Sliding Bulls make a stop in Memphis

Basketball Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fading Chicago Bulls hope to put the brakes on season- long seven-game skid and improve their standing in the Eastern Conference playoff picture when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.

Chicago's losing streak is its longest since dropping eight in a row from Dec. 20, 2005-Jan. 4, 2006, and if the postseason started today, the Bulls, who are one game behind Toronto for the eighth playoff spot in the East, would be left out of the party.

Most recently the banged-up Bulls fell to 0-2 on a four-game road trip in Miami on Friday when Quentin Richardson made 7-of-11 three-pointers on his way to 23 points while pulling down seven rebounds, as the Heat handled Chicago, 108-95.

James Johnson and Jannero Pargo each finished with 20 points for the Bulls, who played without a host of key contributors. Brad Miller tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Flip Murray registered 15 points off the bench.

Defensive stalwart Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) has missed each game during the Bulls slide and he has been joined on the sidelines by forward Luol Deng (calf) and All-Star point guard Derrick Rose (sprained left wrist).

Meanwhile, guard Kirk Hinrich was ejected after two technical fouls against Miami and made contact with a referee while arguing the second technical, resulting in a one-game suspension that will be served tonight.

"The bottom line is you have to do it on the court," Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said. "You have to play and keep battling."

Rose and Deng figure to be game-time decisions tonight but Noah will assuredly stay on the bench with Hinrich.

The Grizzlies, meanwhile, saw a three-game win streak halted on Saturday when J.R. Smith scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, as the Denver Nuggets used a huge final period to defeat Memphis, 125-108, at FedEx Forum.

O.J. Mayo finished with 25 points for the Grizzlies, who are now five games behind Portland for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Zach Randolph tallied 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Marc Gasol added 17 points, seven boards, and six assists in defeat.

"It's 85-85 going into the fourth, and they just went on a tear on us," Mayo said. "Then we kind of dropped our heads too soon. We played hard for 36 minutes, then let the fourth quarter get away from us."

Memphis will be shooting for a home-and-home season sweep of the series after taking a 105-96 win in the Windy City earlier this month. The Grizz haven't swept the Bulls since the 2003-04 season.

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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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