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01/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big East Conference powers collide in Philadelphia this afternoon, as the 23rd-ranked Louisville Cardinals challenge the 18th-ranked Villanova Wildcats.
Louisville opened Big East play on Wednesday with a 71-57 victory over South Florida. That tilt marked the first true road game of the season for the Cardinals, who are 10-3 overall. They have won their last two outings and are tremendously well coached by Rick Pitino.
As for Villanova, which is led by head coach Jay Wright, it is fresh off an 89-85 overtime victory over Seton Hall on Tuesday. The Wildcats needed that win, especially considering that they lost their Big East opener to Marquette last week. An 0-2 start would have been quite disappointing for the 'Cats, who are 13-2 overall.
Louisville owns a 6-5 series edge over Villanova, which includes a 68-54 decision over the Wildcats a year ago.
In the win over South Florida on Wednesday, Earl Clark came through with 22 points and nine rebounds for Louisville. Edgar Sosa pitched in 12 points for the Cardinals, who were fresh off an emotional victory over rival Kentucky. In that tilt, Sosa snapped a late tie with a three-pointer. On Wednesday, both Louisville and South Florida shot just over 36 percent from the floor, but the Cardinals forced 18 turnovers and benefited from a woeful free-throw shooting effort by the Bulls. Samardo Samuels entered the game against USF as the leading scorer for Louisville with 13.8 ppg, and although the freshman was held in check by the Bulls, he is a big-time performer up front. Clark and Terrence Williams are two of the better players in the Big East, and both can score and rebound effectively.
Dante Cunningham has emerged as a premier performer for Villanova this season, as he is scoring 17.1 ppg on 54 percent shooting from the floor to go with 7.9 rpg. Scottie Reynolds checks in with 15.9 ppg, and he is dishing out 4.1 apg. Reynolds, a streaky guard, is connecting on only 39.8 percent of his field goal attempts but is more than capable of taking over a game. Corey Stokes provides 10.5 ppg for Villanova, and Corey Fisher rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.1 ppg. The Wildcats are racking up 75.0 ppg while limiting opponents to 60.9 ppg on 38.5 percent shooting. In the four-point overtime win over Seton Hall, Reynolds showed off his immense ability by pouring in 40 points on the strength of a 5-of-8 showing from three-point range and a 15- of-16 effort from the foul line. Cunningham produced 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats, who got 15 boards from Dwayne Anderson.
<< Hamburg youngster set for exit
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hamburg have allowed unsettled midfielder
Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe to return to Anderlecht on a permanent basis.
The 19-year-old Belgian arrived in the Bundesliga from Anderlecht 12 months
ago but failed to
<< 'Wolves try to stay on track vs. Bucks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to extend their season
high winning streak to five games Saturday when they resume a three-game
homestand versus the Milwaukee Bucks at the Target Center.
Minnesota posted its f
<< Knicks pay a visit to Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling New York Knicks will continue a four-game
road trip tonight against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
The Knicks have lost the first two tests of the trek, including Thursday's
99-94 loss to
<< Bulls welcome Thunder to Windy City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls will resume a five-game homestand
Saturday versus the Oklahoma City Thunder at the United Center.
The Bulls have won two in a row after a three-game slide and improved to 2-1
on the residency fo
Butler hosts Detroit in Horizon League tussle >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is the
site of today's Horizon League clash between the 21st-ranked Butler Bulldogs
and the Detroit Titans.
Detroit was most recently in action against Valparaiso on Thurs
Longhorns lift lid on Big 12 slate against visiting Cyclones >>
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns and Iowa
State Cyclones get their Big 12 season underway today, as they clash at the
Frank Erwin Center in Austin.
The Longhorns enter the tilt on a down note, as they were upe
Ducks seek upset of 20th-ranked Sun Devils >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a thrashing of Oregon State, the 20th-
ranked Arizona State Sun Devils now turn their focus to the Oregon Ducks in a
Pac-10 matchup at Wells-Fargo Arena today.
The Sun Devils were recently in play this
No. 2 Duke visits Florida State in ACC showdown >>
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Duke Blue Devils hit the
road for an intriguing ACC showdown, as they invade the Tucker Center this
afternoon to take on the Florida State Seminoles.
Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils have jum
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.
Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.
Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.
Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.
All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.
A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.
For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.
2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1
Ron Brace (NE) 25/1
Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1
Darius Butler (NE) 40/1
Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1
Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1
Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1
Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1
Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1
Larry English (SD) 15/1
Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1
Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1
Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1
Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1
James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1
Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1
Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1
Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1
Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1
Roy Miller (TB) 20/1
Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1
Fili Moala (IND) 30/1
Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1
Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1
B J Raji (GB) 7/1
Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1
Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1
David Verkune (CLE) 20/1
Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1
Field (Any Other Player) 6/1
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
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