Seton Hall seeks upset of Big East leader Villanova

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/02/2010 - Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big East Conference foes collide tonight, as the second-ranked Villanova Wildcats host the Seton Hall Pirates at The Pavilion.

Seton Hall is a solid 12-7 overall, but that record is overshadowed a bit by a 3-5 league mark. The Pirates carried a two-game win streak into last Thursday's matchup with South Florida and were in great position to extend that streak, but the result was a heart-breaking 76-74 overtime loss to the Bulls.

Villanova opened this season with nine consecutive victories before finally falling to Philadelphia-area rival Temple. The Wildcats haven't lost since that setback, as they have ripped off 10 consecutive wins to move to 19-1 overall and 8-0 in league action. The most recent triumph occurred last week over Notre Dame by a 90-72 final, the club's third straight double-digit triumph.

Villanova owns a commanding 60-36 series lead over Seton Hall, which includes seven straight wins over the Pirates.

Jeremy Hazell remains somewhat anonymous to most casual college basketball fans, but the Seton Hall standout is one of the Big East's most productive scorers. Hazell is netting 22.5 ppg and has 37 steals to his credit. Herb Pope is the only other double-digit scorer in the fold, as he checks in with 12.3 ppg and 11.4 rpg. Pope has also blocked 34 shots, over one-third of the team's total. While Seton Hall is generating 82.8 ppg, the team is limiting opponents to 73.6 ppg on 41.6 percent shooting. In the tough loss to USF last time out, Hazell finished with 28 points. Robert Mitchell netted 11 points and Keon Lawrence contributed 10 points for the Pirates, who got 17 rebounds from Pope. Unfortunately, a 25-11 disadvantage in points from the foul line proved costly.

Scottie Reynolds continues to lead Villanova in scoring with 18.7 ppg, as he is one of two players on the roster that has started all 20 games. The other is Corey Fisher, who provides 13.3 ppg and 86 assists. As for Antonio Pena, the third and final double-digit scorer in the fold for the Wildcats, he generates 10.9 ppg and 7.6 rpg. Villanova is racking up 85.2 ppg, and the club is limiting opponents to 70.5 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting. Reynolds and Fisher scored 17 points apiece in the romp over Notre Dame last time out, and Pena provided 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats led that game by just one point at intermission, but 51.7 percent shooting from the field in the second half and a 15-of-17 effort from the foul line over the final 20 minutes proved to be key.

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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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