Rebels and Aztecs seek MWC crown in Sin City

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shooting for their third championship in the last four years and the fourth overall, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels are into the title game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament today and will face the San Diego State Aztecs for the right to head to the NCAA Tournament.

Several bubbles burst around the nation on Friday as it became evident that the MWC would be sending no less than three programs to the NCAA Tournament, assuming the selection committee doesn't refuse admission to a pair of teams ranked in the top-15.

UNLV, the third seed in the 11th annual MWC Tournament and the host school for this year's event, gained access to the championship round on Friday night when it defeated the 14th-ranked and second-seeded BYU Cougars for the second time this season with a 70-66 triumph at the Thomas & Mack Center. The victory was the sixth in a row for UNLV, owners of a conference-record four tourney titles. The Rebels defeated sixth-seeded Utah in the quarterfinals by a score of 73-61.

As for the fourth-seeded Aztecs, it was assumed that they would be one of the last teams to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament based on their success this entire season, but now the squad can leave no doubt if it can take care of business in the desert today. Losers in last year's championship game to Utah by a score of 52-50, SDSU took care of eighth-ranked and top- seeded New Mexico on Friday with a 72-69 triumph. SDSU barely made it through the quarterfinals with a 72-71 win against Colorado State on Thursday.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Rebels own a 32-16 advantage over SDSU, even though it was the Aztecs who posted a 68-58 win in the most recent meeting four weeks ago at Viejas Arena when UNLV was ranked 23rd in the nation. This game also represents a rematch of the 2002 MWC Tournament title game when SDSU captured a 78-75 win over UNLV.

Billy White was the star of the show for the Aztecs in their win over New Mexico on Friday as he tallied a game-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, helping the program to shoot an impressive 51.9 percent from the floor. Even more impressive was the fact that the Aztecs hit on 10-of-16 shots beyond the arc and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line, considering the squad is one of the worst in the nation at the charity stripe. Kawhi Leonard, one of the top newcomers to the league this year, accounted for 15 points and 12 rebounds. Leonard remains the top scorer on the season for the squad with his 12.7 ppg. White is putting up 11.3 ppg for the group this season. As balanced a scoring attack as any school in the MWC, San Diego State has two other double-digit scorers in Malcolm Thomas (11.1 ppg) and D.J. Gay (10.3 ppg) as the group outscores opponents by nearly nine points per outing.

Leading by as many as 11 points in the second half yesterday, the Rebels nearly saw their chances of making it to the next round go up in smoke as that advantage dwindled to just a single point before the squad pulled out the unexpected win. Tre'Von Willis, who made a number of crucial free throws down the stretch for the hometown favorites, finished a perfect 6-of-6 at the stripe for his 18 points, while Chace Stanback tacked on 17 and Brice Massamba another 13 points and six rebounds off the bench for the victors. The defense allowed all-conference star Jimmer Fredette to come up with 30 points, but for the most part the rest of the Cougars were shut down. Willis has been the go- to guy on offense for the Rebels all season with his team-leading 17.5 ppg, thanks in large part to his 159-of-186 shooting at the free-throw line, helping the Rebels to make good on 72 percent at the stripe in 2009-10. Stanback is putting up 10.8 ppg and clearing a team-high 5.8 rpg, while it is the responsibility of Oscar Bellfield (9.1 ppg, 152 assists) to get the ball into the hands of the right people at the right time.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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