Vols open SEC Tournament against hapless Tigers

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers are set to take on the LSU Tigers in the first round of the 2010 SEC Tournament.

The winner of this contest will move on to face Ole Miss, the West Division's second seed, in Friday's quarterfinal round.

LSU, 11-19 overall, is the sixth seed from the West Division, and it captured its lone SEC crown back in 1980. The Tigers finished 2-14 versus league foes during the regular season, but the team did close out the campaign with a victory and may enter this tournament with some confidence.

The Vols have won the SEC Tournament four times, but it has been 31 years since their last title. Last season, Tennessee reached the title game, only to fall to Mississippi State by a 64-61 final. The 2009-10 Vols are 23-7 overall, and they closed the regular season with three consecutive wins.

Tennessee and LSU played just once during the regular season, and the Vols escaped Baton Rouge with a five-point win. In regard to the all-time series, Tennessee owns a 57-42 advantage.

The Tigers lack depth and are the lowest-scoring team in the SEC (61.9 ppg) despite boasting two of the league's top 13 scorers, including Tasmin Mitchell (17.0 ppg, 9.5 rpg). Bo Spencer provides 14.9 ppg, and he leads the team with 79 assists. Unfortunately, Spencer is shooting a woeful 33.9 percent from the field. Storm Warren is the third and final double-digit scorer on the roster with 11.6 ppg, and he is grabbing 7.2 rpg to complement a team-high 43 blocks. Unfortunately, no other player on the team is netting more than 4.6 ppg, so the trio mentioned is responsible for almost all of the Tigers' 61.9 ppg. LSU managed to beat Georgia in the regular-season finale despite shooting just 31 percent from the floor.

Tennessee owns the second-best scoring margin in the SEC (+9.8 ppg), surprising considering the fact that it doesn't possess a single player ranked in the top 20 in the league in scoring. Scotty Hopson paces the squad with 13.1 ppg, and Wayne Chism checks in with 12.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Chism has also blocked 44 shots, but he has been inconsistent this season, choosing to play a role rather than use his unique skill set to dominate games. The Vols are the top team in the conference when it comes to defending the three-point shot. They are limiting opponents to 65.2 ppg while generating 75.0 ppg at the offensive end. In a 16-point victory over Mississippi State to close out the regular season, the Vols shot 50 percent from the floor, had five double-digit scorers and held the Bulldogs to 33.9 percent shooting.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.