IUPUI and Oakland collide for Summit League title

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - Sioux Falls, SD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The IUPUI Jaguars and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies will battle tonight in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament. The prize for the winner is an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

IUPUI, the tournament's second seed, beat seventh-seeded Western Illinois in the quarterfinal round and third-seeded Oral Roberts by a 69-65 final in yesterday's semifinals. The Jaguars are now riding a six-game win streak, and their only previous league title came back in 2003. They have lost in the championship game twice since capturing the crown.

Top-seeded Oakland knocked off eighth-seeded UMKC on Saturday before besting fifth-seeded IPFW, 71-58, yesterday. The Golden Grizzlies won their only conference crown in 2005, and they have also lost two championship games since tasting victory. Last season, they dropped a heart-breaking 66-64 decision to North Dakota State in the final. Oakland is riding a 10-game win streak, even more impressive than IUPUI's current run.

IUPUI and Oakland split a pair of meetings during the regular season, and the Golden Grizzlies own a 19-14 advantage in the all-time series.

There is a tremendous trio of players on the IUPUI roster, and Robert Glenn leads the group with 19.6 ppg behind 58.9 percent shooting from the floor. In addition to his scoring ability, Glenn leads the team with 6.4 rpg and 45 blocks. Alex Young checks in with 18.4 ppg, and Leroy Nobles provides 13.3 ppg on the strength of his 43.6 percent shooting from three-point range. The Jaguars are scoring 75.0 ppg while allowing 67.0 ppg to opponents. In the four-point win over Oral Roberts yesterday, Glenn tallied 18 points, Nobles scored 17 and Young added 16, as all three players performed well under pressure. IUPUI connected on 56.3 percent of its field goal attempts, the most obvious key to victory.

There are four double-digit scorers in the fold for Oakland, but center Keith Benson is clearly the best player on the roster. Benson is scoring 17.3 ppg on 54 percent shooting from the floor, and he is ripping down 10.3 rpg to go along with a block total of 110. Johnathon Jones provides 12.7 ppg for the Golden Grizzlies, and he has handed out a stellar total of 212 assists to complement his 60 steals. Derrick Nelson (11.7 ppg) and Larry Wright (11.0 ppg) round out the group for Oakland, which is posting 76.8 ppg while holding foes to 71.2 ppg. Blake Cushingberry came through with a huge performance for the Golden Grizzlies against IPFW, as the starting guard finished with 23 points. Benson posted 17 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks in that tilt, and Oakland held the Mastodons to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.