Rutgers hits road seeking upset of No. 23 Notre Dame

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/15/2012 - South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Notre Dame looks to continue its surge up the conference standings Wednesday when the 23rd-ranked Fighting Irish welcome Rutgers to the Joyce Center for a Big East Conference clash.

Notre Dame made it six straight wins Saturday by handing DePaul an 84-76 loss. The hosting Irish trailed by three coming down the stretch but used a key 10-0 run to take control for good and improve to 13-1 at home this season. Notre Dame shot 66.7 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes and 59.6 percent overall while taking care of business at the foul line (16-of-18). Jerian Grant and Jack Cooley paced the effort with 22 points apiece, the latter adding a game-high 14 rebounds. Eric Atkins chipped in 14 points and handed out six assists as the Irish jumped to 9-3 in the Big East behind only Syracuse and Marquette -- both of whom have fell victim to ND during its current streak.

Rutgers was dealt a third consecutive loss and fifth in six games its last time out, falling 59-54 to Seton Hall at home. The Scarlet Knights suffered from poor shooting throughout, hitting at a 31.5-percent clip overall and 26.1 percent from three-point range (6-for-23). Yet the hosts found themselves in front after Dane Miller dropped in a three with a little more than three minutes remaining. Seton Hall answered right back with a triple of its own, though, and went on to score eight of the game's final 12 points. Mike Poole was high man for the Knights with 14 points off the bench while Eli Carter scored 13 as Rutgers stumbled to 4-8 in Big East action.

Notre Dame holds a 17-13 edge in the all-time series and has captured six of the last eight matchups, though the Scarlet Knights took a 65-58 decision January 16 in Piscataway. Rutgers is just 2-10 all-time on the road in this series with Notre Dame winning each of the last seven home matchups. The Irish notched a 78-69 win at the Joyce Center last season, while Rutgers' last win in South Bend came during the 1998-99 season.

The Scarlet Knights are forced to rely more on defense than offense in the talent-rich Big East. Rutgers holds opponents to 64.1 ppg and a 40.9 shooting percentage while sinking 43.1 percent of its field goals and posting 66.2 ppg -- standing ahead of only South Florida for worst in the conference. Carter and Myles Mack are charged with leading the offense, serving as the club's only double-figure scorers at 13.8 and 10.2 ppg, respectively. Both are also active from beyond the arc with the former dropping 42 threes on 34.4 percent shooting and the latter 36 on 34.6-percent accuracy. Gilvydas Biruta provides a solid 9.4 ppg and 5.4 rebounds per contest while Miller grabs a team-leading 6.2 boards per game and adds 6.9 ppg. The Scarlet Knights hold a decent 34.6-33.6 overall rebounding advantage.

The Fighting Irish have managed to find great success in arguably the country's most difficult conference thanks in large part to their defense, and timely contributions on offense. Notre Dame puts up 67.9 points per game, which in the Big East gets you slotted 13th out of 16 teams. In addition, the Irish post a rather mediocre field-goal percentage of 43.8 percent but have the league's third-best free-throw percentage (71.7 percent). Notre Dame is also among the conference's better teams in scoring margin (plus-5.6) with a defense holding the opposition to just 62.3 ppg and 40.9 percent shooting from the floor. The sophomore Grant gives the club an all-around presence with his 13.0-point average, 4.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 40 three-pointers on 35.7 percent shooting. Atkins backs the effort with a 12.9-point average, 3.6 assists, 3.3 boards and 36 triples on 39.6-percent accuracy. Cooley gives the Irish a third solid double-figure scorer at 11.5 ppg, leads the Big East with a 61.1 shooting percentage and secures a team-leading 8.8 rebounds per contest -- good for fifth in league play. Scott Martin adds further depth with his 9.1 ppg and 5.8 boards. Notre Dame holds down a slim edge on the glass overall (34.4-34.2).

Thegrek NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Missouri State comes calling on No. 24 Wichita State
Wichita, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Wichita State Shockers put their new-found status as Missouri Valley Conference front-runner on the line Wednesday as Missouri State comes to town for a league showdown at Charles Koch Arena. W

<< ACC showdown pits Heels against 'Canes
Coral Gables, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels take to the road in search of their fourth straight ACC win away from Chapel Hill, as they invade the BankUnited Center to take on the dangerous Miami- Florida Hurri

<< Oklahoma State and Missouri battle in Big 12 brawl
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Missouri Tigers continue their quest for a Big 12 regular season crown, as they welcome the Oklahoma State Cowboys to Columbia this evening, for a conference showdown at Mizzou Arena. Frank H

<< Lobos head to San Diego to take on 13th-ranked Aztecs
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Entering the week there were three teams tied atop the Mountain West Conference standings and two of those programs go up against each other tonight, as the 13th-ranked San Diego State Aztecs entertain the New M

<< Lions visit Gaels in pivotal WCC clash
Moraga, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Saint Mary's-CA Gaels put their perfect home record on the line for the final time this season, as they entertain the Lions of Loyola Marymount in a West Coast Conference clash tonight at McKeon Pav

Racers and Redhawks duke it out in OVC action >>
Cape Giradeau, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Murray State Racers head to the Show Me Center for a rematch with the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks in what could be another Ohio Valley Conference thriller. The Racers and Redhawks al

Zambia cracks top 50 in FIFA Rankings >>
Zurich, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the first time since February 2001 Zambia finds itself in the top 50 in the latest edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Rankings. The African Cup of Nations had a big impact on the ranking

Cavs' Irving cleared to return >>
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving was cleared to return to action. Cavs team physician Dr. A.J. Cianflocco gave the first-overall pick the go- ahead on Wednesday, hours before Cleveland

Rays give Maddon three-year extension >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays rewarded manager Joe Maddon with a three-year contract extension on Wednesday. Maddon took over the team prior to the 2006 season and suffered through two losing campaigns before

Huddlestone undergoes second ankle operation >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tottenham announced Wednesday that midfielder Tom Huddlestone will undergo a second operation in a bid to repair an ankle injury sustained at the end of last season. The North London club releas

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“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.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.