Big East showdown pits Panthers against Hoyas

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/03/2009 - Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the Big East's best teams collide in our nation's capital this afternoon, as the third-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers come calling on the 11th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas. This game is a rematch of the last two Big East Tournament Championship games, as Pittsburgh claimed the 2008 title, while the Hoyas were crowned 2007 champs.

Jamie Dixon's Panthers are a flawless 13-0 this season, and kept their perfect mark intact with a 78-72 victory over Rutgers on Wednesday in the team's Big East opener.

John Thompson III has guided his Hoyas to a 10-1 start this year, with the lone loss coming in late November against Tennessee (90-78). Since then, the team has reeled off seven straight wins, including perhaps the team's most impressive victory of the year, knocking off second-ranked and previously unbeaten Connecticut in Big East action on Monday, 74-63.

This is the 72nd all-time meeting between these two teams on the hardwood. The Panthers have won the last two matchups to close Georgetown's gap in the overall series to 39-32.

The Panthers struggled against Rutgers last time out and actually trailed by five points halfway through the second half, before going on a 9-0 run and taking control of the game late, en route to a six-point victory. Pittsburgh was able to spread the wealth offensively in the game, as five players finished in double figures, led by Sam Young's 18 points. Brad Wanamaker had a strong game off the bench, tallying 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes of work. Levance Fields and Gilbert Brown chipped in 11 points apiece, while Jermaine Dixon finished with 10. It was certainly a yeoman's effort for Pittsburgh, which was without standout center DeJuan Blair for much of the game due to early foul trouble. The Panthers were able to continue to perform without their man in the middle thanks to great scoring depth and outstanding defense. That has been the case all season long, as the team is averaging 77.9 ppg, while limiting the opposition to a mere 58.2. Young has been outstanding, shooting .521 from the floor, en route to 19.9 ppg. Blair has been a monster in the paint, averaging a double-double with 13.7 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Fields has the ability to score as well (10.4 ppg), but he is much better when getting others involved in the offense, leading the way with 6.4 apg.

The Hoyas got off to a fast start and held the hometown Huskies to a mere 37.5 percent shooting in the first half, taking a nine-point lead into the break. Georgetown was able to convert 50 percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes, and despite shooting just 42.9 percent in the second half, the team was able to hold off UConn in the second stanza. Forcing 17 turnovers certainly helped along the way, as the Hoyas capitalized, scoring 26 points off those miscues. Forward DaJuan Summers led four players in double figures in the victory, as he poured in 18 points. Center Greg Monroe and guard Chris Wright added 16 points apiece, while Austin Freeman chipped in with 13 points. The Hoyas are a dangerous team at both ends of the court, but it is stingy defense which sets the tone, with Georgetown holding foes to a mere 56.3 ppg, on an anemic .343 shooting. Scoring depth is apparent, as four players come into this game averaging double digits. Summers paces the team with 14.6 ppg and is followed closely by Freeman (13.6 ppg), Wright (13.5 ppg) and Monroe (12.7 ppg).

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MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines


Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow.  Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season.   Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints.  These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order.  As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS.  The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens.  The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.

MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:

Saints +6 @ Colts -6

Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)

Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)

Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5

Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1

Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3

Patriots -5 @ Jets +5

Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5

Steelers -4 @ Browns +4

Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6

Bears +6 @ Chargers -6

Lions +3 @ Raiders -3

Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5

Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4

Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3

Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3

 Super Bowl line (2008)

NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5

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FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.