March Madness 2010

St. Petersburg Bowl

Dec. 19, 2010. 8:00 pm EST - ESPN

St. Petersburg. Fla., Tropicana Field

Rutgers 45 - UCF 24

ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN, Inc., announced today the creation of the St. Petersburg Bowl, a college football postseason game to be nationally televised on ESPN2 on December 20.

The NCAA-certified bowl game was approved today. It will be owned and operated by ERT and will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. The game will feature a bowl-eligible team from the BIG EAST Conference against one from Conference USA.

“St. Petersburg is proud to host the St. Petersburg Bowl,” St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker said. “With today’s announcement, our city joins an elite group of only 28 cities nationwide to host a NCAA Collegiate bowl game. I’d like to thank ESPN for its leadership in recruiting the bowl game, and we look forward to welcoming the BIG EAST and Conference USA to St. Petersburg in December.”

ESPN Regional Television owns and operates five other postseason college football bowls: the Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); the Bell Helicopter Armed Forced Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas); the Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl; the Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl and the New Mexico Bowl.

“We look forward to the opportunity to host a bowl game at a great destination – St. Petersburg,” said Pete Derzis, Senior Vice President & General Manager, ERT. “The St. Petersburg area has a great association with sports, it’s a great venue and this is sure to be a rewarding experience for the student-athletes and their teams, as well as the fans who attend the game.”

“We are thrilled to be hosting the St. Petersburg Bowl,” said DT Minich, executive director of Visit St. Pete Clearwater. “From Grand Prix to baseball tournaments to triathlons, the St. Pete/Clearwater area has a long history of hosting prestigious sporting events, so we’re honored to be named the inaugural home of a bowl competition. It also gives us the opportunity to showcase one of America’s premiere sports travel and vacation destinations, with award winning beaches, world-class cultural attractions and more.”

“The St. Petersburg Bowl is another great bowl opportunity for the BIG EAST,” said Mike Tranghese, BIG EAST Conference. “The game is played in a BIG EAST market and already has generated great interest in the local community, and the partnership with ESPN will help the game grow quickly. Our coaches are always excited to play a postseason game in the state of Florida.”

“We are excited about the opportunity to develop a new bowl in Florida," C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said. “St. Petersburg is a wonderful community and a great destination for C-USA fans. The BIG EAST Conference will surely provide a great opponent on the other side of the ball. We also are confident that our partner, ESPN Regional Television, will make the experience positive and memorable for the student-athletes.”

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.