No. 12 South Carolina, No. 15 Clemson making fans happy

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/18/2007 -

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -Nothing makes Clemson and South Carolina supporters happier than winning. Right now, there are lots of happy football fans in the Palmetto State.

South Carolina's two major programs share 3-0 records and spots among the country's top 15 teams. It's one of only five times in history - both schools began football in the 1890s - and the first since 2000 that the two state rivals have gone undefeated this long at the same time.

In a state without major pro sports, it doesn't get much more enjoyable for fans than this.

``I wish we could stop now,'' Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said.

The Gamecocks improved to 12th in this week's Top 25. The Tigers moved up to 15th in The Associated Press poll. The team's share 14th in this week's coaches' poll.

There's no Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA or NHL to carry sports fans in South Carolina. So college football is it. About 80,000 flock to Clemson's Death Valley or South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium for every game. Fans here track recruiting and spring football practice the way other people follow baseball's pennant races.

The Tigers and Gamecocks were unranked when the season began. They both moved into the Top 25 with wins over ranked teams - Clemson defeated then-No. 19 Florida State on Labor Day night and South Carolina won at then-11th-ranked Georgia on Sept. 8.

Despite ho-hum victories over Football Championship Subdivision teams last week, Clemson and South Carolina each moved up five spots in the national rankings.

``It's surprising we've come that far in two weeks,'' South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier said. ``But we appreciate it. Hopefully, we can stay up there.''

That could be difficult. The 12th-ranked Gamecocks travel to play No. 2 LSU this Saturday while the 15th-ranked Tigers have a two-game road stretch at North Carolina State and Georgia Tech.

Both coaches see problems to solve if the winning is to continue.

So far, the Tigers have been led by their passing game and first-year starter Cullen Harper. Harper has completed more than 72 percent of his throws for 696 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions.

The running attack, with the duo of James Davis and C.J. Spiller, has been slower to get on track this season with a combined 313 yards and three TDs. On defense, coaches have been bothered by the number of missed tackles and botched assignments.

One of Spurrier's biggest concerns is fifth-year senior quarterback Blake Mitchell. Against South Carolina State last weekend, Mitchell threw three touchdown passes, but also had three interceptions and a fumble.

Spurrier said Mitchell needs to find his confidence and rhythm for the Gamecocks to continue their perfect start.

South Carolina has won six straight games, the school's longest streak since winning the 2000 Outback Bowl and then starting 5-0 the next season under Lou Holtz.

The Gamecocks haven't won seven straight games since opening the 1984 season 9-0.

Clemson had only gone 3-0 once before since its last Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 1991. In Bowden's second season, the Tigers rose to No. 5 in the country off an 8-0 start. However, they lost three of their final four games and had not opened as strongly until now.

The benchmark for Clemson is its 12-0 national championship season of 1981. Clemson's longest winning streak is 15 games, a stretch surrounding the school's 11-0 season in 1948.

While Bowden knows there are challenges ahead for the Tigers, he understands why his team has risen so quickly.

``It looks like the voting media are realizing, hey, regardless of who you're playing, if you win the game, you're doing pretty dag-gone good,'' he said.

The dream of every fan on both sides would have the two rivals undefeated when Clemson comes to South Carolina on Nov. 24 for their annual season-ending matchup. It's happened before. In 1928, 5-0 Clemson defeated 5-0 South Carolina 32-0. The next season, the 5-0 Tigers also ended their rival's perfect 4-0 start, 21-14.

There's a long, long way to go for that yearly fantasy to turn real. After three games, though, there's plenty for Clemson and South Carolina fans to smile about.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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