DePaul ready to make coach 1 of Big East's richest
CHICAGO (AP) -Hoping to restore a once-proud program, DePaul is prepared to make its next coach one of the richest in the Big East.
Athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said Tuesday that the next coach could have a salary that "would definitely be in the top half and it would be comparably close to the very top" in the conference. It was a big sign that the "little school under the el tracks," as legendary coach Ray Meyer called it, is ready to make a big push after getting knocked around the past few years.
Ponsetto said DePaul is looking at candidates that include current head coaches of "very successful programs." There have been no interviews because coaches the school wants to talk with are participating in the NCAA tournament.
"Somebody would have to leave something really good if we get any of our top several choices," Ponsetto said.
The Blue Demons just completed their third straight losing season, going 8-23 overall and 1-17 in Big East play after failing to win a regular-season conference game the previous year.
"We have a tremendous men's basketball tradition, so there's a history here of the program having been successful," Ponsetto said. "We know how to get into the NCAA tournament."
They've done it 22 times but not since 2004, when they made the second round under Dave Leitao. They've made the NIT twice since then.
Although they dropped their final 13 games this season, they were more competitive under interim coach Tracy Webster, who replaced the fired Jerry Wainwright in January following several blowout losses and will be considered for the job.
Along with what could be a big payday, the lure of leading a storied program in one of the toughest conferences with a fertile recruiting ground right outside the gym's doors is strong. DePaul has two NCAA Final Four appearances and an NIT championship.
It has a long list of star players, from the great George Mikan to Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings and Rod Strickland.
It has an on-campus practice facility with recently renovated locker rooms and refurbished men's basketball offices. It has chartered planes for Big East road games. And it has strong academics.
"DePaul absolutely has everything it needs to be successful," Ponsetto said.
One thing DePaul doesn't have: An on-campus arena.
The Blue Demons just completed their 30th season at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill., an 18,500-seat facility about 15 miles away from campus, near O'Hare International Airport. Games played on or near campus would figure to draw well in a densely populated and lively neighborhood that attracts a young crowd.
"DePaul is very much aware that a campus facility is something that a lot of people would like to see, but look around," Ponsetto said. "We're pretty landlocked, and it's not like anything locally in the neighborhood, right in our campus boundaries, is going to change in the very near future.
"It's on DePaul's radar to think about a facility going forward, but at this point in time, that's not what's been about whether or not we can be successful or not be successful."
Copyright 2010 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press.
NCAA Basketball Pick - #3 Kentucky Wildcats at LSU Tigers
No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats (21-1 SU, 10-10 ATS) at LSU Tigers (9-13 SU, 5-13 ATS)
Here are some NCAA Basketball Betting Trends which may impact this game:
Kentucky: 4-2 ATS on the road
Kentucky: 5-1 SU on the road
LSU: 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games
LSU: Total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 5 games
The Kentucky Wildcats enter this weekend's betting odds as one of the hottest teams in college basketball. If they play up to their potential, they should have no problem winning Saturday, when they take a trip to LSU.
For Kentucky, it has been a magical first season under head coach John Calipari, as this team has been ranked in the top five for most of 2010. They are led by two freshmen who have been nothing short of spectacular.
Kentucky vs LSU
Leading the way is the man that everyone knows in college basketball, point guard John Wall. Wall is one of the more polarizing figures in the sport right now, but is most definitely talented, averaging 16.9 points and close to seven assists per game.
But as good as Wall has been, it has been budding low post superstar DeMarcus Cousins who has been carrying the Wildcats lately. Cousins has scored 20 or more points in two of Kentucky's last three games, and has had a double-double five games in a row. Junior Patrick Patterson helps Cousins down low, while guard Eric Bledsoe brings athleticism on the wing. There is a reason the Wildcats average 82 points per game, they've simply got a bunch of really good players.
The same story cannot be said at LSU. A year after being at the top of the SEC standings, they've bottomed out, having lost all eight conference games they've played, and 11 of their last 12 overall.
The biggest problem for this team is that they simply don't have the depth to keep up in this conference. Tasmin Mitchell, Bo Spencer and Storm Warren, are all excellent players. But besides the Tigers ''Big Three'', no one on this roster is averaging more than four points per game. This problem has reared its ugly head of late, as LSU has not scored more than 55 points in any of their last three games, with an embarrassing 38 point performance at Alabama the lowlight of their season.
As we said in the beginning, if the Wildcats come out with any semblance of focus, they should comfortably win in the college basketball betting odds. That's a big if with such a young team though.
