Chandler, Knicks rout Raptors to spoil Bosh's return

Basketball Betting Lines

02/20/2009 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wilson Chandler set a career-high with 32 points to lead the New York Knicks in a 127-97 rout of the Toronto Raptors, spoiling Chris Bosh's return to the court, in the front end of a home-and-home set.

Bosh had missed Toronto's previous five games with a sprained right knee, but returned to record 12 points and nine rebounds in 30:52 of playing time in defeat.

Chandler also set a career-high by going 6-of-10 from three-point range for the Knicks, who have won two in a row on the heels of a six-game slide. David Lee recorded his 18th double-double in a row with 24 points and 15 rebounds.

Nate Robinson added 26 points, seven assists and five boards in 27:54 for the Knicks, who were without their two new acquisitions, forward Larry Hughes and center Chris Wilcox.

Joey Graham totaled a team-best 19 points for the Raptors, who have dropped two in a row. Shawn Marion chipped in 14 points and 12 boards in defeat. Andrea Bargnani donated 18 points and Jason Kapono 14 for the Raptors.

A Chris Duhon-to-Chandler alley-oop closed out a 9-0 New York run that opened the game; the Knicks parlayed that lead into a 42-22 cushion after the first quarter. The Knicks were then on top, 75-50, heading into the break.

"We came into this season saying we were going to play good defense," said Bosh. "We really haven't done that consistently this year. You have to come out strong and be confident."

Two free throws from Robinson and two from Chandler gave the Knicks an 88-56 lead midway through the third quarter.

Moments later, Al Harrington's three-pointer opened a 98-60 lead for the home team.

New York was on top, 101-75, heading into the final 12 minutes.

The Knicks' lead hovered in the upper 20s throughout the fourth frame.

"We just played together as a team," said Robinson. "Like a train going downhill we just kept chugging away."

Game Notes

The Knicks set a season-high in three-pointers by going 17-of-39 from behind the arc. The 39 three-pointers attempted also set a franchise mark...These teams will conclude a home-and-home series Sunday at Air Canada Centre...Lee had 16 points in the first quarter...With the win, the Knicks matched their win total from the entire last season...It was the largest margin of victory for the Knicks this season...The Knicks made a pair of moves at the trading deadline on Thursday. They sent Tim Thomas, Jerome James and Anthony Roberson to Chicago for Hughes and acquired Wilcox from Oklahoma City for Malik Rose...The Raptors are 11-20 away from Canada this season...Toronto had won three of four meetings against the Knicks in each of the past four years, but has now lost in 12 of 16 and 13 of its last 19 trips to the Big Apple.

Wwwrio Basketball Betting News

<< Houston's big third quarter enough to top Mavs
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Yao Ming scored 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, pacing the Rockets to a 93-86 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Aaron Brooks tallied 19 points, six rebounds and eight assists, and he canned a big three

<< Daniels leads shorthanded Pacers past T'Wolves
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marquis Daniels notched 24 points on 11- of-18 shooting to help Indiana defeat Minnesota 112-105 and end the Pacers' 10-game road losing streak. Jarrett Jack scored 18 and handed out five assists whil

<< Villanueva ejected after scrum in Cavs/Bucks game
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva was ejected with 6:54 remaining in Friday's game with Cleveland after nearly engaging in fights with two Cavaliers. While contending for a rebound with Cle

<< Jamison and Wizards cruise past Nets
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antawn Jamison finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, as the Washington Wizards downed the New Jersey Nets, 107-96, at the IZOD Center. Mike James had 19 points and Dominic McGuire added 11 points

<< Zetterberg, Red Wings silence Ducks in rout
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and two assists as the Detroit Red Wings cruised to a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks at Joe Louis Arena. Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and an assist while Johan Franzen, Kris Draper a

Gordon sparks shorthanded Bulls in rout of Denver >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Gordon scored a game-best 37 points, on 4- of-7 three-point shooting, to lead the Chicago Bulls in a 116-99 victory over the Denver Nuggets at the United Center. Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas had 12 rebo

