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02/23/2009 - Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Louisville Cardinals invade the nation's capital tonight, as they clash with the Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East matchup at the Verizon Center.
Since being blown out at Notre Dame on February 12th, the Cardinals have run off three straight wins to remain in the hunt for the Big East title at 12-2. Most recently, the team jump started a short two-game road trip by topping Cincinnati, 72-63, on Saturday. It was the sixth win in seven road outings, all in league play, as Louisville improved to a healthy 21-5 overall.
As for Georgetown, its free-fall continued over the weekend following a 78-72 setback against 10th-ranked Marquette. The loss was the third in four games and the eighth in the past 10, as the once highly ranked Hoyas dropped to 14-11 overall and 5-9 within the league. With just four games left in the regular season, the Hoyas most likely will need to win out and make some noise in the Big East Tournament to be considered for an at-large bid to the Big Dance.
The Hoyas and Cardinals are meeting for the ninth time in the series, with Georgetown clinging to a 5-3 lead after the teams split a pair of games last season.
The Cardinals knocked down 48.2 percent of their shots from the field, including 8-of-17 from three-point distance, as defeated Cincinnati over the weekend. Louisville also controlled the that boards, 38-27, and that takes into account a significant 17-10 advantage on the offensive glass. Terrence Williams led the way with an all-around effort of 20 points, eight boards and five assists. Earl Clark added 14 points and nine boards, while Preston Knowles had 11 points on a perfect 3-of-3 effort from downtown. On the season, Clark tops the roster in scoring (13.0 ppg) as well as rebounding (8.7 rpg) and he is also dishing off 3.3 apg. Williams is another versatile weapon for Louisville and he turns in 12.6 ppg and 8.4 rpg, to go with team highs of 4.7 apg 55 steals. Freshman Samardo Samuels puts forth 12.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg for the Cardinals, who have fared well on defense, limiting challengers to just 61.7 ppg and only 39.4 percent shooting from the field.
The Hoyas were guilty of 12 turnovers that resulted in 18 points for Marquette and that made the difference in their loss on Saturday. Georgetown shot an efficient 50.9 percent from the floor, including 8-of-18 from long range, but it wasn't enough to overcome the mishaps. Chris Wright paced the team in defeat with 17 points and four assists, while Austin Freeman tallied 16 points and five boards. Greg Monroe added 13 points and eight boards, and DaJuan Summers chipped in with 12 points. On the season, Summers leads the Hoyas in the scoring department at 14.0 ppg and he is also collecting 4.5 rpg. Monroe follows closely at 13.0 ppg and he is also turning in 6.8 rpg and 49 steals to pace the team in those categories. Wright adds 12.9 ppg and a team-best 3.8 apg to the mix, while Freeman contributes 12.5 ppg and 4.3 rpg. Overall Georgetown is netting 72.0 ppg and making good on 47.6 percent of its attempts from the floor.
<< Clippers, Warriors square off in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pacific Division rivals meet in Hollywood Monday when the
Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center.
The Clippers, who are embarking on a quick two-game homestand, dropped their
third strai
<< Nuggets back at home to face Celtics
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets will play on their home court for the
first time in nearly three weeks this evening, when the reigning world
champion Boston Celtics pay a visit to the Pepsi Center.
Denver just completed an
<< Out of the tank: Sharks hit the road to battle Stars
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks kick off a four-game road trip tonight
with a visit to Dallas to take on the the Pacific Division-rival Stars at
American Airlines Center.
The Sharks had dropped three straight on the road (0-1-2) befor
<< Streaking Jazz host Hawks in Salt Lake City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz will try to keep a pair of streaks intact
this evening versus the Atlanta Hawks in the finale of a five-game homestand
at EnergySolutions Arena.
Utah has won the first four tests of the residency and seven in
Arteta suffers season-ending knee injury >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Everton have confirmed that Mikel Arteta
ruptured the cruciate ligament in his right knee during Sunday's scoreless
draw at Newcastle and will play no more football this season.
The influential Spa
Bruce blames scoring woes on duo's departure >>
Wigan, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wigan manager Steve Bruce believes his
team's current dearth of goals can be traced back to last month's sales of
Emile Heskey and Wilson Palacios.
The Latics have managed to find the net only on
Shawky eyes Boro exit >>
Middlesbrough, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Middlesbrough midfielder Mohamed
Shawky appears to be on the move after admitting he was unhappy at the
Riverside Stadium.
The 27-year-old Egypt international has made only 16 starts
Liverpool boosted by good news on Gerrard >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool have received a boost with the
news that Steven Gerrard will travel to Spain for Tuesday's Champions League
clash with Real Madrid.
The Reds skipper has been out of action for three wee
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value
If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).
For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.
TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win.
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NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.
No. 1 always seems to fit USC.
Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.
Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.
Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.
"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."
Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.
"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."
The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.
"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."
Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.
"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"
USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.
"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."
While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.
As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.
But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.
Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.
The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.
The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.
The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.
No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.
Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.
Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.
Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.
The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.
South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.
The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.
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