No.22 Virginia takes on Clemson in ACC affair
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/14/2012 - Clemson, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Virginia Cavaliers continue their Atlantic Coast Conference road swing with a visit to the Littlejohn Coliseum to square off with the Clemson Tigers.
This will be the 119th battle between the Cavaliers and Clemson. Virginia holds a 68-50 lead in the all-time series after its 65-61 victory in the contest played on Jan. 31st this season. The Cavaliers shot 55.8 percent from the floor to push past the Tigers in this year's initial meeting.
Head coach Tony Bennett's team comes in with a 19-5 overall record and a 6-4 mark in league play after its 70-52 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday. The Cavaliers hung tough in the first half and went into the intermission trailing by only three points before the Tar Heels ran away with it. Virginia's first four losses had been by a combined 10 points. Virginia is an elite team defensively as it ranks second in the nation in scoring defense with an allowed average of just 51.9 ppg on 38.9 percent shooting. Only five teams have eclipsed the 60-point mark against the Cavaliers this season. Virginia's focus on the defensive end has left it with a sub par scoring average of 63.5 ppg.
Forward Mike Scott continues to lead Virginia with averages of 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Scott is leading the ACC in field goal efficiency with a connection rate of 59.8 percent. Joe Harris complements Scott nicely from the guard slot. Harris is the team's second leading scorer with 12.5 ppg after he went 2-of-9 from the field to score eight points against Florida State. Jontel Evans is the top distributor for the Cavaliers as he his dishing out a team- high 3.8 assists per contest.
Clemson snapped a three-game losing streak its last time out with a decisive 78-58 victory over Wake Forest on Saturday. The decision made Clemson 12-12 overall and 4-6 in league action. The Tigers shot 58.2 percent from the field and made 8-of-18 from three-point range in the contest with the Demon Deacons. The offensive showing was encouraging, as Clemson has now shot above 35 percent from beyond the arc in two straight games. The Tigers are averaging 65.3 ppg. Brad Brownell has shown to be a defensive-minded coach this season as his team is second in the league in scoring defense, allowing a mere 60.3 ppg.
Clemson is led by the duo of Andre Young and Tanner Smith. Young is averaging a team-best 13.6 ppg on 40.9 percent shooting from the field. The senior guard has scored in double-figures in three-straight games coming into tonight. Young's field goal percentage has not been superb as of late, as he has gone 14-of-37 from the floor in his last three games. Smith plays well opposite the 5-9 Young in the backcourt, as he is second on the team in scoring with 11.3 ppg. Smith chipped in 20 points and five assists versus Wake Forest. Devin Booker provides inside toughness for the Tigers and is coming off of a nine- point, seven-rebound outing.
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Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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