Old Dominion edges Notre Dame

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03/18/2010 - New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Keyon Carter made two crucial free throws with 9.6 seconds left in regulation, proving to be the difference as 11th- seeded Old Dominion knocked off sixth-seeded Notre Dame, 51-50, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Carter finished with 11 points, while Frank Hassell carried the load with 15 points and nine rebounds for the Monarchs (27-8), who sat for nine days after capturing the Colonial Athletic Association crown on March 8th.

Old Dominion, which captured its first tourney win since 1995, will move on in the South Region and face either Baylor or Sam Houston State on Saturday.

Ben Hansbrough posted 17 points and Carleton Scott ended with 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Fighting Irish (23-12), who shot 31.3 percent in the second half after leading by six at the break.

Following Carter's two free throws down the stretch, Scott missed a contested three-pointer from the left wing. After Hansbrough missed the putback, Luke Harangody's make at the buzzer was too little, too late for the Irish.

Harangody, who has been a shadow of his former self after suffering a knee injury late in the year, went 2-for-9 from the field for four points in the loss.

"We had some great looks over their zone that didn't go down," Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. "If you're going to win, you've got to knock down a couple and kind of get them out of that zone. We never really could do that, and it put a lot of pressure on us."

The closely played contest was a one- or two-possession game for much of the second half.

Hassell grabbed one of his four offensive rebounds and put in a layup while being fouled with 5:51 remaining in the game.

His free throw tied it at 43-all, and both teams went silent until Darius James drained a three with a little over two minutes left. Notre Dame, which missed four attempts from behind the arc with the score tied up, answered on the next trip down with Scott's make from the corner.

Gerald Lee's deep deuce with under 90 seconds to play broke the 46-46 score, and after another Harangody miss, Lee made 1-of-2 from the foul line with 56.2 seconds to go.

A long Notre Dame possession ended in a Tory Jackson missed three from six feet behind the arc, and James grabbed the rebound before missing the front end of a 1-and-1 with 29.6 showing.

Harangody's first basket, a cleanup of Scott's errant putback with 12.6 on the clock, made it a one-point game, leading to Carter's clutch free throws at the other end.

"We made some free throws when we needed to and got some stops," Old Dominion Head Coach Blaine Taylor said. "You know, [it was] St. Patrick's Day yesterday, and I guess we have a St. Old Dominion's day today."

At the midway point of the first half, Jackson capped a 10-0 Irish run with a three-pointer for a 15-6 cushion.

Notre Dame responded to seven straight Old Dominion points with an 8-2 spurt, and went into the locker room with a 28-22 lead.

Scott opened the second half with a jumper from the foul line, but Notre Dame went scoreless for the next six minutes. Ben Finney scored five quick points on the subsequent 9-0 Monarchs run, as Carter's make from the left elbow gave ODU a 31-30 lead.

Game Notes

Old Dominion improved to 3-9 all-time in the tourney. This is its first win since dropping Villanova in the first round in 1995...Notre Dame fell to 30-34 all-time in the tourney...Lee finished with nine points for ODU, which shot 41.7 percent for the game...Notre Dame made 35.6 percent from the field for the game and attempted just three free throws, making two...Jackson ended with five points on 2-of-11 shooting.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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