Hoyas and Bulls collide in Big East Tourney

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/10/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big East Tournament continues today, as the ninth-seeded South Florida Bulldogs tussle with the 22nd-ranked and eighth-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in second-round action at Madison Square Garden. The winner of this game will move on to the quarterfinals against top- seeded Syracuse on Thursday.

Winner of its last three games heading into the postseason, USF finished 9-9 within the league, by far its best mark since joining the Big East. The Bulls carried over their success into the league tourney yesterday, notching a 58-49 win over 16th-seeded DePaul. It was the first-ever win in the team's second appearance in this event, as USF also reached the 20-win plateau for just the third time in the 39-year history of the program.

The Hoyas meanwhile, have a storied history, especially in the Big East Tournament, where they have won a record 46 games and seven titles. Georgetown earned a first-round bye with its 10-8 finish in conference play, although the team won just two its final six outings.

Georgetown leads the head-to-head series with USF, 5-3, but the Bulls knocked off the Hoyas, 72-64, in Washington, D.C. on February 3rd.

The Bulls held DePaul to a dismal 29.9 percent shooting performance from the floor, as they came away with a 58-49 victory in first-round play yesterday. USF, which took a 30-15 lead to the intermission, made 43.3 percent of its field goals and scored 50 points in the paint. Dominique Jones led the charge with an all-around effort of 20 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals. It was a typical effort from Jones, one of the premier players in the Big East. A first-team all-league choice, Jones averaged a league-best 23.2 ppg in Big East play during the regular season and he also posted 6.1 rpg and 3.7 apg. Mike Mercer added 14 points and five boards in yesterday's win, a nice improvement from his regular-season production of 9.5 ppg.

The Hoyas are a good shooting team, as they are hitting on 49.8 percent of their attempts from the floor and 38.8 percent from long range. Austin Freeman, a second-team all-conference pick, leads the team in scoring at 17.3 ppg and he shoots 47.9 percent from beyond the arc. Greg Monroe is another big time talent for this Georgetown club, as the 6-11 center nearly averages a double-double with 16.0 ppg and a team-high 9.6 rpg. A first-team all- conference choice, Monroe is also a terrific passer for a big man, dishing out 3.6 apg. Chris Wright adds 14.2 ppg and a team-high 4.0 apg to the mix for Georgetown, while Jason Clark chips in with 10.3 ppg.

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American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout

An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.

Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off.  Randy was not impressed though.  Paula thought he started off fantastic.  "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either. 

Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed.  Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact.  He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition. 

Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula.  Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.

Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next.  Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential.  Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell.  He sang "Careless Whisper".

22 year old Chris Richardson was up next.  He was listed with +1100 odds coming in.  He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great. 

Nick was boring and pitchy.  Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week.  Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition. 

Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds .  These of course were the early odds.  He was considered original for picking an "odd song".  He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night. 

Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good. 

Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds.  Great voice and a great sense of humor.  He's a real standout.  Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit.  Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig". 

Jared Cotter followed.  He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition.  The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good. 

22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next.  "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon.  Though the judges felt he performed okay.  Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.

Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition.  He was the last to perform.  He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start. 

Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys.  Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.

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