Adrien, Thabeet push UConn to finish line in win over West Virginia

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/07/2009 - Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The inside presence of Jeff Adrien and Hasheem Thabeet was took much for No. 25 West Virginia to handle, as the pair of Huskies combined for 30 points and 20 rebounds in fifth-ranked Connecticut's 61-55 victory in a classic Big East tussle.

Adrien posted 17 points, while Thabeet logged 13 points and 13 rebounds for UConn (13-1, 2-1 Big East), which has bounced back with back-to-back conference victories after its lone loss to Georgetown last week.

Stanley Robinson's 15 boards aided the Huskies' 52-33 edge on the glass, while Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.

De'Sean Butler battled foul trouble for most of the contest but scored 13 points for West Virginia (11-3, 1-1), which fell to 5-1 at home and had its five-game winning streak stopped. Alex Ruoff was held to 4-of-16 shooting from the field for 13 points, while Darryl Bryant had 11 points in the loss.

It was a five-point margin in favor of the Huskies with less than three minutes to go. WVU's Cam Thoroughman connected on a tough bucket in the lane, and Bryant hit two free throws with 2:27 left to cut the deficit to 56-55.

After a UConn free throw and unsuccessful possessions for both clubs, Thoroughman had a chance to tie it at the stripe, but the big man was off the mark on the front end of a one-and-one.

The Huskies took over with less than a minute remaining, and Dyson drove the right lane and made a running layup for a four-point UConn lead. Ruoff's rushed three-pointer on the ensuing possession fell by the wayside, and the visitors held on for the win.

Neither team held a margin larger than four points in the opening 20 minutes.

A 10-2 run by Connecticut late in the first half turned a four-point deficit into a four-point lead, 25-21, around the four-minute mark. But Wellington Smith connected on a trey a good ten feet behind the three-point line to pull West Virginia even, 29-all, at the intermission.

The second half was much of the same with neither team able to take complete control.

Smith threw down a slam in transition to cap six straight WVU points with less than 14 minutes showing on the clock. The 42-38 lead didn't last long, however, as Craig Austrie's dunk capped a mini UConn run over a three-minute span for a 45-44 advantage for the visitors.

After some back-and-forth baskets, Dyson broke a 47-47 tie with a free throw, while Adrien and Thabeet each followed with a layup that made it a five-point game at the six-minute mark.

Game Notes

Dating back to the 1962-63 season, WVU and UConn have now met 17 times, with the Huskies coming out on top in 13 of those encounters...Smith had nine points and eight rebounds in the loss...WVU hit 9-for-12 from the free throw line, while the Huskies were a so-so 18-of-27 at the stripe.

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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