March Madness 2010

Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl

Dec. 27, 2010. 8:30 pm - ESPN

Nashville, Tenn., LP Field

Clemson 21 - Kentucky 13

In early 1997, the Nashville Sports Council and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce began discussions with the Southeastern Conference (SEC) about hosting a post-season college Bowl game. There were several reasons that factored into the discussions: Nashville is known as a destination city, its easily accessible to a majority of universities in a number of conferences, and a brand new stadium was being built for a new NFL franchise, the Tennessee Titans. Furthermore, Nashville is one of the best cities in the country for hospitality and entertainment. Known as Music City, Nashville has several opportunities to offer the college football fan, university administrator, corporate sponsor, and local resident. After taking these points into consideration, the Nashville Sports Council, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the City of Nashville decided to take on the challenge and Music City Bowl, Inc. was born.

Later in 1997, the Bowl aligned itself with several partners to ensure its success. The Bowl signed a four-year Carnell 'Cadillac' Williams dives.agreement starting in 1998 with ESPN to broadcast the game nationally. In 1998, a four-year agreement was signed with the SEC. In 1999, the Big East Conference agreed to a three-year deal to send a team to the Music City to take on the SEC.

In 2000, the Bowl took a new direction signing a four-year deal with the BIG TEN Conference to replace the Big East starting with the 2002 game. The SEC further extended their existing contract through the 2005 game. In 2005, the Bowl announced new conference partnerships with the SEC and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) beginning in 2006 through 2010.

The Bowl has had some major accomplishments adding to its success and has solidified its position as one of Nashville’s most important events. Gaylord Hotels (a division of Gaylord Entertainment Company) agreed to serve as title sponsor of the Bowl for multiple years. Furthermore, Bridgestone, a locally headquartered international company officially became the Presenting Sponsor of the Bowl in 2003. In addition, the Bowl and ESPN inked an agreement for ESPN to broadcast the Bowl through 2013. These new alliances and partnerships should bring more stability to one of the fastest growing Bowl games in America.

The Bowl, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, is a now a part of the fabric of the Nashville community. Key initiatives such as economic development, tourism impact, quality of life enhancement, a focus on youth, and a commitment to higher education are all part of the Bowl experience. The Bowl in just a few short years has turned one of Nashville’s slowest tourism weeks into one of the busiest as well as supported various charitable organizations through ticket donation, special community programs, and much more. Moreover, the Bowl has one of the most successful youth initiatives in the country with its Youth Football Program. The Bowl’s Youth Football Program reaches families in eighty communities in Middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and northern Alabama. More than 22,000 participants are part of a unique program that involves players, cheerleaders, and coaches with Nashville’s Holiday Tradition.

Finally, since the Bowl’s inception, nearly 46 million viewers have watched the event on ESPN; the Bowl has contributed nearly $20 million in financial payouts to participating universities; and has generated nearly $142 million in economic impact for the Nashville community.

Football Betting News

NBA Friday/Saturday Outlook

Posted on 3/17/2010 12:00:00 AMby Getchalk

Need a break from the madness of March? The NBA has plenty of wagering options this weekend starting with a busy schedule Friday night. Here's a look at the best bets in pro hoops this weekend:

Friday - Washington Wizards at Portland Trail Blazers

For a few brief moments the Washington Wizards were the best bet in the NBA. After shipping out their top two stars during the trade deadline, while also suffering through the suspension of Gilbert Arenas, oddsmakers pitied the Wizards to the point where you couldn't bet against them.

However, things are back to normal in D.C. - which means Washington is losing and failing to cover the spread. The Wizards have lost nine games in a row, going just 3-6 ATS in that span and conclude their current four-game road trip in Portland and Los Angeles.

Washington comes into Friday's game off a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. The Wizards actually led by six points after the first quarter but were overwhelmed by the Nuggets on both ends of the floor. They gave up 32 points in the fourth quarter but managed to stay within the 14.5-point spread, losing 97-87. Andray Blatche, who led Washington with 23 points, tweaked his ankle in the loss but is expected to play Friday night.

The Blazers are heading in the opposite direction, winning four straight games and improving to 8-2 in their last 10 outings. Portland has covered the spread in six of those contests including its two most recent wins over Sacramento and Toronto.

The Trail Blazers face the Wizards before taking to the road for a one-game swing to Phoenix on Sunday. They are 22-13 at the Rose Garden this season but books have sucked most of the value out of their home court, leaving backers to go 16-18-1 ATS in those games.

Portland got a great all-around effort from their starting five against the Raptors on Sunday. All five starters scored in double figures while Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Nicolas Batum each scored 20 or more points.

The Blazers' offense is on fire, averaging almost 110 points per game in their last three outings while playing over the betting total in all three games. On the season, Portland scores 98.4 points a night and boasts a 38-31 over/under record.

Saturday - Boston Celtics at Dallas Mavericks

Boston heads west for three games, starting with Houston on Friday then visiting the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night. The Celtics are solid on the road, posting a 22-12 record away from Beantown heading into Friday.

They are 17-16-1 against the spread in opposing gyms and have gone 2-1-1 ATS in their four most recent away games. Dallas knocked off Boston inside the Garden back in January, winning 99-90 as a 4.5-point road underdog.

The Celtics are under a lot of scrutiny in the past week after losing three of their last five games heading into Wednesday's meeting with the New York Knicks. Former teammate Leon Powe, who now plays for the rival Cleveland Cavaliers, told the media he thinks Boston looks old. These comments came after the Cavaliers beat Boston 104-93 last weekend.

However, the Celtics' Big 5 continue to produce, including veterans Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. Heading into Wednesday, Boston's offense had averaged more than 104 points per game in the past four outings – playing over the total in each of those contests.

Dallas is enjoying a four-game homestand which wraps against the Celtics on Saturday. The Mavericks welcome the Chicago Bulls to the American Airlines Center on Wednesday before getting the rest of the week to prepare for Boston.

Dallas will be trying to put a loss to the Knicks behind them after giving up 128 points to New York on Saturday. They hope to have high-scoring shooting guard Jason Terry back this week after he missed most of the month with a broken orbital bone in his face.