Cavaliers seek upset of visiting Demon Deacons

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/28/2009 - Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons embark on their final road trip of the regular season today, as they invade Charlottesville to tussle with the Virginia Cavaliers in ACC play at the John Paul Jones Arena.

The Deacons were in action just this past Thursday, when they picked up an 85-78 triumph over NC State. It was the third win in the past four games by WF, which remains in a three-way tie for third place in the ACC standings at 8-5. The Deacons, at 21-5 overall, now return to the road for two straight games, with the second bout coming at Maryland on Tuesday.

As for Virginia, it currently sits with the second worst record in the conference at 3-10, two games ahead of 1-12 Georgia Tech. Since knocking off Clemson and Virginia Tech in consecutive outings, the Cavs have dropped two straight decisions, including a 62-55 setback against Miami-Florida on Thursday. With the loss, the squad dipped to 9-15 overall and 8-7 at home.

In terms of the all-time series, Wake holds a 65-59 edge over Virginia and the Deacons have won the last two meetings in the rivalry.

The Demon Deacons dropped in 52.5 percent of their shots from the floor and 18-of-22 at the foul line, as they came away with an 85-78 win over NC State on Thursday. Wake also won the battle on the boards, 42-27, including a 13-7 edge on the offensive glass. James Johnson had a monster game for the Deacons, posting career-highs of 28 points and 18 rebounds. Ishmael Smith delivered 18 points off the bench, and Chas McFarland and Jeff Teague checked in with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Teague has been sensational for Wake this season and he is one of the top players in the conference, averaging a hardy 20.0 ppg, to go with 3.7 apg and 53 steals. Johnson turns in 14.8 ppg and a team- high 8.4 rpg, while Al-Farouq Aminu adds 12.6 ppg and 8.1 rpg to the mix. As a team, the Deacons are posting 82.5 ppg and 40.7 rpg, in addition to shooting 50.0 percent from the field.

The Cavs were guilty of 16 turnovers and those miscues proved costly, as Miami scored 22 points off them in a 62-55 decision on Thursday. Virginia shot a modest 40.0 percent from the floor and went 10-of-11 at the foul line, but it wasn't enough to compensate for the mistakes. Jeff Jones guided the team in defeat with 16 points, while Sylven Landesberg had 13 points and seven boards. Landesberg has been the Cavs' most productive players this season and he is generating a team-high 17.8 ppg, to go along with 6.1 rpg. Mike Scott, the team's top rebounder at 7.2 rpg, chips in with 10.5 ppg for Virginia, which is scoring 71.3 ppg as a team.

Ganblenet NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Bruins and Bears battle in Berkeley
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked UCLA Bruins and California Golden Bears will both try to remain in the Pac-10 title race tonight, as they lock horns in a pivotal matchup at Haas Pavilion. UCLA and Cal, along with Arizona Stat

<< Texas battles Oklahoma State in pivotal Big 12 showdown
Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma State Cowboys are in desperate need of a signature win and they will try to get that this evening against the 25th-ranked Texas Longhorns in Big 12 play at Gallagher-Iba Arena. At 18-9 overall,

<< Tigers go in search of 20th straight win
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers put the nation's longest winning streak on the line today, as they entertain the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in Conference USA play at the FedExForum. Since losing to Syra

<< Big Ten brawl pits Buckeyes against Boilermakers
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers will try to avenge an earlier loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, as the two Big Ten programs clash at Mackey Arena today. Purdue leads the all-time series with OSU, 79-7

<< Top-ranked Panthers in Newark to tangle with Pirates
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers still have some work to do if they are to be crowned Big East champions and that work begins this evening in Newark, as the Panthers take on the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudenti

Sharks make a stop in Montreal >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks will shoot for their sixth win in seven games when they visit the Montreal Canadiens for tonight's battle at Bell Centre. The Sharks are leading the Western Conference with 93 points and are just three

Leafs streak into Ottawa >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Riding their longest winning streak of the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs head into Ottawa's Scotiabank Place tonight for a divisional showdown with the rival Senators. After sweeping a home-and-home set with the reeling

Sabres limp into road test against Isles >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres are going through tough times right now, while the New York Islanders have endured their share of hardships all season long. The injury-plagued Sabres will try for a much-needed victory over the Islande

Struggling Rangers host Avs at MSG >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A recent head coaching change was designed to shake the New York Rangers out of a lengthy funk, but so far the switch hasn't produced improving results. The badly-slumping Blueshirts will attempt to snap a four-game losing

Hurricanes try to stay hot in Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The hard-charging Carolina Hurricanes will continue their quest for the playoffs tonight, as they visit the Atlanta Thrashers for tonight's Southeast Division clash at Philips Arena. The Hurricanes have won four of their l

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard