2010 Pac-10 Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nine team will converge on the Staples Center in Los Angeles to compete for the Pac-10 Conference Tournament championship beginning on Wednesday, March 10th.

The only member of the league that isn't competing for an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament is USC, which is ineligible for this event because of self-imposed sanctions. Last season, the Trojans won the Pac-10 Tournament title, so it is certainly disappointing for fans of that program that USC won't have a chance defend the title. California enters as the top seed, but in a conference with greater parity than almost any other in the nation, it is hard to consider the Golden Bears a runaway favorite. They figure to be pushed by second-seeded Arizona State and third-seeded Washington. Fourth-seeded Arizona and fifth-seeded UCLA are both young teams, but there is enough talent in place to score an upset. Sixth-seeded Oregon State is one of four teams still in search of a Pac-10 Tournament title, and the team is slowly getting better. Seventh-seeded Stanford was a disappointment over the last couple of months, and the Cardinal need to get on track in a hurry. As for eighth-seeded Oregon and ninth-seeded Washington State, neither are considered a legitimate threat to capture the crown.

The Oregon Ducks and Washington State Cougars will meet on Wednesday in the tournament's only opening-round affair, and the winner will earn the right to fact top-seeded California in the quarterfinals. WSU has never won this tournament and owns an unimpressive 5-10 record all-time in the event. The Ducks have two Pac-10 tourney titles to their credit, the most recent of which was earned in 2007. The player to watch for Washington State is sophomore Klay Thompson, as he ranks third in the conference in scoring with 19.6 ppg. Reggie Moore adds 12.6 ppg, and he is just a freshman. Tajuan Porter is the leading scorer for Oregon, but it is highly unlikely that his 11.9 ppg and erratic shooting will scare the Cougars. Malcolm Armstead leads the Ducks and ranks third in the league with 4.43 apg. On Saturday, March 6th, Oregon beat Washington State by a 74-66 final to close out the regular season.

The first of four quarterfinal-round matchups pits the fourth-seeded Arizona Wildcats against the fifth-seeded UCLA Bruins, and these two teams rank first and second, respectively, in regard to Pac-10 Tournament championships. Arizona has captured the crown four times, most recently in 2002, and the club is 17-8 all-time in this event. As for UCLA, it has three titles to its credit, including two in the last four years. Arizona is last in the conference in scoring defense (71.9 ppg), but the club is third in scoring offense (72.0 ppg). Freshman Derrick Williams leads the Wildcats with 15.7 ppg and 7.0 rpg, while Nic Wise, a senior, provides 14.4 ppg and 3.4 apg. UCLA is also led by a freshman, as Michael Roll is scoring 13.5 ppg on the strength of his 42 percent shooting from three-point range. The Bruins rank last in the 10-team league in scoring margin, last in free-throw percentage and last in three-point percentage defense, so the fact that they have been able to overcome the shortcomings and win enough games to earn a five seed is impressive. Arizona won both meetings with UCLA during the regular season.

As mentioned, top-seeded California will battle either Washington State or Oregon in the quarterfinals, and the Golden Bears hope that they can claim their first Pac-10 Tournament championship. Cal is the top free-throw shooting team in the league and leads the conference in field goal percentage as well. The Golden Bears are scoring 77.4 ppg while allowing 67.7 ppg to foes, and they own the second-best scoring margin in the Pac-10. There is a wealth of talent in the starting lineup, and four Cal players rank in the top-20 in the league in scoring. Jerome Randle is fourth with 18.7 ppg, and fellow guard Patrick Christopher is seventh with 16.0 ppg. Theo Robertson brings 13.8 ppg to the mix, and Jamal Boykin contributes 11.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg. All four players are seniors, providing Cal with plenty of experience.

