Kentucky's Orton, Bledsoe staying in NBA Draft

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

05/08/2010 -

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -Kentucky freshmen Eric Bledsoe and Daniel Orton are choosing to remain in the NBA Draft.

Orton and Bledsoe announced Saturday they will not return to school for their sophomore seasons. They'll join fellow underclassmen John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson in the draft.

Bledsoe averaged 11.9 points in the backcourt alongside Wall, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year.

Orton spent most of the season as a reserve center behind Cousins. He averaged 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds and was second on the team with 53 blocks.

They are projected to go in the mid-to-late first round. All NCAA underclassmen had until Saturday to return to school.

They helped Kentucky go 35-3 and win the SEC regular season and conference tournament titles.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wnorthernlight NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Rolling Rangers set sights on another win over Royals
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers take aim at a third straight win over the Kansas City Royals tonight, when the teams lock up in the third test of a four-game series at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. On Friday, C.J. Wilson gave up one ru

<< Braves' bats hope to break out in middle test with Phils
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Injuries to a number of key regulars have rendered the Atlanta Braves' offense punchless over the last few games, a trend the slumping club would like to end in this afternoon's divisional showdown with the National League Ea

<< Rockies' youngster to try to knock off improving Dodgers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers set their sights on a third consecutive victory when the reigning National League West champions host the Colorado Rockies tonight in the second test of a three-game series between 2009 postseason part

<< Angels attempt to pin eighth straight loss on Mariners
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The struggling Seattle Mariners will try to snap out of their rut tonight as they host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the middle bout of a three-game set at Safeco Field. After last night's 8-0 setback to the Angels,

<< Cards, Pirates set to continue series between Central foes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals hope to carry over the momentum from a late-inning victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday into tonight's clash between the National League Central teams from PNC Park. The division-leading Ca

Nationals promote Chico for Saturday start >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Nationals have recalled left-hander Matt Chico from Double-A Harrisburg for Saturday's start against the Florida Marlins. Chico went 1-2 with a 3.12 earned-run average in five start

Martinez Sanchez downs Jankovic for Rome crown >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unseeded Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez finished off her stellar run of tennis at the $2 million Italian Masters on Saturday, defeating Jelena Jankovic in a long straight-sets final. Martinez Sanche

Canada rolls by Italy in Worlds opener >>
Mannheim, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rene Bourque, Matt Duchene and Steven Stamkos each posted a goal and assist as Canada opened its 2010 World Championship slate with a 5-1 victory over Italy. Corey Perry and Kris Russell al

Golf Course Review - TPC San Antonio (Oaks & Canyons Courses) >>
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FACTS AND STATS: AT&T Oaks Course Architect: Greg Norman, with player consultant Sergio Garcia. Year Opened: January, 2010. Location: San Antonio, Texas. Slope: 148. Rating: 76.5. Par: 72. Yardage: 7,435.

Purdue's Johnson, Moore withdraw from NBA Draft >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Purdue juniors JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore have withdrawn their names from June's NBA Draft and will return for their senior seasons. "We're obviously happy to have two players of the caliber

Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional basketball lines can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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


MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse betting . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.