Kansas looms large in the Midwest

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas Jayhawks began the 2009-10 college basketball season atop the preseason polls, and so far the voters have been spot on, as the Big 12 champs will carry that top ranking into the NCAA Tournament.

The Jayhawks (32-2) are the top-seeded team in the tourney's Midwest Region, which will play its final games at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. If Kansas is to win its second title in three years, though, it will have to motor through some heady competition to gain its 14th Final Four appearance and fourth NCAA crown.

Bill Self's club does have one major factor going for them going into the first round: experience. Several of his players have been there and done that, defeating Derrick Rose and Memphis in the 2008 title game. The two leaders this season, senior guard Sherron Collins and junior center Cole Aldrich, were both on that squad, and both figure to have a major say in who comes out of the bracket.

"It was anti-climatic to know that we would be a No. 1 seed because we basically knew that going into the day," Self said. "To be the overall No. 1 it is good even though it doesn't mean anything. It will be a good recruiting mail-out this week. We are excited but know that we have a lot of work ahead of us."

The Jayhawks will face off against 16th-seeded Lehigh (22-10) in its opening game Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

Staring at the Jayhawks on the opposite end of the bracket is second-seeded Ohio State (27-7), which boasts National Player of the Year candidate Evan Turner. Turner recently led the Buckeyes through a gauntlet to win the Big Ten Tournament, making an incredible three-point shot to beat Michigan before a double-overtime victory over Illinois and a rout of Minnesota in Sunday's final.

OSU has also tasted some recent success in the NCAA Tournament, and the last time the team won the conference tourney, it finished as the runner-up to Florida in 2007.

The 15th-seed in the Midwest and Ohio State's first-round opponent is the Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (20-9).

The third seed in this region is the traditional power Georgetown (23-10). The Hoyas, who were seeded eighth in the Big East Tournament but managed to come within seconds of beating West Virginia in the title game, are looking for their second Final Four appearance in four years after joining the Buckeyes in the 2007 quartet.

Georgetown's first-round opponent tilted the NCAA field as possibly the biggest bracket buster of Championship Week. That is 14th-seeded Ohio (21-14), which, as a ninth seed, captured the MAC Tournament title. The Bobcats survived an overtime test in their opening round matchup before downing top- seeded Kent State, fourth-seeded Miami-Ohio and third-seeded Akron to earn their first NCAA tourney berth since 2005.

The Bobcats, who have not won a game in the NCAA Tournament since 1983, will get that chance Thursday night in Providence.

"You can't get to this part of the year and overlook anyone," head coach John Thompson III said. "The teams are too well-coached, too poised. They won their league or they're playing well to get an at-large bid - that's what makes (the NCAA Tournament) so special."

Sitting fourth is surprise ACC regular season co-champion Maryland (23-8), which earned its third fourth seed since the 2003-04 season. Since the Terrapins won it all in 2002, the team has advanced past the second round just once.

The Terrapins will play Friday in Spokane against Houston (19-15), which is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992 after a shocking run to the Conference USA title. The Cougars are widely known for the successful "Phi Slama Jama" era from 1982-84, which was highlighted by two runner-up finishes thanks to now-NBA Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

This Cougars team doesn't figure to make as deep of a run, but should they upset Maryland, it would be the first tourney win for the school since Olajuwon's and Drexler's run to the title game in '84.

Last year's runner-up Michigan State (24-8) is the fifth seed after sharing the Big Ten regular season title. Tom Izzo has had numerous successes with the Spartans during his time in East Lansing and has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in three straight years.

The Spartans will battle with 12th-seeded New Mexico State (22-11), which was a surprise winner in the WAC Tournament over Utah State on Saturday. The Aggies are making only their second tournament appearance since 2000.

In a twist of irony in the Midwest Region, the sixth and seventh seeds -- Tennessee (25-8) and Oklahoma State (22-10) -- represent the only two losses Kansas has endured this season. Luckily for the Jayhawks, those two squads are on the lower half of the bracket and would likely have to beat Ohio State and/or Georgetown to have another shot at the top-ranked team in the country. Having those two teams in the Midwest, though, shows the enormous depth in the region that all these teams face.

Tennessee's opponent in the opening round will be 11th-seeded San Diego State (25-8), which beat a top-10 team in New Mexico before topping the UNLV for the Mountain West Tournament title. The Aztecs are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2005. SDSU has never advanced out of the first round.

Seeded 10th and facing Oklahoma State is ACC Tournament runner-up Georgia Tech (22-12), which is making its first tourney appearance since 2007. The Yellow Jackets have not tasted any success in the NCAAs since a surprise runner-up finish in 2004.

The 8-9 matchup features a pair of mid-majors in UNLV (25-8) and Northern Iowa (28-4). The Rebels, who used to be one of college basketball's big powers, won the entire tournament in 1990 amid a stretch of three Final Four appearances in five years. The team has made somewhat of a return to prominence in recent years, as this is its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons.

Should UNLV get past the ninth-seeded Panthers, who are looking for their first NCAA tourney win since 1990, the Rebels will likely have an opportunity to avenge its 2008 tournament loss to Kansas.

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It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.

As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.

Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.

Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.

Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.

Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com