Thursday News and Notes

Thursday, December
07, 2006

It’s underway:
Joe Duffy is CEO of OffshoreInsiders.com,
which is offering a
premium version
of the advanced news and notes, computer trends, weather
information and more for the entire bowl season. Much of the information is compiled from
hometown newspapers and the team’s own press releases. The entire bowl season
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is $69

NFL

Browns-Steelers

Stevie Vincent’s BetOnSports360

We believe Derek Anderson gets the start for Cleveland
at QB. Kellen Winslow will start at TE. Pittsburgh
will be without starting WRs Cedrick
Wilson and Hines Ward.

JoeDuffy.net

60 chance of a snow shower, winds west/northwest at 17
mph, kickoff temperature 23 degrees

Associated Press

Steelers, winners of the last six, have taken control by
beating the Browns 20 times in 25 games since coach Bill Cowher took over in
1992. The Browns haven’t won successive games since Oct. 5-12, 2003, a span of 54 games. The Steelers
traditionally thrive at this time of year – since 2001, they are 21-5 in
regular-season games played on Dec. 1 or later. And it was this week a year ago
when they began the eight-game winning streak that carried them to their first
Super Bowl title in 26 years.

NBA

Suns-Nets

NY Times

The Nets, who have only one victory against a team above
.500, will have a chance to take a huge stride in the right direction Thursday
when they play host to the Phoenix Suns (10-6).
Seven of the Nets’ defeats have come against teams with a sub-.500
record. The Nets lost six in a row earlier in the season, and they broke the
skid with victories over two of their lowly Atlantic Division foes, the Boston
Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joe Duffy’s sports betting selections are at www.GodsTips.com

NY Sun

With Stoudemire back, some
observers began forecasting 70 wins for the Suns. Then the Suns began the
season by losing five of six, and cooler heads began to remind people that Stoudemire might take a couple of months to return to his
old form, which included a 26 points per game, 8.9 rebounds a game season in
2005 and Rookie of the Year honors in 2003. Since their sluggish start, the
Suns, who visit the Meadowlands tonight, have been on a tear. They’ve won nine
out of 10 and during the last two weeks.

CBB

Alabama-Notre Dame

Press Register

Fourth-ranked Alabama
will face the sternest test yet to its unblemished record tonight when it takes
on Notre Dame at the Joyce Center
in South Bend, Ind.
The Crimson Tide (7-0) tips off against the unranked Irish (6-1). Alabama
has more than its ranking to defend. Its pride took a
hit in last year’s game against the Irish, when Colin
Falls
nailed seven 3-pointers and
led Notre Dame to a 78-71 win at Coleman Coliseum. As was the case in last year’s
game, Tide point guard Ron Steele will not be 100 percent healthy. Steele’s
back was tightening up on him in the Irish upset last year, and this time
tendonitis in his right knee will affect his play. Notre Dame is coming off an
impressive 81-74 win over then-No. 23 Maryland
in Washington, D.C.,
and has a chance to make another big statement against the Tide. Alabama
has stumbled around a bit in sweeping its last three at home against subpar competition. Steele did not play in two of those
games, then was pushed to 35 minutes in last Saturday’s
78-60 win over Tennessee State.
Stevie Vincent’s BetOnSports360.com is
pioneer in forensic handicapping and part of OffshoreInsiders.com

Austin Peay-Morehead State

Leaf Chronicle

The Govs have won their last six over Morehead
State
. Austin Peay
views the entire weekend as a dangerous journey. After playing Morehead
State
, the Govs head down to play Eastern
Kentucky
on Saturday. They don’t call this part of the Ohio Valley
Conference swing a trip to “Death Valley” for nothing.
The Govs are riding high after knocking off a Tennessee Tech team that was
picked to finish third in the OVC, three spots higher
that Austin Peay. They snapped a three-game series
losing streak there. MasterLockLine.com has the top plays from the top
sports service in their highest ranked sports.

Eastern Illinois-Tennessee Tech

Journal Gazette

Yes, Tennessee Tech has beaten last season’s NCAA Sweet
16, Kansas-conquering Bradley. Yeah, the Golden Eagles beat the now 6-3 Bradley
team that won by 20 over a DePaul team that won by 30 over Eastern
Illinois
this season. But when it comes to the
earlier-than-ever-starting Ohio Valley Conference basketball race, Eastern and
Tech are dead even at 0-1. And when it comes to momentum, an EIU team predicted to finish ninth in the 11-team OVC might be running ahead of the No. 3 pick Eagles. While
the Panthers after a 53-50 near-upset loss to defending champion Murray State
used Mike Robinson’s last-second 40-footer to beat Arkansas State 73-70 on
Saturday, Tech was brought back down to earth from its conquest of Bradley when
it lost its OVC opener at Austin Peay
77-70. We see whether Tech, 3-3 for the season, has recharged with four days
without a game or is on a downward spiral. Having taken Tech into overtime last
season in a game that dropped the Panthers to 0-5 in a 6-21
season,
Eastern should have confidence in that it is considerably ahead
of last year’s pace. Joe Duffy’s sports betting selections are at www.GodsTips.com

Pepperdine-Long Beach State

Press Telegram

The Long Beach State
men’s basketball team will play its first home game in a day short of three weeks
tonight when the Pepperdine Waves visit the Walter
Pyramid for a 7:05 nonconference meeting. During the extended “road trip,” the
49ers (3-4) lost three times by an average margin of 24 points (to USC, UCLA
and Temple) before rallying Sunday to beat the University of Maryland-Baltimore
County, 57-53. Senior guard Kejuan Johnson missed
three games after his broken nose was set on Nov. 27 but is expected to return
to action tonight. The Waves, who were projected to finish seventh (among eight
teams) in the West Coast Conference by WCC head
coaches, improved to 2-6 Monday night with a 78-72 victory in Boulder against
the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Three of their losses have come to three
of Long Beach’s fellow Big West Conference members, Cal State Northridge
(95-92), UC Santa Barbara (89-80 in overtime) and UC Irvine (68-66), all played within a stretch of eight
days in late November. The Waves, who are scoring 79.6 points per game, are
playing with a roster that includes just eight scholarship players after
sophomores Mike Gerrity (a Mater Dei High graduate)
and Chris Oakes quit, and Jason Walberg (who transferred from Saint Mary’s to
play for his father as a senior) suffered torn knee ligaments last week.


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