James' big night leads Cavs past Bucks >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James had a season-high 55 points, making 8-of-11 three-pointers, as the Cleveland Cavaliers downed the Milwaukee Bucks, 111-103. James missed his career high by a single point, shooting 16-of-29 o

Fahrenheit 140: Suns burn bright behind Barbosa's career night >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leandro Barbosa scored a career-high 41 points and the Phoenix Suns, despite being without All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire for at least the next two months, pulled off a rare offensive feat with a 140-118

Roddick reaches semis in Memphis; pulls out of Dubai >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded American Andy Roddick advanced to the semifinals with a three-set win Friday at the $1,226,500 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. Roddick, who titled here in 2002, defeated eighth seed and fe

Eagles sign CB Hanson to five-year deal >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles have agreed to terms with cornerback Joselio Hanson on a five-year contract. Hanson was set to become an unrestricted free agent on February 27. "We are happy to keep Joselio

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


MySportsbook.com Favors Fighting Irish to win College Football betting odds

According to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, on January 8, the Fighting Irish faithful may be toasting their 14th national title in Arizona – Notre Dame’s first national championship in close to 20 years.

Although MySportsbook.com has listed Notre Dame as the 5-1 favorite to win thecollege football College Football betting, fans in Columbus do not need to cancel their tickets to Glendale just yet.  The Ohio State Buckeyes, listed right behind the Irish at 7-1, are also heavy favorites to win college football’s most coveted prize, while West Virginia, USC and the 2007 National Champion Texas Longhorns - all listed at 8-1 – are strong contenders as well.

MySportsbook.com has also posted gambling odds on the conference championships for the ACC, Big 12 and SEC.  In the ACC – it could be anyone’s title, particularly for the two schools from the Sunshine State.  Florida State and Miami, both listed at 2-1, are favored to win the ACC Championship Game odds, with the ‘Noles hoping to finish in the nation’s top 10 for the first time in five years, and the ‘Canes looking to avenge their 10-7 loss against FSU in last year’s ACC Championship betting.

Moving west to the Big 12, MySportsbook.com has betting lines listing Texas as 7-5 favorites to repeat as conference champions, even though the Longhorns lost their national championship-winning quarterback Vince Young to the NFL.  In the south, the Auburn Tigers – led by Heisman-hopeful senior running back Kenny Irons – have been given the best odds to win the SEC Championship odds at 5-2.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.


ODDS TO WIN THE BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Notre Dame
Ohio State
West Virginia
Texas
USC
Florida
California
Auburn
Oklahoma
Iowa
Louisville
Florida State
Michigan
Miami (FL)
LSU
Penn State
Virginia Tech
Nebraska
Tennessee
Georgia
Arizona State
Oregon
Clemson
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Alabama
Arkansas
Boston College
Michigan State
Maryland
South Carolina
Colorado
Purdue
Georgia Tech
TCU
UCLA
Arizona
Pittsburgh
Iowa State
Wisconsin
North Carolina State
Virginia
North Carolina
Fresno State
Hawaii
Northwestern
BYU
Oregon State
UNLV
Field (Any Other Team)		 5-1
7-1
8-1
8-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
18-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
70-1
70-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
100-1
150-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
200-1
250-1
250-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
300-1
400-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
500-1
1000-1
1000-1
40-1



ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Miami (FL)
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Clemson
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina State
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Duke		 2-1
2-1
3-1
7-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
50-1
500-1



ODDS TO WIN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Texas Tech
Colorado
Iowa State
Texas A&M
Kansas State
Missouri
Kansas
Baylor
Oklahoma State		 7-5
9-5
9-2
12-1
14-1
15-1
15-1
30-1
30-1
35-1
100-1
100-1



ODDS TO WIN SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Auburn
Florida
LSU
Georgia
Tennessee
Arkansas
Alabama
Mississippi
South Carolina
Mississippi State
Kentucky
Vanderbilt		 5-2
11-4
4-1
6-1
7-1
7-1
9-1
20-1
28-1
75-1
100-1
300-1

For complete NCAA football odds please visit Mysportsbook.com.