WAC rivals lock horns in Reno

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/27/2007 - Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah State Aggies take on their toughest opponent of the season tonight as they matchup against the 18th-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack in Western Athletic Conference action from the Lawlor Events Center in Reno.

The Aggies, currently third in the WAC standings with a record of 4-2, have won five straight games since falling in back-to-back outings versus Boise State and Fresno State to open league play earlier this month. The most recent win for USU came a week ago with a narrow 57-56 victory over San Jose State on the road.

As for the Pack, they bounced back from their first WAC loss of the campaign a week ago by posting an easy 84-67 triumph against Louisiana Tech at home on Thursday night. The decision pushed Nevada to 6-1 in league play and kept the squad in a tie for first place with the New Mexico State Aggies.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Aggies are ahead of Nevada by a commanding 23-9 mark even after the Pack defeated USU in the title game of last year's WAC Tournament with a 70-63 overtime decision.

Jaycee Carroll dropped in a game-high 22 points last week as the Aggies defeated San Jose State in California. The victory pushed Utah State to 12-0 this season and 23-2 when Carroll puts up 20 points or more in a contest. Also scoring in double figures for the Aggies was Chaz Spicer with 16 points, with the team getting a mere six points off the bench with only two players seeing action in a reserve role. Carroll, one of the nation's top three-point shooters a year ago, is at it again this time around as he is knocking down 44.3 percent out on the perimeter, which leads to his 21.1 ppg. But Carroll is much more than a deep threat these days because he is also first on the team with 5.9 rpg and has converted 83-of-89 (.933) at the free-throw line as well. Stephen DuCharme and Spicer account for 10.2 and 10.0 ppg, respectively, with the former chipping in 5.1 rpg and shooting almost as well from the field (.601) as he is at the charity stripe (.612). As a team, the Aggies are one of the most accurate shooters at the line in the nation with a mark of 77.2 percent after 20 games.

Ramon Sessions took over the spotlight for a change with the Wolf Pack as he tallied a game-high 21 points in the team's double-digit victory over Louisiana Tech on Thursday night. But more than shooting 8-of-12 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free-throw line, Sessions also cleared seven rebounds and handed out a team-high seven assists as well. Nick Fazekas cruised through the evening with 13 points and seven boards, followed by Marcelus Kemp who posted 12 points. Hard to believe but Sessions, who has led the team in scoring in three of the last four outings, has actually been to the free-throw line more than both Fazekas and Kemp, converting 90-of-111 to come upon his 14.2 ppg. Sessions, who raises his scoring almost a full two points per game against WAC opponents, also paces the program with 88 assists, so the Pack is now much more than just Fazekas (19.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg), Kemp (18.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and those other guys. However, make no mistake, when the Pack needs a big play they always turn to the WAC's two-time Player of the Year in Fazekas before considering alternative options.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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