A-10 title up for grabs as Owls take on Spiders

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03/14/2010 - Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gunning for their ninth Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament title, the third in as many seasons, the 17th-ranked and top-seeded Temple Owls take the floor at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this afternoon against third-seeded Richmond.

The Owls, who are attempting to become only the second team in the A-10 to ever win three straight tourney titles after the five in a row posted by UMass from 1992-96, haven't been truly challenged in this year's event. The squad opened with a 69-51 defeat of eighth-seeded St. Bonaventure on Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals and then moved on to a 57-44 victory against Rhode Island on Saturday. With the triumphs, Temple is now 51-19 in the tournament all-time.

As for the Spiders, currently an even 8-8 in this event since joining the league, they have yet to bring home the trophy. Then again, this is just the second trip to the title game for the program following a 72-60 loss to Xavier back in 2002. Ironically, it was an 89-85 overtime victory against those same Musketeers yesterday that propelled Richmond into the tournament finale.

The Spiders have tied the school-record for the most wins in a single season and have defeated four straight ranked opponents, with their eye on making it five this afternoon in Atlantic City.

Of Temple's two conference losses this season, one was at the hands of the Spiders in a 71-54 final in Virginia back on February 6th, the last time the Owls also lost any outcome. As a result, the all-time series now numbers 8-7 in favor of Temple.

After getting to overtime against Xavier yesterday, the Spiders had little trouble disposing of the Musketeers as they shot 4-of-5 from the floor and a perfect 2-of-2 behind the three-point line and 6-of-6 at the charity stripe to seal the deal. All-conference performer David Gonzalvez posted 26 points, converting all but one of his 14 free-throw attempts, while adding five assists and four rebounds. Just ahead of Gonzalvez in the scoring column was Kevin Anderson, who logged a game-high 27 points as he made good on 10-of-21 shots from the field. Playing a significant role off the bench was Dan Geriot with 11 points in a mere 16 minutes, while fellow reserve Francis Martel tacked on 10 points and eight rebounds. Richmond, which has played three overtime games in the last five outings overall, is led in scoring by Anderson and his 17.9 ppg, having made more shots at the free-throw line (122-of-147) than all but one of his teammates has attempted this season. Gonzalvez accounts for another 14.7 ppg having made good on a team-best 73 three-point attempts. The defense for the Spiders has held opponents to just 39.2 percent shooting from the field, 29.3 percent out on the perimeter and 62.4 ppg overall.

Sticking with the starters for as much as possible, the Owls had little worry as they easily took care of Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon by double figures. In fact, Temple ran out to a commanding 15-2 lead and never looked back as the defense held URI to just seven total field goals in the first half and 27.1 percent shooting from the floor overall in the contest. The Owls themselves had some issues from the field in the second half with just five field goals, but the squad hit on 12-of-20 at the free-throw line to keep their distance. Ryan Brooks was responsible for 16 points, Juan Fernandez 14 and seven assists, while Lavoy Allen came up a point shy of logging another double-double as he cleared a team-best 10 rebounds. Winners of nine in a row, the Owls have had a different leading scorer in each of the last four outings, a testament to the team's balanced scoring attack. Brooks tops the scoring list with his 14.3 ppg, followed by Fernandez and Allen with 12,4 and 11.7 ppg, respectively. While the points can be evenly divided in any given contest, Allen is easily the leader in the paint for Temple with his 10.9 rpg. In fact, in the meeting last month against Richmond the big man was a beast in the paint with not only 17 points, but also a game-high 19 rebounds.

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Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.

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Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.

Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.

Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.

Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.

All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.

A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.

2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1

Ron Brace (NE) 25/1

Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1

Darius Butler (NE) 40/1

Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1

Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1

Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1

Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1

Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1

Larry English (SD) 15/1

Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1

Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1

Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1

Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1

James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1

Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1

Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1

Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1

Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1

Roy Miller (TB) 20/1

Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1

Fili Moala (IND) 30/1

Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1

Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1

B J Raji (GB) 7/1

Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1

Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1

David Verkune (CLE) 20/1

Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 6/1

NFL football gambling

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