Billikens battle Rams in first game of CBI finals

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/29/2010 - Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Virginia Commonwealth Rams host the Saint Louis Billikens tonight in the championship round of the 2010 College Basketball Invitational at the Siegel Center in Richmond. The CBI finals is a best-of-three series, and SLU will host VCU in game two on Wednesday night.

The Rams certainly have the edge heading into tonight's clash, as they are an impressive 17-1 home, including 10 straight wins. The latter two of those victories came in this event -- a 93-86 triumph of the College of Charleston and an 88-75 besting of Boston University in the semifinals last Wednesday. VCU has now defeated eight teams with 20-plus wins on the season and that certainly deserves recognition.

As for the Billikens, they have played all three games of this tournament at home, helping them to 18 wins at Chaifetz Arena. After outlasting Indiana State (63-54) and Green Bay (68-62, 2OT), Saint Louis topped Princeton, 69-59, in the semifinals last Wednesday. The Billikens have now won 23 games overall, their most since the 1994-95 campaign.

This bout marks the first-ever meeting between VCU and SLU on the hardwood.

The Billikens shot an efficient 54.5 percent from the field, their second-best performance of the campaign, and scored 21 points off 14 Princeton turnovers in a 69-59 win in the semifinals of this event last week. Kwamain Mitchell led the SLU charge with 21 points and five assists, while Willie Reed turned in his ninth double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. For the season, Mitchell paces Saint Louis in scoring at 16.3 ppg and he also has a team-high 47 steals. Reed, the team's top rebounder at 8.1 rpg, tacks on 12.4 ppg, while Cody Ellis adds 10.9 ppg and 5.1 rpg to the rotation. The Billikens are a team that relies on stingy defense to get the job done, as they are holding foes to 59.7 ppg and 39.8 percent shooting from the floor for the season.

The Rams drained 11 three-pointers and scored 21 points off 17 Boston University turnovers, as they captured an 88-75 victory in the semifinal round of this tournament last week. VCU suffered just nine giveaways itself, while shooting 48.5 percent from the field. Bradford Burgess led the way with 20 points, and Joey Rodriguez added 19 points and five assists. Larry Sanders also had a big night, finishing with 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. It was a typical effort for Sanders, who paces the team with 14.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 84 blocks for the season. Rodriguez adds 12.7 ppg, to go with a team-high 5.9 apg, and Burgess chips in 10.7 ppg. As a unit, the Rams are producing a solid 76.4 ppg.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

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