Irish set sights on Golden Eagles

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles continue their push towards the top of the Big East standings, as the begin a two-game road trip this afternoon, taking on a dangerous Notre Dame team at the Joyce Center.

Buzz Williams' Golden Eagles are soaring right now, winning seven straight games after losing back-to-back decisions to Georgetown and Syracuse in early January. The team is now sitting behind only the Orange (9-1) in the Big East standings at 8-2. Marquette's winning ways continued on Tuesday with a 66-59 win over Seton Hall.

Mike Brey's Irish have fought through some adversity this season with the loss of their top player (Tim Abromaitis), but have weathered the storm to remain in the hunt in conference play. The Irish are tied for fourth in the Big East at 6-3 and have won three straight games entering this contest, knocking off Syracuse, Seton Hall and most recently Connecticut (50-48).

The Irish hold a commanding 79-36 lead in the all-time series with the Golden Eagles, but Marquette has won six of the 10 meetings since joining the Big East in 2005.

Jae Crowder was the driving force in leading Marquette to its seventh straight win, as he tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds in the seven-point win over Seton Hall this week. Crowder, who was 6-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line, got double-digit help from guards Vander Blue and Darius Johnson-Odom, who finished with 16 and 14 points, respectively.

One of the reasons for Marquette's win streak is its improved shooting of late. The number have improved the team's overall output, as the Golden Eagles are now averaging 76.1 ppg on a healthy .456 shooting. Johnson-Odum and Crowder are a potent one-two punch. Johnson-Odom ranks third in the Big East in scoring at 18.3 ppg. Crowder is seventh in the league at 16.6 ppg and leads Marquette in rebounding (7.6 rpg). The two present problems for the opposition out beyond the arc, combining for 95 of the team's 139 three-pointers to date. No one else is averaging double figures at this time, but Davante Gardner (9.8 ppg) and Todd Mayo (9.0 ppg) aren't far off the mark.

With Abromaitis going down early on, the Irish have had to scramble at the offensive end. There isn't a true go-to-guy now, but Brey has done a nice job getting the right players on the floor. Eric Atkins leads the team in scoring at 12.9 ppg and is actually shooting better from three-point range (.408) than overall (.400). Jerian Grant runs the offense and is both a solid scorer (12.7 ppg) and deft distributor (4.8 apg). Jack Cooley provides balance with his strong play down low. The 6-9 junior is averaging 10.7 ppg on nearly 60 percent shooting (.594) and leads the team and ranks seventh in the league in rebounding at 8.4 caroms per contest.

The Irish trailed by three points at the half against the defending national champs, but did what was needed after the break to scratch out a win in a low- scoring game. Notre Dame didn't shoot the ball particularly well at a mere .362 clip, but did knock down seven three-pointers compared to three for the Huskies. Atkins led the way with 13 points in the win. Grant finished with 11 points and six assists, with just one turnover in 38 minutes of work. Scott Martin chipped in with 10.

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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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