No. 1 Louisville to try and avoid upset at hands of Siena

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/22/2009 - Dayton, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Midwest Regional was full of upsets on the first day and the top-seeded Louisville Cardinals will try to avoid one themselves against the ninth-seeded Siena Saints in second-round play at UD Arena this evening. The survivor of this battle will move on to the Sweet 16 against either Arizona or Cleveland State next week.

There were five upsets in the Midwest Regional alone in the first round and Siena accounted for one of them, as they pulled off a dramatic 74-72 double- overtime win against eighth-seeded Ohio State on Friday. While it was a lower seed beating a higher one, it wasn't exactly a shocking result, as the Saints are a talented group that even trounced fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in the first round of this event last year. Winners of five straight, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season and tourney champions have now matched the program record for victories in a season with 27.

As for Louisville, it swept both the Big East Tournament and regular season titles on its way to the No.1 overall seed in this event. The Cardinals got their run started on Friday with an expected, 74-54 victory over 16th-seeded Morehead State. It was the 11th straight victory for red-hot Louisville, which is now one win away from reaching the Sweet 16 for the 17th time in school history.

The Cardinals and Saints have met just one time previously on the hardwood, with Siena capturing a 78-71 victory all the way back in 1953.

Ronald Moore hit a three-pointer with three seconds left in the first overtime to keep the Saints' season alive and he made an identical three-point bucket with 3.9 seconds remaining in the second overtime to lift Siena over Ohio State in a thriller on Friday. It was a gritty performance by the Saints, who shot just 33.3 percent from the floor, including only 6-of-24 from downtown. Siena made up for some of those shooting woes by dominating the boards, 53-37, and that takes into account a sizeable 23-9 advantage on the offensive glass. All five starters reached double figures for the Saints, with Edwin Ubiles and his 20 points leading the way. Ryan Rossiter notched a double-double with 16 points and 15 boards, and Kenny Hasbrouck tallied 12 points and nine boards. Moore finished with 11 points and six assists, while Alex Franklin recorded a double-double of his own with 10 points and 13 rebounds. On the season, Ubiles tops the roster in scoring at 14.8 ppg and Hasbrouck his hot on his trail with 14.7 ppg. Franklin contributes 13.5 ppg and 7.5 rpg, and Rossiter adds 10.2 ppg and a team-best 8.0 rpg to the mix.

After leading just 35-33 at the half, the Cardinals opened the second stanza with a 22-6 run to seize control and coast to the 74-54 win over Morehead State on Friday. Louisville shot a sizzling 58.0 percent from the floor and made good on 10-of-24 attempts from long distance. Freshman Samardo Samuels paced the team with 15 points and seven boards, while Terrance Williams had 13 points and nine rebounds. Earl Clark posted 12 points and five boards and he leads the team in both of those departments with 14.0 ppg and 8.7 rpg on the season. Williams ranks second to him with 12.4 ppg and 8.5 rpg, but he tops the club with 5.0 apg and 82 steals. Samuels checks in with 12.0 ppg and 4.7 rpg for the Cardinals, who are limiting teams to just 61.4 ppg on the season.

Sportsook NCAA Basketball Betting News

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The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

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Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

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Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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