Either way, it's hard not to like Kentucky. Even in their worst game, they couldn't possibly lose this one, and if they play their best, look out, it could get ugly early.
Kentucky will lose another game or two in conference play. It's going to happen. Just not Saturday afternoon.
NCAA Basketball Pick: Kentucky by 21
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
College Basketball Betting - Big East Doubleheader
Four Big East ballclubs will take to the floor in two separate matchups tonight and avid college hoops bettors will have two excellent opportunities to cash in with some wise wagering.
Of course, this inside look at both matchups will go a long way toward helping college hoops gamblers cash in, so let's get started.
Seton Hall at South Florida
Pirates vs. Bulls (-2.5)
Seton Hall Pirates (12-6 SU, 4-8 ATS, 4-6-1 O/U)
South Florida Bulls (12-7 SU, 11-6-1 ATS, 8-5 O/U)
Key Head-to-Head NCAAB Betting Trends
Pirates are 6-0 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
Favorite is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
The Seton Hall Pirates have won two straight games, including a 64-61 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The Pirates narrowly failed to cash in for college basketball betting backers as a 3.5-point home favorite to fall to 1-2 ATS over its last three games and 2-7 ATS in its nine games overall.
The South Florida Bulls took out the Providence Friars 109-105 in overtime on Saturday to cash in as 6-point road underdogs and move to a perfect 3-0 ATS in its last three games and 5-4-1 ATS in its last 10 games overall.
Analysis: Seton Hall has won seven consecutive games over the Bulls, while covering the college basketball betting odds in six straight meetings.
I like the Seton Hall Pirates to cover the spread in this matchup by pushing the Bulls for -- and getting -- the outright road win.
The home team has gone a solid 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings between these two teams, but I like the Pirates and their 6-0 ATS mark against the Bulls tonight.
The Pirates looked really good in beating Louisville and Pittsburgh in its last two games and has performed a lot better against their Big East rivals this season than South Florida has.
Play the Pirates and the points.
College Basketball Picks: Seton Hall +2.5 Points
To Bet on College Basketball
St. John's at No. 17 Pittsburgh
Red Storm vs. Panthers (-8)
January 28, 7:00 PM ET
St. John's Red Storm (12-7 SU, 9-7 ATS, 3-10 O/U)
Pittsburgh Panthers (15-4 SU, 9-6-2 ATS, 7-6 O/U)
Key Head-to-Head NCAAB Betting Trends
Home team is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings.
Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Red Storm is 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Pittsburgh.
The St. John's Red Storm and the Pittsburgh Panthers have each dropped two straight games coming into tonight's matchup.
The Red Storm was spanked by the Villanova Wildcats 81-71 at Madison Square Garden Saturday but failed to cover the college basketball betting line as a 7-point home underdog but has gone a respectable 3-2 ATS over its last five games.
The Panthers were handed a close 64-61 loss to Seton Hall on Sunday but narrowly managed to cover the college basketball betting line as a 3.5-point road underdog to move to a blistering 5-1 ATS over the last six games.
Analysis: Pittsburgh has won three consecutive games over the Red Storm while covering the NCAAB college odds in each contest.
The Panthers have gone 5-0 SU in its last five home games against St. John's and 11-1 SU in its last 12 home games overall.
Pittsburgh is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games and 8-2 SU in its last 10 games while St. John's has gone just 4-6 SU over its last 10 games overall.
The Panthers average more points per game than the Red Storm and allow fewer points per contest than their counterparts as well.
I like Pittsburgh to cover the spread with a double-digit home win.
Eric's Expert Picks: Pittsburgh -8 Points
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
Pac-10 College Basketball - Washington at UCLA
NCAA Basketball Betting Odds
Washington Huskies (12-5 SU, 5-12 ATS) at UCLA Bruins (7-10 SU, 7-8 ATS)
BetUS NCAA Basketball Betting Odds: WASHINGTON -4
Here are some of the NCAA basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:
WASH has covered five of its last 18 games
WASH has won 18 of its last 25 games SU
WASH has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
WASH is 1-3-1 ATS in its last five road games
WASH has lost four of its last five road games SU
WASH has played 14 of its last 19 road games OVER the total
UCLA has won four of its last six home games SU
UCLA has played six of its last eight games OVER the total
Also....
