2010 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/08/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jackson State has played in the last three Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament Championship games and the top- seeded Tigers have a strong chance to reach that point again in the 33rd- annual SWAC Tournament, starting on Wednesday.

Jackson State, which collected a 17-1 ledger in conference play this season, lost in the final game the last two seasons, but claimed its fifth title back in 2007. The second seed went to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, while the third seed was corralled by last season's SWAC tournament champion, Alabama State. The Golden Lions only finished 14-15 overall on the season, but in conference play the team was an impressive 14-4. As for the Hornets, they hoisted the SWAC trophy for the third time in their history last year, but this season might be a tough challenge for Alabama State, which finished with a 12-6 league ledger. Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern come into this event as the fourth and fifth seeds, respectively, after both posting an 11-7 mark against SWAC opponents. The final three seeds are rounded out by Alabama A&M (8-10), Mississippi Valley State (8-10) and Grambling State (4-14).

Quarterfinal action will begin Wednesday when the second-seeded Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions battle the seventh-seeded Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils. These two schools closed out the regular season against each other and the meeting was claimed by Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 84-68. The Golden Lions earned the second spot with a 14-4 league mark, and caught fire down the stretch, winning eight of the last nine matchups. As for the Delta Devils, they tallied only nine victories on the season, but eight of those wins came in league play. MVSU, which won its fourth SWAC title in 2008, closed its regular season with five losses in its last eight matchups.

The Tigers will be let out of the cage in the second quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday, as the top-seeded Tigers of Jackson State tangle with the eighth- seeded Tigers of Grambling State. Jackson State rolls into this event with a 13-game winning streak, and is the favor to not only win this matchup, but earn a spot in its fourth straight SWAC Tournament title games. The success for Jackson State clearly makes this an uphill battle for Grambling State, which finished just 4-14 in league play and comes into this contest with a seven-game slide. Jackson State won both meetings this season, but Grambling State was able to force overtime in the second matchup, which could give the team some type of confidence.

The other two quarterfinal matchups will take place on Thursday, beginning with a meeting between the sixth-seeded Alabama A&M Bulldogs and the third- seeded Alabama State Hornets. The Bulldogs fell into the sixth seed with an 8-10 record in conference play. Alabama A&M snapped a three-game slide in its regular-season finale, but claiming its second tournament title could be a tough task. As for the Hornets, they claimed their third SWAC Tournament title this past season with a victory over Jackson State. This season Alabama State finished 12-6 in conference play, but ended its regular season with a loss to Jackson State that snapped the team's six-game winning streak. In the two meetings between the schools this season, the Hornets were victories twice.

The final quarterfinal battle will pit the fifth-seeded Texas Southern Tigers against the fourth-seeded Prairie View A&M Panthers. The Panthers won their lone SWAC Tournament title back in 1998, and the team will have to be at its best if it plans on ending the drought. Prairie View A&M lost two of its last three regular-season games, but still finished with a respectable 11-7 mark in conference action. As for the Tigers, they also posted an 11-7 mark and roll into this event with a three-game winning streak. Texas Southern, which has won this championship four times, last reigned supreme in the SWAC back in 2003. Although these two teams both finished 11-7 in conference action, the Panthers defeated the Tigers twice during the regular season.

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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.

NFL Betting
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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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.