Gators take on Tide in Tuscaloosa

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/14/2012 - Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Florida Gators seek a quick turnaround, as they head to Coleman Coliseum for Southeastern Conference competition with the short-handed Alabama Crimson Tide.

This game matches up an apprentice with his former master, as Alabama's head coach Anthony Grant spent 12 seasons learning from Billy Donovan at Marshall and Florida. Alabama holds a 78-53 lead in the rivalry. Grant has yet to beat the Gators.

Florida is on its first two-game losing streak of the season after falling against Kentucky and Tennessee in its last two outings. Donovan's team is still 19-6 overall and second in the SEC with a 7-3 mark in league action. The loss on Saturday was the second to the Volunteers this season. The Gators can only blame themselves for the loss, as they missed nine free throws (19-28) and committed 15 turnovers in the contest. Florida is still one of the most feared teams in the nation, as the Gators are netting 78.8 ppg. Opponents have averaged 65.9 ppg on 42.6 percent shooting from the field on the Gators.

The Gators come into the game with all five starters carrying double-digit scoring averages. Kenny Boynton leads the charge with 17.5 ppg on 47.2 percent shooting from the floor. Freshman guard Bradley Beal is second on the team in both scoring (14.4) and rebounding (6.2). Patric Young does a good job in the middle and Erving Walker runs the show from the point position. Donovan was missing Mike Rosario (hip pointer) against Tennessee, and will be without Scottie Wilbekin (concussion) tonight against the Crimson Tide.

Anthony Grant made a bold move and suspended four starters for the team's last contest, which resulted in a 67-58 loss to LSU. Of the four players suspended for violation of team rules, Trevor Releford and Andrew Steele are expected to return, while Tony Mitchell and JaMychal Green remain suspended indefinitely. While Alabama is considered on the bubble, a win over the Gators would be a huge step towards the postseason. Without Green and Mitchell, the team's top two rebounders, the Crimson Tide will need a breakout performance from one of their reserves on the glass tonight.

Releford is the top scorer expected to see the floor tonight, as he averages 12.4 ppg. The sophomore point guard also leads the team in steals (2.2) and assists (3.1). Alabama started four freshman and seldom used junior Ben Eblen against LSU. The highest scorer of group was Trevor Lacy, who contributes 6.6 ppg. Rodney Cooper took advantage of the opportunity and exploded for career- highs of 28 points and five steals.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

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