2010 Great West Conference Tournament Preview

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/08/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The inaugural Great West Conference Tournament takes place at the McKay Center in Orem, Utah from March 10-13. The champion of this event receives an automatic bid to the Collegeinsider.com Tournament, as the league won't be eligible for an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament until 2020.

Earning the top seed by virtue of its 11-1 league record are the South Dakota Coyotes, who finished a stellar 20-9 on the year and come into this event riding an 11-game win streak. USD has won at least 20 games in each of the past seven seasons. The Coyotes, who rank at the top of the GWC in scoring offense (79.2 ppg), scoring margin (+6.8), field goal percentage (.478) and field goal percentage defense (.408), won't see their first action in the tournament until the semifinals on Friday. South Dakota has three double-digit scorers in the form of Tyler Cain (15.1 ppg), Roman Gentry (13.6 ppg) and Jake Thomas (12.6 ppg). Cain has been a monster this season, as he leads the conference in field goal percentage (.665), rebounding (10.2 rpg) and blocked shots (84).

Houston Baptist went 9-3 in conference during the regular season to claim the second seed in the tourney, but the Huskies won only one other game all year to finish a dismal 10-20. HBU, which has won four of its last five coming into this event, boasts the top scorer in the league in Andrew Gonzalez (18.8 ppg), and the team is averaging 70.2 ppg to rank second in the Great West. Unfortunately, the Huskies give up a league-worst 79.1 ppg and they also rank last in turnover margin (-3.40).

The No. 3 seed went to North Dakota after it went 5-7 in conference to match the record achieved by fourth-seeded Utah Valley, but the Fighting Sioux won the tie-breaker by beating the Wolverines twice during the regular season. UND closed out the 2009-10 campaign by losing two in a row, but the team has won four of its last seven games overall. Only two players are averaging double figures in the scoring column, as Travis Bledsoe (14.8 ppg, league-leading .441 three-point FG percentage) and Travis Mertens (10.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg) help the Fighting Sioux put up 62.0 ppg, which helps explain the club's dreadful 8-22 record.

As mentioned, Utah Valley finished two games under .500 in league play, and the team won just 12 of its 29 games on the year. The Wolverines, who are the host team of this event, have dropped five of their last six games coming into the postseason, with their lone win being a 65-57 decision against visiting NJIT on March 4th. UVU is the top defensive team in the Great West, yielding just 65.4 ppg -- a shade more than it produces (63.9 ppg). Jordan Swarbrick leads the team at the offensive end with his modest 12.7 ppg.

The No. 5 seed was awarded to UT-Pan American, which went just 5-26 on the year and 4-8 in conference. The Broncs have tasted victory just twice in their last 12 games, the most recent of which came in the regular-season finale at North Dakota on Saturday. UTPA doesn't have one double-digit scorer in the fold, and is averaging a league-worst 61.0 ppg as a result. Defensively, the Broncs are giving up 72.7 to rank sixth in the Great West. Foes have found it relatively easy to hit their shots, doing so 48.7 percent of the time, while also having their way on the glass (-7.7 rebounding margin) -- both of which have the team ranked last in the conference.

NJIT picked up the sixth seed after going 4-8 in league play this season, matching the conference records of both Chicago State and UTPA. The Highlanders, who went just 1-59 the previous two seasons, limp into this event having lost three straight and five of their last six overall, the most recent setback coming in an 83-49 shellacking at regular-season champ South Dakota on Sunday. Despite averaging just 61.1 ppg (sixth-worst in the Great West), the team features three double-digit scorers in the form of Jheryl Wilson (14.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Chris Flores (13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Isaiah Wilkerson (12.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg). NJIT is shooting a league-worst 37.8 percent from the field, but at 66.9 ppg allowed, the Highlanders rank second in scoring defense.

Chicago State is the No. 7 seed, earning that distinction after going a mere 9-22 on the year and as mentioned, winning just four of its 12 league bouts. The Cougars have just two players averaging double digits in the scoring column, with Carl Montgomery (13.3 ppg) and Christian Wall (12.8 ppg) doing what they can to help the team achieve its goals. Unfortunately, CSU is putting up just 62.4 ppg to rank fifth in the conference, and the team sits sixth in field goal percentage (.381), which includes a league-worst 26.9 percent showing from three-point range. The one area the Cougars have excelled in this year is on the glass, as they lead the GWC in rebounding margin (+1.3).

Utah Valley takes on UT-Pan American in the first game of the event, and the teams split a pair of meetings during the regular season, with each winning at home. The winner will move on to face top-seeded South Dakota in the semifinals on Friday.

Houston Baptist will battle Chicago State in the quarterfinals, and the Huskies won both regular-season matchups with the Cougars, the last being an 85-83 overtime affair in early February.

North Dakota and NJIT lock horns in the third game of the quarters, and the teams split their two games during the regular season with the home team winning each time.

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Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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