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.

Sezshare NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Memorial service planned for slain FIU student
MIAMI (AP) -Students and faculty at Florida International University will gather to remember Kendall Berry, the running back stabbed to death outside the school's recreation center.A celebration of life is scheduled for Monday afternoon on the FIU M

<< Something for everyone at 2010 Final Four
There's a favorite in Duke, a little guy in Butler, a team returning to the big-time in West Virginia and a regular hardly anyone figured would get so far this season in Michigan State.One of the most unpredictable NCAA tournaments in recent history

<< Huskers hustled by Kentucky in NCAA Tournament
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A'dia Mathies posted 21 points as she played a major role in Kentucky's 76-67 win over Nebraska in the semifinals of the Kansas City Regional at the Sprint Center. Also scoring in double figures for

<< Athletics come to terms with Gaudin
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics came to terms with right-hander Chad Gaudin on Sunday, just three days after he was let go by the New York Yankees. New York is still on the hook for 25-percent of his $2.95 million salary

<< Boston College, Miami-Ohio advance to Frozen Four
Worcester, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston College and Miami-Ohio advanced to the Frozen Four by winning their regional final contests Sunday as part of the NCAA hockey tournament. The Eagles and RedHawks will battle April 8 at Ford Field in De

Kings try to gain momentum in battle with Wild >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Although Los Angeles still stands a good chance of making the playoffs, the club isn't generating a whole lot of momentum in preparation for the NHL's second season. The slumping Kings will try to stop a three-game losing

Stars, Ducks hope to keep fading playoff hopes alive >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Pacific Division members currently on the outside looking in of the Western Conference playoff picture face off tonight at the Honda Center, where the Dallas Stars conclude a make-or-break road trip by taking on the

Hard-charging Thrashers go for home-and-home sweep of 'Canes >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With a tough April on the horizon, the Atlanta Thrashers know they need to collect as many points as possible if they hope to make the postseason. So far, so good as Atlanta seeks a sweep of its home-and-home series with t

Rinne, Predators skate into Florida >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nashville's Pekka Rinne has been playing like a goaltender that could steal some games in the playoffs. Now all the Predators have to do is get there. The Preds will try to get closer to that goal tonight, when they visit

Bruins, Sabres to square off in key Northeast clash >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Sabres will try to inch closer to a Northeast Division title tonight, when they visit TD Garden and the Boston Bruins, who are trying to hold onto one of the Eastern Conference's final playoff positions. The S

Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

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