Alabama challenges Kentucky in SEC Tournament quarterfinals

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats begin play in the 2010 SEC Tournament with a quarterfinal-round matchup against the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The winner of this game will move on to Saturday's semifinals to collide with either Ole Miss or Tennessee.

Alabama is the fourth seed from the SEC's West Division, and it appeared that the program's stay in this tournament would be short-lived after falling behind South Carolina by 18 points in the second half of yesterday's first- round game. To the surprise of everyone, the Tide mounted a furious comeback and escaped with a 66-63 victory. Alabama has won this tournament six times, the second most in the league, but the last crown was captured way back in 1991. Still, the Tide is 58-43 in this event and 17-14 overall this season.

The Wildcats have won this event 25 times and own a 111-22 record in SEC Tournament games. Still, they haven't cut down the nets since 2004 and haven't reached the title game since 2005. Kentucky is a stellar 29-2 overall under first-year head coach John Calipari, and the team won 14 of its 16 games versus SEC opponents during the regular season. The 'Cats are the top seed from the loaded East Division of the SEC.

During the regular season, Kentucky won its only meeting with Alabama by a 66-55 final, and the Wildcats own a commanding 99-35 advantage in the all-time series.

Alabama is generating 68.5 ppg this season while allowing 64.5 ppg to opponents. The Crimson Tide rely heavily on the talented duo of Mikhail Torrance and JaMychal Green. Torrance leads the club with 15.5 ppg, and he has dished out an impressive total of 160 assists. As for Green, he checks in with 14.1 ppg and 7.0 rpg. Yesterday, Torrance scored 17 points to lead Alabama, while Justin Knox added 16 points and seven rebounds against South Carolina. Green posted 10 points and seven boards for the Tide, who overcame 39.3 percent shooting from the floor on the strength of a 21-14 edge in points from the foul line. In the second half, 'Bama managed to limit the Gamecocks to 36.5 percent shooting, impressive to say the least.

Kentucky leads the conference in many statistical categories, including scoring offense (79.9 ppg), scoring margin (+14.4 ppg), field goal percentage (.478), field goal percentage defense (.382), rebounding margin (+9.1 rpg) and assists (14.9 apg). Freshman sensation John Wall, who was recently named the SEC Player of the Year, is scoring 17.0 ppg to go along with a league-best 6.2 apg, and fellow rookie star DeMarcus Cousins, the SEC Freshman of the Year, checks in with 15.9 ppg, 10.1 rpg and 1.8 bpg. Don't forget about veteran Patrick Patterson and his 15.0 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Eric Bledsoe, a third standout freshman, rounds out the double-digit scorers with 10.4 ppg. Kentucky is holding opponents to 65.6 ppg on 38.3 percent shooting from the floor, so this is much more than an explosive offensive team. It is argued by many that Calipari possesses the most talented team in the nation, and it is hard to argue that point.

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Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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