Bruins host Cardinal in pivotal Pac-10 clash

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/24/2007 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Stanford Cardinal will attempt to upset the fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins on the road today in Pac-10 Conference action.

Stanford is a solid 17-9 overall, including 9-6 in league play, but the club is coning off a 69-65 loss to USC on the road on Thursday. The Cardinal would help their chances of earning an NCAA Tournament bid tremendously if they are able to win today, as they are currently one of many teams "on the bubble" so to speak.

UCLA is obviously in the field, and it now has its sight set on a number one seed. The Bruins have won their last three games, including an 85-75 decision over California on Thursday that enabled them to move to 15-0 at home. UCLA owns a two-game lead over Washington State in the league standings with just three games to play.

Stanford won the first meeting of the season with UCLA in a 75-68 final back on January 28th, overshadowing a 126-89 all-time series lead for the Bruins.

There are a number of solid players on the Stanford roster, and leading scorer Lawrence Hill continues to put up strong numbers (16.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg) despite little recognition. Anthony Goods is contributing 13.0 ppg, but his 36.7 percent shooting from the field needs to be improved. Goods missed the last outing with an ankle injury and is questionable for today's clash. Two more players who need to be mentioned are freshmen seven-footers Brook and Robin Lopez. Early on, it was Robin who seemed to make the better transition to the college game. Lately, however, Brook has emerged as a formidable force in the paint. Brook is averaging 12.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg, while Robin checks in with 8.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 63 blocked shots. After scoring 26 points against Oregon last Saturday, Brook Lopez led Stanford with 23 points in the loss to USC on Thursday.

UCLA's 10-point victory over California on Thursday marked the 19th consecutive home win for the squad dating back to last season. The Bruins shot 61.1 percent from the floor and finished with 17 assists against nine turnovers, overshadowing a poor defensive effort that saw them surrender 60.5 percent overall shooting to Cal. Josh Shipp led the way in the win with 22 points on 9- of-12 efficiency from the field, and Lorenzo Mata tallied 14 points from his center position. Arron Afflalo had 13 points for the Bruins, and Darren Collison had five assists with no turnovers. Afflalo continues to pace the club with 17.4 ppg, and Shipp adds 13.5 ppg. Collison has dished out 154 assists against 74 turnovers and he is averaging 13.0 ppg. He also leads the team with 56 steals.

Footballgambleworld NCAA Basketball Betting News

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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