24th-ranked Bulldogs set sights on Cougars

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs continue their quest for the top spot in the West Coast Conference as they head to the Marriott Center to square off with the BYU Cougars.

This will be just the second meeting between the programs. The only other encounter took place in the 2011 NCAA Sweet Sixteen, where BYU ended the Zags' season with a decisive 89-67 victory.

Gonzaga responded to its first conference loss to rival Saint Mary's by winning its next four times out. Its latest conquest was a 74-62 win over the Portland Pilots on Thursday which improved its overall record to 17-3 and its WCC mark to a second-best 7-1. Head coach Mark Few led his team back into the top 25 this week after a two week absence.. The Bulldogs have been doing very well in league play so far, as they have outscored their opponents by 14.0 ppg in WCC action.

Elias Harris is the Zags' leading scorer (13.7 ppg) and rebounder (8.0 rpg). Harris recorded his second-straight double-double against Portland as he finished the contest with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Kevin Pangos has made a name for himself in his rookie season. Pangos is second on the team in scoring (13.3 ppg) and has made 2.3 three-pointers per contest. Robert Sacre is making an impact in the middle as he is chipping in 11.6 ppg while grabbing 6.7 rpg. Gary Bell, Sam Dower, and David Stockton all are adding depth to the lineup to make the Bulldogs a very tough matchup.

Head coach Dave Rose has managed to continue winning in the post Jimmer Fredette Era. BYU enters tonight's contest at 18-6 with a 6-3 record in WCC action. The Cougars are coming off of an 80-66 loss to Saint Mary's, which was their second loss to the first place Gaels this season. BYU could not stop SMC's balanced offense as it allowed 55.8 percent shooting from the floor. BYU was held well under its average of 79 ppg in the contest. The Cougars also only dished out nine assists as a team in the loss, which is well under their fifth best nationally average of 17.9 apg. BYU leads the WCC with a 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.

The Bulldogs will have to find a way to stop BYU's four-headed monster which consists of Noah Hartsock, Brandon Davies, Matt Carlino, and Charles Abouo. Hartsock is second in the WCC in scoring with an average of 17.5 ppg after scoring 75 total points in his last four outings. Davies is chipping in 14.3 ppg and a team-best 7.9 rpg. Carlino is netting 12.4 ppg and a team-best 4.4 apg, while Abouo is another scoring threat and the second best rebounder for the Cougars.

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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.

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