11/21/2008 - Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich's Ze Roberto is planning to turn to religion when he retires from professional football at the end of the season.
The 34-year-old Brazilian has already confirmed his intention to hang up his boots when he ends his second spell with the reigning Bundesliga champions next May.
He revealed: "Religion is very important to me and it is a fundamental aspect of my life 'I can only imagine how good it would be to be a preacher.
"I will most likely study theology for four years, which would be a rewarding experience for me and for my family."
(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)
<< Xavi reveals new Barca deal is close
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona midfielder Xavi has paved the
way for a resolution is his contract negotiations with the club after
admitting he wants to end his career at the Camp Nou.
The 28-year-old Spain inter
<< Schuster won't quit Real
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bullish Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster
insists he has never considered resigning despite the club's inconsistent form
leading to speculation that he is close to the sack.
Real's sporting director, Pr
<< Report: White Sox sign Cuban defector Viciedo
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago White Sox have reportedly agreed
to terms on a lucrative contract with 19-year-old Cuban defector Dayan
Viciedo.
Viciedo, considered to be a five-tool talent at third base, defected from
<< Gallas captaincy in doubt
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsene Wenger is facing mounting pressure
to strip William Gallas of the Arsenal captaincy following the outspoken
Frenchman's latest verbal attack on his teammates.
Gallas, 31, who has previously
AHL announces rescheduled game >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American Hockey League game between the
Springfield Falcons and the Worcester Sharks, originally scheduled for Nov.
15, has been rescheduled for Dec. 10 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass, the
league
Penguins loan Cashman to Wheeling >>
Wilkes-Barre, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have
loaned defenseman Reid Cashman to their ECHL affiliate, the Wheeling Nailers.
Cashman, 25, appeared in four games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season,
recor
Nashville reassigns rookie forwards to Milwaukee >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators reassigned rookie
forwards Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones to the Milwaukee Admirals of the
American Hockey League.
Jones has three goals and three assists in 15 games
Wild reassign Schaefer to Houston >>
St. Paul, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild reassigned goaltender Nolan
Schaefer to the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League. Schaefer was
recalled Tuesday on an emergency basis and did not play a game with the NHL
club.
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.
For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com
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