Bruins try to right ship in clash with Cardinal

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/26/2009 - Stanford, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked UCLA Bruins will attempt to bounce back from a shocking loss as they take on the Stanford Cardinal tonight in a Pac-10 Conference showdown.

UCLA has hit a rough patch, as the team has lost three of its last four games to fall behind in the race for the Pac-10 title. No one expected Washington State to beat the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, so the 82-81 setback turned some heads. UCLA is 20-7 overall and 9-5 in league play, and a victory is needed tonight to restore any confidence that may have been lost.

Stanford has lost its last three games to fall to 15-10 overall, a record that is clearly overshadowed by a disappointing 4-10 league mark. Head coach Johnny Dawkins watched his Cardinal fall to Oregon on Saturday by a 68-60 final on the road. The only reason for optimism tonight is that Stanford is 12-3 at home thus far.

UCLA crushed Stanford by a 97-63 final on January 31st, and the Bruins own a 131-89 advantage in the all-time series.

UCLA depends on the veteran duo of Darren Collison and Josh Shipp to lead the way at the offensive end of the floor. Collison paces the team with 15.0 ppg on the strength of his 53.6 percent shooting from the floor, and he has dished out 134 assists against 58 turnovers. Shipp, the only other double-digit scorer in the lineup, provides 13.0 ppg, while Alfred Aboya (9.9 ppg) and Jrue Holiday (9.1 ppg) provide some balance to the roster. UCLA is generating 76.6 ppg while holding opponents to 63.3 ppg. Unfortunately, the Bruins yielded 82 points on 58.8 percent shooting from the field to a Washington State team that typically struggled to score against top competition. Nikola Dragovic posted 23 points in the setback, and Collison added 20 points and eight assists.

Overall this season, Stanford is scoring 72.7 ppg while allowing 67.7 ppg to opponents. In league play, however, those numbers are reversed, as the Cardinal are generating just 67.2 ppg while surrendering 71.6 ppg. Anthony Goods is the leading scorer for Stanford through 25 outings with 15.7 ppg, but his 39.8 percent shooting from the floor isn't exactly impressive. Lawrence Hill provides 13.6 ppg, and Landry Fields rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers with 12.5 ppg. Stanford connected on only 39.6 percent of its field goal attempts against Oregon on Saturday, the most obvious reason for the setback. Fields tallied 19 points, Hill added 18 points and Goods scored 16 points. Unfortunately, the rest of the team tallied a mere seven points.

Xportsbook NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Boilermakers hope to keep pace in Big Ten title race
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers continue their push toward the Big Ten Conference regular-season title, and they need to beat the Michigan Wolverines on the road this evening. Purdue is hot on the heels o

<< Zags to try and pad stats in clash with Broncos
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having already claimed the West Coast Conference regular season title for the ninth consecutive season, the 17th- ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs will attempt to add yet another win to their already impressive record

<< Pac-10 showdown pits Sun Devils against Huskies
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils are riding a five-game win streak, and they are set for a Pac-10 showdown with the 21st-ranked Washington Huskies in Seattle. Washington owns the top spot in the Pac-10

<< LeBron leads Cavs into Houston
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams riding five-game winning streaks square off tonight in Houston, as the Rockets welcome LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Toyota Center. The Cavaliers will open a four-game road trip

<< Hong leads by two in Thailand
Chonburi, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jin Joo Hong fired a six-under 66 Thursday to take a two-stroke lead after the first round of the Honda LPGA Thailand. Hong, the 2006 KOLON-Hana Bank Championship winner, leads after one round for the f

Hawks seek upset of 19th-ranked Musketeers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Xavier Musketeers are trying to hold on to first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings, and they will take on the Saint Joseph's Hawks tonight at The Palestra in Philadelphia. Xavi

Butler can claim share of Horizon League crown with win >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Butler Bulldogs can clinch at least a share of the Horizon League regular-season title with a win over the Youngstown State Penguins this evening. Youngstown State has won five of its last

Illini welcome Gophers to Champaign >>
Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still in the hunt for the Big Ten title, the 20th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, welcome the Minnesota Golden Gophers to Champaign this evening, for a key conference clash at Assembly Hall. Bruce Weber's Il

Demon Deacons and Wolfpack meet in ACC clash >>
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of the oldest rivalries in the ACC adds another chapter this evening, as the NC State Wolfpack invade Winston- Salem to battle the 13th-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons in conference action from the Law

Fifth-ranked Tigers put win streak on the line in Birmingham >>
Birmingham, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers continue their run through their Conference USA schedule, as they invade the Bartow Arena to take on the UAB Blazers in conference action in Birmingham tonight. The Tigers hav

El Duque expected to throw Tuesday

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- New York Mets pitcher Orlando Hernandez, sidelined at spring training because of arthritis in his neck, is expected to resume throwing on Tuesday.

Hernandez received a cortisone shot Thursday after leaving camp and returning to New York to have his neck examined. The 41-year-old right-hander is penciled in as the team's No. 2 starter behind Tom Glavine.

El Duque's health is a major issue for the Mets, who won the NL East in 2007 and came within one victory of the World Series. Their aging and unsettled rotation is a big question mark this year.

MySportsbook.com has the Mets as -110 favorites to repeat as NL East champions odds. 

Hernandez went 11-11 with a 4.66 ERA last season, including 9-7 with a 4.09 ERA in 20 starts after the Mets acquired him from Arizona in late May. But he missed the playoffs because of a torn calf muscle.

New York already is without Pedro Martinez, out until at least midseason following rotator cuff surgery. Among those competing for starting jobs are prospects Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber and Jason Vargas, plus veterans Chan Ho Park, Jorge Sosa and Aaron Sele.

Notes: Mets manager Willie Randolph is excited about two new utility players he could have on his bench: Damion Easley and David Newhan. ''Their value is really all over the place,'' Randolph said. Easley can play anywhere in the infield and could be used as an emergency outfielder, though Randolph said he would prefer to keep the veteran in the infield. Newhan, meanwhile, can play second base, third or any outfield position for the Mets. ''I love versatility,'' Randolph said. ''I love guys that can give me options when I need them to step in.''

Additional baseball lines and World Series odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.