WASH is 4-0-1 ATS in the last five meetings
WASH has won six of the last nine meetings SU
Six of the last nine meetings have gone UNDER the total
UCLA has won 13 of the last 14 meetings SU as the home team
Washington played one of its better games of the season on Saturday, scoring 50 points in the first half, forcing 23 turnovers and routing California in the NCAA basketball betting odds to the tune of 84-69. Couple that with a 33-point win over Stanford that took place two days before, and they got themselves on the right track after dropping consecutive decisions to Oregon, Arizona State and Arizona in what has become a rather crazy Pac-10 race early on.
While Washington Huskies sizzled, UCLA has fizzled in recent outings. After pulling a one-point upset of California on January 6, they have been beaten 70-59 by Stanford, despite shooting 55% from the field, and 67-46 by USC in a game were they made just a third of their shots.
That has been emblematic of the inconsistency with which the Bruins have played on offense. It has become increasingly evident that UCLA is not going to make the NCAA Tournament unless it puts on a mad rush in the remaining Pac-10 schedule. As a team that does not have a lot of offensive firepower to offer on the front line, and does not play defense the way most Ben Howland teams are used to (45% FG's allowed), this is likely not going to happen.
UCLA Bruins has played only once in the last twelve days, son there is obviously the danger of getting a little rusty. However, even though Washington has better personnel with the likes of point guard Isaiah Thomas (18.2 ppg) and forward Quincy Poindexter (20.3 ppg), it would not surprise us in the least to see Howland get a special effort out of his team, which lost by its biggest margin at home against the cross-town rival Trojans since 1965.
There is some history on their side. The home team has won seven straight meetings in this series, and UCLA has won 13 of the last 14 times these teams have played at the Pauley Pavilion.
We're going to take points at home with the UCLA Bruins, the four-point underdog in the BetUS NCAA basketball betting odds.
JAY'S PLAY: UCLA +4 ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
College Basketball Betting - Best Betting Games this Weekend
College Basketball Weekend Preview
College basketball betting has a busy board set for this Saturday. There are plenty of conference clashes to keep NCAA hoops fans glued to the TV and the sportsbook all day. Here's a look at two must-bet games:
Syracuse Orange at West Virginia Mountaineers
These Big East powers could end up facing each other in Madison Square Garden come March. The Orange avoided the letdown spot with a 81-65 win over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights as 13-point road favorites Wednesday. Syracuse's zone defense made life tough on the inside for the Knights, who were forced to rely on perimeter play. Rutgers took 31 3-point shots, hitting 11 of those attempts, while turning the ball over 21 times.
West Virginia must keep the Orange on their heels and use quick transition basketball to beat the zone down the floor. The Mountaineers have the bodies for it. Standout sophomore Kevin Ebanks looked like himself in a win over the South Florida Bulls on Wednesday. Ebanks scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds after laying a goose egg in the team's loss to Notre Dame last weekend. Ebanks will need to come up big against a hard-nosed Orange frontcourt of Rick Jackson, Wesley Johnson, and Arinze Onuaku.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at North Carolina Tar Heels
Chapel Hill is a sight for sore eyes following UNC's blowout loss to the Clemson Tigers Wednesday. The Tar Heels fell to 1-4 on the road this season, failing to cover the college basketball pointspreads in each of those games. Coach Roy Williams was stunned following the loss, pointing out that the frontcourt of Ed Davis and Deon Thompson (which many consider the best forward tandem in the country) had only one field goal between them in the first half and finished with a combined nine points and nine rebounds.
The Yellow Jackets are struggling to start ACC play. Georgia Tech was handed its third conference defeat in a 82-75 loss to the Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday. Coach Paul Hewitt stressed the importance of winning Wednesday's game - not only for his team but for his job security. The Jackets have a talented forward corps of their own with athletic Gani Lawal, Zach Peacock, and freshman Derrick Favors, but they have to limit the amount of fouls given. Georgia Tech was whistled for 19 fouls (worst in the ACC with 19.6 fouls per game) against Virginia, sending the Cavs to the line 26 times where they made 23 of those attempts.
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
College Basketball Betting - #5 Duke Blue Devils at #20 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
College Basketball Betting Trends:
The Week That Was: Duke
The Dukies established themselves as the team to beat in the ACC by thumping Clemson, 74-53, on Sunday, Jan. 3. Coach Mike Krzyzewski had to love what he saw in the first half. Duke throttled the Tigers with an overwhelming defensive display. Clemson hit only 5 of 30 field goal attempts in a 12-point first half that enabled the home team to cruise to a 30-12 lead and ultimately coast to the finish line. After Clemson dismantled Duke by 27 points last season (74-47), Coach K's ballclub gained a measure of revenge and fired a warning shot to the rest of the ACC.
