BYU Cougars vs Florida Gators – March Madness Preview

Two at-large teams meet in the first round of the 2010 March Madness tournament as the Florida Gators play the BYU Cougars in Oklahoma City, OK. The Florida Gators grabbed the number 10 seed while the 16-ranked BYU Cougars received the number 7 seed.

The Cougars had a 13-3 Mountain West Conference record and a 29-5 overall record in the fifth year of BYU Head Coach Dave Rose’s tenure. They picked up big wins against the UTEP Miners, the UNLV Running Rebels, the San Diego State Aztecs and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

All five of their losses came to quality teams as they dropped two games each to the UNLV Running Rebels and the New Mexico Lobos and one game to the Utah State Aggies. At five losses, BYU’s RPI is 23rd in the nation and they finished with a record of 4-5 versus teams with an RPI in the top 50.

The Cougars had two standout players this season led by junior guard Jimmer Fredette. Fredette had 21.4 PPG while another junior guard Jackson Emery chipped in 12.6 PPG.

The BYU Cougars pull down 5.2 more rebounds than their opponents which is gives them the 23rd best rebounding margin in Division 1 basketball.

The Florida Gators finished fourth in the SEC’s East Division with a 9-7 conference record and a 21-12 record overall.

The Gators beat the Auburn Tigers in the first round of the SEC Tournament, but didn’t get any further than that falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second round.

Florida boasts five players with double-figure scoring averages, but they are just 3-8 against teams with top-50 RPIs.

The Cougars have a big advantage over the Gators from beyond the arc shooting 42.1 percent (3rd best) versus the Gators’ 20.1 percent (258th best).

The March Madness odds currently list the BYU Cougars as 4.5-point favorites with a total of 146.5.

The winner of the game plays the winner of the number 2 Kansas State versus number 15 North Texas game on Saturday.

Winthrop Eagles at Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions – Play-In Game Preview

Two teams that salvaged their seasons with great finishes meet as the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (17-15) meet the Winthrop Eagles (19-13) in the NCAA tournament play-in game.

Winthrop are 3.5-point NCAAB betting favorites and the total is 113.

UAPB started the season on a 10-state two-month long tour of the nation that saw them go 0-11 to start.

They were able to bounce back when Southwestern Atlantic Conference play started and managed to pull above .500 with their conference tournament wins.

The Golden Lions booked their ticket to the play-in game with a 50-38 win over Texas Southern in the conference final finishing the season on a 17-4 run.

The game was close until the half with the lead changing several times. Then the Golden Lions defense took over.

They played physical inside and rebounded hard and pulled away from Texas Southern for good in the second half.

Leading the way for the Golden Lions was Tavaris Washington who picked up 14 points. Next was Allen Smith who added 11.

The Winthrop Eagles didn’t struggle nearly as badly as the Golden Lions to begin the season, but, for a team that’s won the Big South nine times in 11 years, their 5-9 start wasn’t satisfactory.

After their slow start, the Eagles went 14-4 to finish the season and won the Big South title to get the tournament invite.

Winthrop went through top-seeded Coast Carolina to win the Big South championship. They used their trademark tenacious defense to hold the Chanticleers to just 36.5 percent shooting.

Winthrop and UAPB have never met in their history. Both teams use a strong defensive game to make up for their lack of talent.

The Golden Lions have worked hard all season to get to this point and deserve plenty of respect for just getting here, but the Eagles have more experience many of their players having played in past tournaments.

Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors – NBA Preview

The Golden State Warriors host a Los Angeles Lakers team that’s on the rebound after a three-game losing streak.

The NBA lines list the Lakers as 8-point favorites and the total is 224.

The Lakers had their first 3-game losing streak in over two years after a 96-94 loss to Orlando. Lakers backers saw little to make them feel better about their situation after barely getting past a free-falling Raptors team with a 109-107 win.

Their first decent game after the losing streak finally came last weekend against the Suns.

