11/22/2008 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers are heavily favored in today's non-conference clash with the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Crimson Hawks as part of the Legends Classic.
After beating little-known Thiel by 30 points in the season opener, IUP knocked off Penn State-Fayette by a 109-46 final on Wednesday to move to 2-0. Clearly however, today's tilt marks a major leap in competition level. While IUP will play Cal and Seton Hall later this season, the Panthers represent the toughest opponent on the Crimson Hawks' schedule.
Speaking of Pittsburgh, it opened the season with two blowout victories over Fairleigh Dickinson and Miami-Ohio. Last night, the Panthers played host to Akron, and the result of that tilt was an 86-67 victory. With a wealth of experienced talent in the lineup, Pitt is expected to be a major contender in the Big East, arguably college basketball's best conference.
Pittsburgh has won all eight of its previous meetings with IUP.
The stats from IUP's win over Penn State-Fayette are staggering, although it is important to keep the victory in perspective. After all, the level of competition was not very high, so obviously the numbers are inflated. The Crimson Hawks finished with a ridiculous total of 71 rebounds, including 35 on the offensive boards. Their overmatched opponent had 25 rebounds in the entire contest. IUP shot 51.1 percent from the floor and limited the opposition to 27.4 percent efficiency. Darryl Webb finished with 18 points and 16 rebounds for the victors, who got 18 points from Julian Sanders as well. Thomas Young pitched in 16 points and six assists, while Gerald Brooks had 13 points and 13 boards. Maurice Polen grabbed 16 rebounds, and Justin Gartner posted 12 points off the bench. Young was the best player for IUP in the opening win over Thiel, as he netted 22 points in that contest.
Sam Young was outstanding for Pittsburgh in the romp over Akron on Friday, as he netted 26 points in 31 minutes of action. Levance Fields tallied 19 points and seven assists against only one turnover, and he has now dished out 27 assists this season with only two giveaways. As for center DeJuan Blair, he posted 16 points, 13 rebounds and five steals. That threesome is one of the best in the entire nation, and it is because of those three players that Pittsburgh has a chance to reach the Final Four. The Panthers owned a 41-24 rebounding advantage over Akron and committed only seven turnovers. Through the first three games of this new season, Young is scoring 18.3 ppg. Fields is scoring 15.3 ppg, and Blair checks in with 14.3 ppg and 11.7 rpg. All three players are shooting better than 50 percent from the floor for Pitt, which is outscoring opponents by 23.7 ppg.
<< Hoyas attempt to slay Dragons in non-conference clash
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Georgetown Hoyas are just
one of many outstanding Big East teams, and they will host the Drexel Dragons
tonight in a non-league clash.
Drexel showed a great deal of toughness to outlast ci
<< Coppin State faces daunting task in clash with No. 11 Purdue
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 11th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers have
a ton of returning talent on the roster, and they are clearly favored in
tonight's non-conference clash with the Coppin State Eagles.
Coppin State has only played
<< Streaking Bruins try to halt eight-game slide in Montreal
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Bruins ended their epic losing streak against the
Canadiens in the last matchup between the two Northeast Division rivals.
Boston will now try to end its skid in Montreal, where the two teams meet
tonight at the Bell Cent
<< Wild continue homestand with visit from Blues
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will continue a five-game homestand this
evening, as they welcome the St. Louis Blues to Xcel Energy Center.
The Wild bring a solid 5-2-1 home mark into tonight's test despite losing the
opener of this r
Local bragging rights on line as Golden Eagles hosts Panthers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles are
set to host the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers in non-league action from the
Bradley Center. These teams have met 35 times, and Marquette has never lost to
the Panthers.
Red Wings try for fifth straight win in road test with Flames >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings will try to match their season-high
win streak tonight, when they visit the Calgary Flames and Pengrowth
Saddledome.
The Red Wings have won four straight and have posted at least a point in each
of t
Avalanche visit Kings in LA >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to get back on track
tonight, when they take on the Los Angeles Kings in a road test at the Staples
Center.
The Avalanche are probably just glad to be playing a team other than the
Calgary
Local bragging rights on line as Golden Eagles host Panthers >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles are
set to host the Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers in non-league action from the
Bradley Center. These teams have met 35 times, and Marquette has never lost to
the Panthers.
Barry Bonds Watch: Giants Slugger Says He'll Be Back
With only 21 home runs standing between him and Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds is indeed planning on coming back for more in 2007. At least, that's what his agent told the Los Angeles Times.
"Barry's going to play in 2007," Jeff Borris of Beverly Hills Sports Council told the Times on Tuesday. "I've had many discussions with Barry and he's going to play. My intentions are to see to it he's in a big-league uniform next season. Those are my marching orders."
Contract negotiations could get started as early as next week. Let's see which team has the deeper pockets. Will MLB baseball betting lines despite allegations of steroid use? Bet On It at www.MySportsbook.com .
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