Wizards acquire Thomas from Union
Soccer Betting Lines
06/30/2010 - Kansas City, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Union traded defender Shavar Thomas to the Kansas City Wizards for two second-round draft picks in 2011 and 2012, as well as allocation money, the Major League Soccer clubs announced on Wednesday.
"We really like Shavar's MLS experience and the strength he brings to our back line," Wizards Manager Peter Vermes said. "We are always looking to improve our roster, and he adds quality depth to the center of our defense."
The 29-year-old Thomas, who previously played for the Wizards from 2004-2006, has played 151 games for five MLS teams over eight seasons.
"I had three wonderful years in Kansas City, and I played some of the best soccer of my career there," Thomas said. "I'm at a place in my career where I can really step up and help the team, and I'm ready to do that. I've played with Jimmy [Conrad], Davy [Arnaud], Jack [Jewsbury] and Josh [Wolff] and have won trophies with those guys, so I am really excited about coming back."
The Union originally acquired Thomas from Chivas USA through the MLS Expansion Draft last November, but he made just one appearance for the expansion club.
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The women's finalists will be determined here on Thursday, when world No. 1 Serena Williams meets Czech southpaw Petra Kvitova and 21st-seeded Vera Zvonareva takes on upstart Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova i
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<< Diamondbacks recall P Enright to make debut, option Rosa
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arizona Diamondbacks selected the
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make his major league debut on Wednesday at St. Louis.
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<< 2014 U.S. Amateur awarded to Atlanta Athletic Club
Far Hills, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States Golf Association announced
that the 2014 U.S. Amateur Championship will be held at the Atlanta Athletic
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This marks t
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Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - At the stroke of noon on Thursday, the NHL
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This Week in Auto Racing July 2 - 4 >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR returns to "The World Center of
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NASCAR
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Berdych ousts Federer; Nadal into Wimbledon semis >>
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2009 winner: Den
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Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NHL has reportedly fired Douglas Moss as
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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.
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