Cornell clinches Ivy League, first team into NCAA Tournament

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/05/2010 - Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Jaques scored 20 points, going 6-of-8 from beyond the arc, and Cornell hit 20 shots from beyond the arc and clinched the Ivy League crown with a 95-76 victory over Brown.

Louis Dale, Ryan Wittman and Chris Wroblewski each hit four three-pointers with the trio scoring 18, 16 and 14 points, respectively, for the Big Red (26-4, 12-1 Ivy League), who sewed up their third consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Cornell tied an Ivy League record and set a school mark with the 20 made three-pointers, accomplishing the feat on just 30 attempts.

Jeff Foote also scored 14 for Cornell, which won its sixth in a row overall and beat the Bears for the eighth straight time.

This is Cornell's fourth Ivy League crown and fifth trip to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Big Red gained a No. 14 seed in the West Region and lost in the first round to Missouri.

Peter Sullivan had 23 points for the Bears (11-19, 5-8), who were swept in the season series by Cornell, also losing 65-54 on Feb. 6. Garrett Leffelman added 16 points in defeat.

It was a great start for Cornell, as Jaques nailed a pair of three-pointers and Wroblewski connected from long distance for a 9-0 lead for the visitors.

Brown battled back and grabbed a 25-24 edge on a three-pointer by Sullivan midway through the half, but Wroblewski responded with a three-ball.

Cornell managed to hold onto a 51-47 edge at the break and pulled away with a sizeable flurry early in the second half. A layup from Leffelman had Brown within 56-51, but Cornell responded with the next nine points, culminated by Dale's jumper with 16:15 remaining.

The Big Red continued to pull away, building the cushion to 20 at 81-61 on a Dale three-pointer inside nine minutes to go.

Cornell shot 57.4 percent from the field.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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