Irish to try their luck against Huskies in Storrs

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/28/2009 - Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Connecticut Huskies continue their quest for a Big East title, as they play their last home game of the season this weekend, welcoming the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to Storrs, for a conference showdown from Gampel Pavilion.

Jim Calhoun's Huskies took a huge step toward that league crown with a solid 93-82 win at Marquette this week and with the win, moved to 14-2 in conference play, a mere half game ahead of Louisville (13-2). The victory in Milwaukee this week also gave Jim Calhoun his 800th career victory, just the seventh coach in Division I history to achieve that mark.

The Irish have had their ups and downs this season and the team's mediocre 7-8 league ledger is certainly evidence of that. An ugly seven-game slide starting in mid-January halted any dreams of a Big East championship, but Mike Brey's squad has played better of late, with two straight victories and wins in four of the last five games overall. This week, the Irish played host to Rutgers, downing the Scarlet Knights, 70-65.

This is the 21st all-time meeting between these two programs, with UConn having won 14 of those previous matchups. In all, UConn is 8-1 in this series at home and is trying to complete a regular season sweep after earning a 69-61 decision in South Bend back on January 24th.

The Irish remain a dangerous team, thanks to the inside/out combo of All- American candidate Luke Harangody and sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney. There are very few players in the nation as dominant in the low post as Harangody, who is averaging a double-double with his conference-best 24.0 points and 12.6 rebounds per game (second in the league). McAlarney is the perfect complement, pouring in 16.2 ppg, thanks to his .438 shooting from long range. He is the conference's top three-point specialist, with 103 treys to his credit this year. The scoring depth continues for ND with guards Ryan Ayers and Tory Jackson at 10.9 and 10.7 ppg, respectively. In the recent win over Rutgers, Notre Dame shot just .414 from the field, but got another big performance by Harangody to lead the way. The big man took 25 shots in the game, making just seven, but did finish with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Jackson poured in 18 points, while McAlarney chipped in with 13.

Clearly one of the most potent teams in the nation, UConn has gotten it done with balanced play at both ends of the floor and the result is a conference- best +15.2 scoring margin. The Huskies, who are shooting a healthy .476 from the field this season, are netting 76.7 ppg. The defensive effort has been equally impressive, ranking second in the league in scoring defense (61.5 ppg) and first in field-goal percentage defense (.374). The team also ranks second in the Big East in rebounding margin (+8.8) and first in blocked shots (212). The loss of talented guard Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg) would cripple most teams, but not the Huskies, who have others to fill the void. It all starts up front, where center Hasheem Thabeet (13.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 123 blocks) and forward Jeff Adrien (13.4 ppg, 10.0 rpg) form a devastating duo. A.J. Price gets the job done in the backcourt, as both a scorer (13.2 ppg, .423 from behind the arc) and primary distributor (124 assists). Price was outstanding in this week's showdown with Marquette, as he erupted for a career-high 36 points, thanks to 8-of-13 from downtown. Stanley Robinson stepped up as well, with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Thabeet was his usual immovable object in the middle, finishing with 14 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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