Lobos head to San Diego to take on 13th-ranked Aztecs
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/15/2012 - 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 Mexico Lobos at Viejas Arena.
Both teams have identical overall records at 20-4 and their 6-2 MWC marks matched that of UNLV which took on TCU Tuesday night at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth and was stunned by the Horned Frogs in overtime, 102-97, which means this matchup is for the exclusive rights to first place in the standings, at least for the time being.
New Mexico is the hottest team in the conference right now with five straight victories, following the back-to-back defeats versus SDSU and UNLV last month. Most recently, head coach Steve Alford led his squad to a 48-38 defensive win versus Wyoming at home on Saturday afternoon. Considering the Lobos were just 2-2 after their first four games of the season, they've come a long way in an effort to clog up the MWC standings.
Meanwhile, the Aztecs are where UNM was during the first few weeks of the campaign, dealing with a split over the last four outings. On Saturday, SDSU had the much-anticipated showdown against UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas and it certainly lived up to the billing as the Runnin' Rebels slipped by in a 65-63 final. San Diego State has avoided back-to-back defeats since January 2010, so at least the team has that working in its favor tonight.
The Lobos lead the all-time series between the teams by a count of 38-32, but SDSU won the first meeting of the season last month by a score of 75-70 and is threatening to sweep the season series for the second straight year. The Aztecs have won five of the last six meetings between these two teams at Viejas Arena, including three in a row.
It was bound to be a defensive battle against Wyoming last week, seeing as how the Cowboys are one of the top teams in the country when it comes to holding down the opposition, but few expected UNM to limit the Pokes to just 38 points. The fewest points given up by the Lobos since the team captured a 62-32 win over Weber State two days before Christmas in 2007, Kendall Williams was the only UNM player to score in double figures as he dropped in 10 points, while Drew Gordon came up with seven points and a game-high 13 rebounds as the team survived 17 turnovers. Williams, who has at least held a share of the scoring lead for the Lobos in the last three games, is the top scorer for the group in conference play with his 13.4 ppg. Gordon checks in with 10.3 ppg and 9.6 rpg in those outings, but as was the case over the weekend, it really is the defense that is taking care of business for the Lobos as they limit conference opponents to just 56.5 ppg, those team shooting a mere 38.4 percent from the floor and 29.7 percent behind the three-point line.
In front of a sold-out crowd at the Thomas & Mack, San Diego State fought all the way back from a 13-point second-half deficit and actually took the lead against UNLV in the final two minutes, but the Aztecs couldn't keep control of the ball and ended up with the two-point setback. Chase Tapley offered up 22 points for the visitors, followed by Jamaal Franklin who accounted for 15 points and eight rebounds, but he was also responsible for five of the unit's 17 turnovers which proved to be crucial in the close call. Tapley and Jamaal Franklin are at the top of the scoring list for the Aztecs after 24 games, posting 16.2 and 16.0 ppg, respectively, the former taking care of business out on the perimeter with his 44.1 percent three-point shooting and the latter clearing 7.3 rpg to take the lead in that department. But like New Mexico, the main focus of the Aztecs is to control the pace and limit scoring opportunities and that has held opponents to just 61.8 ppg based on 39.3 percent shooting from the floor and 32.4 percent behind the three-point line.
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Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog 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.
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