Seton Hall seeks upset of Big East leader Villanova

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/02/2010 - Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big East Conference foes collide tonight, as the second-ranked Villanova Wildcats host the Seton Hall Pirates at The Pavilion.

Seton Hall is a solid 12-7 overall, but that record is overshadowed a bit by a 3-5 league mark. The Pirates carried a two-game win streak into last Thursday's matchup with South Florida and were in great position to extend that streak, but the result was a heart-breaking 76-74 overtime loss to the Bulls.

Villanova opened this season with nine consecutive victories before finally falling to Philadelphia-area rival Temple. The Wildcats haven't lost since that setback, as they have ripped off 10 consecutive wins to move to 19-1 overall and 8-0 in league action. The most recent triumph occurred last week over Notre Dame by a 90-72 final, the club's third straight double-digit triumph.

Villanova owns a commanding 60-36 series lead over Seton Hall, which includes seven straight wins over the Pirates.

Jeremy Hazell remains somewhat anonymous to most casual college basketball fans, but the Seton Hall standout is one of the Big East's most productive scorers. Hazell is netting 22.5 ppg and has 37 steals to his credit. Herb Pope is the only other double-digit scorer in the fold, as he checks in with 12.3 ppg and 11.4 rpg. Pope has also blocked 34 shots, over one-third of the team's total. While Seton Hall is generating 82.8 ppg, the team is limiting opponents to 73.6 ppg on 41.6 percent shooting. In the tough loss to USF last time out, Hazell finished with 28 points. Robert Mitchell netted 11 points and Keon Lawrence contributed 10 points for the Pirates, who got 17 rebounds from Pope. Unfortunately, a 25-11 disadvantage in points from the foul line proved costly.

Scottie Reynolds continues to lead Villanova in scoring with 18.7 ppg, as he is one of two players on the roster that has started all 20 games. The other is Corey Fisher, who provides 13.3 ppg and 86 assists. As for Antonio Pena, the third and final double-digit scorer in the fold for the Wildcats, he generates 10.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Villanova is racking up 85.2 ppg, and the club is limiting opponents to 70.5 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting. Reynolds and Fisher scored 17 points apiece in the romp over Notre Dame last time out, and Pena provided 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats led that game by just one point at intermission, but 51.7 percent shooting from the field in the second half and a 15-of-17 effort from the foul line over the final 20 minutes proved to be key.

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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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