Johnson carries Montana past Weber State for Big Sky title

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - Ogden, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anthony Johnson set a tournament record with 42 points and knocked down the game-winning jumper with 10.4 seconds left to cap a furious second-half comeback, as Montana upended Weber State, 66-65, to claim the Big Sky Conference tourney crown and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Johnson poured in 34 of those points in the second half to help erase a 20- point halftime deficit and give Montana (22-9) its seventh tourney title and eighth NCAA Tournament appearance. The senior was 13-of-22 from the field and made all 14 of his foul shots.

Derek Selvig chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds for the Grizzlies.

Big Sky Player of the Year Damian Lillard had 16 points and five rebounds, but was just 5-of-13 from the field. Franklin Session added 10 points for top- seeded and tournament host Weber State (20-10), which was vying for its ninth Big Sky Tournament crown.

The Grizzlies shot just 28 percent in the first half with its seven field goals leading to a measly 20 points and a 40-20 deficit after 20 minutes.

However, thanks to Johnson, Montana sank a startling 69.6 percent of its shots in the second half.

Weber State was still up 19 nearing five minutes into the second half after Nick Hansen dropped in a layup, but Johnson hit from beyond the arc on the other end to start the improbable comeback with the first points of a 13-3 run.

Selvig and Ryan Staudacher also struck from three-point range during the stretch, which sliced the deficit to nine with 12 1/2 minutes remaining.

Lillard drained a three for the Wildcats to stem the tide, but Johnson was at the head of another Montana run pouring in eight points during a 10-0 surge that brought the lead down to 51-49 with close to nine minutes left.

A layup by Session and Trevor Morris' basket with 6 1/2 minutes to play gave the Wildcats some breathing room at 60-52.

Johnson simply took over from there, scoring the final 14 Montana points. He scored six straight to make it a one-possession game and hit a jumper to get with 61-60 near four minutes remaining.

His jumper with 1:04 to go gave the Grizzlies their first lead at 64-63, but Lillard answered with two free throws.

Montana had a chance to go back in front but Lillard came up with a huge steal of Selvig that led to a trip to the line by Session with 28.1 seconds on the clock.

Session, though, missed both attempts and Johnson pulled up for a short jumper on the ensuing possession to put the Grizzlies up 66-65. Will Cherry then tied up Lillard on a loose ball to force a possession change back to Montana to seemingly end things with 2.6 seconds left.

Selvig missed a pair of free throws, though, to give Weber State life. But a last-second heave fell well short.

Game Notes

The teams split their two regular-season meetings, with each winning on their home floor. Weber State remains ahead in the all-time series with a 58-48 mark...The Wildcats shot 28 percent in the second half and 37.3 for the game...The hosts got eight points each from Hansen, Lindsey Hughey and Darin Mahoney.

Sportt NCAA Basketball Betting News

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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