Big East foes meet in Milwaukee

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/19/2007 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a heart-breaking loss, the Villanova Wildcats will try to help their NCAA Tournament chances with a victory over the 12th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles in Big East Conference action.

On Saturday, Villanova hosted Georgetown, and the result was a 58-55 setback. That loss halted a four-game win streak for the Wildcats, who are an even 6-6 in league play. On a more positive note, they are 18-8 overall and have recorded several quality victories.

Marquette has hit a slump at the worst possible time, as it has lost three straight games to fall to 21-7 overall and 8-5 in conference. Like the Wildcats, the Golden Eagles lost in dramatic fashion on Saturday, as Louisville hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to claim a 61-59 victory.

Villanova recorded a 72-67 victory over Marquette last season to increase its lead to 6-3 in the all-time series.

Villanova is scoring 73.3 ppg this season while limiting opponents to 63.7 ppg on 41.8 percent shooting from the floor. An obvious key to the Wildcats' success is that they are outrebounding foes by 6.5 rpg. Also, they have forced almost 450 turnovers. Curtis Sumpter paces the club with 17.2 ppg and 6.9 rpg, while Mike Nardi is contributing 13.4 ppg to go along with 11 assists. Scottie Reynolds has dished out 110 assists, and he rounds out the trio of double-digit scorers with 12.0 ppg. Reynolds scored 18 points against Georgetown on Saturday, but the standout freshman missed a three-pointer at the end of regulation that would have forced overtime. Sumpter tallied 15 points for the Wildcats, who connected on only 34.6 percent of their field goal attempts in the clash.

Jerel McNeal scored only 18 points for Marquette in the painful loss to Louisville. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles did not have another double-digit scorer in the contest. They earned a 30-22 rebounding advantage and held a 15-6 edge in points from the foul line. Still, Marquette lost the game because it permitted the Cardinals to connect on 53.3 percent of their field goal attempts. Dominic James is the leading scorer for the Golden Eagles with 15.1 ppg, and he has dished out 4.6 apg to go along with 55 steals. Unfortunately, he has struggled in recent weeks, dropping his shooting efficiency to 40 percent for the season. McNeal is netting 14.6 ppg, and he has logged 74 steals. Wesley Matthews adds 11.9 ppg for Marquette, which is limiting foes to just 63.1 ppg.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

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