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02/19/2009 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ninth-ranked Duke Blue Devils will take a break from ACC action this evening, to take on the St. John's Red Storm in non-conference play from Madison Square Garden in the 2009 Aeropostale Classic.
Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils need a respite from their ACC grind, as they come into this contest having lost two straight games to rival North Carolina and Boston College, putting themselves in a precarious situation heading down the home stretch. With the most recent loss to the Eagles, Duke is now two games back in the loss column and tied with three other teams with a 7-4 league mark.
Norm Roberts' Red Storm have never been in the hunt in the Big East this season and enter this contest with a four-game slide,, the last of which was a 73-59 setback at nationally-ranked Marquette. With the loss to the Golden Eagles, St. John's has fallen to a mere 3-10 in the Big East.
This is the 11th straight season that these two teams have met. Duke has a 12-5 edge in the series all-time and has won five straight meetings and 12 of the last 14 overall.
It was a nip-and-tuck game all the way through, but in the end, the Blue Devils were unable to get up on the Eagles and finally succumbed by six points in Chestnut Hill. Sophomore Kyle Singler did his best to lead the team to victory, posting 25 points, on 8-of-17 shooting. Gerald Henderson poured in 20 points in support, while Lance Thomas chipped in with 12. However, Duke really struggled from long range (3-of-16), compared to BC (8-of-18). The Blue Devils have been much more efficient on the year, boasting of a +15.0 scoring margin. The team is netting 78.4 ppg, while limiting the opposition to just 63.4. Singler is regarded as one of the most versatile players in the country and currently leads Duke in scoring (16.4 ppg), rebounding (8.1 rpg) and steals (42). Henderson is another premier scorer at 15.4 ppg, followed by Jon Scheyer, who nets 13.1 ppg. All three have good range, combining for 111 of the team's 169 three-pointers to date.
The Red Storm shot the ball fairly well, converting 44.9 percent from the floor, but shot themselves in the foot, with 24 costly turnovers that turned into 24 points for the Golden Eagles. It also didn't help that Marquette was able to shoot over 50 percent from the floor and dominate St. John's in the paint, outscoring the Red Storm down low, 34-18. The loss spoiled a superb performance by guard Paris Horne, who finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists. No other player notched double-digits in the loss, although D.J. Kennedy just missed a double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds. The team, which is averaging 66.8 ppg and allowing the same, relies heavily on Horne and Kennedy. Horne is shooting .479 from the field and paces the team with 15.0 ppg. Kennedy adds 12.6 ppg and is the top rebounder at 6.8 caroms per game.
<< Bucs re-sign DT Sims
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed defensive
tackle Ryan Sims, the team announced Thursday. Terms of the deal were not
released.
Sims appeared in 15 games last season, starting two, and recorded 27 tackles
<< Derksen's 64 leads Johnnie Walker Classic
Perth, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands
fired an eight-under 64 on Thursday to take a one-shot lead after the first
round of the Johnnie Walker Classic.
Australia's Tony Carolan and Singapore's Ma
<< Name of A-Rod's cousin who supplied steroids revealed
Bristol, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The cousin to whom New York Yankees third
baseman Alex Rodriguez referred Tuesday as the supplier of performance-
enhancing drugs to the perennial All-Star has been revealed as Miami resident
Yuri Su
<< Marsh and Dennis sign contract extensions
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The British Columbia Lions announced
Wednesday that defensive backs Dante Marsh and Jerome Dennis have signed
contract extensions with the team.
Marsh, who will be entering his sixth season w
Bombers acquire Johnson from Argonauts >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers acquired
defensive end Riall Johnson from the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday.
The Blue Bombers sent linebacker Zeke Moreno and a conditional pick in the
2009 draft to T
'Canes hope to break out of slump versus Islanders >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to break out of a slump, the Carolina Hurricanes
will take on the NHL's worst team this season as they visit the New York
Islanders for tonight's meeting at Nassau Coliseum.
The Hurricanes have lost three of their l
Biron, Flyers welcome Sabres to City of Brotherly Love >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers will aim for their fifth win in six
games when they welcome the Buffalo Sabres for this evening's battle at the
Wachovia Center.
In addition to winning four of their last five games, Philadelphia is
Pens try again to give Bylsma first victory vs. struggling Habs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins will try again to get their first
win under interim head coach Dan Bylsma when they host the struggling Montreal
Canadiens tonight at Mellon Arena.
The Penguins fired head coach Michel Therrien one
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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