Bulldogs and Broncos battle in WCC affair

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/16/2012 - Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Desperate to put an end to a 13-game slide, the Santa Clara Broncos have the unenviable task of entertaining 24th-ranked Gonzaga in West Coast Conference action at the Leavey Center tonight.

Santa Clara, which hasn't put a tally in the win column since taking down Eastern Michigan on December 29 (75-55), is winless in 12 conference games this season. Last Saturday, the team was handed an 82-67 setback by league- leading Saint Mary's-CA on the road.

As for the Bulldogs, they are the ones giving chase to the Gaels in the standings, as SMC shows a 12-1 league mark and the Zags are 10-2 heading into action tonight. Gonzaga has won three straight and seven of the last eight contests overall, thanks to a 78-59 romp over Loyola Marymount last Saturday at home.

The Bulldogs easily won the first meeting of the season between these two teams with an 82-60 score on January 7 at home, which means the all-time series now favors Gonzaga by a count of 46-30. The hosts shot 54.5 percent from the floor in that meeting, while holding the Broncos to just 38.3 percent.

Four players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs over the weekend against LMU, paced by Kevin Pangos who not only dropped in 21 points on 5-of-7 shooting behind the three-point line, but he also handed out nine assists. Elias Harris registered a double-double with 17 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Guy Landry Edi and Robert Sacre with 13 points apiece, the team finishing the evening hitting on 51.9 percent from the floor. Pangos now holds the overall scoring lead for the program with 13.9 ppg, shooting an impressive 41.1 percent behind the three-point line. Also playing well out on the perimeter is Gary Bell (9.7 ppg), who has knocked down 42.1 percent of his triples, but beyond those two there aren't too many deep threats lurking on the bench for the Bulldogs. Harris (13.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg) has done a lot to take some of the pressure off Sacre (11.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg), which means the latter might be a bit more fresh for when the postseason rolls around.

Considering the meeting was tied seven times and experienced eight lead changes, the Broncos should have been able to keep the game against the Gaels a bit closer, but that wasn't the case down the stretch. Denzel Johnson led three players in double figures for SCU with his 17 points, although he shot just 8-of-20 from the floor and didn't make it to the free-throw line a single time in 37 minutes of action. Niyi Harrison pitched in with 12 points and six rebounds and Brandon Clark added 10 points and six assists in the setback. As if the team didn't have enough troubles, leading scorer Kevin Foster (17.8 ppg) has been suspended since late last month, which means Evan Roquemore is now the active leading scorer by default with his 13.8 ppg. Foster was also the three-point specialist for the Broncos, averaging almost four conversions per game, and that's why the team has been able to average 70.6 ppg.

Wusairways NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Local rivals duke it out in Durham
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NC State Wolfpack will try to pick up a crucial victory tonight as they make the short trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to battle the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle. Duke

<< 20th-ranked Seminoles play host to Hokies
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Florida State Seminoles will try to stay in the race for the Atlantic Coast Conference's top spot as they welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to the Donald Tucker Center for a league battle. T

<< Top-25 foes square off in Big Ten brawl
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will try to keep up their winning ways and be the first team to steal a road victory at the Breslin Center this season as they head to East Lansing for a Big Ten Conference b

<< Jackson State to open season at Mississippi State
Jackson, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jackson State will kick off its 2012 football season against Mississippi State - the Tigers' first game against a FBS opponent in three years. The Tigers will travel to Starksville on Sept. 1. They opened their

<< Canizares, Whiteford share lead in India
New Delhi, India (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alejandro Canizares and Peter Whiteford posted matching rounds of six-under 66 Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the Avantha Masters. Canizares' lone tour win was at the 2006 Russian Open

Clippers invade Rip City to take on Blazers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers invade Rip City on Thursday to take on a Portland Trail Blazers team that expects to be without All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge for a second consecutive night. The Clips returne

Pacers aim to continue dominance over Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The suddenly struggling Indiana Pacers will attempt to right the ship Thursday when they shoot for a 10th consecutive win over the New Jersey Nets. Early in the season the Pacers, who are kicking off a three-game homestand

Bulls and Celtics clash in the Windy City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division-leading Chicago Bulls resume a six- game homestand tonight aiming for a measure of revenge over the Boston Celtics. The Celtics snapped a five-game winning streak by the Bulls in Beantown, 95-91, this

Mighty Rangers host free-falling Blackhawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers seem to be on cruise control in the race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but the last few weeks have been anything but a smooth ride for the struggling Chicago Blackhawks. Chicago will try

Pirates beat Jones in arbitration; avoid hearing with McGehee >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates won their salary arbitration case with first baseman Garrett Jones and avoided a hearing with newly-acquired third baseman Casey McGehee. Jones will earn a salary of $2.25 milli

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

To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.