The Detroit Tigers got a big blow to their starting rotation as star pitcher Kenny Rogers had surgery to remove a blood clot from his left shoulder and to repair arteries today. Rogers had been complaining about having a tired arm about two days ago. (more…)
In four tournament games the Florida Gators have committed 58 turnovers or 14.5 TOs per contest. Their opponents in those four games have totaled 42 turnovers or 10.2 per game. As the Gators have gone deeper into March Madness, their turnovers have increased. The better the teams get, the harder it is for the reigning champs to play a clean game. With UCLA next, Florida would do well to emphasize some basics when it comes to ball handling. The Bruins are just the type of team that can and will make a quality opponent pay for sloppy mistakes. (more…)
Take a look at the most recent NCAA Tournament games– the Elite Eight and Sweet 16– and you’ll find that those who go to the line more often tend to come out on top. That is, if they can convert. Teams that have lost or high seeds that have found themselves in trouble have been plagued by a poor shooting percentage at the penalty stripe and/or sending their opponent to toss free throws all too often. (more…)
Oregon vs Miami Ohio Preview and Friday Free Pick
Oregon (3) Vs. Miami, OH (14)
Friday, 3/16 @ 4:55
Betting Line From Bookmaker: Oregon -8
The tenth ranked Oregon Ducks (26- 7, 11- 7 Pac-10) finished third in their conference and won the Pac-10 tournament by beating USC easily 81- 57. The Miami (OH) RedHawks (18- 14, 10- 6 MAC E) finished third in their division but beat first-place Akron 53- 52 to take the MAC Tournament and go to the Big Dance.
Senior guard Aaron Brooks (17.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.4 APG) is not only the team’s biggest point scorer; he’s their leader on the court. For the Ducks to perform well, he has to have a good game. This is a team capable of playing inconsistent ball. Loaded with inexperienced talent at guard, including point producers junior Bryce Taylor (14.8 PPG, 4.7 RPG) and freshman Tajuan Porter (14.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 2.1 APG), the Ducks depend upon the experienced Brooks to set the tone and tempo. Juniors Maarty Leunen (10.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG) and Malik Hairston (11.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG) maintain the boards.
For Miami, the go-to guy is junior power forward Tim Pollitz (15.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.7 APG), who hits threes 67% of the time. Senior forward Nathan Peavy (14.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG) is tough to stop if Pollitz is on. The guards on this team won’t score a whole lot of points, but they’ll get the ball moving and play stubborn “D.�
The RedHawks have an indomitable spirit and are hardnosed. Oregon should outmatch them, but that doesn’t mean that they will cover or even win straight up. This Oregon team has played up and down all season long and are riding a current high coming into the tournament after winning the Pac-10 championship tourney. A slow style of play from the Redhawks limiting possessions could really frustrate Oregon on top of the fact a let down may be coming for the Ducks and Miami Ohio grabbing 8 looks pretty good and will be our free basketball pick for Friday.
Friday Free March Madness Basketball Pick - Miami Ohio +8
Keep getting updated tournament coverage on our 2007 march madness page. Including each game previewed, free sports picks and up to date college basketball odds.
Technorati Tags: oregon ducks, miami ohio redhawks, free march madness basketball pick, march madness, free picks
Pittsburgh vs Wright State Preview and Thursday Free Pick
Pittsburgh (3) Vs. Wright State (14)
Thursday, 3/15 @ 9:30
Betting Line From Bookmaker: Pittsburgh -10Â Â Â
The # 11 nationally ranked Pittsburgh Panthers (27- 7, 12- 4 Big East) finished second in their conference to the Georgetown Hoyas. They will face the Wright State Raiders (23- 9, 13- 3 HOR), which finished tied for first in their division with Butler. In their final game, Wright State upset #17 Butler 60- 55 to win the Horizon Tournament.
Today is one of the most exciting times of the year. Not only are the final 5 automatic bids on the line in the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, SEC, & Southland Conference championship games, but we get the privilege of finding out who the remaining at-large bids are going to via the selection committee for the march madness brackets. Upcoming tonight Maddux Sports will be releasing our world famous bracket picks. Later in the week our upcoming NCAA tournament against the spread picks will be emailed out to all members. 70% winners the last 5 years in the tournament and another profitable tournament is expected in 2007.
We will continue to cover the 2007 edition of march madness with tournament articles and previews of each and every matchup for our readers. You will be able to view all the latest coverage on our 2007 March Madness page. Expect a wealth of information to help you enjoy a wallet stuffing mens basketball tournament.
Also once the matchups are announced you will be able to view and print the maddux sports NCAA brackets, as well as pick up the NIT bracket once the selections have been announced to the public.
Stay tuned to MadduxSports.com, it should be a wild and exciting profitable ride.
