Win Streak Over PPG Shooting

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

Missouri hasn't been this high in the Top 25 rankings this late in the year since the Tigers were ranked first on February 19, 1990...The Tigers still lead the all-time series, 75-41, but moved to 21-29 in Stillwater.

 

Saint Mary's comes in with an 19-2 overall record after defeating the Santa Clara Broncos 93-77 on Saturday for its ninth straight victory. The last Gaels' loss came at the hands of the nationally-ranked Baylor Bears. Head coach Randy Bennett has led his team to a 8-0 start in the WCC, where the program has done very well in recent history including a share of last year's regular season title. The Gaels have finished no lower than third in the conference in each of the last eight seasons. Saint Mary's leads the league in scoring defense, scoring margin, rebound margin, and assist to turnover ratio.

 

LMU is 12-8 overall after an 74-62 victory over Santa Clara on Monday night. The Lions performed well on both ends of the floor in the contest, as they connected on 51 percent of their field goals and held the Broncos to 35.7 percent shooting. Head coach Max Good's team has been very good at defending the three all season as it leads the WCC in three-point field goal defense as it has held opponents to 28.7 percent from beyond the arc. The victory over Santa Clara improved LMU's WCC record to 5-2. With a scoring average of 71.1 ppg and an allowed average of 67.3 ppg on the defensive end, LMU is outscoring its opponents by 3.8 ppg. The Lions have won five-straight road games coming into tonight.

 

Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers will look to bounce back from its first home loss of the season as they host the Boston College Eagles for an Atlantic Coast Conference battle at the John Paul Jones Arena. This will be the 14th meeting in the all-time series. The Cavaliers still hold a 7-6 advantage in the rivalry despite Boston College winning five of the last six meetings, including the last four regular season encounters.

 

Head coach Tony Bennett's team comes in with a 15-3 overall record and a 2-2 mark in league play after its being upset 47-45 by its in-state rivals Virginia Tech on Sunday. Virginia is an elite team defensively as it ranks second in the nation in scoring defense with an allowed average of just 50.2 ppg on 38.6 percent shooting. Only two teams have eclipsed the 60-point mark against the Cavaliers this season. Virginia's focus on the defensive end has left it with a sub par average of 64.3 ppg on the offensive end.

 

Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Instate rivals collide in ACC action in Chapel Hill this evening, as the seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels welcome the NC State Wolfpack to the Smith Center. The Tar Heels were handed their worst loss in the Roy Williams' era with a 90-57 rout at the hands of Florida State back on January 14th. North Carolina was able to rebound from that however, with an 82-68 victory at Virginia Tech, posting the 10th win in the last 11 games and moving to 3-1 in league play.

 

Mark Gottfried's first season in Raleigh has been a successful one to this point. The Wolfpack enter this contest on a three-game win streak and have won nine of their last 10 overall. NC State moved to 4-1 in the ACC with last weekend's 78-73 victory at Miami-Florida.

 

The Wolfpack certainly have some offensive firepower, but getting into a shootout with the Tar Heels can't be a sound gameplan. UNC leads the nation in scoring at a hefty 85.1 ppg and boasts of the fifth-best scoring margin at +17.8. The Tar Heels rely on a dominant frontcourt that rivals any in the country. Sophomore forward Harrison Barnes headlines the trio and can score both inside and out, averaging 17.4 ppg and shooting 43.6 percent from behind the arc. Junior forward John Henson does his work down low, averaging a double-double with 14.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Center Tyler Zeller has been equally productive in the paint, averaging a near double-double of at 14.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing. The backcourt consisted of point guard Kendall Marshall (9.5 apg) and Dexter Strickland (7.5 ppg), but Strickland went down last week with a season-ending knee injury. Expect youngsters Reggie Bullock (8.4 ppg) and P.J. Hairston (7.5 ppg) to see increased minutes. Barnes poured in a game-high 27 points in the win over Virginia Tech last time out. Henson finished with 16 points and 16 boards, while Zeller had a double-double as well, with 14 points and 11 caroms.

 

Bo Ryan's Badgers are once again one of the top defensive teams in the nation and that has served them well en route to a 16-5 overall mark and a 5-3 ledger in the Big Ten. Wisconsin comes into this contest with a four-game win streak in tow, following a tough 67-63 road win at Illinois last weekend.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.