West Virginia survives again to reach Big East final

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Da'Sean Butler scored 24 points and hauled in six rebounds, and the seventh-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers survived yet again with a 53-51 win over Notre Dame to advance to the Big East Tournament title game.

Kevin Jones added 10 points for the third-seeded Mountaineers (26-6), who are riding a five-game win streak heading into Saturday's final against 22nd- ranked and eighth-seeded Georgetown. WVU has been able to win several close games in a row, as the combined winning margin in its last three contests is just seven. The team beat Villanova by two in overtime to end the regular season before Butler banked a game-winning three at the buzzer in Thursday's thrilling win over Cincinnati.

Devin Ebanks and Joe Mazzulla both posted eight points for West Virginia, which is 7-0 this season at a neutral site and will have an opportunity to capture its first Big East Tournament title in school history.

Ben Hansbrough, brother of former Tar Heel Tyler, led a late Notre Dame (23-11) charge and had a team-high 17 points in all, but the Irish failed in their attempt to advance to their first tourney final since joining the Big East in the mid-1990s. Luke Harangody came off the bench and ended with 10 points but did not have a large impact on the outcome.

Notre Dame's season-high six-game win streak came to an end after Tory Jackson's potential game-winning three in the final moments hit the front of the rim.

The Irish trailed by 10, 41-31, with eight minutes to play, but seventh-seeded Notre Dame put together a rally.

Harangody went a combined 5-for-5 from the line on the team's next two offensive possessions, and Hansbrough sank consecutive three-pointers around the four-minute mark to pull the Irish to within 48-45.

Jackson's pair from the line made it a one-point game moments later, but Jones capped two straight successful WVU possessions with two free throws for a 52-47 Mountaineer lead with two minutes to play.

Hansbrough kept Notre Dame within two, 53-51, with 47.4 ticks left on a pair from the line, and Butler missed what would have been a game-sealing three- pointer.

Harangody grabbed the rebound with 12 seconds left and, as Notre Dame was without any timeouts, sprinted up the court and dished it to Jackson, whose three-point attempt grazed the front rim. The Irish's Tyrone Nash grabbed the offensive board but had the ball stripped before he could get a shot off, and time expired to give WVU the win.

A low-scoring first half saw the Mountaineers come away with a 23-20 lead after a Hansbrough three-pointer was disallowed at the buzzer.

West Virginia increased its lead to six, 29-23, on a pair of Jones baskets in the early moments of the second half, and the Mountaineers later scored nine of 12 points to grab a 41-31 edge with just under 10 minutes to go.

Game Notes

Notre Dame advanced to Friday's semifinal by beating Seton Hall on Wednesday and Pittsburgh on Thursday...The Irish still lead the all-time series, 25-11, and had beaten the Mountaineers on the road during the regular season...WVU was the lone team out of the four that earned a double-bye to post a win in the tourney...The Mountaineers outrebounded Notre Dame, 32-19...WVU shot 50 percent from the field, compared to just 34.1 percent for the Irish...The Mountaineers advanced to the final for the first time since 2005.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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