The Lakers played physical defense and all five starters contributed 15 or more points as they beat the Suns in Phoenix 109-107.

Kobe Bryant, playing through a hand injury, led his team with 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

As well as the Lakers have been playing all season, they don’t do very well ATS. They are 3-6-1 ATS in the last ten games and 13-17-1 on the road.

The Warriors also used Toronto to end a losing streak winning 124-112 and a defense-need-not-apply match-up.

The Warriors were on a six-game slide and looked completely disinterested in playing basketball for much of the time.

Monta Ellis was out for the first five games with a back injury and struggled in his return before contributing 30 points in the victory over Toronto.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 35 points and 10 assists while the team got a season-high 16 3-pointers.

The Warriors have been very generous to their backers going 19-14-0 ATS at home and they’ve covered their last three games.

Los Angeles has won 17 of 19 head-to-head scoring an average of 121.0 points in their last eight. The Golden State, however, has gone 2-1 ATS in head-to-head games.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish at West Virginia Mountaineers – CBB Preview

The West Virginia Mountaineers look to end a futility streak against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Big East Tournament Semifinals at MSG.

The Mountaineers are 5-point NCAAB odds favorites and the over/under is 125.5.

The Irish picked up their sixth-straight win and cover last night in their quarterfinal match versus the Pittsburgh Panthers. It was the fifth time in their last seven games that they got a SU win as CBB betting underdogs.

The Irish played a frustrating game slowing the pace down and stopping the Panthers from getting any kind of flow.

Notre Dame shot 52.9 percent and hit on six of 13 from 3-point range. Despite their strong shooting, only two players scored into double-digits.

The defense also came up strong holding the Panthers to 38.6 percent shooting while forcing 10 turn-over and blocking three shots.

Notre Dame’s success in the Big East tournament is largely due to their improved defensive play. The Irish allowed 69.4 point per game during the regular season, but are allowing just 54.7 points per game during their six-game winning streak while holding opponents to 40.5 percent shooting.

West Virginia booked their semifinal ticket by knocking off the Cincinnati Bearcats 54-51 last night.

The Mountaineers are on a four-game winning streak and have won six of their last seven.

Kevin Jones led the Mountaineers with 17 points and two other players scored in double-digits, but the team really struggled on offense. They shot just 35 percent and were 4 of 20 from three-point range.

One of the threes came at the best possible moment as Da’Sean Butler drained one in the dieing seconds to pull ahead.

Virginia’s defense kept them in the game holding the Bearcats to 32.7 percent shooting with five blocked shots and 12 turnovers.

Both of these teams have done well on neutral court battles. West Virginia boasts a perfect 5-0 SU record and a less impressive 2-3 ATS record while Notre Dame is 3-1 both SU and ATS.

In their lone meeting this season the the Mountaineers fell 70-68 to the home underdog Irish marking the first time in four games that the favorite failed to cover.

These two teams met in the Big East tournament last season with the Mountaineers coming out on top 74-62.

West Virginia has made it to the semi’s in each of the last two years going 0-2 SU and ATS. Notre Dame has only made the final once in the last three season falling both SU and ATS.

CBB Betting Preview: Wright St Raiders at Butler Bulldogs

The Horizon League title gets decided tonight as the Wright St Raiders take on the Butler Bulldogs.

There’s not a lot riding on this game besides the Horizon League championship. The Bulldogs are in the NCAA tournament. The Raiders might have an outside chance if they win, but they’re probably out.

The CBB odds favor Butler by 7-points with a total of 121.5.

The Bulldogs are a stellar 14-0 SU at home and 19-0 SU in league play, so the Raiders will have their work cut out for them.

Butler played Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the semifinals picking up a 68-59 win.

Matt Howard led the Bulldogs with 18 points while Ronald Nored, the Horizon League’s co-defensive player of the year, had 13 points and eight rebounds.

WSU’s semifinal game saw them run away with a 69-50 win over Detroit.

