March Madness 2010

AT&T Cotton Bowl

Jan. 2, 2010. 2:00 pm EST - FOX

Arlington, Texas. Cowboys Stadium

Ole Miss 21 - Oklahoma State 7

AT&T Inc. became the official title sponsor of the game on September 18, 1996. The length of the partnership runs through the 2010 Classic.

The first Classic was conceived by the late J. Curtis Sanford, a Dallas oilman and business executive. Sanford's first game promotion, a private enterprise guaranteeing each institution $10,000, matched TCU and Marquette on January 1, 1937, at Fair Park's Cotton Bowl Stadium before 17,000 fans. In 1941, the affiliation with the Southwest Conference began, with the SWC voting to send its champion annually to the Classic as the host institution. A partnership was formed in 1998 to create one of the top collegiate matchups in postseason play. Each year the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will serve as the New Year's Day home for the Big 12 Conference and Southeastern Conference.

The newly renovated 88,175-seat Cotton Bowl Stadium, located within Fair Park in Dallas, has served as the home of the annual Classic during all of its 72-year history.

Each year, participants in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will be chosen from the Big 12 Conference and the Southeastern Conference. The Big 12 provides the game's anchor institution. Once the selection process has been completed by the Bowl Championship Series, the Classic receives its choice of Big 12 members. The SEC will provide a division champion, a division runner-up, a team with a comparable record or a mutually agreed upon team as the Big 12's opponent. The AT&T Cotton Bowl has the opportunity to select Notre Dame in place of the SEC representative once in the next three years.

Universities will receive checks totaling $3 million for their participation in the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. Since 1937, the Classic has contributed more than $160 million to higher education.

Football Betting News

NBA Friday/Saturday Outlook

Posted on 3/17/2010 12:00:00 AMby Getchalk

Need a break from the madness of March? The NBA has plenty of wagering options this weekend starting with a busy schedule Friday night. Here's a look at the best bets in pro hoops this weekend:

Friday - Washington Wizards at Portland Trail Blazers

For a few brief moments the Washington Wizards were the best bet in the NBA. After shipping out their top two stars during the trade deadline, while also suffering through the suspension of Gilbert Arenas, oddsmakers pitied the Wizards to the point where you couldn't bet against them.

However, things are back to normal in D.C. - which means Washington is losing and failing to cover the spread. The Wizards have lost nine games in a row, going just 3-6 ATS in that span and conclude their current four-game road trip in Portland and Los Angeles.

Washington comes into Friday's game off a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. The Wizards actually led by six points after the first quarter but were overwhelmed by the Nuggets on both ends of the floor. They gave up 32 points in the fourth quarter but managed to stay within the 14.5-point spread, losing 97-87. Andray Blatche, who led Washington with 23 points, tweaked his ankle in the loss but is expected to play Friday night.

The Blazers are heading in the opposite direction, winning four straight games and improving to 8-2 in their last 10 outings. Portland has covered the spread in six of those contests including its two most recent wins over Sacramento and Toronto.

The Trail Blazers face the Wizards before taking to the road for a one-game swing to Phoenix on Sunday. They are 22-13 at the Rose Garden this season but books have sucked most of the value out of their home court, leaving backers to go 16-18-1 ATS in those games.

Portland got a great all-around effort from their starting five against the Raptors on Sunday. All five starters scored in double figures while Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Nicolas Batum each scored 20 or more points.

The Blazers' offense is on fire, averaging almost 110 points per game in their last three outings while playing over the betting total in all three games. On the season, Portland scores 98.4 points a night and boasts a 38-31 over/under record.

Saturday - Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks

Boston heads west for three games, starting with Houston on Friday then visiting the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. The Celtics are solid on the road, posting a 22-12 record away from Beantown heading into Friday.

They are 17-16-1 against the spread in opposing gyms and have gone 2-1-1 ATS in their four most recent away games. Dallas knocked off Boston inside the Garden back in January, winning 99-90 as a 4.5-point road underdog.

The Celtics are under a lot of scrutiny in the past week after losing three of their last five games heading into Wednesday's meeting with the New York Knicks. Former teammate Leon Powe, who now plays for the rival Cleveland Cavaliers, told the media he thinks Boston looks old. These comments came after the Cavaliers beat Boston 104-93 last weekend.

However, the Celtics' Big 5 continue to produce, including veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Heading into Wednesday, Boston's offense had averaged more than 104 points per game in the past four outings – playing over the total in each of those contests.

Dallas is enjoying a four-game homestand which wraps against the Celtics on Saturday. The Mavericks welcome the Chicago Bulls to the American Airlines Center on Wednesday before getting the rest of the week to prepare for Boston.

Dallas will be trying to put a loss to the Knicks behind them after giving up 128 points to New York on Saturday. They hope to have high-scoring shooting guard Jason Terry back this week after he missed most of the month with a broken orbital bone in his face.