Bulls to try and clip wings of 23rd-ranked Cardinals

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/07/2009 - Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked Louisville Cardinals open the Big East portion of their schedule in Tampa tonight, as they take on the South Florida Bulls at the Sun Dome.

With disappointing losses to Western Kentucky, Minnesota and UNLV, the Cardinals find themselves on the verge of falling out of the Top 25 after entering the season with a loft No.3 ranking. The team though, showed its resiliency on Sunday, capturing a thrilling 74-71 victory over instate foe Kentucky. Now at 9-3 overall, Louisville turns its focus to the Big East, where it has opened play with a loss in each of the past four seasons. The Cardinals however, have rebounded to finish second in the league in each of the last two seasons.

As for USF, it kicked off its Big East slate on Friday, dropping a 59-54 decision to nationally-ranked Syracuse. It was a hard fought game, but an expected result, as the Bulls have now gone just 7-44 in conference play since joining the Big East. Losers of three of their last four games, USF now sits at just 5-8 on the campaign.

In regard to the all-time series, Louisville holds a 21-3 advantage over the Bulls and it has won seven straight and 10 of the last 11 meetings in the rivalry.

Edgar Sosa drained a three-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining, lifting the Cardinals to a 74-71 victory over Kentucky on Sunday. It was a huge shot for Louisville and Sosa, who finished with a season-high 18 points. The Cardinals did a great job from long range all game long, hitting on 11-of-20 chances. Terrence Williams led the way with an all-around effort of 19 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Jerry Smith made all three of his long-range attempts for 11 points, while Earl Clark had 10 points and eight boards. Freshman Samardo Samuels, however, was limited to just four points due to foul trouble, but despite that performance, he still leads the team in scoring with 13.8 ppg on the season. Clark is second on the squad with 12.8 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 3.0 apg, while Williams adds 12.3 ppg and team highs of 8.8 rpg and 4.7 apg to the rotation. Louisville as a team, is scoring a solid 76.0 ppg and it has also fared well on defense, holding foes to just 38.1 percent shooting from the field.

The Bulls made only 36.7 percent of their attempts from the floor and just 4- of-23 from downtown, as they were unable to pull off the upset of Syracuse on Friday. The team also struggled a bit at the foul line, going 6-of-10, and was also dominated on the boards, 44-33. Dominique Jones guided USF in defeat with 17 points and three steals, while Mobolaji Ajayi had 15 points and seven rebounds. On the season, Jones has displayed his versatility by leading the Bulls in scoring (17.1 ppg), assists (4.0 apg) and steals (24). Jesus Verdejo has provided a solid second option at 15.5 ppg and he is shooting 37.6 percent from long range. He, however, was 0-of-10 from beyond the arc against Syracuse and is shooting a poor 59.0 percent at the foul line on the season. As a team, USF has struggled from both three-point range (.303) and at the charity stripe (.578) and that explains why it is only averaging 61.3 ppg.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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