The Bulldogs grabbed a commanding 21-point halftime lead on the strength of 9-0 and 16-0 runs.

Ronnie Thomas led the way for WSU with 18 points while Troy Tabler added 16 points. The Raiders shot an astronomical 52 percent from three point range and if they can get some good looks against Butler they will keep this one close.

The last time these two teams met, the Bulldogs Willie Veasley picked up a career-high 19 points helping his team to a 74-62 win.

The game was close for the first half with both teams exchanging leads, but Butler closed out the half with a 6-point run and then opened the second with a 10-2 run to put them ahead to stay.

The Bulldogs shot .675 in that game as the Raiders had difficulty finding answers for all of Butler’s weapons.

Damn Fine Dunk: LeBron with the Dunk of the Year

LeBron being LeBron. I love how Delonte West just casually tosses the ball over his head to set this one up.

College Basketball Preview: Vanderbilt Commodores at Florida Gators

The Vanderbilt Commodores look to clinch a bye in the SEC tournament, but the Florida Gators also covet one of the two byes and they can’t afford to drop this March 2, 2010 ESPN match up.

The home Gators (-150) are 3-point CBB betting favorites over the Commodores (+130) with an over/under of 148.

Vanderbilt is coming off of a 89-72 victory over Arkansas. They opened a 45-35 halftime lead on the strength of 65.4 percent shooting before cruising to the victory.

Five players finished in double-figures led by Jeffery Taylor who had 18 points.

The defensive-minded Gators will present a more formidable foe.

The Gators are coming off of a disappointing effort that resulted in a 78-76 loss to Georgia. Chandler Parsons led the team with 29 points, but Georgia scored too easily shooting 57.4 percent from the field.

After the loss to Georgia, the Gators could really use a win over a quality opponent like Florida to ensure their selection for the NCAA March Madness tournament.

The Gators have dominated the Commodores at home winning eight straight but the Commodores just broke a 5-game futility streak against Arkansas.

Vanderbilt took the first head-to-head meeting 95-87 in their SEC opener. Florida got in to early foul trouble and Vanderbilt’s offense victimized their opponents with 20 points off of turnovers.

Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics – NBA Preview

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers go in to Boston to take on the Celtics in a Thursday night TNT match-up.

The Cavs (-145) are 2.5-point NBA odds favorites over the Celtics (+125) and the total currently sits at 193.

Cleveland leads the Eastern Conference comfortably ahead of the Orlando Magic who sit 5.5-games back.

But all is not rosy in Cleveland. The Cavs just broke a three game losing streak with a win over New Orleans last Tuesday. The losing streak was the longest of the year and against New Orleans they weren’t able to cover the 11.5-point spread.

Clevland has dropped six of seven ATS and four in a row.

Antawn Jamison had an impressive home debut for the Cavaliers picking up 18 points and six boards in 37 minutes while LeBron James led the way with 20.

The Cavs were a little lax on defense letting the Hornets shoot .500 from the field while Marcus Thornton had 24 points in the 2nd quarter alone.

Cleveland has dropped two in a row on the road against Charlotte and Orlando, but they’d won five of six heading in to the All Star break. The Cavs are 19-10 SU and 16-12-1 ATS on the road.

The Celtics are coming off of a successful road trip that saw them win three of five. Tuesday’s victory over the New York Knicks was their first home game since February 7.

Ray Allen led the way with 24-points on 9-of-14 shooting while Rajon Rondo picked up a double-double on the strength of a 15 point and 16 assist performance.

Boston has been struggling ATS covering just three times in their last ten games and haven’t covered at home in ten straight.

Their last home cover came on January 2 when they buried out the Toronto Raptors 103-96. Kevin Garnett and crew just have a single cover in 2010.

The Celtics hold a narrow one game lead over Atlanta for the Eastern’ Conference’s third seed.

They’ll have to get the job done without one of their best players as Paul Pierce will miss this one with a thumb injury.

