Duke puts extended win streak on the line in Durham
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
12/31/2008 - Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils get a three- game homestand started today, as they welcome the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a non-conference affair.
The Blue Devils, who have won 65 straight games in Durham against non- conference foes, have been idle for well over a week now, most recently defeating Xavier 82-64 back on December 20th. The win was the second in a row, giving Duke a 10-1 start for 18th time and the 12th under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. Winners of two straight, the Blue Devils now head back to Cameron Indoor Stadium, where they have gone a perfect 6-0 on the season.
As for Loyola, it was in action just this past Monday, dropping a heart- breaking 62-60 decision at NC State. The loss brought the team's modest two- game win streak to a close and marked its second loss to an ACC opponent this season. The Greyhounds, who are in the midst of playing five straight games away from home, have won just once in five true outings thus far.
Loyola and Duke have met just one time previously, with the Blue Devils notching a 92-68 victory all the way back in 1984.
Down by one on its final possession, Jamal Barney had a chance to give Loyola the lead, but his baseline jumper was short and the Greyhounds were defeated by NC State on Monday. It was a tough finish for Loyola, which used a late 14-1 pull back in the game after trailing by as many as 16 points in the second stanza. Barney finished the game with 20 points and three steals, while Marquis Sullivan posted 21 points on 5-of-9 three-pointers. On the year, Barney heads the club in scoring with 14.8 ppg and he ranks second with 5.3 rpg. Brett Harvey chips in with 13.8 ppg, and Sullivan nets 11.8 ppg on 42.4 percent shooting from the long range. Loyola, as a team, isn't shooting particularly well from three-point range (.322) and that has hindered its scoring average of 68.6 ppg.
Duke has thrived in just about every facet of the game and is currently scoring a hardy 83.3 ppg, in addition to outrebounding its foes by 9.9 rpg. Kyle Singler is both the squad's top scorer (15.9 ppg) and rebounder (7.8 rpg) and he is even handing out a team-best 3.5 apg. Jon Scheyer give Duke another scoring option at 14.2 ppg and he is also a factor on defense, recording a team-high 22 steals. Nolan Smith and Gerald Henderson each chip in 11.5 ppg to round out the double-digit scorers. In the team's last game, Scheyer tallied 23 points and Henderson had 19, as Duke handled Xavier. The Blue Devils shot an efficient 52.5 percent from the floor in the contest and also went a solid 9-of-19 from long distance.
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten play begins for the 24th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight, as they duel at Value City Arena in Columbus. The Buckeyes enter the tilt looking to rebound from their first loss of
<< Bulldogs battle Utes in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs will
try to get back on track tonight, as they close out 2008 with a non-conference
bout against the Utah Runnin' Utes at the Huntsman Center.
The Bulldogs have been idle
<< Toothless Tigers take on ferocious Bears
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Baylor Bears welcome the lowly
Jackson State Tigers to Waco for a non-conference clash.
Jackson State is a huge underdog heading into this contest, as the club has
lost its last five outings and ow
<< Bruins place Bergeron on IR
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins have placed center Patrice
Bergeron on injured reserve.
Bergeron, who played in only 10 games with Boston last season after suffering
a concussion in a contest against Philadelphia on Oct
<< Pistons shoot for 5th straight win vs. Nets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons will shoot for their fifth straight win
this afternoon when they resume a three-game homestand versus the New Jersey
Nets at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Detroit has won four in a row overall and opened
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Michigan Spartans and the 21st-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers begin Big Ten Conference play this afternoon in Minneapolis. Michigan State has played quite well recently, as the squad has wo
Irish open Big East slate against Blue Demons >>
Rosemont, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish
invade Allstate Arena tonight, as they tussle with the DePaul Blue Demons in
the Big East opener for both teams.
The Irish return from their lengthy break and are s
Top-ranked Tar Heels bring act to Reno for clash with Wolf Pack >>
Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nevada Wolf Pack have the privilege of hosting
the nation's top-ranked team, as the North Carolina Tar Heels arrive in Reno
for tonight's non-conference clash.
North Carolina has won its first 12 games to open
Pitt puts perfect mark on line in Big East opener against Rutgers >>
Piscataway, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the nation's few remaining undefeated
teams will take the court in Piscataway, New Jersey today, as the third-ranked
Pittsburgh Panthers open Big East Conference play against the Rutgers Scarlet
Knights.
Xavier hopes to stop slide in bout with Robert Morris >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Xavier Musketeers are
heavily favored in this evening's clash with the Robert Morris Colonials.
Robert Morris is a member of the Northeast Conference and owns a 6-6 overall
record, which incl
Big 12 Conference betting odds
Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.
Work left to do:
Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.
Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.
Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.
Problem with Bears?
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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