2009 Pac-10 Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/10/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - All 10 members of the Pac-10 Conference will compete for the league's tournament title and a bid to the NCAA Tournament in a four-day event that begins on March 11th in Los Angeles.

The teams seeded seventh through 10th will have to participate in the opening round, while the six highest-seeded teams will begin action in Thursday's quarterfinals. Washington, the regular season champion, has earned the top seed to the surprise of many. The Huskies will not have an easy road to a tourney title, as second-seeded UCLA, third-seeded California and four-seeded Arizona State are all loaded with talent. Fifth-seeded Arizona has more Pac-10 Tournament titles than any other league member (five), and the club has played its best ball over the past month. USC is seeded sixth and has plenty of talent, but the Trojans have been painfully inconsistent. Of the bottom four seeds, none seem to be a legitimate contender for the tourney title, but we have learned over the years that a team can get hot in a hurry in March. Last season, UCLA beat Stanford to claim the championship.

The first of two opening-round games on Wednesday pits the eighth-seeded Oregon State Beavers against the ninth-seeded Stanford Cardinal. Stanford won its only Pac-10 tourney title back in 2004, while Oregon State is still in search of its first crown. The Beavers won both regular season meetings with the Cardinal, so expect them to play with plenty of confidence. Oregon State is ninth in the conference in scoring at just 59.7 ppg and struggles in the rebounding department as well. Still, the team plays strong defense. As for Stanford, it has struggled somewhat defensively, allowing foes to shoot 48.1 percent from the field. Anthony Goods averages 15.7 ppg to pace the club.

The second opening-round matchup features the seventh-seeded Washington State Cougars and the 10th-seeded Oregon Ducks. Washington State has never won this event and is just 4-9 in Pac-10 Tournament games. The Cougars are last in the league in scoring offense, as they are generating a lowly 59.4 ppg. Fortunately, they are tops in scoring defense, holding foes to 55.2 ppg. Washington State is the top free-throw shooting team in the conference and is second in blocked shots. As for the Ducks, they have two titles to their credit, the most recent of which came two years ago. Oregon is the worst defensive team in the Pac-10, as it is permitting opponents to score 76.6 ppg on 49.2 percent field goal efficiency. The Ducks are also last in rebounding margin.

Moving to the quarterfinal round, a much-anticipated battle between fourth- seeded Arizona State and fifth-seeded Arizona will ensue. As mentioned, Arizona's four titles are the most among all league members, but the Wildcats haven't earned a championship in this event since 2002. Jordan Hill, Chase Budinger and Nic Wise rank second, fourth and ninth, respectively, on the conference's scoring list. Hill provides 18.5 ppg and is second in rebounding (11.0 rpg) as well. Budinger checks in with 18.2 ppg, and Wise provides 15.0 ppg and 4.6 apg. As for Arizona State, it is 3-10 all-time in the tournament and has yet to claim a championship. James Harden is the man to watch for the Sun Devils, as the explosive guard leads the league in scoring at 20.8 ppg while also pulling down 5.1 rpg and dishing out 4.1 apg. Opponents are only scoring 59.8 ppg against ASU, which prides itself on strong defense.

The second quarterfinal game will pit the top-seeded Washington Huskies against either Stanford or Oregon State. Washington has split its 18 Pac-10 Tournament games and won its only championship back in 2005. The Huskies lead the conference in scoring with 79.2 ppg, and they are tops in scoring margin as well. The trio of Isaiah Thomas, Justin Dentmon and Jon Brockman is most responsible for the team's success this season. Thomas, a freshman, is netting 15.4 ppg, while Dentmon checks in at 15.3 ppg. Brockman provides 14.8 ppg, and the rugged forward is also ripping down a Pac-10-leading 11.5 rpg.

Third-seeded California and sixth-seeded USC will collide on Thursday, and both begin their quest for their first Pac-10 Tournament crown. Cal's Jerome Randle has dished out more assists than any other player in the conference, and he is scoring 18.4 ppg to place third. Patrick Christopher (14.6 ppg) is a solid second scoring option for the Golden Bears, who are generating 75.0 ppg while allowing 68.0 ppg. They are shooting a staggering 43.8 percent from three-point range to lead the league by a wide margin, and both Randle and Christopher are dangerous perimeter shooters. As for USC, it is led by Taj Gibson and Dwight Lewis, who are scoring 14.4 ppg and 14.2 ppg, respectively. Gibson grabs 9.3 rpg while shooting 58.8 percent from the floor for the Trojans, who are the worst three-point shooting team in the conference.

Lastly, the quarterfinal round ends with the winner of the Oregon/Washington State game taking on the second-seeded UCLA Bruins. UCLA has won this event in two of the last three years and is 13-8 in the tournament all-time. The Bruins lead the Pac-10 in scoring margin, as they are a +13.5 ppg in that department. The Bruins are shooting 50.6 percent from the floor, tops in the league, and they are also first in assists, steals and turnover margin. Darren Collison, the team's point guard, is the league's top free throw shooter at 92.3 percent. He is second in assists (5.0 apg) and 10th in scoring (14.8 ppg).

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Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

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.

Bet on NFL Football

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

NFL football gambling

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.

The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.

Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.

MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:

Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)

Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)

Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.

Get free Super Bowl XLIII Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting with credit cards