Rebels and Aztecs seek MWC crown in Sin City

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shooting for their third championship in the last four years and the fourth overall, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels are into the title game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament today and will face the San Diego State Aztecs for the right to head to the NCAA Tournament.

Several bubbles burst around the nation on Friday as it became evident that the MWC would be sending no less than three programs to the NCAA Tournament, assuming the selection committee doesn't refuse admission to a pair of teams ranked in the top-15.

UNLV, the third seed in the 11th annual MWC Tournament and the host school for this year's event, gained access to the championship round on Friday night when it defeated the 14th-ranked and second-seeded BYU Cougars for the second time this season with a 70-66 triumph at the Thomas & Mack Center. The victory was the sixth in a row for UNLV, owners of a conference-record four tourney titles. The Rebels defeated sixth-seeded Utah in the quarterfinals by a score of 73-61.

As for the fourth-seeded Aztecs, it was assumed that they would be one of the last teams to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament based on their success this entire season, but now the squad can leave no doubt if it can take care of business in the desert today. Losers in last year's championship game to Utah by a score of 52-50, SDSU took care of eighth-ranked and top- seeded New Mexico on Friday with a 72-69 triumph. SDSU barely made it through the quarterfinals with a 72-71 win against Colorado State on Thursday.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Rebels own a 32-16 advantage over SDSU, even though it was the Aztecs who posted a 68-58 win in the most recent meeting four weeks ago at Viejas Arena when UNLV was ranked 23rd in the nation. This game also represents a rematch of the 2002 MWC Tournament title game when SDSU captured a 78-75 win over UNLV.

Billy White was the star of the show for the Aztecs in their win over New Mexico on Friday as he tallied a game-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field, helping the program to shoot an impressive 51.9 percent from the floor. Even more impressive was the fact that the Aztecs hit on 10-of-16 shots beyond the arc and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line, considering the squad is one of the worst in the nation at the charity stripe. Kawhi Leonard, one of the top newcomers to the league this year, accounted for 15 points and 12 rebounds. Leonard remains the top scorer on the season for the squad with his 12.7 ppg. White is putting up 11.3 ppg for the group this season. As balanced a scoring attack as any school in the MWC, San Diego State has two other double-digit scorers in Malcolm Thomas (11.1 ppg) and D.J. Gay (10.3 ppg) as the group outscores opponents by nearly nine points per outing.

Leading by as many as 11 points in the second half yesterday, the Rebels nearly saw their chances of making it to the next round go up in smoke as that advantage dwindled to just a single point before the squad pulled out the unexpected win. Tre'Von Willis, who made a number of crucial free throws down the stretch for the hometown favorites, finished a perfect 6-of-6 at the stripe for his 18 points, while Chace Stanback tacked on 17 and Brice Massamba another 13 points and six rebounds off the bench for the victors. The defense allowed all-conference star Jimmer Fredette to come up with 30 points, but for the most part the rest of the Cougars were shut down. Willis has been the go- to guy on offense for the Rebels all season with his team-leading 17.5 ppg, thanks in large part to his 159-of-186 shooting at the free-throw line, helping the Rebels to make good on 72 percent at the stripe in 2009-10. Stanback is putting up 10.8 ppg and clearing a team-high 5.8 rpg, while it is the responsibility of Oscar Bellfield (9.1 ppg, 152 assists) to get the ball into the hands of the right people at the right time.

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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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