Cornell story touches campus in many ways
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/25/2010 -
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -Steve Donahue knew for a while that something special was brewing at Cornell. He just never dared to dream so big.
``It's just been overwhelming in a great way,'' Donahue, head coach of the Big Red, said Wednesday after practice in the Carrier Dome. ``People back home have been stopping, honking their horns, rolling down their windows, just exuberant in celebration. It just makes you feel good that people are enjoying the success of our program just as much as we are.''
Cornell's run is unprecedented in the Ivy League. With nine seniors, many of them castoffs, Cornell (29-4) has won more games than any school in the history of the league and is the first from the Ivy to advance to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament in more than 30 years.
Two more wins, beginning with top-seeded Kentucky on Thursday night, and the 12th-seeded Big Red will become the lowest seed to reach a Final Four.
Not bad for a coach who was 74-117 in his first seven seasons.
``I've been here for 10 years,'' said Donahue, who didn't make a dime coaching basketball until he was 33, selling paint so he could feed his passion for the game. ``Now I walk in the same steps I've always walked and I get a totally different reaction where I never got reaction.''
These are heady times on the Cornell campus. The women's ice hockey team, seeking the school's first national title in a women's sport, made it to its first national championship game before losing in triple overtime to Minnesota Duluth on Sunday. The men's hockey team has a Division I playoff game Friday night.
Amidst the athletic glee is a pall of gloom that hangs over the picturesque campus in Ithaca, N.Y., an hour's drive south of Syracuse.
The Ivy League school, situated in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, is known for its spectacular gorges. It attracts the best and brightest - future lawyers, doctors, captains of industry.
It's also haunted by a reputation for suicides. The steep, rocky gorges add to the beauty of the school of 20,000 students, who must cross over at least one of them to enter the main campus town.
``There were three (suicides) one semester when I was there,'' said Rick Luciani, a 1986 Cornell graduate and now a social worker in Syracuse. ``The following year they put up more gates to make it harder to jump. It was an alarming time. I do remember it pretty vividly.''
This year has been brutal. After three years without any deaths, six students have taken their own lives this academic year, an 18-year-old freshman economics major from Florida, a sophomore from Maryland, and a junior from Indiana among them.
``It's kind of been a weird feeling with the tragedies,'' senior star Ryan Wittman said. ``I think what we're trying to do is give people something else to think of. Give them something to take their minds off of that.
``We've been seeing and feeling a lot of support from our students, from the locals around the community,'' he added. ``It's kind of a difficult situation. We're not trying to make people forget about it, just allow them to think about something else for a little while.''
Cornell took the extraordinary step of posting lookouts on bridges that span the gorges and going door-to-door to check on students after the suicides. The school hosted a ``Lift Your Spirits'' gathering that featured music and a wall for students to write their thoughts.
``I hope that they feel better about everything that's going on on our campus and somehow will get through this,'' said Donahue, a father of five. ``As a parent, that is always your concern. To see it happen on your own campus is extremely difficult.''
The suicides have affected the basketball players, too.
``It was kind of shocking that kids our age are going through stuff like that,'' senior Jon Jaques said. ``I hope in some way our run helps the school. I can't say whether it's helped touch people personally, but I know it's made people on campus get happy and excited.''
It sure has.
``The mood was pretty down. I actually knew one of the people that passed,'' said Sarah Song, a junior from Vineland, N.J. ``A lot of people didn't know how to handle things. It (the team's success) has helped. Everyone is just ecstatic, and it's going to last. It's definitely put everyone in a great mood. When they go back, they're going to be like local heroes.''
They already are.
Since coach Mike Dement's 1987-88 Cornell team went 17-10 and 11-3 in the Ivy League to earn the school's second NCAA tournament bid (the 1953-54 team won the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League and the school's first NCAA berth two years before the Ivy League formed), the Big Red had just two winning seasons until going 16-12 and 9-5 in the Ivies in 2006-07 under Donahue.
In winning the league three straight years, Cornell has broken through one of the most consistent monopolies in college basketball. Since 1969, Penn or Princeton had either won or shared the Ivy League title in all but three years.
