UTEP cruises past UCF into C-USA semifinals

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Tulsa, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeremy Williams was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line in a 17-point effort, and 25th-ranked UTEP cruised to a 76-54 win over UCF in the quarterfinals in the Conference USA Tournament.

Randy Culpepper, Isaac Gordon and Claude Britten each added 10 points in the win for the top-seeded Miners (25-5), who will face fifth-seeded Tulsa in a Friday semifinal. UTEP is currently riding a 15-game win streak, not having lost since January 13 at Houston.

Keith Clanton scored 12 points to pace the ninth-seeded Knights (15-17), whose season ends with five losses in seven games. Isaac Sosa contributed with 10 points in the lopsided defeat.

UTEP wasted no time putting this game out of reach in the first half. Williams had seven points during a game-opening 15-3 stretch, which ended with a pair of Culpepper baskets 5 1/2 minutes into the contest.

The Miners had a stretch a bit later where they scored 13 of 18 points, and another Culpepper layup had the margin at 30-14 with 7:20 until halftime.

To finish the period, UTEP scored nine straight points, culminating in yet another Culpepper made shot. His jumper in the final minute sent the Miners into halftime with a commanding 48-20 advantage.

Arnett Moultrie's basket early in the second half had UTEP's cushion at 31, and the outcome was never in doubt the rest of the way.

Game Notes

UTEP took the lone regular season meeting with UCF and both matchups with Tulsa...The Knights beat SMU in the opening round Wednesday to advance to Thursday's quarterfinal round...The Miners are the only top-four seed remaining in the tourney and are a combined 5-1 against the other three teams left.

Wwwracingcasino NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Kiprusoff, Flames blank Sens
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miikka Kiprusoff stopped all 33 shots he faced for his 34th career shutout, as the Calgary Flames topped the Ottawa Senators, 2-0, at the Saddledome. Jamal Mayers and Chris Higgins scored for the Flames, w

<< Bank On It: Butler's three at the buzzer lifts WVU over Cincy
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - De'Sean Butler's closely-contested three- pointer off the glass as time expired advanced his seventh-ranked Mountaineers and ended Cincinnati's improbable march through the conference gauntlet, as West V

<< Baylor beats Texas again, advances in Big 12 tourney
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ekpe Udoh scored 25 points and pulled down eight rebounds as 21st-ranked Baylor ran past Texas, 86-67, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. Tweety Carter added 20 points, while Lac

<< Stastny, Anderson shine in Avs' shutout of Panthers
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Stastny scored twice in the second period to support a 27-save performance by Craig Anderson, as the Colorado Avalanche blanked the Florida Panthers, 3-0, at Pepsi Center. Anderson recorded his seventh

<< Big West Conference Tournament Recaps
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - T.J. Robinson posted a game-high 18 points while collecting eight rebounds to lead the third-seeded Long Beach State 49ers to a 79-69 victory over the sixth-seeded Cal Poly Mustangs in quarter

Roy leads Portland rally over Warriors >>
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy scored 41 points and had eight rebounds, as Portland locked down Golden State in the fourth quarter and rallied for a 110-105 victory. Andre Miller contributed 15 points and seven assist

Sharks score six times in third to beat Nashville >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Pavelski registered two goals and two assists in the third period, as the San Jose Sharks scored six times over the final 20 minutes to rally past the Nashville Predators, 8-5, at HP Pavilion. Dany

Oudin knocked in first round at Indian Wells >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Melanie Oudin had a short stay at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open tennis event, dropping a three-set decision to Roberta Vinci. Oudin won the first set then was outplayed in a 3-6, 6-3, 6-

Fish, Moya highlight first-round winners at Indian Wells >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - American Mardy Fish and Spaniard Carlos Moya were among Thursday's first-round winners at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, an ATP World Tour Masters event. Fish, the runner-up here in 2008, rallied f

Three of top 4 seeds bumped in Big East quarters >>
NEW YORK (AP) -It was a bad day to be a favorite at the Big East tournament.Three of the conference's top four teams were beaten in the quarterfinals Thursday at Madison Square Garden, jumbling the league's NCAA picture and setting up a pair of surp

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

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 this sportsbook “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

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.