West Virginia visits Villanova in clash of ranked Big East foes
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/06/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With both teams having already secured byes into the quarterfinal round of the upcoming Big East Conference Tournament, the 10th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and ninth-ranked Villanova Wildcats will put the wraps on the 2009-10 regular season this afternoon in Philadelphia.
West Virginia, winners of 23 games on the year and 12 of its 17 conference bouts, comes in seeking its third straight win and fifth in its last six games overall. The most recent outing for the Mountaineers took place at home against Georgetown on Monday night and resulted in a 81-68 triumph. WVU is 6-4 in true road games this season, and 11-4 outside of Morgantown when you factor in a perfect 5-0 mark in neutral-site affairs. The team has dropped two of its last three away from home though, the most recent of those being a 73-62 setback at UConn on February 22nd.
Villanova had run out to an impressive 20-1 record before a 103-90 loss at Georgetown on February 6th started a string of games in which the Wildcats would go an even 4-4. A conference showdown with Syracuse at the Carrier Dome last Saturday ended in embarrassment for 'Nova, 95-77, but the team bounced back to upend Cincinnati on the road on Tuesday night in a 77-73 final. The 'Cats are 23-6 this season, which includes a stellar 12-1 home ledger, and their 13-4 conference mark currently has them in second place.
Villanova claimed an 82-75 win at West Virginia on February 8th to take a 21-18 lead in the all-time series. However, the Mountaineers, who are making their first-ever appearance at the Wachovia Center this afternoon, have won five of the last eight meetings overall.
Da'Sean Butler is West Virginia's best player, as the 6-7 senior is averaging 17.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He is shooting a rather modest 42.2 percent from the field, but has dropped a team-best 52 three- pointers and 119 free throws. Kevin Jones (13.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Devin Ebanks (12.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and Darryl Bryant (10.8 ppg, 3.2 apg) join Butler in the starting lineup and all have produced for coach Bob Huggins' squad this year. As a result, the Mountaineers are putting up 74.9 ppg behind typical shooting efforts of 43.9 percent from the field, which includes a 34.8 percent showing from long range. WVU is one of the better defensive teams in the Big East, yielding just 64.8 ppg, and it ranks first in rebounding margin (+6.8). Butler was brilliant in his final home game on Monday night, finishing with a line of 22 points, six rebounds and six assists to power West Virginia past Georgetown, 81-68. It was the Mountaineers' 12th conference win of the season, establishing a new school record, and the game was never really in doubt as WVU held a double-digit lead for much of the night. In addition to Butler's effort, three others wound up in double figures, with Ebanks tallying 15 points and five boards, Jones adding 14 points and six rebounds and Bryant chipping in with 11 points and four assists. The team shot just 42.9 percent from the field, but a 27-14 advantage in points from the foul line coupled with 20 Hoya turnovers played an integral role in the outcome.
Villanova owns the top-ranked scoring offense in the Big East, averaging 83.3 ppg, and the team boasts three double-digit scorers in the form of guards Scottie Reynolds (18.9 ppg, 3.4 apg) and Corey Fisher (13.7 ppg, 4.0 apg), and forward Antonio Pena (11.1 ppg, 7.4 rpg). Reynolds, the fifth-highest scorer in the conference at the moment, is clearly the star of the team, as the 6-2 senior is shooting 48.8 percent from the floor, has hit a club-best 64 three- pointers, logged a team-high 47 steals, and converting better than 83 percent of his free-throw attempts. As a team, the Wildcats are shooting 46.5 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and 75.4 percent at the foul line. Where some cracks in the armor have appeared for coach Jay Wright's squad is at the defensive end, as foes are generating 72.8 ppg despite just 40.5 percent field goal efficiency. In addition to its +10.6 scoring margin, Villanova also owns favorable margins in rebounding (+5.3) and turnovers (+1.7). Cincinnati battled back from a 16-point deficit to make a game of it earlier this week, but Reynolds scored all 17 of his points in the second half to help the Wildcats prevail in a four-point decision. Five other VU players hit for double figures in the win, with Corey Stokes coming off the bench to tally 14 points as the second-leading scorer. The 'Cats hit 10-of-21 three- point tries (.476) and outscored the Bearcats at the foul line, 25-14.
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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
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