Panthers hope to make it two in a row in clash with Hoyas

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their first win in more than month, the Pittsburgh Panthers will try to make it two in row as they play host to the ninth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East Conference bout this afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.

Georgetown is an impressive 16-3 on the year, and the team has won six of its first eight league games. A 52-50 triumph at home over Rutgers last Saturday was the most recent, and ran the team's current win streak to three in a row, which comes after losing a pair of games to West Virginia and Cincinnati. The Hoyas are 4-1 in true road tilts this season, winning its last two away from home.

Pittsburgh's troubles have been well documented at this point, as an 11-1 start has all but been erased following a stretch in which coach Jamie Dixon's club lost eight in a row. An 86-74 win over Providence on Wednesday night stopped the bleeding, but at just 1-7 in conference play, the Panthers have some serious work to do earn enough victories to qualify for the upcoming Big East Conference Tournament. For a team that had one of the most dominant homecourt advantages in the country over the last several years, Pitt's 8-5 home mark this season leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Georgetown owns a 40-34 lead in the all-time series with Pittsburgh, but the Panthers have won four of the last five meetings. The Hoyas did win the most recent game played in the Steel City, taking a 74-66 decision during the 2009-10 season.

Solid defensive play has been Georgetown's strength this season, as foes are averaging a mere 59.4 ppg in hitting 39.3 percent of their field goal attempts, and only 29.2 percent of their three-point tries. The Hoyas also own favorable margins in both rebounding (+5.8) and turnovers (+1.5), while offensively, boasting three double-digit scorers, each of whom helps the team produce 72.1 ppg on typical shooting outputs of 47.3 percent overall and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. Jason Clark is a 50.2 percent shooter who leads the team with 15.9 ppg, while Hollis Thompson, who also connects on better than half of his total shots, tallies 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Henry Sims adds 11.8 points and 5.5 caroms per contest. Sims was high man in GU's recent win over Rutgers, as he logged a double-double consisting of 12 points and 10 boards, while Clark went 8-of-10 at the free-throw line to finish with 11 points. The Hoyas shot just 29.3 percent from the floor, but claimed a whopping 25-4 advantage in points from charity stripe to earn the hard-fought victory.

The backcourt duo of Ashton Gibbs and Tray Woodall combined for 39 points in leading Pittsburgh back to the win column earlier this week, as the Panthers clawed their way past visiting Providence in an 86-74 final. With the effort, Gibbs raised his team-leading scoring average to 16.7 ppg, and he has hit 15 three-pointers in his last three games to up his long-distance shooting percentage on the year to .352. Nasir Robinson chipped in with 14 points against the Friars, and Lamar Patterson came close to notching a double-double as he finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. The Panthers shot 49.2 percent from the floor, nailing 11 treys along the way, and they won the rebounding battle (40-35) while committing only 10 turnovers. Robinson (12.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Woodall (11.6 ppg, 7.1 apg) round out the double-digit scorers for a Pittsburgh team that is averaging 71.4 ppg this season, while giving up 67.0 ppg. The Panthers are +10.2 in rebounding differential, but they commit roughly two and a half more turnovers than do their opponents on average.

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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.