05/09/2008 - Vicksburg, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alcorn State named Larry Smith it's new men's basketball coach Thursday.
Smith lettered for four years at Alcorn State and was part of the undefeated 1979-80 team at the school before moving on to an accomplished NBA career that spanned 13 seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs.
"It feels good to come back home," Smith said. "My number one priority will be recruiting, because there are good players out there. We just have to find them."
A tireless rebounder, Smith received NBA All-Rookie First Team honors and became the first rookie since the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to finish among the top three rebounders in one season, when he averaged 12.1 boards per game.
As an assistant coach, Smith was a part of back-to-back championships with the Houston Rockets during the 1993-1994 and 1994-1995 seasons. He was also an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA.
The Braves finished with a 7-24 record this past season under Samuel West and did not qualify for the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament thanks to a 6-12 mark in league play.
<< Navarro's grand slam in 13th helps Rays push past Blue Jays
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dioner Navarro belted a grand slam as part of a
five-run 13th frame, leading Tampa Bay past Toronto, 8-3, in a lengthy extra-
inning affair at Rogers Centre.
A game going on at a brisk pace came to a streakin
<< Mackowiak, Nats tops Astros
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rob Mackowiak went 2-for-4 with a two-run
homer, and John Lannan tossed six strong innings, as Washington staved off a
sweep with an 8-3 win over Houston.
Lannan (3-3) gave up just one run on seven
<< Cabrera tosses complete game as O's crown Royals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Markakis homered and drove in three
runs, as Baltimore downed Kansas City, 4-1, at Kauffman Stadium.
Baltimore snapped a five-game skid on its 10-game road trip behind the right
arm of Daniel Ca
<< Treanor, Cantu power Fish past Brewers
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Treanor went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer,
and Jorge Cantu finished with a two-run shot, as the Florida Marlins beat
Milwaukee, 7-2, to sweep a three-game series with the Brewers.
Luis Gonzalez went 3
Sexson ejected after charging mound and throwing helmet >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle first baseman Richie Sexson was
ejected in the fourth inning of Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers.
With two outs in the inning, Keith Gabbard came up and in with a fastball that
caused
Rangers blank M's >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Vazquez finished 4-for-5 and Ian Kinsler
hit a two-run homer, as the Texas Rangers blanked the Seattle Mariners, 5-0,
in the finale of a four-game series from Safeco Field.
Kason Gabbard, activated f
Guillen talking himself out of a job >>
It may be too late for the White Sox to get a refund for the sensitivity training they were ordered to put manager Ozzie Guillen through two summers ago. The man seems more determined than ever to talk his way out of a job.``Those people are gonna m
Webb goes the distance to improve to 8-0 >>
Brandon Webb is talking with the Arizona Diamondbacks about a new contract and building his case for more cash at the same time.He became the first pitcher in three years to win his first eight starts, tossing his 13th career complete game to help A
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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