Local rivals duke it out in Durham
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/16/2012 - Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NC State Wolfpack will try to pick up a crucial victory tonight as they make the short trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium to battle the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle.
Duke and NC State have met 235 times heading into tonight as the series dates back to 1912. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 138-97, including a 46-23 mark at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke has won two straight and five of the last six in the rivalry. NC State has lost in its last 13 visits to Durham, and has been outscored by an average of 18.2 ppg during that span.
Mark Gottfried has done a remarkable job in his first season at the helm in Raleigh, as he has led the Wolfpack to an 18-7 overall record and a 7-3 mark in ACC action. NC State is trailing the conference leading North Carolina Tar Heels by 1.5 games, and would be tied for second place in the standings if it pulls off the upset today. The Wolfpack won their third game in a row a week ago, as they bested the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 61-52, on the road. The Yellow Jackets were unable to figure out a way to score against NC State, as they shot 32.2 percent from the field in the contest. The strong defensive showing was a breath of fresh air, as the Wolfpack have relied on their strong scoring offense (74.3 ppg, 3rd in ACC) for success.
NC State has a very balanced attack as five players average 11 points or more per game. Scott Wood and C.J. Leslie are both exceptional offensive players with averages of 13 ppg or better. C.J. Williams, Lorenzo Brown, and Richard Howell all get into the mix on a consistent basis. Howell if the fourth-best rebounder in the ACC with 9.2 boards per game. Williams led the team with 15 points in last week's win vs. Georgia Tech.
Coach K has put together yet another phenomenal season so far, as his Blue Devils come in with a 21-4 overall record and just a win away from being tied for the top spot in the ACC. After its thrilling victory over UNC on Feb. 8th in the Battle of Tobacco Road, Duke picked up its second straight victory with a 73-55 triumph over the Maryland Terrapins. Although the Blue Devils shot only 38.5 percent from the floor, they held a dominant 48-33 edge in the rebounding battle to glide past the Terps. Duke is second in the ACC in scoring offense with an average of 79.7 ppg, but it ranks 10th in the league in scoring defense with an allowed average of 69.1 ppg.
The Blue Devils have found leadership from their blue chip freshman Austin Rivers. The freshman guard paces the team with 15.0 ppg on 45 percent shooting from the field. Rivers had back-to-back 20-plus point outings before he netted 11 points versus Maryland on Saturday. Seth Curry scored a game-high 19 points against the Terrapins, while Mason Plumlee added a double-double of 16 points and 10 boards. Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins are additional highly capable contributors for Duke, which has made it one of the most feared teams in the nation.
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Florida State Seminoles will try to stay in the race for the Atlantic Coast Conference's top spot as they welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to the Donald Tucker Center for a league battle. T
<< Top-25 foes square off in Big Ten brawl
East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers will try
to keep up their winning ways and be the first team to steal a road victory at
the Breslin Center this season as they head to East Lansing for a Big Ten
Conference b
<< Jackson State to open season at Mississippi State
Jackson, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jackson State will kick off its 2012 football
season against Mississippi State - the Tigers' first game against a FBS
opponent in three years.
The Tigers will travel to Starksville on Sept. 1. They opened their
<< Canizares, Whiteford share lead in India
New Delhi, India (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alejandro Canizares and Peter Whiteford
posted matching rounds of six-under 66 Thursday to share the lead after the
first round of the Avantha Masters.
Canizares' lone tour win was at the 2006 Russian Open
<< Miyazato tops crowded leaderboard in Thailand
Chonburi, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ai Miyazato posted a five-under 67 on
Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Honda LPGA
Thailand.
Miyazato, the 2010 winner, won last year at the Evian Masters. She has seven
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Desperate to put an end to a 13-game slide, the Santa Clara Broncos have the unenviable task of entertaining 24th-ranked Gonzaga in West Coast Conference action at the Leavey Center tonight. Santa Clara, wh
Clippers invade Rip City to take on Blazers >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers invade
Rip City on Thursday to take on a Portland Trail Blazers team that expects to
be without All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge for a second consecutive night.
The Clips returne
Pacers aim to continue dominance over Nets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The suddenly struggling Indiana Pacers will attempt to
right the ship Thursday when they shoot for a 10th consecutive win over the
New Jersey Nets.
Early in the season the Pacers, who are kicking off a three-game homestand
Bulls and Celtics clash in the Windy City >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division-leading Chicago Bulls resume a six-
game homestand tonight aiming for a measure of revenge over the Boston
Celtics.
The Celtics snapped a five-game winning streak by the Bulls in Beantown,
95-91, this
Mighty Rangers host free-falling Blackhawks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers seem to be on cruise control in the
race for the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but the last few weeks have
been anything but a smooth ride for the struggling Chicago Blackhawks.
Chicago will try
Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa
Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.
Should be in:
Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?
Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.
Work left to do:
Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.
Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.
Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.
Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.
For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com
Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.