No. 15 Villanova opens Big East slate at Marquette

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/01/2009 - Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 15th-ranked Villanova Wildcats and the Marquette Golden Eagles are set to collide in what should be a tremendous Big East Conference opener.

Villanova owns a stellar 12-1 record and has won four straight decisions since suffering its only loss to a strong Texas squad. The Wildcats are fresh off a 62-45 victory over city rival Temple on Monday, and while most of the wins thus far have come over mediocre competition, the league slate will present plenty of stiff tests.

As for Marquette, it has fallen out of the national rankings, but the team would likely regain a spot with a victory over Villanova. The Golden Eagles are currently riding a three-game win streak that includes an 84-45 romp over Presbyterian on Sunday. They are 11-2 overall, including a perfect 9-0 at home.

Villanova owns a 6-5 lead in the all-time series with Marquette, but the Golden Eagles have won the last two meetings.

Four players are averaging double figures in scoring for Villanova, which is generating 74.2 ppg. The Wildcats have played tremendous defense, limiting foes to 57.6 ppg on 37.9 percent shooting from the floor. They are outrebounding their opponents by nearly seven boards per contest and are shooting a healthy 76.4 percent from the foul line. Dante Cunningham is netting 16.9 ppg for coach Jay Wright's team while pulling down 7.5 rpg. He also leads the squad with 23 steals and 16 blocks while shooting 56.3 percent. Scottie Reynolds checks in with 14.2 ppg, but his 37.4 percent shooting is poor. On a positive note, Reynolds is dishing out 4.4 apg. Corey Stokes (11.4 ppg) and Corey Fisher (10.0 ppg) round out the foursome. Outstanding defense was key to the recent win over Temple, as 'Nova held its rival to 31.3 percent shooting from the field while earning a 36-29 rebounding advantage. Fisher was tremendous in that tilt, as he poured in 23 points off the bench on the strength of a 4-of-4 showing from three-point range.

Wesley Matthews continues to lead a balanced Marquette attack with 19.2 ppg on 50.4 percent shooting from the floor, and there are three other double-digit scorers in the fold to help carry the load. Lazar Hayward, the club's best frontcourt performer, provides 17.2 ppg and 9.5 rpg, while Jerel McNeal checks in with 17.1 ppg. As for Dominic James, he adds 10.9 ppg to go along with team highs of 68 assists and 25 steals. Marquette is posting 81.5 ppg while allowing only 67.2 ppg. Hayward was tremendous in the victory over Presbyterian on Sunday, as he scored 22 points on the strength of a 5-of-9 effort from behind the arc, and he also ripped down 11 boards. As for Matthews, he added 21 points for Marquette, which finished with 23 assists against eight turnovers. Maurice Acker played only 16 minutes off the bench but finished with 10 assists.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

To visit this online sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.