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02/05/2012 - Biella, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Italy got a big doubles win from Flavia Pennetta and Roberta Vinci in Sunday's fifth and deciding rubber in their Fed Cup quarterfinal against visiting Ukraine, as the Italians won the best-of- five encounter, 3-2.
Italy headed into Sunday in a 1-1 deadlock with the Ukrainians after Sara Errani and Ukrainian Lesia Tsurenko posted singles victories on Saturday.
In Sunday's first reverse singles rubber, last year's French Open runner-up and 2010 Roland Garros titlist Francesca Schiavone came from behind to beat Kateryna Bondarenko 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 6-4 to give the Italians a short-lived 2-1 edge. The upstart world No. 121 Tsurenko, who stunned the 11th-ranked Schiavone 6-1, 6-2 on Saturday, then flattened Sara Errani, 6-1, 3-0, when Errani retired from their bout with a right knee injury on Day 2, leaving the series knotted at 2-2 at Biella's Lauretana Forum.
In the final rubber of the weekend, Pennetta and Vinci broke the deadlock by holding off a Ukrainian duo of Tsurenko and Olga Savchuk 7-5, 0-6, 6-1 to send Italy into the semifinals. Pennetta replaced Errani in the doubles match.
The powerful Italians have won three of the last six Fed Cup titles, including back-to-back crowns in 2009 and 2010. They are now 4-0 all-time against Ukraine in Fed Cup play.
Up next for Italy in April will be the reigning Fed Cup champion Czech Republic.
<< Heat get past Raptors
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James had a game-high 30 points to go with
nine rebounds as the Miami Heat outlasted the Toronto Raptors, 95-89, at
American Airlines Arena on Sunday.
Dwyane Wade scored 25 points and Chris Bosh add
<< Rangers continue dominance of Flyers
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Artem Anisimov had a goal and two assists to
lead the New York Rangers to a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Marian Gaborik had a goal and an assist while Michael Del Zotto, Brandon
Dubinsky and R
<< Kovalchuk leads Devils past Pens
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and two
assists on Sunday, leading the Devils to a 5-2 win over the Penguins.
Kovalchuk now has 10 points in his last four games -- all New Jersey
victories. Z
<< Thomas lifts Bruins over Capitals
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tim Thomas stopped 35 shots to lift the
Boston Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center.
Brad Marchand and Rich Peverley each had a goal and an assist while Milan
Lucic a
Notre Dame dominates DePaul >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Natalie Novosel led the way with 21 points
for No. 2 Notre Dame as it dominated DePaul, 90-70, at Purcell Pavilion on
Sunday.
The Fighting Irish (23-1, 10-0 Big East) had five scorers in double figu
De Rossi signs five-year extension with Roma >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has signed a
five-year contract extension, the Italian club announced Sunday.
De Rossi, 28, had a contract through the end of the current season, but signed
a new deal to keep
Johnson lifts No. 8 Tennessee past Auburn >>
Knoxville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Glory Johnson recorded her ninth double-
double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds as No. 8 Tennessee took
down Auburn, 82-61.
Ariel Massengale added 14 points, five rebounds and four
Price, Canadiens shut out Jets >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carey Price stopped 23 shots for his third
shutout of the season as the Montreal Canadiens took a 3-0 decision over the
Winnipeg Jets.
Tomas Plekanec had a goal and an assist while Max Pacioretty and Ale
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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