2009 Big South Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/03/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The four-time defending Big South Conference Tournament Champion Winthrop Eagles may be giving up their seat at the top of the hill this season as the league's 24th annual tournament kicks off on Tuesday, March 3rd.

The Eagles find themselves far from the favorite and are not even in the top half of the seedings. In fact, Winthrop will actually be on the road on Tuesday when the quarterfinals begin as the fifth seed drops in on fourth- seeded UNC Asheville. Winners of this tournament a total of nine times, the Eagles (11-18, 9-9) are at least heading into the event with some momentum, sporting a five-game win streak, but being last in the Big South in scoring margin (-5.2 ppg) may not help matters.

As for the Bulldogs (14-15, 10-8), a team that has two tournament titles to their credit, they lost both of their regular season meetings to Winthrop this year, so they still might not have the ability to get past the Eagles. Nevertheless, Second Team All-Big South performer Reid Augst has definitely shown that he can be a leader for the canines with his 15.1 ppg.

Earning themselves the top seed in the tournament are the Radford Highlanders (18-11, 15-3) who overcame a troubled non-conference slate to storm the rest of the Big South and win all but three of 18 league bouts. Prior to losing the regular season finale to Liberty on Saturday by a 92-85 final, the Highlanders ran off nine straight victories and 14 over the course of 15 outings. Radford, which won this event for the first and only time in 1998 versus UNC Asheville by a scant two points (63-61), led the league this season in field goal percentage (.463) and was also first in the field goal percentage defense (.397), taking its cue from Artsiom Parakhouski and Joey Lynch-Flohr who both made the All-Big South First Team, the former averaging 16.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest. Parakhouski was also named the league's Player of the Year.

Settling in against Radford in the quarterfinals are the eighth-seeded High Point Panthers (9-20, 4-14). The squad is still waiting for its first Big South Tournament crown and sports an 8-7 record in the event having made it to the title game in both 2002 and 2004. Sporting strong interior play, the Panthers placed second in the conference in rebounding (38.2 rpg), second in rebounding defense (34.1 rpg) and were first in blocked shots (4.41 bpg), thanks mostly to Cruz Daniels who led the league with 2.72 blocks per outing.

The offensive powerhouse of the league, second-seeded VMI settles in against seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. Led by senior guard Chavis Holmes (22.1 ppg) who was named to the All-Big South First Team and brother Travis Holmes (19.0 ppg) who made the cut for the all-conference Second Team, the Keydets (22-7, 13-5) were again the most aggressive team in the nation on offense this season, posting an amazing 94.3 ppg. To put that in perspective Liberty, which finished second in the league in scoring, came up with just 75.9 ppg. However, factor in the team's defensive efforts, or lack thereof (86 ppg), and it wasn't always easy for the group to come up with lopsided victories.

The Chanticleers (11-19, 5-13), a team that split with VMI this season and both times scored in triple digits to be competitive, are led by Joseph Harris who placed eighth in the conference in scoring with his 15.5 ppg and was one of three players in the league to average a double-double with his league- leading 11.3 ppg as he earned a spot on the All-Big South First Team. Coastal Carolina has the third-most Big South Conference Tournament titles with three, but the last of those came in 1993 and the team has a record of only 11-18 over the duration.

Although he takes a back seat to his big brother over at Davidson, there's no doubt that Seth Curry is a budding star for third-seeded Liberty as they get ready to host sixth-seeded Gardner-Webb. Curry, who was named the Big South's Freshman of the Year, found a spot on the All-BSC Second Team for the Flames (21-10, 12-6). Curry finished the regular season ranked second in the league in scoring with 20.6 ppg and was second at the free-throw line as well with his 84 percent accuracy. Because of Curry's efforts Liberty, which won the second of its Big South Tourney titles in 2004 in a rout of High Point (89-44), ranked second in the conference in scoring this season with 75.9 ppg and was also second in scoring margin at +5.4 ppg.

As for the Runnin' Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb (13-16, 9-9), the formers members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, they are getting their first taste of Big South Tournament action. The team was fourth in the league in scoring (73.9 ppg) and played very well as a team as it registered 16.38 assists per game to rank second in the conference. Senior guard Aaron Linn made his way onto the All-Big South Second Team by placing 11th in the conference in scoring with 14.7 ppg, just ahead of teammate Grayson Flittner (14.6 ppg).

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

MySportsbook.com Releases World Series Championship Lines

New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox early favorites to win 2008 World Series
The Major League Baseball season starts this weekend and MySportsbook.com, a leading online sportsbook for over 8 years, is the first to offer baseball sports betting lines on who will win the 2007 World Series.

"The World Series is the biggest baseball event in the sports betting world and MySportsbook.com is excited that we are first to market with betting lines on every team," says Tim Dalton, Marketing Director, MySportsbook.com. "We are getting things ready for a great baseball season and our members are looking forward to our Player Payback Bonuses, as well as Dime Lines, all season long."

Going in to this weekend, MySportsbook.com's favorites to win the World Series are the New York Yankees at 7-2 and last year’s winners the Chicago White Sox at 9-2.

"These betting lines are ripe for the picking," Dalton added, "baseball fans know that the season is long and many factors, including players staying healthy, will affect these Future odds as the baseball season progresses. Betting on your favorite team in the beginning of the season could prove quite lucrative. We are seeing examples of this right now in the NCAA College Basketball Tournament with a lucky few that placed pre-season bets on George Mason to win it all. Anything can happen."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs..

About www.MySportsbook.com
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