23rd-ranked Minnesota hosts High Point

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

12/28/2008 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers are off to their best start in over three decades, and they will put that fast start on the line this evening, as they play host to the High Point Panthers in non-conference action from Williams Arena.

The Panthers have been idle since December 19th when they dropped a 64-61 decision to Youngstown State. That loss was the second in a row and third in the last four outings for High Point, which is 4-7 overall, including 0-2 in Big South Conference action.

As for Minnesota, it will begin the Big Ten portion of the schedule after tonight's clash. The Golden Gophers are a perfect 11-0, their best start since the 1976-77 campaign. Tubby Smith has turned the program around, although critics will point out that the schedule thus far has been awfully soft and 10 of the wins have come at home. Smith's team was most recently in action on Tuesday when it defeated Southeastern Louisiana by an 80-71 final.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Minnesota and High Point on the hardwood.

It is a bit surprising that High Point is three games under .500 thus far, as the squad has outscored and outrebounded its opponents on average. The Panthers have played stellar defense, limiting foes to 62.5 ppg on 39.8 percent shooting from the floor. Unfortunately, they have turned the ball over too much and are shooting 57.3 percent from the foul line. The leading scorer for High Point is Eugene Harris, as he is posting 13.5 ppg despite his 38.8 percent field goal efficiency. The only other double-digit scorer in the lineup is Nick Barbour, as he posts 10.5 ppg. In the three-point loss to Youngstown State last time out, Barbour scored 21 points to keep his team close. Unfortunately, no other player on the roster had more than eight points, and the Panthers shot 39 percent from the floor. They were a woeful 9- of-21 from the charity stripe, the most obvious reason for the setback.

Overall this season, Minnesota is scoring 74.1 ppg, while limiting opponents to 62.1 ppg on 39.1 percent shooting from the field. The Golden Gophers are led by Lawrence Westbrook, as he is scoring 13.0 ppg. Damian Johnson checks in with 11.0 ppg, and Blake Hoffarber tallies 10.4 ppg. Minnesota was far from dominant in the win over Southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday, as the Golden Gophers were outrebounded in that tilt and did just enough to finish on top. Westbrook and Hoffarber didn't start the game, but both players scored 15 points off the bench. As for Johnson, he posted 13 points in 31 minutes of action. Minnesota hit eight three-pointers and finished with 19 assists against only 10 turnovers.

Wwwstarluck NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Bulldogs and Huskies square off in Independence Bowl
Shreveport, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs play close to home on Sunday night as they suit up against the Northern Illinois Huskies in the 33rd annual Independence Bowl in Shreveport. LaTech finished the season with a reco

<< Bourque notches hat trick as Flames burn Ottawa
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rene Bourque registered his first career hat trick in Calgary's 6-3 win over the Senators, as Ottawa was dealt its 11th consecutive road loss. Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist for the Flames, who

<< Addazio named Gators' offensive coordinator
Gainesville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Florida's Urban Meyer promoted offensive line coach Steve Addazio to be the Gators' next offensive coordinator on Saturday, succeeding Dan Mullen in the position. The coordinator job was left open

<< Wolski, Budaj help Avs to shootout win over Red Wings
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wojtek Wolski scored the only goal of the shootout, and Colorado goaltender Peter Budaj made 41 saves to help the Avalanche log a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. The Avs have won both matchup

<< Roy's late surge leads Blazers over Raptors
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brandon Roy erupted for 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame an eight-point halftime deficit in a 102-89 decision against the Toronto Raptors. Roy finished with 32 poi

Bruins battle Bulldogs in City of Angels >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked UCLA Bruins of the Pac-10 Conference welcome the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs of the WAC to Pauley Pavilion this afternoon. Tech is a respectable 6-6 overall, but the team is just 2-6 away from i

Top-ranked Tar Heels set to vanquish Scarlet Knights >>
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have never defeated a top-ranked team in program history, and they will be fighting an uphill battle tonight, as they will be heavy underdogs in their clash with the North Carolina

10th-ranked Boilermakers clash with Crusaders >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers host an in-state opponent, the Valparaiso Crusaders, in a non-conference clash this afternoon from Mackey Arena. Valparaiso is desperate for a victory, as the team has

Knicks try to stop skid vs. Nuggets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks will attempt to put the brakes on a season-high five-game losing streak Sunday when they host the Denver Nuggets at historic Madison Square Garden. New York dropped its fifth in a row after Fr

Heat, Cavs clash at Quicken Loans Arena >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to stay unbeaten at home Sunday when they close out a three-game residency versus the Miami Heat in the opener of a home-and-home series at Quicken Loans Arena. Cleveland, which will vi

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.