2 BCS schools could lose basketball scholarships

NCAA Football Betting Lines

06/09/2010 -

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The NCAA's big boys have figured out how to beat up the little guys in the classroom, too.

Spend more money.

The newest Academic Progress Rate, released Wednesday, showed seven of the 137 teams facing penalties come from BCS conferences and only two power conference schools - Colorado and Syracuse - were sanctioned in football, men's basketball or women's basketball. Both schools said they have already taken the scholarship losses and won't be affected next season.

And there's little doubt about the reasons for the disparity between big and small schools.

``It is clear resources make a difference and the schools that do have resources can make more timely adjustments,'' NCAA vice president Kevin Lennon said. ``We clearly have examples of low-resource institutions that were very successful academically, it's not just money, but we're trying to help.''

Assistance didn't come quickly enough for Portland State, which lost an appeal to avoid a postseason ban in men's basketball. Nine other schools, none from BCS conferences, all received waivers. A year ago, football teams at Jacksonville State and Tennessee-Chattanooga and the men's basketball team at Centenary were the first schools to be banned from postseason play because of sub-par academic scores.

The APR measures the classroom performance of every Division I team and this year's data was collected from 2005-06 through 2008-09.

Syracuse and Colorado defied the trend.

Colorado was penalized one scholarship in men's basketball and four in football, while Syracuse lost two in men's basketball for falling below the NCAA's 925 cutline. Officials at both schools said they took away the scholarships last season after academically ineligible players left school.

Syracuse was one of only four NCAA tournament teams from last season to get hit with a penalty. The others were Houston, Morgan State and UTEP. Orange coach Jim Boeheim, the reigning national coach of the year, had an explanation for his team's 912 score.

``We had three students leave school early to pursue professional basketball careers last spring and that is difficult to overcome,'' he said. ``We anticipate being back above the APR standard when the next report is compiled.''

The APR is billed as a real-time academic measure of every Division I team. Each athlete receives one point per semester for remaining academically eligible and another point each semester for remaining at that school or graduating.

A mathematical formula is then used to calculate a final team score with 1,000 points being perfect. Teams falling below 925 can face conditional scholarship losses. Teams consistently falling below 900 can be penalized more harshly.

So when Jonny Flynn, Eric Devendorf, and Paul Harris all left for the NBA, Boeheim's team could have lost as much as six points.

Lennon and Walt Harrison, chairman of the Committee on Academic Performance, didn't buy it.

``I've learned a lot from Jim Boeheim. I understand his frustrations, but in the end, I'm not persuaded by his arguments,'' Harrison said.

Colorado was one of 10 schools to be sanctioned in both sports, though the other nine all compete in the Football Championship Subdivision. And four of those 10 are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

The Buffaloes scored 920 in football and 897 in men's basketball.

``Naturally, the APR score for football is of great concern to both our academic and athletic leadership,'' Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano said in a statement. ``It represents a challenge we are working to meet through our APR improvement plan, new academic support staff in athletics, and renewed focus in recruiting and engagement with our student-athletes.''

The good news is that overall APR scores increased by three points, to 967, over last year. Scores in the three lowest scoring sports - baseball, football and men's basketball - also increased and the number of teams decreased for the second straight year.

Harrison said 27 percent fewer athletes are flunking out of school since 2004-05 and that more athletes are coming back to earn degrees.

But NCAA officials understand many schools do not have enough money to respond to problems like Colorado.

Two years ago, the governing body instituted grants to help supplement academic aid at low-income schools, but so far, the results haven't changed much.

- Only four BCS teams, other than those at Colorado and Syracuse, face penalties: men's outdoor track teams at Auburn and Cincinnati, the men's indoor track team at Auburn and the women's rowing team at West Virginia.

- Of the 20 schools facing reductions in scholarships or practice time or both, none are BCS schools and eight are HBCUs.

- Florida International and Southeastern Louisiana each had seven teams sanctioned, the most in Division I. McNeese State was next with six. Cal State-Fullerton, Chicago State, Delaware State, Howard and Nicholls State all had four teams on the list. Georgia Southern, Portland State, Southern University, Southern Utah, Tennessee-Chattanooga and Texas-San Antonio each had three.

- Tennessee-Chattanooga avoided a second straight postseason ban in football despite scoring 885 because the team showed ``demonstrated improvement'' over last year's score of 870.

``I am haunted by the challenges that low-resource institutions have in showing academic performance,'' Harrison said. ``We are looking for ways that will help them, so we're doing everything we can, we believe, to help them. But it continues to be a nagging problem.''

---

AP Sports Writers John Kekis in Syracuse, N.Y. and Pat Graham in Denver contributed to this report.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.

Cbssportslone NCAA Football Betting News

<< Report: Nets eyeing Johnson for coaching job
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Post is reporting that the New Jersey Nets have entered into discussions with Avery Johnson about the team's head coaching vacancy. Johnson was fired after the Dallas Mavericks' ouster from

<< Nadal, Djokovic win second-rounders in London
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French Open champion Rafael Nadal and second-seeded Novak Djokovic highlighted Wednesday's second-round winners at the Aegon Championships, a grass-court Wimbledon tune-up. Making a smooth transit

<< NFLPA issues challenge to structure of NFL television deals
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Football League Player's Association has initiated a legal challenge to the NFL's agreement with television networks, which allows the league to reap payments even if no games are pla

<< NCAA bans Portland State men's basketball from postseason
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The men's basketball team at Portland State has been banned from competing in the NCAA Tournament for the 2010-11 campaign after the school fell too low on the NCAA's Academic Progress Rate (APR) score list th

<< Kentucky-Notre Dame clash highlights SEC/Big East Invitational
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky and Notre Dame were among the eight teams chosen to play in this year's SEC/Big East Invitational, a two-night event held December 8 and 11 in Louisville and Pittsburgh. Joining Kentucky from

Pierce looks for better game, less foul trouble >>
BOSTON (AP) -Paul Pierce knows he has to improve his play in Game 4 of the NBA finals. First, he must stay out of foul trouble.The Boston Celtics' leading scorer in the regular season picked up his fifth foul in the first minute of the fourth quarte

Rain pushes back Sharapova, again >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second time in two days, rain wreaked havoc on the $220,000 Aegon Classic, as former champion Maria Sharapova had her second-round match pushed back yet again. The second-seeded form

Oregon QB Masoli dismissed from team >>
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oregon Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was dismissed from the football program on Wednesday for failing to adhere to obligations outlined by head coach Chip Kelly which stemmed from Masoli's guilty

Rangers sign two first round picks >>
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have signed outfielder Jake Skole and catcher Kellin Deglan, their two first round selections in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Skole was the 15th overall pick out

Former Liberty standout becomes assistant >>
Lynchburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Liberty University football star linebacker Manny Rojas has joined the Flames' coaching staff as both a defensive and special teams assistant. Rojas ranks third in Big South Conference history with 348

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.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.