The third-seeded Washington Huskies and sixth-seeded Oregon State Beavers will square off on Thursday, and while OSU has never won this tournament, the Huskies finished on top in 2005 and have split their 20 games in this event. Washington possesses two of the Pac-10's top five scorers, as Quincy Pondexter sits second with 20.2 ppg and Isaiah Thomas checks in with 17.2 ppg, good for fifth place. Pondexter is third in the league with 7.8 rpg, and the fact that he is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor despite constant attention from defenders is impressive. The Huskies lead the league in scoring offense (80.5 ppg) and scoring margin (+10.0 ppg), and they are also tops in rebounding margin (+4.6 rpg). As for Oregon State, it ranks ninth in the league in scoring offense (60.0 ppg) and ninth in scoring margin (-1.2 ppg). The Beavers shoot just 28.5 percent from three-point range, but the fact that they lead the Pac-10 in steals has certainly helped their cause. Calvin Haynes leads OSU with 12.7 ppg. Washington beat Oregon State by 12 points in the regular-season finale, and by six points earlier in the campaign.

The final quarterfinal pairing features the second-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils and the seventh-seeded Stanford Cardinal. Stanford's lone title was earned in 2004, and the team is 11-11 in this tournament. As for the Sun Devils, they own a 5-11 mark in this event and have never earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. ASU is paced by Ty Abbott (12.0 ppg) and Rihards Kuksiks (11.7 ppg), and Eric Boateng, who leads the conference in field goal percentage (.653), is sixth in rebounding (7.0 rpg). The Sun Devils are second in the league in scoring defense (58.1 ppg) and are the best three- point shooting team (.371). Stanford always has a chance to win regardless of the opposition because of the presence of Landry Fields, the top scorer in the conference at 22.2 ppg. Fields is also second in rebounding with 8.7 rpg, and with Jeremy Green (16.9 ppg) in the fold, the Cardinal may possess the top duo in the Pac-10. Unfortunately, Stanford ranks last in the league in field goal percentage defense. The Sun Devils beat the Cardinal in both head-to-head meetings during the regular season.

Wwwsuperonline NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< 2010 Big West Conference Tournament Preview
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 35th annual Big West Conference Tournament will once again take place at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena for a tenth straight season. The bottom four seeds of the eight-team field will take part in fi

<< Bruins hope to bolster playoff chances vs. Maple Leafs
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to bolster their playoff hopes when they visit the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs for tonight's clash between Original Six clubs at Air Canada Centre. The Bruins are currently holding onto the ei

<< Heat visit Bobcats in key Eastern Conference showdown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade is doing everything he can to keep the Miami Heat in playoff contention. But, first he has to figure out a way to beat the Charlotte Bobcats when the two teams collide Tuesday in the Tar Heel State. The Bobcats

<< IUPUI and Oakland collide for Summit League title
Sioux Falls, SD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The IUPUI Jaguars and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies will battle tonight in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament. The prize for the winner is an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. IUPUI,

<< Bulldogs battle Raiders for Horizon League crown
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the fifth straight season the 12th- ranked Butler Bulldogs will take part in the Horizon League Tournament Championship Game when they host the Wright State Raiders this evening at the Hinkle Fieldhouse.

2010 Mountain West Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It is the usual suspects that are destined to do the most damage in Las Vegas this week, as the members of the Mountain West Conference descend on the Thomas & Mack Center for the 11th annual conference t

2010 Southeastern Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The competition level will be through the roof in Nashville this week, as all 12 SEC teams will compete in the 51st annual conference tournament. On the line is an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and th

Slumping Lakers target win vs. Raptors >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers hope to avoid their longest losing streak in three seasons tonight when they hit the hardwood against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. The Lakers dropped their

Thrashers, Predators both aim to avoid third straight loss >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of playoff hopefuls will try to avoid third consecutive losses tonight when the Atlanta Thrashers host the Nashville Predators at Philips Arena. Both the Thrashers and Predators came out of the Olympic break with ba

Red Wings host Flames in matchup of playoff hopefuls >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames and Detroit Red Wings will both be aiming for a third straight victory when they meet in the Motor City tonight for a battle between playoff hopefuls at Joe Louis Arena. In addition to winning two straig

Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.

Bet on NFL Football

Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.

Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.

Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.

Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.

All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.

A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.

2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1

Ron Brace (NE) 25/1

Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1

Darius Butler (NE) 40/1

Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1

Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1

Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1

Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1

Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1

Larry English (SD) 15/1

Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1

Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1

Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1

Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1

James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1

Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1

Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1

Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1

Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1

Roy Miller (TB) 20/1

Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1

Fili Moala (IND) 30/1

Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1

Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1

B J Raji (GB) 7/1

Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1

Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1

David Verkune (CLE) 20/1

Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 6/1

NFL football gambling

To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs.