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In the FCS Huddle: Stony Brook intriguing on, off the fieldNCAA Football Betting Lines07/15/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When the NIT came to Stony Brook in March, the Seawolves' football players were in attendance. Similarly, when Stony Brook hosted NCAA men's lacrosse in May, the football players were there. The Seawolves, no doubt, have a thirst for postseason play. Had the Big South Conference's new automatic bid to the FCS playoffs been in place last season, it would have belonged to the Seawolves. This season, Stony Brook has to overcome the loss of 26 seniors to win the Big South title again, and secure the first-ever automatic playoff bid that goes with it. Whether they get there or not, the Seawolves are one of the FCS' more intriguing programs, replenished on the field by a number of transfers and attractive off the field by the growth surrounding them in their athletic program. Head coach Ray Priore has been asked, "Why the Big South?" since Stony Brook's football program went to full scholarships and joined the conference in 2008 following a departure from the Northeast Conference. Its campus is located on the North Shore of Long Island, about 55 miles east of Manhattan, so it doesn't fit geographically with a conference whose other schools are in Virginia and the Carolinas. But the Big South is glad to have the Seawolves as a member, and perhaps someday, considering all the changes and potential changes across the college football landscape, another conference could be home to the growing program. The attractiveness of Stony Brook is helped by the nearby market in New York, although the nation's most populated city will always be a pro sports city. But seventh-year athletic director Jim Fiore has helped build a successful athletic program, with upgrades in facilities, branding and improved revenue- generating, a body of student-athletes whose collective grade point average is at least 3.0 grade in each of the past four school years, and recent success in higher-profile sports like men's soccer, men's basketball and men's lacrosse. Is football next? That's what Priore is banking on, especially now that he can dangle the carrot of the FCS playoffs to his players. The Seawolves shared last year's Big South title with Liberty, and based on their 36-33 win over the Flames would have advanced to the playoffs if the conference had its automatic bid then. "We're coming off a Big South championship. The excitement in the offseason was a little bit more than obviously (in the past)," the 50-year-old Priore said. "Their understanding of what it takes is there. We've got the full complement of scholarships now. We had a lot of kids in the program that are going to be playing this fall (who were) there during spring football. And I think the other thing that becomes important is every kid in the program now has been recruited by this staff and myself particularly. There's a point of everybody's really pulling in the same direction. It's a good group of kids." Stony Brook has finished either 6-5 or 5-6 for five straight seasons, including four under Priore, whose record, not surprisingly, is 22-22 overall. To him, .500 is not acceptable, so with the Big South expected to be improved - led by a veteran Liberty squad and dangerous squads in Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina - Priore filled some holes in the lineup by bringing in transfers. He brought in nine in January and four more this summer. The demise of Hofstra's program has benefited the Seawolves, providing players of impact like running backs Brock Jackolski and Miguel Maysonet, offensive guard Armand Poole and defensive tackle Andrew Nelson. Former Rutgers cornerback Al- Majid Hutchins is projected to be a starter, Sheldon Armstrong (Utah State) is in the mix for the other cornerback spot and Kyle Essington (Fullerton College) could be the backup to starting quarterback Michael Coulter. Although the Seawolves lost a lot of key players, they have hopes as big as 6- foot-8, 350-pound redshirt freshman tackle Michael Bamiro. The returning mix features Coulter and workhorse tailback Edwin Gowins as well as defensive leaders Arin West (strong safety), Ryan Haber (defensive tackle) and Joe Kirkpatrick (defensive end). Coulter threw for a conference-best 15 touchdowns last fall, while Gowins rushed for 890 yards and nine TDs despite being slowed by a foot injury. He was the Big South Freshman of the Year in 2008 when he rushed for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns on an incredible 9.4 yards per carry. "We got hit pretty hard by graduation and we were able to get some kids who had some college experience, that played in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) or played at a higher level, and can help us immediately," Priore said. "We've got to be able to perform and we've got to be better than a 6-5 team, a 5-6 team. Certainly, if you said what is the one goal for me as a football program, is we have to hit that seven-win mark, hit that eight-win mark. That's what recruiting is all about. Hopefully, the playoffs are attached to that now that we have an opportunity." Stony Brook's season-opening visit to Big East program South Florida on Sept. 4 is a daunting start to the season. The other non-conference games are against Lafayette, Brown, Massachusetts and American International.
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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting? Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite. Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight. With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites. As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8). Midwest #1 Florida vs. #5 Butler The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April. Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT. After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games. Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season. As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers. Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS). Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field. With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action. #3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year. If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season. As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well. This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons. Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late. There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games. It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG. East #6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown “Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season. Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU. They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games. With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field. Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense. Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc. The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range. Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG. #1 UNC vs. # 5 USC The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country. Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times. Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter. UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen. UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS. An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games. This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS. USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types. An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough. USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS. They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12. When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side. With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager. To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
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