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Struggling Wildcats seek turnaround in Queen CityNCAA Basketball Betting Lines03/02/2010 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ninth-ranked Villanova Wildcats will try to get things straightened out tonight, as they take on the desperate Cincinnati Bearcats in Big East play at Fifth Third Arena. In one of the most anticipated matchups of the season, the Wildcats came up short, 95-77, at newly top-ranked Syracuse on Saturday. The game was virtually for the Big East title, as Villanova is now 12-4 and two games back of the Orange with only two contests remaining. Losers of three of its last four games, Villanova has stumbled a bit of late and could use a win tonight to regain some confidence. Cincinnati meanwhile, is in major need of a win tonight and a strong finish if it hopes to catch the eye of the NCAA Tournament committee. The Bearcats have several quality wins to their credit, but have won just twice in their last seven games. On Saturday, the team was handed a 74-68 setback at nationally- ranked West Virginia to fall to just 7-9 in the Big East. This is just the sixth all-time meeting between Villanova and Cincinnati, with the Wildcats holding a 4-1 advantage in the series. The Wildcats jumped out to an early 20-12 lead on Saturday and it was all downhill from that point. Villanova had trouble competing with the Syracuse big men, as the Wildcats allowed 42 points in the paint and were outrebounded 23-15 on the offensive glass. Scottie Reynolds paced the team in defeat with 16 points and three assists, while Corey Fisher had 14 points and six helpers. On the season, Reynolds tops the roster in scoring (18.9 ppg) and steals (46), to go along with 3.3 apg. Fisher tacks on 13.8 ppg and a team-best 4.1 apg for the Wildcats, while Antonio Pena adds 11.1 ppg and a team-high 7.5 rpg to the mix. The Bearcats went more than nine minutes without a field goal at one point in the second half, as they watched a 13-point advantage evaporate into a 74-68 loss at West Virginia on Saturday. Cincinnati shot a horrific 29.0 percent from the floor, including just 2-of-11 from downtown in the second half after hitting on 50.0 percent from the field and 7-of-10 from long distance in the first 20 minutes. Deonta Vaughn turned in 15 points and five assists to guide the Bearcats, while Lance Stephenson posted 14 points and nine rebounds. Stephenson currently paces the team in the scoring department at 11.6 ppg and he also brings in 5.2 rpg. Vaughn puts forth 11.3 ppg and a team-best 3.5 apg, and Yancy Gates contributes 10.6 ppg and a team-high 6.1 rpg.
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Huntington, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a chance to claim the outright title in the Conference-USA on the line, the 24th-ranked Texas-El Paso Miners will tangle with the Marshall Thundering Herd at the Cam Henderson Center. The Miners current
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Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana Should be in: Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it? Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel. Work left to do: Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third. Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim. Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either. Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim. For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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