Billikens battle Rams in first game of CBI finals

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/29/2010 - Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Virginia Commonwealth Rams host the Saint Louis Billikens tonight in the championship round of the 2010 College Basketball Invitational at the Siegel Center in Richmond. The CBI finals is a best-of-three series, and SLU will host VCU in game two on Wednesday night.

The Rams certainly have the edge heading into tonight's clash, as they are an impressive 17-1 home, including 10 straight wins. The latter two of those victories came in this event -- a 93-86 triumph of the College of Charleston and an 88-75 besting of Boston University in the semifinals last Wednesday. VCU has now defeated eight teams with 20-plus wins on the season and that certainly deserves recognition.

As for the Billikens, they have played all three games of this tournament at home, helping them to 18 wins at Chaifetz Arena. After outlasting Indiana State (63-54) and Green Bay (68-62, 2OT), Saint Louis topped Princeton, 69-59, in the semifinals last Wednesday. The Billikens have now won 23 games overall, their most since the 1994-95 campaign.

This bout marks the first-ever meeting between VCU and SLU on the hardwood.

The Billikens shot an efficient 54.5 percent from the field, their second-best performance of the campaign, and scored 21 points off 14 Princeton turnovers in a 69-59 win in the semifinals of this event last week. Kwamain Mitchell led the SLU charge with 21 points and five assists, while Willie Reed turned in his ninth double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. For the season, Mitchell paces Saint Louis in scoring at 16.3 ppg and he also has a team-high 47 steals. Reed, the team's top rebounder at 8.1 rpg, tacks on 12.4 ppg, while Cody Ellis adds 10.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg to the rotation. The Billikens are a team that relies on stingy defense to get the job done, as they are holding foes to 59.7 ppg and 39.8 percent shooting from the floor for the season.

The Rams drained 11 three-pointers and scored 21 points off 17 Boston University turnovers, as they captured an 88-75 victory in the semifinal round of this tournament last week. VCU suffered just nine giveaways itself, while shooting 48.5 percent from the field. Bradford Burgess led the way with 20 points, and Joey Rodriguez added 19 points and five assists. Larry Sanders also had a big night, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. It was a typical effort for Sanders, who paces the team with 14.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 84 blocks for the season. Rodriguez adds 12.7 ppg, to go with a team-high 5.9 apg, and Burgess chips in 10.7 ppg. As a unit, the Rams are producing a solid 76.4 ppg.

Wwwsexkorea NCAA Basketball Betting News

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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.

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