Bluejays set sights on Purple Aces in MVC action
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/07/2012 -
Evansville, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Knocked down a few of pegs in the latest
top-25 poll, the Creighton Bluejays now head to Evansville ranked as the 17th-
best team in the nation as they clash with the Purple Aces in Missouri Valley
Conference action tonight at the Ford Center.
Since losing to Missouri State in the conference opener back on December 28,
the Bluejays had put together a sizeable 11-game win streak which was one of
the longest in Division I, but that all came crashing down over the weekend.
On Saturday afternoon, Creighton was stumped by Northern Iowa on the road,
65-62, which means the Jays are now 11-2 in MVC play and that has them tied
with Wichita State at the top of the league standings entering the week.
As for the Purple Aces, in a span of just three days the team went to the
extremes and have now lost three of their last four outings. Six days ago, the
squad leveled Bradley on the road by a score of 92-62, but then on Saturday
Evansville was halted by Southern Illinois in a 53-52 final and that has the
team now staring at a 6-7 conference record, which has them tied with Northern
Iowa and Drake for fifth place at the moment.
The Jays are comfortably ahead in the all-time series with Evansville, posting
25 wins in 34 opportunities. The Aces have certainly played better in their
own building over the years with seven victories, but still Creighton has won
the last three on the road. Overall, the Bluejays have taken six in a row,
including a 75-69 final in the most recent matchup last season.
Aside from a single 60-56 win for Evansville at home back in 2008, the series
has been dominated by the Jays (12-1) since 2005. The teams are set to meet on
Creighton's home floor two weeks from now to complete the season series.
Doug McDermott put together a solid double-double for the Bluejays with 18
points and 12 rebounds, yet he didn't lead his own team in either category
exclusively and that should have been reason enough to believe it wasn't
Creighton's day on Saturday. Matching McDermott on the glass was Gregory
Echenique, and surpassing him in the scoring department was Antoine Young who
dropped in 23 points, shooting 9-of-21 from the floor, as the group made good
on 42.1 percent from the field and just 5-of-16 behind the three-point line.
McDermott, one of the top scorers in the country (23.4 ppg) who is widely
considered a candidate for player of the year honors on a national scale, is
one of the hardest players to cover for a defense because he is equally as
dangerous in the paint with his 8.4 rpg as he is out on the perimeter with a
staggering 51.3 percent shooting from three-point range. Because of his
efforts, the Jays as a whole are making good on 44.8 percent beyond the arc as
they net an average of 81.0 ppg.
Over the course of just a few days, the Purple Aces had their scoring output
nearly cut in half as they fell to SIU in Carbondale, shooting just 18-of-44
from the floor which means they finished with just two more made baskets than
they had turnovers. Colt Ryan posted 13 points and Kenny Harris another 10 for
the Aces, the former accounting for two of the unit's four three-point
baskets. Ryan has been the leading scorer for the team in each of the last
three games and five of the last six contests, his 20.8 ppg making him one of
the top overall performers in the MVC this season. Not only does Ryan connect
at 43.2 percent behind the three-point line, he is also one of the team
leaders with 71 assists and 4.5 rpg, doing everything he can to make
Evansville successful. Unfortunately, with the defense giving up 72.3 ppg and
the offense posting 74.1 ppg, Ryan and his teammates don't leave much room for
error.
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MySportsbook.com Releases World Series Championship Lines
New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox early favorites to win 2008 World Series
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“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.
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