Auburn and Arkansas square off in pivotal SEC affair
NCAA Football Betting Lines
10/05/2011 - Fayetteville, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of 4-1 SEC teams are set for a battle under the lights this Saturday, as Bobby Petrino's Arkansas Razorbacks entertain Gene Chizik's Auburn Tigers.
Auburn, the defending national champion, suffered its lone loss against Clemson, a team that still hasn't tasted defeat. Since then, the Tigers have posted back-to-back wins, including a thrilling 16-13 triumph over South Carolina on the road last week. That bout marked the beginning of a four-game stretch against ranked SEC opponents.
"Everybody knows we have a great challenge this week, another tough road game against a very good football team, as we all know," said Auburn's Chizik. "It's going to be a great challenge for us. We're going back on the road, and I feel like our team is getting a little bit better of an idea of playing on the road and the challenges of that come with these tough SEC road games."
As for Arkansas, it bounced back strong from a lopsided loss to Alabama with a thrilling 42-38 victory over Texas A&M at Dallas Cowboys Stadium last weekend. All three of the team's other wins came against rather lackluster opponents, so it was certainly good for Petrino's group to put one in the win column against a quality foe.
"I think it's important to stay hungry," said Arkansas offensive coordinator Garrick McGee in anticipation of this weekend's tilt. "We always need to have a chip on our shoulder. There's no doubt that for us to accomplish our goals, we have to win SEC games. We believe in winning games at home in front of our home crowd, so this week is a huge game for us."
Auburn holds an 11-8-1 series advantage over Arkansas, but the Razorbacks have won three of the last four matchups.
Last season, Auburn was unstoppable on offense with Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton under center. Sure, this year's group is far less formidable, gaining a mere 370.6 total ypg, but the Tigers are still scoring 30.6 ppg. The team has yet to lose a fumble this season, a major reason for the strong start. Starting quarterback Barrett Trotter has thrown for 895 yards and nine touchdowns, but he has tossed five interceptions and needed to make better decisions at times. The club's top receiver is Emory Blake, an explosive target who has posted 333 yards and four touchdowns on 19 catches.
There is clearly room for Auburn to improve on the defensive side of the ball, as the club is permitting 27.4 ppg and 439.8 total ypg to foes. The Tigers are yielding 207.0 ypg against the run, surprising considering last season's success. Opposing quarterbacks have also found success throwing against the Tigers, who are allowing foes to make good on 54 percent of their third-down conversion attempts.
Points were hard to come by for Auburn last week against South Carolina, but Trotter made a big play when his team needed it the most. With just 1:38 remaining in the tilt, the quarterback hit Philip Lutzenkirchen with a nine- yard touchdown to give the Tigers the lead and the win. Give plenty of credit to the Auburn ground attack for the triumph, as the club rushed for 246 yards despite a pedestrian 3.7 yards per carry average. Michael Dyer pounded away at the USC defensive front, gaining 141 yards and a touchdown on 41 attempts.
There is plenty of talent on the offensive side of the ball for South Carolina, so the fact that Auburn allowed just 13 points and 289 total yards last week is remarkable. The Tigers came up with two big interceptions and two fumble recoveries, and those impact plays changed the game.
"If we're getting penetration, and we're controlling the line of scrimmage like we did last week, which we did, then it makes everybody's job from the back easier," said Chizik. "Linebackers, safeties, everybody. We're going to continue to improve up there, but I felt like we saw some strides on the defensive line last week."
Arkansas wideout Joe Adams is listed as questionable for this game because of injury, and he will be sorely missed if he can't play. Still, quarterback Tyler Wilson has other reliable options, including Jarius Wright (28 catches, 478 yards, five TDs). Ronnie Wingo Jr. paces the backfield with 284 rushing yards, while Wilson has completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 1,517 yards and 10 touchdowns against only three interceptions.
While Arkansas is racking up 39.4 ppg and 471.8 total ypg, the Razorbacks are allowing 22.8 pg and 388.4 total ypg. Petrino's squad has compiled 23 offensive touchdowns, but it has only permitted foes to notch 12 offensive scores. One glaring area of weakness is pressuring the quarterback, as Arkansas has only five sacks to its credit thus far.
At halftime of last weekend's game against Texas A&M, Arkansas trailed 35-17 and appeared to be on its way to defeat. To the credit of the Hogs, they surrendered just three points the entire second half while putting 25 points on the board. Wilson threw for a staggering 510 yards, a new school record, with three touchdowns and not a single interception, and Wright dominated the game to the tune of 13 catches, a school-record 281 yards and two scores.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers try to secure their first trip to the League Championship Series since 1982 when they attempt to finish off the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 4 of the NLDS at Chase Field. Milwaukee was denied a swee
<< Oswalt tries to pitch Phils to NLCS in St. Louis
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roy Oswalt can pitch the Philadelphia Phillies into the
National League Championship Series for the fourth straight year this evening
when they try to close out the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 4 of the NLDS at
Busch Stadium.
<< Berdych, Verdasco reach Beijing QFs
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 10 Czech slugger Tomas Berdych and
Spanish left-hander Fernando Verdasco were among Wednesday's second-round
winners at the $2.1 million China Open tennis event.
Berdych handled German quali
<< Steelers bring back OL Starks
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Steelers added depth to the
offensive line on Wednesday, re-signing veteran tackle Max Starks to a one-
year contract.
The Steelers cut the 29-year-old Starks in the preseason. Starks
<< Mercedes Benz buys naming rights for Superdome
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The home of the New Orleans Saints and site of six Super Bowls will be renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome under a deal with the German automaker announced Tuesday.The deal will allow Mercedes-Benz USA to have its name associated
Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked Clemson Tigers are one of the nation's most surprising and impressive teams through five weeks, and they hope to remain unbeaten this weekend when the Boston College Eagles come to town for an AC
Pac-12 showdown pits California against No. 9 Oregon >>
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of 3-1 Pac-12 Conference teams will
collide in Eugene on Thursday night, as the ninth-ranked Oregon Ducks play
host to the California Golden Bears.
Cal has been idle since a 31-23 loss to Washington two w
No. 17 Florida comes to Baton Rouge to battle No. 1 LSU >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The nation's top-ranked team hopes to
dominate yet another opponent, as the 17th-ranked and short-handed Florida
Gators travel to Baton Rouge for an SEC affair against the LSU Tigers.
Florida opened 4-0 und
Jayhawks face tall task in clash with sixth-ranked Cowboys >>
Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys are
one of the most explosive offensive teams in the nation, and they are clearly
favored in Saturday's home clash with the Kansas Jayhawks, a Big 12 Conference
foe.
Former WAC rivals meet, as No. 5 Boise State visits Fresno State >>
Fresno, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No longer combatants in the Western Athletic
Conference, the rivalry between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the fifth-ranked
Boise State Broncos carries on this week as the teams meet in a Friday night
affair in Cal
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.
The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.
MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.
A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.
Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.