Gators take on Tide in Tuscaloosa
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/14/2012 -
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Florida Gators seek a quick
turnaround, as they head to Coleman Coliseum for Southeastern Conference
competition with the short-handed Alabama Crimson Tide.
This game matches up an apprentice with his former master, as Alabama's head
coach Anthony Grant spent 12 seasons learning from Billy Donovan at Marshall
and Florida. Alabama holds a 78-53 lead in the rivalry. Grant has yet to beat
the Gators.
Florida is on its first two-game losing streak of the season after falling
against Kentucky and Tennessee in its last two outings. Donovan's team is
still 19-6 overall and second in the SEC with a 7-3 mark in league action. The
loss on Saturday was the second to the Volunteers this season. The Gators can
only blame themselves for the loss, as they missed nine free throws (19-28)
and committed 15 turnovers in the contest. Florida is still one of the most
feared teams in the nation, as the Gators are netting 78.8 ppg. Opponents have
averaged 65.9 ppg on 42.6 percent shooting from the field on the Gators.
The Gators come into the game with all five starters carrying double-digit
scoring averages. Kenny Boynton leads the charge with 17.5 ppg on 47.2 percent
shooting from the floor. Freshman guard Bradley Beal is second on the team in
both scoring (14.4) and rebounding (6.2). Patric Young does a good job in the
middle and Erving Walker runs the show from the point position. Donovan was
missing Mike Rosario (hip pointer) against Tennessee, and will be without
Scottie Wilbekin (concussion) tonight against the Crimson Tide.
Anthony Grant made a bold move and suspended four starters for the team's last
contest, which resulted in a 67-58 loss to LSU. Of the four players suspended
for violation of team rules, Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele are expected
to return, while Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green remain suspended
indefinitely. While Alabama is considered on the bubble, a win over the Gators
would be a huge step towards the postseason. Without Green and Mitchell, the
team's top two rebounders, the Crimson Tide will need a breakout performance
from one of their reserves on the glass tonight.
Releford is the top scorer expected to see the floor tonight, as he averages
12.4 ppg. The sophomore point guard also leads the team in steals (2.2) and
assists (3.1). Alabama started four freshman and seldom used junior Ben Eblen
against LSU. The highest scorer of group was Trevor Lacy, who contributes 6.6
ppg. Rodney Cooper took advantage of the opportunity and exploded for career-
highs of 28 points and five steals.
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<< Surging Ducks visit Minnesota
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Buckeyes set sights on Gophers in Big Ten brawl >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes will
try bounce back from their poorest outing of the season as they head to
Williams Arena to take on Tubby Smith's Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten
Conference matchu
No.22 Virginia takes on Clemson in ACC affair >>
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Virginia Cavaliers continue
their Atlantic Coast Conference road swing with a visit to the Littlejohn
Coliseum to square off with the Clemson Tigers.
This will be the 119th battle between the Ca
Rebels and Horned Frogs square off in MWC matchup >>
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the Mountain West Conference standings entering the week, the 11th-ranked UNLV
Runnin' Rebels try to give themselves some breathing room as they take on the
TCU Horn
Morehead State to host six, but face tough road schedule >>
Morehead, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Morehead State football will play six home
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The Eagles, who were 3-8 a year ago, last pla
Rounding Third: A's take a big chance on Cespedes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There was one last major order of business
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Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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