Boston won their only head-to-head meeting so far this season getting a 95-89 victory in Cleveland.

The Cavs are 6-2 ATS under the TNT spotlight while Boston is 17-8 ATS. Cleveland is a stellar 6-2 ATS in Boston while the Celtics haven’t covered at home against winning teams in seven tries. However, Boston is also 7-0-1 as home dog.

NBA Preview: Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks host the Los Angeles Lakers in a battle of two of the Western Conference’s top teams on February 24, 2010.

The Mavericks are 2-point NBA betting favorites and the over/under is 195.

The Lakers welcomed back Kobe Bryant after a five-game absence in last night’s 99-98 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Kobe was clutch scoring the final nine points including a game-winning 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left. He lead the team with 32 points.

The Lakers won four of five without Kobe and played a better team game, but Kobe’s clutch scoring against Memphis shows what he brings to this team.

Tonight’s game will be the second of back-to-back games. The Lakers seem to handle these pretty well, though, going 7-4 this season.

This is the first time the Lakers and Mavs have met since Dallas added Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson.

Haywood has been particularly good for the Mavs after being thrown in when starting center Erick Dampier went down with an injury.

Haywood has 11.2 points and 11.0 rebounds a game since joining the Mavs and they are a perfect 4-0 with Haywood as a starter.

Dallas is coming off of a 91-82 win over the Pacers in which Haywood tied a career-high with 20 rebounds.

The Mavs will need Haywood to have another big game to beat the Lakers who outsize Dallas by a wide margin under the basket.

Before the trades, Dallas was struggling on defense giving up over a century in eight straight. But since the trades they’ve held their opponents to under 100 points in every game.

The Mavs have had a lot of success defending Kobe this season, but that hasn’t translated in to wins.

The Lakers are 2-1 against the Mavs this season even though Kobe has just 15.0 points per game in those games, but this is their first meeting since the trade deadline.

Atlanta Hawks at Utah Jazz – NBA Basketball Preview

The Atlanta Hawks haven’t won in Utah in 15 games. Changing that will be difficult against a Utah Jazz team that’s playing some of the best ball in the NBA right now.

The NBA odds favor the Utah Jazz (-230) by 5-points over the Atlanta Hawks (+180) with a posted total of 196.

The Jazz are back at home after going 4-0 on a road trip that saw them beat top teams like Houston and New Orleans and complete a monster comeback against Portland.

The Trail Blazers played solid defense and disrupted the flow of the Utah’s attack for most of the game. The Jazz shot just 40 percent, but were able to pull even on a putback by Carlos Boozer to send the game in to overtime.

The Jazz would have never had a chance without the play of Boozer who made up for his team’s poor shooting by picking up a career-high 23 rebounds. He also had 22 points and was unstoppable at times.

The Hawks were the victims of a big comeback in their last game.

They had a 17-point lead in the fourth quarter against the lowly Golden State Warriors but suffered a complete melt-down letting the Warriors go on a 16-point run and fell 108-104 in regulation.

To add to the insult, the 16-39 Warriors were playing with just eight players.

Atlanta has won just four of their last twelve on the road and will fall out of the race for first in the division if they can’t solve their road woes soon.

In their last meeting, the Hawks completely shut down the starters on the Jazz who shot 8-of-33 to start the game. Boozer got just six points and Deron Williams was held to two in the most embarrassing effort of their season. The 96-83 score flattered the Jazz.

After being embarrassed by the Warriors, expect the Hawks to play hard even if their mental errors continue. They haven’t been able to beat bad teams on the road so it’s not reasonable to expect them to beat a good team, but it won’t be for lack of effort.

The Jazz should also be playing hard after nearly giving a game away against the Trail Blazers. While the Hawks are falling out of contention for the division lead, the Jazz are creeping up and sit just half a game back so a win in tonight’s game will put them in a tie for the lead and give them plenty of motivation.