Donahue traces the program's turnaround to a horrific accident in practice four years ago. Sophomore guard Khaliq Gant dislocated two vertebrae in his neck in a collision with two teammates that left him temporarily paralyzed. He underwent a seven-hour operation to fuse the vertebrae and secure them with plates and screws and has since recovered.
Although his playing days were over, Gant remained an integral part of the team as manager, and the Big Red excelled.
There's a chance Gant will be here Friday night, when the Big Red face their biggest foe of the season in Kentucky.
Donahue rolled his eyes in amazement at the thought.
``I knew we had something special, but it exceeded my expectations,'' he said. ``It's hard to imagine what they (the seniors) have accomplished in four years.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
ROSEVILLE, Mich. (AP) -A judge has dismissed one of the criminal sexual conduct cases against former Detroit Lions wide receiver Tommie Boyd.Boyd was accused of forcing the girl to have sex in 2006 at Fraser High School, where he was a substitute te
<< Curry, Warriors roll over Grizzlies
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Curry scored 30 and Golden State used a
78-point first half, on the way to a 128-110 victory over the Grizzlies,
dealing a severe blow to Memphis' playoff aspirations.
Curry also had 11 assists
<< Canucks shoot down Ducks
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Sedin had a goal and two assists, as
the Vancouver Canucks handled the Anaheim Ducks, 4-1, at General Motors Place.
Christian Ehrhoff, Alexandre Burrows and Ryan Kesler also lit the lamp for
the
<< Bryant rallies Lakers past Spurs
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant was efficient on the offensive
end, totaling 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting with six assists, as the Lakers
put the clamps on San Antonio in the second half of a 92-83 victory.
Lamar Odom ad
<< Avs earn shootout win over Kings
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Stewart's shootout goal lifted the
Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 win over Los Angeles in the finale of a home-and-
home series at Pepsi Center.
Colorado forward Peter Mueller and Los Angeles defe
MORAGA, Calif. (AP) -When practice started back in October, Saint Mary's coach Randy Bennett was still trying to figure out just what kind of team he had.The Gaels had lost perhaps their most dynamic player ever in Patty Mills to the NBA, one of the
Zambrano's big goal: Put struggles behind >>
MESA, Ariz. (AP) -Antsy with a new season approaching, Carlos Zambrano wants nothing more than to be in a different place.Considering where he was last year, the Chicago Cubs probably wouldn't mind.Big Z is ready to move on after two trips to the di
Yankees release Gaudin >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Right-hander Chad Gaudin has cleared waivers and
has been released by the New York Yankees. New York is still on the hook for
25-percent of his $2.95 million salary, meaning they will pay him $737,500.
Gaudin,
Butler and Syracuse clash in West Regional semifinals >>
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Owners of a 22-game win streak, the
Butler Bulldogs take their act to EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City,
Utah tonight where they will clash with the Syracuse Orange in the round of 16
in the 2010 NCAA
Huskies and Mountaineers duke it out in Sweet 16 >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers
have reached the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 as expected, and they will
attempt to avoid an upset tonight against the red-hot Washington Huskies, the
East Region's 1
MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds
With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.
Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season. Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money.
This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy. A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.
Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:
| Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame) Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma) Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State) Michael Bush (RB, Louisville) Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia) Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville) Chris Leak (QB, Florida) Mike Hart (RB, Michigan) Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State) Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame) Drew Tate (QB, Iowa) Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal) Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn) Chad Henne (QB, Michigan) Kyle Wright (QB, Miami) Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State) Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama) JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU) Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State) Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina) Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech) |
5-2 7-2 7-1 10-1 10-1 12-1 12-1 18-1 18-1 20-1 30-1 35-1 35-1 40-1 50-1 50-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 60-1 |
For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.
American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies
It's that time of year folks. Betting on American Idol Season 9. And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below. With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.
No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.
Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.
Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.
Odds to Win
There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.
All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.
A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.
Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.
Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol.
Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.
If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.
Elimination Props
Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.
Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.
Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups
The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.
Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.