Gunners humiliated in Milan

Soccer Betting Lines

02/15/2012 - Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan put Arsenal to the sword in convincing fashion at the San Siro, cruising to a 4-0 win over the English side in the first leg of the Champions League knockout round on Wednesday.

The Italian giants scored two goals in both halves as Kevin-Prince Boateng and Robinho gave the Rossoneri a two-goal lead by halftime, while another Robinho strike and a penalty kick from Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed the win in the second half.

Robinho's brace gives him three Champions League goals for the season, while Ibrahimovic's late penalty sees him preserve his streak of scoring a goal in each of his Champions League appearances this year.

The home side went in front thanks to a beautiful finish in the 19th minute.

Boateng cushioned a pinpoint through ball with his chest on the right side of the box before smashing a volley on the turn into the upper corner of the goal. The ball rattled off the underside of the crossbar and crossed the goal line to hand Milan the lead in stunning fashion.

Antonio Nocerino nearly doubled the advantage moments later when he collected a ball on the right side of the box. The Italian midfielder dribbled inside before unleashing a rocket that sailed just inches high and wide of the goal.

Arsenal's failed attempt at an offside trap helped Milan extend the lead in the 38th minute.

Ibrahimovic broke free on the left flank and made a penetrating run down the side of the box. Arsenal's back four failed to recover as they waited for a raised flag from the assistant referee that never came. The Swedish hit man took advantage, centering the ball to Robinho who nodded his effort to the far post.

The Brazilian hooked up with Ibrahimovic again to produce Milan's third goal of the tie. Ibrahimovic slipped a pass inside to Robinho who capitalized on a fall from Thomas Vermaelen before firing a shot to beat Wojciech Szczesny at his near post.

Arsenal talisman Robin van Persie nearly grabbed a vital away goal in 66th minute with half-volley from close range, but Milan 'keeper Christian Abbiati thwarted the Dutchman's effort with a brilliant one-handed save.

Milan put the tie beyond any lingering doubt in the 78th minute when Ibrahimovic was brought down in the box by Johan Djourou.

The Swedish international slotted the ensuing penalty kick just inside the post to give the Rossoneri a more-than-comfortable 4-0 lead heading into the return leg.

The Gunners undeniably have a mountain to climb in the replay, which will be played on March 6 at the Emirates.

Zenit 3, Benfica 2

Saint Petersburg, Russia - Roman Shirokov scored twice to help Zenit win its first ever match in the knockout round of the Champions League as the Russian side edged Benfica, 3-2, at home on Wednesday.

The visitors grabbed the lead after 19 minutes when a free kick from Oscar Cardozo was stopped by Zenit goalkeeper Yuri Zhevnov but parried right into the path of Maxi Pereira. The Uruguayan defender calmly slotted the ball into the empty net to hand his side the opener.

Zenit responded quickly thanks to a classy finish from Shirokov. The 30-year- old connected on a cross in the 27th minute, guiding a one-time effort across the face of goal and into the far side of the net.

Another brilliant finish from Zenit saw the home side grab the lead in the 71st minute. A bouncing ball played in front of goal was met with great creativity as Sergei Semak flicked a shot behind his standing leg, off the far post and over the goal line.

Benfica took advantage of some more poor goalkeeping in the 87th minute when Zhevnov spilled a shot inside the six-yard box and patted the rebound directly in front of goal. Cardozo was at the right place at the right time and capitalized on the gaffe to level the score.

But Zenit restored its lead a minute later following some sloppy defending from the Portuguese side. A very poor attempt at a clearance helped Shirokov get through on goal. He evaded a defender and skipped past Benfica goalkeeper Artur before slipping a shot into the empty net from a tough angle.

Despite its one-goal deficit, Benfica is still well-positioned to progress as the two away goals mean that the Portuguese side would only have to claim a 1-0 win when the two sides meet at the Estadio da Luz on March 6.

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Numerous College Basketball teams take final big step to March Madness betting

So, what turned on the lock spigot? Well, after what felt like weeks of teams treading water and slipping back into the bubble muck, a bunch of them finally decided to say "to heck with parity" and won games that should put them into the Big Dance.

Disagree with some of these? Then here's the challenge. Take all of the "should be ins" and make a legit case that each should be ahead of the team that's a lock. Then find 10 more teams that also should be placed in the bracket ahead of that lock team. Not so easy, is it?

