03/21/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers still have an outside chance at a playoff spot, and will wrap up a three-game homestand tonight versus the Minnesota Timberwolves at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Indiana sits two games off the eighth and final postseason berth in the Eastern Conference, and is 2-0 so far on the homestand. The Pacers improved to 15-18 at home with Wednesday's 102-95 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats, as Flip Murray scored 22 points and Troy Murphy added 18 and 13 rebounds.
Shawne Williams finished with 16 points off the bench, while Marquis Daniels contributed 13 points and four boards for Indiana, which has won four straight at Conseco Fieldhouse. On the injury front for the Pacers, forward Danny Granger (wrist) is questionable for Friday's game.
Minnesota will shoot for a season-high three straight wins on Friday against the Pacers. The Timberwolves made it two straight victories after a 98-94 triumph over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday in the finale of a two-game homestand at the Target Center.
Al Jefferson had 29 points and 13 rebounds to lead the way. Rashad McCants added 19 points and Ryan Gomes 14 for the Timberwolves, who have won three of their last four games. Randy Foye had 12 points and 10 boards in a winning effort.
The T'Wolves recorded a 131-118 win over Indiana on December 21 at the Target Center, and have won three straight and four of the last five meetings.
Minnesota has dropped four of five and 11 of its last 13 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
<< Caps hope to rebound in Atlanta
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington's current road trip features several favorable
matchups. However, the Capitals' offense failed itself last time out and the
club will try to rebound tonight in a test with the Atlanta Thrashers at
Philips Arena in
<< Sixers try to stay hot in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surging Philadelphia 76ers will take their momentum
to the road tonight, when they pay a visit to the Orlando Magic at Amway
Arena.
The Sixers have been the hottest team in the Eastern Conference as of late,
having
<< Atletico travel to Sevilla for top-five showdown
Seville, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The race for the final Champions League spot
from La Liga is heating up and Saturday's contest between fourth-place
Atletico Madrid and fifth-place Sevilla at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
represe
<< Rangers getting healthy ahead of Hibernian clash
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rangers has been the hottest team in
the Scottish Premier League for months, and they got some good news on Friday
when it was determined that captain Barry Ferguson, defender Davie Weir and
striker
Gaels battle 'Canes in first round of NCAA Tournament >>
Little Rock, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first round of the 70th annual NCAA
Tournament continues this afternoon in Little Rock, as the Miami-Florida
Hurricanes tangle with the Gaels of Saint Mary's-CA at Alltel Arena.
Miami opened the 2007-08
Govs and 'Horns mix it up in NCAA Tournament first-round action >>
Little Rock, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Making their 10th straight NCAA Tournament
appearance, the Texas Longhorns go after the Austin Peay Governors in first-
round action in the South Region at Alltel Arena in Little Rock this
afternoon.
An im
Mavericks face long odds in first-round bout with top-seeded Tigers >>
Little Rock, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Mavericks of Texas-Arlington make their
first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, but the team is rewarded with a first-
round bout against the Memphis Tigers at Alltel Arena in Little Rock.
Winners of th
American huge underdog in first-round game against Tennessee >>
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what appears to be a lopsided matchup in
the East Region of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the second-seeded Tennessee
Volunteers will battle the American University Eagles in the first round.
Awaiting the winner
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The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smith and Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running back Deuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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