has really been a problem for the 'Cats this season, as they rank dead last in the NEC at a mere 62.0 percent. LIU was a league- best 12-2 at home this season, although one of those losses came against Quinnipiac, which swept the season series from the Blackbirds.
<< Brewers sign P Gallardo
Maryvale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers inked pitcher Yovani
Gallardo to a one-year deal on Tuesday.
The 23-year-old native of Mexico finished without a decision and a 1.88 earned
run average in 24 innings over four start
<< 2009 Sun Belt Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 33rd-annual Sun Belt Conference
Tournament, which includes all 13 members, will begin at campus venues on
Wednesday, before moving to Summit Arena for the final three rounds.
The Western Kentucky Hillt
<< Desperate Wild resume road trip in Vancouver
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will try again for the first win on
their longest road trip of the season in tonight's clash with the Vancouver
Canucks at GM Place.
The Wild have lost each of their last three games, including the first
<< Billups returns to Motor City as Nuggets face Pistons
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver point guard Chauncey Billups will make his return to
Auburn Hills this evening when the Northwest Division-leading Nuggets pay a
visit to the Detroit Pistons at The Palace.
Billups was dealt to the Nuggets in Novemb
Buyout bonanza hits the NBA >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There are conventional ways to build a
championship in any sport.
You know the drill -- good general managers can use trades, free agency and
the draft to build the core of a title contender.
In the NBA
Monsters goalie earns AHL Player of the Week >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lake Erie Monsters goaltender Jason
Bacashihua has been named the American Hockey League Player of the Week.
In three appearances, Bacashihua went 3-0-0 with a 0.65 goals-against-average
and a .97
Derrick Ward signs with Bucs >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it official on
Tuesday and signed running back Derrick Ward.
Terms of the deal for the former New York Giant were not disclosed, but the
Tampa Tribune had previously reporte
AC Milan still hopes to keep Beckham >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani is
hopeful of agreeing to a deal to keep David Beckham at the San Siro until the
end of the Serie A season.
The 33-year-old England midfielder is due to return
Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds
Will he or won't he? Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.
Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.
"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."
Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.
Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.
But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.
Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback. It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.
Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Baltimore Ravens 15-1
Buffalo Bills 50-1
Carolina Panthers 18-1
Chicago Bears 10-1
Cincinnati Bengals 15-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Dallas Cowboys 15-1
Denver Broncos 15-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
Green Bay Packers 50-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Indianapolis Colts 6-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 30-1
Miami Dolphins 40-1
Minnesota Vikings 75-1
New England Patriots 10-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 20-1
New York Jets 30-1
Oakland Raiders 100-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1
Saint Louis Rams 60-1
San Diego Chargers 6-1
San Francisco 49ers 75-1
Seattle Seahawks 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1
Tennessee Titans 40-1
Washington Redskins 50-1
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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