Top-25 battle pits Tar Heels against Wildcats

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/27/2007 - Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A rare non-conference treat late in the season takes place in the desert this afternoon, as the fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels come calling on the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats in Tucson.

The Tar Heels have won three straight games and improved to 5-1 in ACC play with Wednesday's 88-60 rout of Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. Roy Williams' squad has lost just twice this season, falling to Gonzaga in late November and then again at Virginia Tech on January 13th.

The Wildcats on the other hand struggled in recent weeks, dropping three consecutive tilts before responding in a big way against rival Arizona State on Wednesday, 71-47. The lopsided win moved Lute Olson's team to 14-5 overall, but only 5-4 in Pac-10 play.

This is the seventh all-time meeting between these two prolific programs, with the series all knotted up at three games apiece. Last season North Carolina posted an 86-69 win in Chapel Hill, the first meeting in this series that did not occur at a neutral site.

The Tar Heels are an extremely young team, but the scary thing is, it hasn't mattered in 2006-07, as the team ranks second in the nation in scoring (87.6 ppg), getting it done on 50.4 percent shooting. Four of the top five scorers are either freshman or sophomores, so the future is certainly bright in Chapel Hill. All-American Tyler Hansbrough has definitely not suffered a sophomore slump, as he leads the team in both scoring (18.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg). He is followed in both categories by one of the nation's premier newcomers in freshman Brandan Wright (15.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg). The 6-9 phenom is shooting a ridiculous .646 from the floor and leads the team with 34 blocked shots. Other freshmen of note include guard Wayne Ellington (12.4 ppg, .404 from three-point range) and Ty Lawson (9.0 ppg, team-high 101 assists). In the rout of Wake Forest, Ellington led five Tar Heels in double figures with 18 points. Lawson poured in 15 points, Hansbrough just missed a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Wright and Danny Green chipped in 12 points apiece.

Arizona has the personnel to win a shootout with any team in the nation and that includes the explosive Tar Heels. The Wildcats are converting just about half of their shots thus far (.499), resulting in a healthy scoring average of 83.4 ppg. All five starters are averaging double figures, but the strength lies in the frontcourt, with a trio of athletic forwards. Marcus Williams leads the team with 18.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per. He is followed closely by Ivan Radenovic (16.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Chase Budinger (15.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg). The backcourt is no slouch either, with guards Mustafa Shakur (14.2 ppg, 7.6 apg) and Jawann McClellan (11.7 ppg) making their presence felt. Despite not having Williams in the lineup last time out (one-game suspension), Arizona was able to make light work of the Sun Devils. The team shot 50 percent from the floor overall, as four of the team's five starters notched double digits. Budinger led the charge with a huge double-double, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds. McClellan added 14 points, followed by Jordan Hill, who filled in admirably for Williams, netting 12 points and grabbing nine boards. Radenovic finished things off with 11 points.

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Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back

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Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .

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Will Ohio State continue to run the table in College Football betting odds?
MySportsbook.com favors Buckeyes, Fighting Irish and Golden Bears in this weekend's big games.

NEW YORK, NY, Sept. 21 - My Sportsbook NCAA football fans: things are beginning to get really interesting on college football's national stage. Following last weekend's "Separation Saturday", which included five teams ranked in the top 15 dropping games, the BCS Championship picture is beginning to take shape - with Ohio State leading the charge. And, according to odds makers at MySportsbook.com, the number-one-ranked Buckeyes will continue their winning ways this weekend.

Revenge will be the name of the game in Columbus this Saturday, as Ohio State looks to even the score following last season's loss to Joe Paterno's Nittany Lions. Although Penn State are listed as 16.5 point underdogs, they are 11-10 all-time versus the Buckeyes. Paterno and the Lions, however, will have to shut down Heisman Trophy favorite Troy Smith who has thrown for 769 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

Speaking of revenge, Notre Dame will be out for some against Michigan State, following last year's 44 - 41 overtime loss to the Spartans in South Bend. The thirteenth-ranked Irish, listed as a 3-point favorite, will also be looking to avenge last Saturday's thrashing from the Michigan Wolverines. The Spartans, meanwhile, have won seven of the last nine match-ups against Notre Dame and are coming off an impressive 38-23 victory over Pittsburgh.

Out west, 22nd-ranked Arizona State will be battling for their first victory over 21st-ranked California since 2000. Although the Golden Bears are listed as 7.5-point favorites, the Sun Devils are 3-0, lead the nation in sacks with 18 and possess the Pac-10's leading passer in sophomore quarterback Rudy Carpenter.

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NCAA Football betting lines (home team in CAPS)
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Date Favorite Opponent Point Spread
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Sept 21 GEORGIA TECH Virginia 17
Sept 22 NEVADA Northwestern 6.5
Sept 23 MICHIGAN Wisconsin 14
Sept 23 Minnesota PURDUE 3
Sept 23 SYRACUSE Miami (Ohio) 6.5
Sept 23 MISSOURI Ohio 21.5
Sept 23 Louisville KANSAS STATE 14
Sept 23 TENNESSEE Marshall 22
Sept 23 CLEMSON North Carolina 16.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA Kentucky 24
Sept 23 Iowa ILLINOIS 20.5
Sept 23 FLORIDA STATE Rice 30.5
Sept 23 AUBURN Buffalo 41.5
Sept 23 BOWLING GREEN Kent 7
Sept 23 NAVY Tulsa 4.5
Sept 23 VIRGINIA TECH Cincinnati 27
Sept 23 BYU Utah State 29
Sept 23 OHIO STATE Penn State 16.5
Sept 23 TEXAS Iowa State 25
Sept 23 Washington State STANFORD 10
Sept 23 CALIFORNIA Arizona State 7.5
Sept 23 UCLA WASHINGTON 3
Sept 23 INDIANA Connecticut 1.5
Sept 23 Central Michigan EASTERN MICHIGAN 4
Sept 23 WYOMING Air Force 1
Sept 23 UTEP NEW MEXICO 9.5
Sept 23 West Virginia EAST CAROLINA 21
Sept 23 Boston College NORTH CAROLINA STATE 7
Sept 23 GEORGIA Colorado 27
Sept 23 ARKANSAS Alabama 1.5
Sept 23 BAYLOR Army 11
Sept 23 WESTERN MICHIGAN Temple 28
Sept 23 MISSISSIPPI Wake Forest 2.5
Sept 23 KANSAS South Florida 5.5
Sept 23 TEXAS A&amp;M Louisiana Tech 23.5
Sept 23 UAB Mississippi State 9.5
Sept 23 LSU Tulane 36
Sept 23 Utah SAN DIEGO STATE 6.5
Sept 23 BOISE STATE Hawaii 15
Sept 23 Notre Dame MICHIGAN STATE 3
Sept 23 USC ARIZONA U 22
Sept 23 Oklahoma State HOUSTON 1
Sept 23 OREGON STATE Idaho 23
Sept 23 OKLAHOMA Middle Tennessee State 29
Sept 23 MARYLAND Florida International 18.5
Sept 23 AKRON North Texas 17.5
Sept 23 SOUTH CAROLINA Florida Atlantic 29.5
Sept 23 NEBRASKA Troy 23
Sept 23 SMU Arkansas State 6

For complete NCAA football odds and World Series odds please visit MySportsbook.com