United States hopes to get off on the right foot

Soccer Betting Lines

09/10/2007 - Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States hasn't had any problems with North Korea in two previous meetings, rolling to 3-0 wins in the 1999 and 2003 World Cups.

While the United States has been a world power since the first Cup in 1991 and enters this year's event ranked No. 1 in the world by FIFA, North Korea has its best team ever.

North Korea, ranked fifth in the world, is not only good enough to defeat the United States but challenge for a World Cup title as well.

That's why U.S. coach Greg Ryan called Tuesday's clash "a very pivotal game in our group."

The United States, World Cup winners in 1991 and 1999, have never faced such a crucial game in the group stage of the tournament. The United States is 11-0-1 all-time in group play, outscoring its opponents by combined scores of 44-8.

With three of the top five teams in the world in Group B - Sweden is third - no team can afford to slip up this year if it hopes to advance. That includes the United States.

"They (North Korea)," Ryan said, "are a great team."

Although North Korea hasn't enjoyed any success in its previous two World Cups, winning just two of its six matches in '99 and '03, it has emerged as the top team in Asia over the past few years. North Korea won the Under-20 World Cup last year and six players from that team have joined the senior club.

"We will not be intimidated by the USA," North Korea coach Kim Kwang-Min said on FIFA.com. "Our approach will be to attack our way to victory and rely on our never-say-die spirit."

Veteran Ri Kum Suk, who was nominated for FIFA Player of the Year in 2006, is the key to North Korea's high-octane offense. But Ri Un Suk, who just came up from the U-20 team, is another speedy goalscorer who fits in well on the team.

"One thing I remember about North Korea that they did to us in the game in 2003 was that they threw a lot of numbers forward," said U.S. captain Kristine Lilly, who will be appearing in her fifth Cup. "I know they will be coming strong as us."

The United States plans to go right at North Korea as well.

"I think in order to compete with North Korea, we have to match their high pressure, their intensity, as well as play smart, just try to attack them," U.S. defender Kate Markgraf said.

With forwards Lilly and Abby Wambach, the United States can match any team in the tournament offensively. Lilly, '06 runner-up for FIFA Player of the Year, has 126 goals and 100 assists in her career. Wambach has an amazing 77 goals and 33 assists in just 96 games.

"It's going to take our best soccer in order to beat them," Markgraf said, "and we're excited for the challenge."

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

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