Around College Basketball: Not exactly glory days

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/20/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This is a column for all of us beleaguered college basketball fans, who have watched our favorite teams suffer through miserable seasons.

For those of us who have absolutely no hope of anything more than first-round exits in conference tournaments. For those of us who think March Madness is defined as the act of wondering why you are wasting time watching such dreadful basketball.

My alma mater, Fresno State, has had its share of exciting moments through the years. I fondly remember the Boyd Grant era of the late 1970s and on into the 1980s, when this dynamic though down-to-earth coach turned a down-on-its luck program into a winner.

We went from a 7-20 record in 1976-77 to 21-6 in 1977-78 by leading the nation in defense, and were off and running toward a decade of success that included being ranked in the top 10 nationally and reaching the Sweet 16 before losing to Patrick Ewing at Georgetown in 1982. It included a magical run to an NIT title in 1983, beating Wake Forest and DePaul at Madison Square Garden, at a time where the NIT still meant something.

We witnessed three NCAA appearances and a pair of NIT trips in five years, and sent players such as Rod Higgins, Ron Anderson, Bernard Thompson and Pete Verhoeven to the NBA. There were wins over teams like Houston, with Akeem Olajuwon, and UNLV.

Selland Arena, the local municipal facility in downtown Fresno, was jam-packed nearly every night, and was one of the loudest basketball arenas in America.

Your hair would stand on end from the electricity in the air, and you didn't even bother to try having a conversation with the person sitting next to you for most of the game. The decibel levels exceeded some of the rock concerts I watched in the same venue.

There was a renaissance under one of our favorite alums, Jerry Tarkanian, in the late 1990s and a couple of more trips to the NCAAs with players like Chris Herren, Rafer Alston, Courtney Alexander, Tito Maddux and Melvin Ely.

Tarkanian and some of his players may have been lightning rods for controversy off the court, but on it, they generated enough excitement to spark the building of an on-campus arena, the sparkling 15,596-seat Save Mart Center.

This isn't one of those glory years.

The Bulldogs were playing on national television on Thursday night, a fact that I only discovered while watching one of my new hometown teams, Villanova, beat Rutgers, 82-72. That tells you what kind of a year it's been for your team, when you find out they have a game on national TV on accident.

That's what happens when your club is in last place in the Western Athletic Conference and has a 10-17 record. With at least six games remaining, Fresno State is poised to record the most losses in school history. And that is for a program that started playing basketball in 1921.

While I was watching from my couch in Hatboro, PA, I conversed by cellular phone with my best friend and fellow basketball agonizer, Jim, who was tuned in from a snow-bound cabin in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

For over two hours, we watched our alma mater play just well enough to give us hope of a victory, though the obvious weaknesses of blocking out on defensive rebounds, poor free-throw shooting, brutal defensive lapses and turnovers left us with the bleak realization that a loss was inevitable.

Even against an almost equally bad Hawaii club, we knew this collection of underclassmen and transfers wasn't up to the task. They left us hanging until the final minute before losing, 73-69.

The Kool-Aid being fed the alumni is that this young team is gaining valuable experience that will reap dividends in the next couple of years. But you don't have to be a seasoned basketball fan to know that this squad is a long way from the Grant and Tarkanian days.

I know there are fans at other schools with proud traditions like San Francisco (9-17), Massachusetts (9-15), Georgia (10-16), Georgia Tech (10-15), Virginia (9-13), DePaul (8-18), Valparaiso (7-20), Loyola Marymount (2-25), Oregon (6-20) and Indiana (7-20) who are in as much pain as I am this season.

For all of them, and my alma mater as well, we can only hope that in the future, March Madness will see such teams return to their glory days.

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Problem with Bears?

Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.

"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."

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Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.

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MySportsbook.com week 1 NFL lines


Now that the 2008 NFL schedule is finally out, it is only matter-of-course for lines on “Week 1” to follow.  Of course MySportsbook.com is the first to churn out odds for the NFL’s inaugural week for the upcoming season.   Expect a lot of fireworks the first Thursday night of the season as the defending champion Indianapolis Colts face off against the surprise of the 2008 season, the New Orleans Saints.  These teams were ranked #1 and #3 in the NFL respectively a season ago so a high scoring affair could be in order.  As of now, the Colts will be giving 6 points to the Saints; keep in mind the Saints were one of the better road teams last season going 6-3 SU and 7-2 ATS.  The first Monday night of the season will again provide a “double feature”. Coming off a disappointing season, the Cincinnati Bengals will look to get back to playoffs and improve their public image as they take on the AFC North favorite Baltimore Ravens.  The second game features a couple of teams that haven’t had too much success recently but each could make some noise if the NFC is as weak as it was last year as the San Francisco 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals. The most interesting game of the opening week will feature the NFC champion Bears as they hit the road to take on the NFL’s top team during last year’s regular season, the San Diego Chargers.

MySportsbook.com Week 1 odds:

Saints +6 @ Colts -6

Falcons @ Vikings (pick ‘em)

Panthers @ Rams (pick ‘em)

Broncos -3.5 @ Bills +3.5

Chiefs -1 @ Texans +1

Dolphins +3 @ Redskins -3

Patriots -5 @ Jets +5

Eagles -3.5 @ Packers +3.5

Steelers -4 @ Browns +4

Titans +6 @ Jaguars -6

Bears +6 @ Chargers -6

Lions +3 @ Raiders -3

Bucs +6.5 @ Seahawks -6.5

Giants +4 @ Cowboys -4

Ravens +3 @ Bengals -3

Cardinals +3 @ 49ers -3

 Super Bowl line (2008)

NFC +6.5 vs. AFC -6.5

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