Bulldogs battle Utes in Salt Lake City

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

12/31/2008 - Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs will try to get back on track tonight, as they close out 2008 with a non-conference bout against the Utah Runnin' Utes at the Huntsman Center.

The Bulldogs have been idle for over week now and the break couldn't have come at a better time. After starting off the season 7-0, Gonzaga has hit a bit of rough patch, dropping three of its last four outings, including two straight. Two of those setbacks came to elite programs in Arizona and UConn, but the team's most recent loss was a shocking one, as Gonzaga was upended by Portland State, 77-70, on its home floor on December 23rd. It was just the Bulldogs' third home loss since the McCarthey Athletic Center opened in 2004, and it was also Portland State's first victory against a ranked foe since its basketball program was reinstated for the 1996-97 campaign.

As Utah, it wrapped up a short two-game road trip with a 60-52 triumph at UC Irvine on Saturday. The victory was the second in three games, as the team improved to 7-5 on the year. The Utes are now set to play three straight games at the Huntsman Center, where they have gone a modest 3-2 thus far.

Utah and Gonzaga met last New Year's Eve as well, with the Bulldogs notching a 61-59 victory in Spokane.

With four players averaging in double figures and the team shooting a solid 47.8 percent from the field, Gonzaga has been able to generate a hardy 77.7 ppg on the year. Josh Heytvelt currently tops the roster in scoring at 15.4 ppg and he is tied with Austin Daye for the team-lead in rebounding, with 6.1 rpg. Daye ranks second to Heytvelt with 12.9 ppg, while Matt Bouldin contributes 11.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg. Steven Gray has provided the team with a spark off the bench and he rounds out the double-digit scorers, with 10.1 ppg. In the team's prior outing, Bouldin tallied 18 points and registered four steals, but that wasn't enough for Gonzaga in a loss to Portland State. Heytvelt posted 13 points and eight boards, and Daye finished with 12 points and nine rebounds in the losing effort. The Bulldogs were outscored from long distance, 36-21, and outrebounded, 39-30, in the defeat.

Much like Gonzaga, Utah has four players scoring in double figures and is shooting 47.8 percent from the floor, only it is netting a little less 71.7 ppg. Luke Nevill paces the team in both scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg) and he is also making 61.4 percent of his attempts from the floor. Lawrence Borha is next in order at 10.8 ppg and he is trailed by Shaun Green and Tyler Kepkay, whom contribute 10.5 and 10.4 ppg, respectively, off the bench. On Saturday. Borha netted 18 points and Nevill notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to power the Utes over UC Irvine. The Utes drained 41.5 percent of their field goal tries and limited UC Irvine to just a 35.7 percent shooting effort from the floor.

Wwwvoyagessncf NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Toothless Tigers take on ferocious Bears
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Baylor Bears welcome the lowly Jackson State Tigers to Waco for a non-conference clash. Jackson State is a huge underdog heading into this contest, as the club has lost its last five outings and ow

<< Bruins place Bergeron on IR
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins have placed center Patrice Bergeron on injured reserve. Bergeron, who played in only 10 games with Boston last season after suffering a concussion in a contest against Philadelphia on Oct

<< Pistons shoot for 5th straight win vs. Nets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons will shoot for their fifth straight win this afternoon when they resume a three-game homestand versus the New Jersey Nets at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Detroit has won four in a row overall and opened

<< Raptors return home to face Nuggets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets will resume a four-game road trip Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Nuggets are 1-1 so far on the trek and had a two-game winning streak stopped after a 109-91 loss to the A

<< Magic aim to get back in win column vs. Bulls in Windy City
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic will close out a three-game road trip Wednesday afternoon against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Orlando had a seven-game winning streak come to an end following an 88-82 loss to the Detroit Pist

Buckeyes begin Big Ten play at home against Hawkeyes >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten play begins for the 24th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes and the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight, as they duel at Value City Arena in Columbus. The Buckeyes enter the tilt looking to rebound from their first loss of

Duke puts extended win streak on the line in Durham >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils get a three- game homestand started today, as they welcome the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds to Cameron Indoor Stadium for a non-conference affair. The Blue Devils, who have won 65

Spartans visit Gophers in clash of ranked Big Ten foes >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Michigan Spartans and the 21st-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers begin Big Ten Conference play this afternoon in Minneapolis. Michigan State has played quite well recently, as the squad has wo

Irish open Big East slate against Blue Demons >>
Rosemont, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish invade Allstate Arena tonight, as they tussle with the DePaul Blue Demons in the Big East opener for both teams. The Irish return from their lengthy break and are s

Top-ranked Tar Heels bring act to Reno for clash with Wolf Pack >>
Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nevada Wolf Pack have the privilege of hosting the nation's top-ranked team, as the North Carolina Tar Heels arrive in Reno for tonight's non-conference clash. North Carolina has won its first 12 games to open

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards