Heels bounce back with solid effort against Virginia

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/11/2012 - Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Zeller had 25 points and No. 5 North Carolina got a bounce-back, 70-52 win over 19th-ranked Virginia on Saturday.

The Tar Heels (21-4, 8-2 ACC) pulled away in the second half, wiping away the taste of Wednesday's last-second loss to Austin Rivers and Duke, which snapped their 31-game home winning streak.

Zeller added nine rebounds to lead North Carolina against Virginia, while Harrison Barnes scored 14 points with 11 boards. John Henson also posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Mike Scott led Virginia (19-5, 6-4) with 18 points and Jontel Evans had 12.

Reggie Bullock scored all five of his points during a 12-2 North Carolina run in the second half, which gave the Tar Heels a double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

Zeller had four points during the spurt, but Bullock led the way, knocking down a three that made it a 13-point game. Moments later, Kendall Marshall's jumper gave North Carolina a 61-46 lead with 6 1/2 minutes left and the Cavaliers were never within single digits afterward.

Earlier, though, it was a different story.

Virginia missed its first five shots of the game, but made its next seven to take a 16-9 lead. Scott hit back-to-back jumpers after two straight Tar Heels turnovers, capping a 9-0 run and forcing North Carolina to call a timeout.

The Tar Heels then scored the next nine points, holding Virginia scoreless for around five minutes while they took an 18-16 lead. Zeller's 14 points in the first half helped North Carolina lead 35-32 at the break. Scott and Evans had 10 points apiece for the Cavaliers in the first half.

Game Notes

North Carolina has won seven of its last eight games against Virginia and leads the all-time series 126-49, including a 64-6 mark in Chapel Hill (22-3 at Smith Center). The teams will meet again on February 25 at Virginia.

Skybool NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< No. 15 Florida State holds off Miami
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bernard James scored 18 points, pulled down six rebounds and blocked four shots, helping the 15th-ranked Florida State Seminoles hold off the Miami-Florida Hurricanes, 64-59. Michael Snaer and I

<< Jardine, Syracuse top UConn
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scoop Jardine hit four three-pointers en route to 21 points, leading second-ranked Syracuse to an 85-67 victory over Connecticut at the Carrier Dome. Dion Waiters added 18 points and Kris Joseph fol

<< Kuric lifts Louisville over West Virginia
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Kuric hit the tying three-pointer as part of a late Louisville run, then made a critical steal in the closing seconds to help the 24th-ranked Cardinals notch their sixth straight win with a

<< Rooney bags two to lift United over Liverpool
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The intense rivalry in Northwestern England did disappoint in entertainment value on Saturday as Manchester United, led by a brace from Wayne Rooney, defeated Liverpool, 2-1, at Old Traffor

<< Kerber, Bartoli to meet in Open GDF Suez final
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - French crowd favorite Marion Bartoli and German Angelique Kerber won semifinal matches Saturday at the Open GDF Suez. The second-seeded Bartoli defeated Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 7-6 (

Missouri handles Baylor in Big 12 battle >>
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Pressey scored 19 points behind four three-pointers and No. 4 Missouri used a second-half surge to down No. 6 Baylor, 72-57, on Saturday. Marcus Denmon and Michael Dixon added 16 points and six

Dortmund maintains lead atop Bundesliga >>
Dortmund, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Borussia Dortmund escaped its match at Signal Iduna Park on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen to maintain its lead at the summit of the German Bundesliga. Dortmund's 15-game unbeaten run

Georgia upsets No. 20 Mississippi State in OT >>
Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Gerald Robinson netted eight of his 13 points in overtime and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 20 points and eight rebounds as Georgia upset No. 20 Mississippi State, 70-68. Dee Bost had a chance

Callahan's hat trick helps Rangers beat Philly again >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Callahan's second career hat trick helped the Rangers continue their winning ways against the Flyers this season, as New York exited Philadelphia on Saturday with a 5-2 victory. Marian Gaborik add

Panthers top Devils in Jersey >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils surely won't miss seeing Florida's Kris Versteeg for the rest of the season. Versteeg put the Panthers ahead in the second period with his fifth goal in four meetings against New Jer

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.