Rams and Owls square off in A-10 semifinals

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded and 17th-ranked Temple Owls continue their run for a third straight Atlantic 10 Tournament title today, as they clash with the fifth-seeded Rhode Island Rams in the semifinals at Boardwalk Hall. The victor of this game will meet the winner of the Richmond/Xavier matchup in the finals on Sunday.

The Owls are trying to become the first A-10 program to win three consecutive crowns since UMass took home the hardware five straight times from 1992-96. Temple got things started in convincing fashion yesterday, handling eighth- seeded St. Bonaventure, 69-51, in the quarterfinals. It marked the eighth straight win for the Owls, their longest streak since notching 10 wins in a row in 2000-01. Temple is now 50-19 all-time in this event and eyeing up a record ninth championship.

URI, meanwhile, is in search of its second tourney title and first since 1999. The Rams began their postseason charge with an 87-76 besting of 12th-seeded Saint Joseph's in the first round before knocking off fourth-seeded Saint Louis, 63-47, in the quarterfinals yesterday. URI has now won four of its last six outings en route to its first semifinals appearance since the 2006-07 campaign.

As for the all-time series, Temple holds a 53-15 advantage over Rhode Island, and the Owls took both meetings during the 2009-10 regular season.

The Rams dominated the boards, 38-26, including 17-7 on the offense glass, as they pushed their way past Saint Louis yesterday. URI also shot respectable 45.5 percent from the field, including a 5-of-12 showing from long distance. After scoring 15 points in the first round, Lamonte Ulmer led the Rams with 16 points and five boards in yesterday's win. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring at 12.0 ppg, but he is tops among rebounders with 7.3 rpg. Keith Cothran, who had eight points and three caroms yesterday, leads URI on the season with 14.7 ppg and 56 steals, while Delroy James follows with 12.0 ppg.

The Owls, who never trailed, shot an efficient 52.6 percent from the floor and handed out 18 assists in on their way to a 69-51 victory over the Bonnies yesterday. Temple committed just seven turnovers and controlled the boards, 39-28, in the triumph. Juan Fernandez led the charge, as he scored 17 points and dished out seven assists. Lavoy Allen registered his 13th double-double of the campaign with 14 points and 15 rebounds, and Micheal Eric contributed 13 points. Ryan Brooks chipped in with eight points and he is the team's leading scorer on the season at 14.3 ppg. Fernandez is next at 12.4 ppg and he hands out a team-high 3.6 apg, while Allen averages a double-double with 11.8 ppg and a team-best 10.9 rpg.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

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