10/30/2007 -
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -Jeff Garcia tried to put a positive spin on Tampa Bay's third loss in four games.
The team's promising 3-1 start has dissolved into a 4-4 record, however the Buccaneers are confident they will regroup the second half of the season and remain in contention for a playoff berth.
``We can beat ourselves up about a lot of things, but we're only halfway through the season and I'm not going to allow myself to hang my head and be disappointed,'' Garcia said, reflecting on Sunday's 24-23 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
``I think there are a lot of positive things to look at. We have eight games remaining, and I know this team's going to come back this next week, give everything they have to give, fight, battle, and do whatever it takes to turn this season around.''
A lopsided loss at Indianapolis four weeks ago was much easier to swallow than setbacks the past two weeks against Detroit and Jacksonville, which held off the Bucs despite playing without injured quarterback David Garrard.
Tampa Bay outgained the Lions and Quinn Gray-led Jaguars by hefty margins, but undermined themselves with turnovers and other mistakes.
Tampa Bay lost two costly fumbles at Detroit and Garica threw three interceptions during the loss to Jacksonville. Meanwhile, the Bucs defense didn't force a turnover in either game.
``You can go through all the statistics you want, play fantasy football and draft whoever you want. At the end of the day it's turnover ratio that decides football games,'' coach Jon Gruden said.
``We turned it over too many times in two weeks, and we haven't gotten any turnovers. Usually that'll do you in.''
Injuries have been a factor in the slide, but so have youthful mistakes and penalties.
Despite gaining 422 yards against Detroit and 385 against Jacksonville, the offense has struggled to finish drives and score touchdowns. Two of the four TDs the Bucs scored against the Lions and Jaguars came on long receptions by Joey Galloway.
With tailbacks Carnell ``Cadillac'' Williams and Michael Pittman sidelined by injuries, the running game has been inconsistent. The defense also has been affected by injuries, with cornerback Brian Kelly and end Patrick Chukwurah missing significant playing time.
Still, the Bucs are very much alive in the NFC South, where division-leading Carolina, New Orleans and Atlanta all have at least three losses.
``If we can get some guys back in the second half of the season, we could hang around and make this interesting,'' said Gruden, whose team has missed the playoffs three of the past four seasons.
Linebacker Derrick Brooks agreed.
``The reality is we're one game out of first place and we play that team again, so let's not hold your heads down,'' said Brooks, though the Bucs actually trail the Panthers (4-3) by a half game.
``We're trying not to get frustrated because we're doing so many things well. On the same token, it's about finding a way to win. For us to not have turnovers (the past two weeks), from my standpoint defensively, is not a way to turn the corner. We've really got to find a way to do it.''
The first step is rebounding next Sunday against Arizona (3-4), which is coming off a bye.
``Right now we're going to find out the true character of this team,'' defensive end Kevin Carter said. ``Basically, we've got to establish whether we're gonna be a playoff contender or not.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Injury-riddled Bruins hope to rebound against Wildcats
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<< McFadden, Razorbacks hoping for big November
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) -Darren McFadden agrees with the critics who say he's lagging in the Heisman Trophy race.He also remembers how important a few late-season performances can be.``I don't feel like I've done enough to be worthy of top considerat
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<< Favre fabulous in OT as Packers beat Broncos
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brett Favre added to his legend under the
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Report: Torre to Dodgers >>
Westchester, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly
ready to fire manager Grady Little and replace him with former New York
Yankees manager Joe Torre.
The Journal-News of Westchester, New York, citing tw
College Basketball Preview - Atlantic Sun Conference >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
OUTLOOK: The Atlantic Sun Conference becomes more crowded this season, as two
more teams will join the ranks, making the jump to the big time. The two new
programs are South Carolina-Upstate and Florida
College Basketball Preview - Mid-American Conference >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
OUTLOOK: The Akron Zips and Kent State Golden Flashes battled for the East
Division last season, while the Toledo Rockets ran away with the West
Division, but none of those three teams captur
College Basketball Preview - Northeast Conference >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
OUTLOOK: The Northeast Conference has experienced uncommon parity in the
era of dominant programs in Division I basketball. There has not been a
repeat NEC champion since the 1993-94 season, an
Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.
Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.
Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.
Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
Arizona 20-1
Butler 20-1
Duke 30-1
Florida 7-2
Georgetown 30-1
Indiana 35-1
Kansas 15-1
Marquette 25-1
Maryland 40-1
Memphis 50-1
Nevada 50-1
UNC 9-2
OSU 8-1
Oregon 30-1
Pittsburgh 15-1
Texas 30-1
Texas A&M 18-1
UCLA 6-1
Wisconsin 10-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards
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