Bonnies seek A-10 tourney upset of top-seeded Owls

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The two-time defending Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament Champions, the 17th-ranked Temple Owls, hit the floor at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this afternoon in the quarterfinals of the 34th annual event versus the Bonnies of St. Bonaventure.

Top-seeded Temple is trying to become just the second school in A-10 history to string together three straight conference tournament titles, second only to UMass which ran off five in a row in the 1990s. The Owls have run off a seven- game win streak and part of that was the team's 73-55 rout of the Bonnies in New York back in February.

Temple has won more games (49) in this tournament over the years and has the most crowns (eight) than any other program. When taking part in the quarterfinals, the Owls have won all but two of their 26 matchups. As the top seed in the tourney, Temple has a record of 10-1, winning the championship three times.

As for the Bonnies, this year's eighth seed, they took care of ninth-seeded Duquesne in the first round on Tuesday night at home in the Reilly Center. Unfortunately, St. Bonaventure has had very little success in the event, posting a 13-26 record and failing to bring home a trophy to this point.

In terms of the all-time series between these two schools, not only has Temple won both meetings during the A-10 Tournament previously, the Owls hold a commanding 50-6 mark after capturing the regular-season meeting last month.

The winner of this matchup will be back on the hardwood tomorrow versus the winner of the Rhode Island/Saint Louis battle in the semifinals.

Andrew Nicholson is the focal point of the offense for the Bonnies with his 16.5 ppg, stemming from 58 percent shooting from the field and 76 percent accuracy at the free-throw line. In addition, Nicholson also leads the group on the glass with better than seven boards per game, although that still doesn't make up for the fact that he has but 14 assists this entire season. Jonathan Hall picks up the slack in the passing department with his 100 dishes over 27 games, adding in another 13.1 ppg and almost six rebounds per contest to make himself into a complete player. Chris Matthews checks in with 12.7 ppg, thanks in large part to his 98-of-251 effort out on the perimeter. Against the Dukes earlier this week, Matthews erupted for a game-high 28 points on 6-of-8 shooting behind the three-point line, followed by Nicholson with 25 points and seven rebounds and Hall who recorded 10 points, seven boards and five assists.

Head coach Fran Dunphy has put himself in the running for national coach of the year honors by stressing defense with the Owls this season. As a result, Temple has limited opponents to just 56.8 ppg, one of the best marks in all of college basketball. Those foes have converted only 38.1 percent from the field and a feeble 27.8 percent behind the three-point line. At the offensive end of the floor, Ryan Brooks heads the list of scorers with his 14.5 ppg, thanks in large part to being only one of two players to have started every game this season. Juan Fernandez (12.2 ppg) has stepped up to become a true perimeter threat with his 44.7 percent accuracy and at the same time has kept defenses on their heels by handing out a team-best 105 assists as well. Lavoy Allen is the one who does the dirty work in the paint with his 11.7 points and team- best 10.8 rpg, helping to provide the Owls with a rebounding advantage of nearly five per game.

Wwwrio NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Browns sign Ben Watson
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns have signed unrestricted free agent tight end Ben Watson to a multi-year contract. Financial terms of the deal for the former New England Patriots veteran were not disclosed. "We vi

<< Arizona's NCAA run all but over at 25
LOS ANGELES (AP) -Arizona's streak of 25 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances is all but over.The Wildcats lost to UCLA 75-69 in the Pac-10 tournament on Thursday night, dropping their record to 16-15, a number that almost certainly won't be good

<< Kansas State, Kansas romp in Big 12 quarterfinals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -Kansas State is one win away from getting one last shot at its archrival.Both the Wildcats and No. 1 Kansas advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament on Thursday, keeping alive hopes for a Sunflower State showdown fo

<< Three of top 4 seeds bumped in Big East quarters
NEW YORK (AP) -It was a bad day to be a favorite at the Big East tournament.Three of the conference's top four teams were beaten in the quarterfinals Thursday at Madison Square Garden, jumbling the league's NCAA picture and setting up a pair of surp

<< Fish, Moya highlight first-round winners at Indian Wells
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Mardy Fish and Spaniard Carlos Moya were among Thursday's first-round winners at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters event. Fish, the runner-up here in 2008, rallied f

Alabama challenges Kentucky in SEC Tournament quarterfinals >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats begin play in the 2010 SEC Tournament with a quarterfinal-round matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The winner of this game will move on to Saturday's semifinals to

Bears and Wildcats meet in Big 12 Tournament semifinals >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ninth-ranked Kansas State Wildcats and the 21st-ranked Baylor Bears are slated to collide in the semifinal round of the 2010 Big 12 Tournament from the Sprint Center in Kansas City. Awaiting the winner

Aztecs and Lobos mix it up in Mountain West semis >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Continuing to build on one of the best seasons in program history, the eighth-ranked New Mexico Lobos find themselves in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Tournament tonight and will be facing the a

UNLV battles BYU in MWC Tournament semifinals >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In search of revenge for a devastating loss in the last meeting between the two programs, the 14th-ranked BYU Cougars clash with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels tonight in the semifinals of the 11th annual Mountain West

Bulldogs face tall task in SEC tourney tilt with Commodores >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quarterfinal-round action of the 2010 SEC Tournament pits the 20th ranked Vanderbilt Commodores against the darkhorse Georgia Bulldogs. The winner will move into the semifinals for a clash with either Mississ

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