Wildcats and Golden Eagles square off in Big East Tourney

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams that have a history of playing close games meet in the quarterfinal round of the Big East Tournament today, as the fifth-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles battle the fourth-seeded and 10th-ranked Villanova Wildcats at Madison Square Garden.

These clubs met twice this past January, with Villanova capturing a two-point victory in each clash. Those meetings came after the Wildcats claimed a thrilling 76-75 victory over the Eagles in the quarterfinals of last year's Big East Tournament. Thanks to the narrow wins, Villanova now owns a 10-6 all- time record against Marquette.

If the Wildcats are to continue their recent success against the Eagles however, they will have to play better than they did down the stretch. After winning 22 of its first 24 games, Villanova dropped four its final six to fall out of contention for a Big East title. Furthermore, the late slide dropped the team into a three-way tie for second place, earning the fourth seed after the tie-breakers were worked out. Still, the Wildcats received a double-bye for the second straight year with a 13-5 finish, and they are just one win away from a fifth semifinals appearance in the last seven years.

The Eagles meanwhile, were one of the hottest teams coming down the stretch, winning nine of their last 11 games of the regular season. Marquette, which has had a knack for playing close games, continued its run and trend of tight games with a 57-55 nipping of 13th-seeded St. John's in second-round play yesterday.

The winner of this game will move on to face the victor of the Syracuse/Georgetown pairing in the semifinals on Friday.

The Eagles blew a 14-point lead yesterday, but David Cubillan's three-pointer with 1.11 to play put them back on top for good in a 57-55 win over SJU. Lazar Hayward tacked on two free throws with 35 seconds left to provide a cushion for Marquette, which drained 10-of-18 long-range buckets on the day. Hayward finished with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Cubillan posted 11 points. A second-team all-Big East choice, Hayward led the Eagles in scoring (18.0 ppg) as well as rebounding (7.8 rpg) during the regular season. Jimmy Butler and Darius Johnson-Odom followed with 15.2 and 12.9 ppg respectively, but they combined for just 10 points yesterday.

The Wildcats are an explosive team that finished the regular-season averaging a healthy 82.8 ppg, while shooting 37.2 percent from downtown and 75.1 percent at the foul line. Scottie Reynolds is the driving force behind this attack and the first-team all-league choice leads Villanova in scoring (18.8 ppg) as well as steals (47). A 39.9 percent three-point shooter, Reynolds also dishes out 3.4 apg. Corey Fisher, who earned a spot on the all-league third-team, checks in with 13.5 ppg and he distributes a team-best 4.0 apg. Antonio Pena is the team's top option down low and he puts forth 10.8 ppg and a team-high 7.4 rpg.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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