Golden Eagles take aim at Pirates in Big East battle

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/31/2012 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to snap a four-game slide, the Seton Hall Pirates take on the 15th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles in Big East Conference action tonight at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

Seton Hall was a force to be reckoned with through the first 17 games of the season, losing only twice and one of those coming against mighty Syracuse on the road. However, the tide has changed for the Pirates and now they are trying to figure out how to get back on course after losing to Louisville on Saturday in a 60-51 final. In the last two games, Seton Hall has scored a total of just 93 points, one less than the team logged in its last win (94-73) versus DePaul on January 10. Despite the slide in recent weeks, the Pirates still have an overall winning percentage of .714.

As for the Golden Eagles, since losing back-to-back games against Georgetown and the Orange on the road earlier this month, they have not bowed to a single opponent as they've strung together six straight victories. The most recent of those triumphs took place on Saturday afternoon versus Villanova, 82-78, a final that was a bit too close for comfort.

Marquette leads the all-time series with the Pirates by a count of 8-2, but last year Seton Hall broke through for the first time since 1956 as it snapped an eight-game slide in the relationship with an 85-72 triumph at home in New Jersey.

Jordan Theodore scored in double figures for the 14th straight game over the weekend, putting up a team-best 18 points, but still the Pirates succumbed to Louisville at home in the Prudential Center. Theodore led all scorers on both sides, but he did so only after shooting 6-of-20 from the floor and missing all five attempts behind the three-point line. Herb Pope registered a double- double with 12 points and 12 boards in the setback as well. Pope is one of the rare breed who is averaging a double-double this late into the season, producing 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest, not to mention having accounted for 35 of his team's 68 blocked shots as well. Theodore is responsible for another 16.1 ppg as the top scorer, handing out 7.0 apg along the way, but his mere 29.3 percent shooting beyond the arc and 38.5 percent from the floor overall is something that certainly could be improved upon moving forward.

Down by 18 points in the middle of the first half, the Golden Eagles stormed back in the second half and managed to overcome 16 turnovers and 38.5 percent shooting from the floor in order to capture the four-point win at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Darius Johnson-Odom scored a team-best 26 points, adding six rebounds and five assists, while Jae Crowder registered a double-double with 20 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while Jamil Wilson delivered 12 points off the bench. Johnson-Odom, a leading scorer in each of the last five games for the program, is one of the top scorers in the Big East with his 18.5 ppg, with Crowder putting up another 16.4 ppg and coming down with 7.4 rpg even as he shoos 40.0 percent behind the three-point line. Marquette's scoring output numbers 76.5 ppg at the moment, more than 12 ppg ahead of the competition (64.4 ppg) which is being forced into 14.5 turnovers per game.

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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.