Mountaineers and Bearcats collide in quarterfinal action

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-seeded and seventh-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers begin their march towards a Big East Tournament title tonight, as they face off against the 11th-seeded Cincinnati Bearcats in the quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden. The team that comes out on top will move to the semifinals against Notre Dame or Pittsburgh.

The Mountaineers won a school-record 13 Big East games this season, including a triumph over Villanova in their finale to help secure a second-place finish. WVU was one of three teams to finish in second and after the tie-breakers, the program earned the third seed and a double-bye for this tourney. The Mountaineers have posted eight victories in their last 13 Big East Tournament games, reaching the semifinals in each of the past two events.

As for the Bearcats, they had been 0-3 in the Big East Tournament prior to this season and didn't appear as if they would make any noise after losing their last three games of the regular campaign. Cincinnati though, showed its resiliency by nipping 14th-seeded Rutgers, 69-68, in the first round before knocking off the defending champions and sixth-seeded Louisville, 69-66, last night. The Bearcats, who are the only team to win two games in this year's event so far, have enough quality wins that just reaching the finals of the tourney could land them a spot in the Big Dance.

Cincinnati leads the all-time series with WVU, 10-7, but the Mountaineers took a 74-68 decision back on February 27th.

The Bearcats' Deonta Vaughn hit two free throws with 5.9 seconds remaining before coming up with a game-saving strip in the closing moments of a 69-66 upset of Louisville last night. Vaughn finished the night with 10 points and two steals for the Cincinnati, which dominated the boards, 54-33, for the second night in a row. Yancy Gates led the way with 16 points, and Lance Stephenson tacked on 12 points and three steals. Stephenson, the Big East Freshman of the Year, made the game-winning free-throw in the first round win over Rutgers and he paces the squad with 12.0 ppg for the season. Vaughn adds 11.1 ppg and a team-high 3.4 apg, while Gates puts forth 10.7 ppg and 6.0 rpg.

The Mountaineers are a sound group, and they are outscoring opponents by 9.9 ppg and outrebounding them by 6.6 rpg. Da'Sean Butler tops the roster in scoring at 17.2 ppg and the first-team All-Big East selection also turns in 6.3 rpg and 3.3 apg. Kevin Jones ranks second on the team with 13.5 ppg and 7.4 rpg, while Devin Ebanks adds 12.4 ppg. Ebanks, a third-team all-conference pick, also rips down 8.3 rpg to pace WVU in that department. Darryl Bryan is another option and he checks in with 10.6 ppg and 3.3 apg.

Lottovalls NCAA Basketball Betting News

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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