Duke took that conference conquest and used it as motivational fuel for an intersectional encounter on Jan. 6 at Iowa State. The Blue Devils went into Ames, Iowa, and sacked the Cyclones, 86-65. Duke guards Jon Scheyer (31 points) and Nolan Smith (20 points) combined for 51 points on 17-of-29 shooting, as the ACC's best team controlled the flow of the game with its quickness and agility on the perimeter. Duke also went 19 of 21 from the foul line to quiet down the ISU fans who were hoping for an upset at Hilton Coliseum.
The Week That Was: Georgia Tech
For a team that figured to make the NCAA Tournament -- due to the arrival of highly-touted freshman Derrick Favors -- the Yellow Jackets are not living up to their advance billing. The past week showed why Georgia Tech has a very long way to go on the road to the field of 65.
Tech did topple the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday, Jan. 2. Coach Paul Hewitt's team did escape the Carolinas with a 76-67 win over an opponent from the Atlantic 10 Conference, but not before blowing a 15-point lead. Gani Lawal -- who scored 29 against Charlotte -- produced a key block and some clutch free throws down the stretch for Georgia Tech, but the performance was less than fully convincing.
The next game for this struggling ballclub showed that the Charlotte win was hardly a reason for sustained optimism.
The Georgia Bulldogs pulled off a 73-66 upset of a Georgia Tech squad that committed 20 turnovers. The Yellow Jackets were supposed to excel on the wings, but they've been outworked for much of this season. Something needs to change quickly if this team is to hear its name called on Selection Sunday.
Outlook & Pick
This isn't rocket science: Duke owns dynamite guards who pressure the ball and hound opponents relentlessly on defense. Georgia Tech's guards and wings aren't strong with the ball and commit a lot of turnovers. The Blue Devils should win this game handily.
College Basketball Pick: Duke
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
College Basketball Picks - Arizona Wildcats vs. USC Trojans
BetUS NCAA Basketball Sports Betting Odds: USC -8.5
Here are some of the trends as they relate to our NCAA college basketball picks:
ARIZ has lost five of its last eight games SU
ARIZ has covered one of its last seven games
ARIZ has played three of its last four games OVER the total
ARIZ has lost its last five road games SU
USC has won its last six games SU
USC has played five of its last eight games UNDER the total
USC has covered three of its last four games
USC has won eight of its last ten home games SU
USC has covered one of its last seven home games
When the season began, USC appeared to be a team in the midst of a major rebuilding phase. Tim Floyd had left the program, escaping under the cloud of a recruiting scandal that included many matters of investigation regarding the way in which OJ Mayo had come to campus. Demar DeRozan was a "one-and-done" and Taj Gibson had also left for the NBA. There were no scorers coming back aside from Dwight Lewis.
He's averaging over 12 points, but sophomore big man Nikola Vucevic has emerged to be force, with 13 points and almost ten rebounds, and junior North Carolina transfer Alex Stepheson has bulled his way for 8.7 rebounds and leads the team in blocked shots. If you were to include the Trojans in your college basketball picks, you'd be doing well of late.
You have to give Kevin O'Neill, the journeyman coach who took over in Floyd's wake, a lot of credit here for restoring order. USC began the season losing games to Loyola Marymount, Nebraska, Texas and Georgia Tech, but they have put together a six-game winning streak, which included a 22-point win over Tennessee, an eleven-point victory over a still-respectable St. Mary's squad, and another eleven-point win, this one over UNLV, which had been rated at one point this year.
USC is not much on hitting three-pointers (just 3.1 per game), and in fact haven't had more than three in any of the last five games. The Trojans are not big shooters from two-point range either (44.4% overall), but what they do that has made a difference is defend.
O'Neill has them allowing just 37.2% shooting, and that lends itself well to their style of slowing the pace. Finally, it doesn't hurt that point guard Mike Gerrity, the Charlotte transfer who is shooting 53% and scoring 14.8 points a game, is in the lineup now. He might be the missing ingredient.
This is a bit of a grudge match, as many in the USC program feel that Arizona stole a few of its freshman recruits, taking advantage of the confusion in the USC program. To add another angle, O'Neill was the coach at Arizona while Lute Olson took a leave of absence, then was let go unceremoniously after Olson came back. Look for USC to exhibit more defensive intensity than usual, as we lay the 8.5 points in our BetUS college basketball picks.
JAY'S PLAY: USC -8.5 ***
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
(c) 1994-2009 BetUS.com. All Rights Reserved.
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