Harvard battles Penn in pivotal Ivy League tussle
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/10/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Harvard Crimson will try to maintain their spot atop the Ivy League standings, as they head to Philadelphia to take on the Penn Quakers tonight at The Palestra.
Harvard is enjoying the best start in school history, losing just two of its first 22 games and the team sits a game up on Yale in the Ivy League standings coming into action today. An Ivy League school hasn't started out this well since Princeton began the 1997-98 season at 21-1. The Crimson have won eight games in a row, the most recent of which being a 57-52 decision over Columbia last Saturday.
Penn has been nearly as impressive of late, winning five of its last six games to move to 4-1 in the league, just a game and a half behind Harvard for first place. The Quakers defeated Brown in convincing fashion last Saturday, 65-48.
Penn holds a commanding 127-33 advantage in the all-time series with Harvard, but the Crimson has won the last five meetings.
Most of Harvard's success this season can be directly attributed to its stellar defense, which allows a mere 53.6 ppg, third-best in the nation behind only Wisconsin and Virginia. The Crimson have allowed 70 points just once, gave up 50 points or fewer in 10 games, and less than 40 points twice. It was the same old story last Saturday against Columbia, as the Lions were held to 40 percent field goal efficiency and only 52 points, as Harvard won its 25th straight home game -- the fourth longest active streak in the country. Laurent Rivard finished with a game-high 20 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor and 8-of-12 from the foul line, while Keith Wright added 15 points and six rebounds in the win. Rivard (11.3 ppg), Kyle Casey (10.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg) and Wright (10.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg) lead a capable offense for the Crimson. Though he's not much of a scorer, Brandyn Curry ranks fourth in the Ivy League in assists (5.0 apg) and second in steals (1.9 spg).
Penn has one of the few offenses in the Ivy League that could be a problem for the stout Harvard defense as it ranks second in both scoring (67.8 ppg) and field goal percentage (.446). While the Quakers' defensive effort often times under-performs (67.5 ppg), they put forth one of their best efforts of the season against Brown last Saturday, allowing the Bears to shoot just 37.7 percent from the field en route to a meager 48 points. Rob Belcore logged his second double-double of the season in the win, grabbing 10 rebounds while tying a career-high with 17 points. Zack Rosen has been one of the Ivy's top playmakers this season, ranking second in scoring (18.3 ppg) and first in assists (6.0 apg), all while shooting 47.8 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from three-point range and 88.1 percent from the charity stripe. Tyler Bernardini has been a admirable wingman for Rosen, ranking fifth in scoring (14.9 ppg) and first in three-point FG percentage (.432). Miles Cartwright rounds out Penn's double-digit scorers with 10.2 ppg.
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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract
Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.
NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."
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