Panthers hope to make it two in a row in clash with Hoyas

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their first win in more than month, the Pittsburgh Panthers will try to make it two in row as they play host to the ninth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas in a Big East Conference bout this afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.

Georgetown is an impressive 16-3 on the year, and the team has won six of its first eight league games. A 52-50 triumph at home over Rutgers last Saturday was the most recent, and ran the team's current win streak to three in a row, which comes after losing a pair of games to West Virginia and Cincinnati. The Hoyas are 4-1 in true road tilts this season, winning its last two away from home.

Pittsburgh's troubles have been well documented at this point, as an 11-1 start has all but been erased following a stretch in which coach Jamie Dixon's club lost eight in a row. An 86-74 win over Providence on Wednesday night stopped the bleeding, but at just 1-7 in conference play, the Panthers have some serious work to do earn enough victories to qualify for the upcoming Big East Conference Tournament. For a team that had one of the most dominant homecourt advantages in the country over the last several years, Pitt's 8-5 home mark this season leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Georgetown owns a 40-34 lead in the all-time series with Pittsburgh, but the Panthers have won four of the last five meetings. The Hoyas did win the most recent game played in the Steel City, taking a 74-66 decision during the 2009-10 season.

Solid defensive play has been Georgetown's strength this season, as foes are averaging a mere 59.4 ppg in hitting 39.3 percent of their field goal attempts, and only 29.2 percent of their three-point tries. The Hoyas also own favorable margins in both rebounding (+5.8) and turnovers (+1.5), while offensively, boasting three double-digit scorers, each of whom helps the team produce 72.1 ppg on typical shooting outputs of 47.3 percent overall and 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. Jason Clark is a 50.2 percent shooter who leads the team with 15.9 ppg, while Hollis Thompson, who also connects on better than half of his total shots, tallies 14.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, and Henry Sims adds 11.8 points and 5.5 caroms per contest. Sims was high man in GU's recent win over Rutgers, as he logged a double-double consisting of 12 points and 10 boards, while Clark went 8-of-10 at the free-throw line to finish with 11 points. The Hoyas shot just 29.3 percent from the floor, but claimed a whopping 25-4 advantage in points from charity stripe to earn the hard-fought victory.

The backcourt duo of Ashton Gibbs and Tray Woodall combined for 39 points in leading Pittsburgh back to the win column earlier this week, as the Panthers clawed their way past visiting Providence in an 86-74 final. With the effort, Gibbs raised his team-leading scoring average to 16.7 ppg, and he has hit 15 three-pointers in his last three games to up his long-distance shooting percentage on the year to .352. Nasir Robinson chipped in with 14 points against the Friars, and Lamar Patterson came close to notching a double-double as he finished with nine points and 11 rebounds. The Panthers shot 49.2 percent from the floor, nailing 11 treys along the way, and they won the rebounding battle (40-35) while committing only 10 turnovers. Robinson (12.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) and Woodall (11.6 ppg, 7.1 apg) round out the double-digit scorers for a Pittsburgh team that is averaging 71.4 ppg this season, while giving up 67.0 ppg. The Panthers are +10.2 in rebounding differential, but they commit roughly two and a half more turnovers than do their opponents on average.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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