Technorati Tags: selection sunday, selection committee, march madness, ncaa brackets, march madness brackets, bracket predictions
It took 35 minutes but with 5 minutes remaining in the second half of yesterday’s contest against Tennessee, LSU lead by the hard nose play of Glen “Big Baby” Davis, played like the team we knew they were capable of playing like all season long. In was play reminiscent of the 2006 final four club that appeared on the georgia dome floor less than a year ago. Big Baby was shut down in the first half but stepped when it mattered most scoring 7 of his 25 points in overtime and pulled down 15 rebounds, as LSU overcame one of the worst offensive charging calls I have ever seen to beat Tennessee 76-67 in the first round of the SEC tournament. It was another winning college basketball pick for Maddux Sports members in route to a 3-0 day for premium members This was a game the Tigers and Big Baby had circled for the last 3 weeks. LSU for the most part has been running through the motions trying to get healthy in late season conference play, knowing it is do or die as LSU must win the SEC conference tournament to be dancing.
The number 1 seed Wright State Raiders will be gunning for the 2007 Horizon League Championship tonight when they square off against the 19th ranked Butler Bulldogs, the Horizon Leagues number 2 seed. The game will be hosted at the Ervin J Nutter center at 9:00 eastern time, televised on ESPN TV. For a complete look at how each team reached the championship game check out the 2007 Horizon league bracket from Maddux Sports.
Both teams entered the tournament with 13-3 conference records in Horizon League play but Wright state collected the top seed by virtue of a tie breaker giving them the advantage of hosting tonight’s championship game. Wright State has played great ball the second half of the season including 12 consecutive wins at home. It is unclear right now if Wright state would be in with a loss in tonight’s championship game where as Butler will be dancing regardless of the outcomes of tonight’s game.
Both teams take good care of the basketball and play great defense. Tonight’s game should display some great offensive sets from 2 teams deserving of entry into the 2007 NCAA mens basketball tournament. Maddux Sports has released a premium college basketball pick on this game for members. Be sure to get on board and not miss another winning play from the expert handicappers.
Technorati Tags: wright state, butler, horizon league, march madness, bracket, college basketball pick
Is this the year that the number two nationally ranked UCLA Bruins (15- 2 Pac-10, 26- 3 overall) go all the way? The Bruins have faced 9 nationally ranked opponents and beaten all but one. They lost to the #17 Oregon Ducks 68- 66 on January 4, 2007. That was their first loss of the season with the other two coming to Stanford (75- 68) and West Virginia (70- 65). All three loses were on the road and with only one away game left, against the Washington Huskies, their perfect home record will stay intact. (more…)
The Penn Quakers (12- 1 Ivy League, 21- 8 overall) have one more game left in their season, against the last- place Princeton Tigers (2- 11 Ivy League, 11- 16 overall). But that game will have no bearing as the Quakers secured an NCAA bid on March 2, 2007, by beating the second-place Yale Bulldogs (10- 4 Ivy League, 14- 13 overall) 86- 58. It was the Quakers third consecutive conference championship. (more…)
Dwayne Wade is down and out with a shoulder injury, which means that the Miami Heat’s go-to guy become Shaquille O’Neal. Although the Heat are the NBA Champions, they have struggled to get back to the playoffs this year. O’Neal was out earlier in the season, which put a strain on the team. Wade going out translates into even greater stress. Why? It has to do with two things– O’Neal himself and the situation in the NBA East. (more…)
Let’s take a look at some important elements in the upcoming showdown between the Texas Longhorns (12-3 Big 12, 22- 7 overall), and the Kansas Jayhawks (13- 2 Big 12, 26- 4 overall), which will be played at Kansas on March 3 at 12 noon. (more…)
You can say a lot of things about the Big 12, but one of them is not that it’s dull, especially as we get down to the final game of the season. Here are some givens. (more…)
Our favorite basketball conferences postseason tournament gets underway today, the MVC tournament championship. In recent years the Missouri Valley Conference has started to achieve some notoriety from the media and general public, but most fans still don’t grasp the brand of basketball the Valley offers. If you are a true basketball fan try to catch a few of these games on TV this week. If you are a purist watching some of the sick offensive sets these teams run, how tough they defend, and the brilliant coaching styles, all are a work of art.
To see the full schedule check out the Maddux Sports 2007 MVC tournament bracket or for more info on the tourney check out the missouri valley tournament page from Maddux Sports.
The first 2 games of the tournament will pit the #9 seed Drake Bulldogs against the #8 seeded Evansville Purple Aces. Both are senior laden teams with capabilities of putting a run together in the tournament. The late game sees #10 seed Indiana State Sycamores take on the #6 seed Illinois State Redbirds. Indiana State is a young team that may have ran out of gas, where as the IL State team is playing respectable basketball and relies heavily on juco transfers.
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