Big East champs again: UConn women pull away from WVU
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/09/2010 -
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kalana Greene scored 15 points and pulled down
12 rebounds, and top-ranked Connecticut captured the Big East Tournament title
and stretched its winning streak to a record 72 games with a 60-32 triumph
over No. 9 West Virginia.
Tiffany Hayes had 15 points, while Tina Charles contributed 12 points, 10
boards and four blocks for the Huskies (33-0), who pulled away over the game's
final 15 minutes and didn't allow a field goal for the Mountaineers over an
11-minute stretch in the second half.
Maya Moore tallied 10 points for the Huskies, who are assured of being the
top-seeded team for the NCAA Tournament. On Monday, they broke their own
longest winning streak in NCAA Division I women's basketball history with a
59-44 victory over sixth-ranked Notre Dame.
The only longer winning streak in NCAA Division I basketball history is the
88-game run the UCLA men had from 1971-1974.
Since the 1993-94 season, Connecticut has won either the Big East regular
season or tourney title in 17 consecutive seasons - and has captured both
titles 12 times over that span. They've won both three straight years and have
captured five of the last six tournament championships and have a total of 16
Big East titles overall.
Liz Repella totaled 10 points for the second-seeded Mountaineers (28-5), who
shot just 24.1 percent from the field and have yet to win the conference
title. They were beaten by UConn in the 2006 final.
Natalie Burton's free throw trimmed West Virginia's deficit to 33-28 with 15
1/2 minutes left, but the Mountaineers went the next 11-plus minutes without a
field goal, thanks to some suffocating defense.
During that time, the Huskies went on an amazing 27-2 spurt. Moore started the
flurry with a jumper and Meghan Gardler's three-pointer widened the cushion to
56-30 with under five minutes left.
Korinne Campbell's jumper, with 12 minutes left, represented the last WVU
field goal until Akeema Richards scored in the final minute.
West Virginia closed a 27-10 deficit to 30-20 at the half.
<< Bears release RB Jones
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears released running back
Kevin Jones on Tuesday.
Jones, who missed all of 2009 with a serious ankle injury, signed with the
bears in 2008 and rushed for 109 yards on 34 carries
<< Falcons sign CB Grimes
Flowery Branch, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Falcons have re-signed
cornerback Brent Grimes.
Grimes led the team with six interceptions in 2009, had 13 passes defensed and
compiled 67 tackles, 58 of those solo, in 16 games.
Ori
<< FDU removes interim tag from Vetrone
Teaneck, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fairleigh Dickinson has removed the interim tag
from Greg Vetrone and has named him the permanent men's basketball coach.
Vetrone was given the job on an interim basis for last season and led the team
to a 10-
<< Tests confirm overactive thyroid for Reyes
Port St. Lucie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Mets confirmed the test
results that stated shortstop Jose Reyes has an overactive thyroid.
The club mentioned that Reyes will remain in New York to undergo additional
blood testing,
<< Saints ink CB Torrence
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms
with cornerback Leigh Torrence on a one-year contract Tuesday.
Torrence spent the past two years with New Orleans, appearing in 12 total
games. He had four
Clippers sever ties with GM Dunleavy >>
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Clippers announced they have
severed ties with general manager Mike Dunleavy, just over a month after he
resigned as head coach.
At the time of the February 4 announcement, the Clippers
North Texas takes Sun Belt championship >>
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Josh White hit the go-ahead bucket with 24
seconds left and George Odufuwa came up with a key block on the ensuing
series, as North Texas edged Troy, 66-63, for the Sun Belt Conference
Tournam
Jones shines in Granger's absence as Pacers down Sixers >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dahntay Jones tied a season-high with 25
points and the Indiana Pacers overcame the absence of Danny Granger to beat
Philadelphia, 107-96, at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Granger, who is leading the Pacers at
Bourque highlights Calgary's win in Motown >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rene Bourque assisted on the tying goal early
in the third period and scored the game-winner less than two minutes later, as
the Calgary Flames edged the Detroit Red Wings, 4-2, at Joe Louis Arena.
Jarome Ig
Predators hold off Thrashers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Suter and Colin Wilson scored to
propel the Nashville Predators to a 2-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers at
Philips Arena.
Suter's tally came on a power play early in the first period, whil
NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.
That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.
A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."
It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.
The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.
So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."
Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.
Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.
Seriously.
The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.
The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.
Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."
The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.
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