If you want more evidence that these locks should be good to go, check out what our research department dug up. Since the NCAA Tournament went to 64 teams in 1985, only six teams from a "big six" conference have had a record of 10-6 or better in conference play and not been selected: Colorado (2004) and Nebraska (1999) from the Big 12, Boston College and Seton Hall (both 2003) from the Big East, Indiana (2005) from the Big Ten and UCLA, which somehow went 12-6 in the Pac-10 in 1988 and still missed out. (Note: Five teams went 11-7 and didn't get in, the latest being last season's Stanford team, which had a brutal nonconference run.)

Yes, 10 conference wins doesn't always mean what it used to because of unbalanced schedules, but this season, it should be plenty good in all but the extreme cases (see: Iowa).

In a way, this is a welcome development, because this is a bubble watch, not a lock watch. We can finally be done with teams like Maryland and Virginia Tech and start really bearing down on at-large battles such as Syracuse-West Virginia and Appalachian State-Georgia Tech.

Interestingly, all the shifting of teams into lock status appears to be more administrative than impactful. The number of remaining available at-larges didn't change one iota. The only difference is that teams on the bubble now have a clearer idea of which team(s) they are competing with for those precious bids.

The Bubble Breakdown
CONFERENCE LOCKS SHOULD BE INS AT-LARGES TAKEN
(assuming no auto bid outlier)
ACC Betting Odds 6 0 5
Big East Betting Odds 5 0 4
Big Ten Betting Odds 2 2 3
Big 12 Betting Odds 3 0 2
Pac-10 Betting Odds 5 1 5
SEC Betting Odds 4 0 3
MVC Betting Odds 1 1 1
MWC Betting Odds 2 1 2
TOTAL 28 5 25

As always, I've tried to be as inclusive as possible while only including teams that would have a reasonable chance of at least being discussed if this were Selection Sunday. If your team's not on here, there's probably a good reason (or three) -- start with the RPI and SOS numbers and work your way down.

(Please remember, per selection committee criteria, that records displayed are Division I only. Next update: Feb. 28)

If you have a legitimate grievance, or just like talking bubble, send an e-mail. Polite ones with fact-based arguments have a much better chance of receiving a response. I apologize in advance if I can't get back to all of you.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Work left to do: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech

The ACC moves to six locks as BC, Va Tech and Virginia all got their 10th ACC wins, which should be more than enough this season, and Maryland rallied past North Carolina to get the final piece the Terps needed. After that? It could end there unless FSU, Ga Tech or Clemson picks things up in a hurry.

 

Work left to do:

Clemson [19-9 (5-9), RPI: 41, SOS: 42] The Tigers are closer to locking up the collapse of the year award (in a good battle with OK State) than they are to grabbing an at-large. Clemson's been very competitive, but there's no really positive way you can spin nine losses in 11 games. They now cannot get to .500 in ACC play and still must head to Virginia Tech in the season finale (after hosting Miami). Unless the Tigers win both and/or do some serious work in the ACC tourney, they very well could be left out. There are no great nonconference wins, but ODU, App State, Miss. State, South Carolina and Georgia are all respectable W's.

Florida State [18-11 (6-9), RPI: 48, SOS: 14] The Noles got thrashed at Maryland to run their losing streak to five, but then pounded NC State at home to set the table for what likely is an elimination game at Miami. You can at least make a case for the Seminoles at 7-9 in ACC play (and some work in the ACC tourney), but 6-10 is not going to cut it. Wins at Duke and over Florida will resonate, but the computer numbers remain questionable. Beyond Florida, FSU thrashed bubble buddy Providence, but there's not a ton beyond those two games that will help. They didn't show well in big-time opportunities against Pitt and Wisconsin (before the Florida win).

Georgia Tech [18-10 (6-8), RPI: 51, SOS: 46] The Jackets beat Wake on Wednesday but couldn't get it done at UVa on Saturday, which could be a crucial loss with UNC and BC (both at home) remaining and 8-8 almost a certain need for at-large consideration. A nonconference win over Memphis helps, but the RPI and SOS are not at-large quality right now; if you combine those with a sub-.500 ACC mark, that could spell NIT for GT.

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