Lobos head to San Diego to take on 13th-ranked Aztecs

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/15/2012 - San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Entering the week there were three teams tied atop the Mountain West Conference standings and two of those programs go up against each other tonight, as the 13th-ranked San Diego State Aztecs entertain the New Mexico Lobos at Viejas Arena.

Both teams have identical overall records at 20-4 and their 6-2 MWC marks matched that of UNLV which took on TCU Tuesday night at Daniel-Meyer Coliseum in Fort Worth and was stunned by the Horned Frogs in overtime, 102-97, which means this matchup is for the exclusive rights to first place in the standings, at least for the time being.

New Mexico is the hottest team in the conference right now with five straight victories, following the back-to-back defeats versus SDSU and UNLV last month. Most recently, head coach Steve Alford led his squad to a 48-38 defensive win versus Wyoming at home on Saturday afternoon. Considering the Lobos were just 2-2 after their first four games of the season, they've come a long way in an effort to clog up the MWC standings.

Meanwhile, the Aztecs are where UNM was during the first few weeks of the campaign, dealing with a split over the last four outings. On Saturday, SDSU had the much-anticipated showdown against UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas and it certainly lived up to the billing as the Runnin' Rebels slipped by in a 65-63 final. San Diego State has avoided back-to-back defeats since January 2010, so at least the team has that working in its favor tonight.

The Lobos lead the all-time series between the teams by a count of 38-32, but SDSU won the first meeting of the season last month by a score of 75-70 and is threatening to sweep the season series for the second straight year. The Aztecs have won five of the last six meetings between these two teams at Viejas Arena, including three in a row.

It was bound to be a defensive battle against Wyoming last week, seeing as how the Cowboys are one of the top teams in the country when it comes to holding down the opposition, but few expected UNM to limit the Pokes to just 38 points. The fewest points given up by the Lobos since the team captured a 62-32 win over Weber State two days before Christmas in 2007, Kendall Williams was the only UNM player to score in double figures as he dropped in 10 points, while Drew Gordon came up with seven points and a game-high 13 rebounds as the team survived 17 turnovers. Williams, who has at least held a share of the scoring lead for the Lobos in the last three games, is the top scorer for the group in conference play with his 13.4 ppg. Gordon checks in with 10.3 ppg and 9.6 rpg in those outings, but as was the case over the weekend, it really is the defense that is taking care of business for the Lobos as they limit conference opponents to just 56.5 ppg, those team shooting a mere 38.4 percent from the floor and 29.7 percent behind the three-point line.

In front of a sold-out crowd at the Thomas & Mack, San Diego State fought all the way back from a 13-point second-half deficit and actually took the lead against UNLV in the final two minutes, but the Aztecs couldn't keep control of the ball and ended up with the two-point setback. Chase Tapley offered up 22 points for the visitors, followed by Jamaal Franklin who accounted for 15 points and eight rebounds, but he was also responsible for five of the unit's 17 turnovers which proved to be crucial in the close call. Tapley and Jamaal Franklin are at the top of the scoring list for the Aztecs after 24 games, posting 16.2 and 16.0 ppg, respectively, the former taking care of business out on the perimeter with his 44.1 percent three-point shooting and the latter clearing 7.3 rpg to take the lead in that department. But like New Mexico, the main focus of the Aztecs is to control the pace and limit scoring opportunities and that has held opponents to just 61.8 ppg based on 39.3 percent shooting from the floor and 32.4 percent behind the three-point line.

Sporysbook NCAA Basketball Betting News


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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup

September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com.  The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans. 

Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to  name a  few.  Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR.  They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.

The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer.  Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.

Ryder Cup Odds

Europe
Tie
USA
4-5
10-1
6-5


Ryder Cup Top US point scorer
Tiger Woods
Jim Furyk
Phil Mickelson
Chris DiMarco
David Toms
Stewart Cink
Chad Campbell
Scott Verplank
Zach Johnson
Vaughan Taylor
JJ Henry
Brett Wetterich
9-4
4-1
5-1
7-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
50-1


Ryder Cup Top European scorer
Sergio Garcia
Luke Donald
Padraig Harrington
Colin Montgomerie
Darren Clarke
David Howell
Lee Westwood
Paul Casey
Henrik Stenson
Jose Maria Olazabal
Paul McGinley
Robert Karlsson
5-1
5-1
6-1
13-2
8-1
9-1
9-1
11-1
12-1
12-1
20-1
25-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com