Fast Break
Final Four
Sports books favor Tar Heels
Michigan State has a home-state advantage and bettors are getting sentimental about Villanova, but sports books in Nevada still clearly favor coach Roy Williams (above) and his North Carolina Tar Heels to win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Oddsmaker Mike Seba of Las Vegas Sports Consultants said Monday that Carolina was a 10-11 favorite to win the title. That means a bettor must gamble $11 to win $10 if the Tar Heels take the championship.
Connecticut is 9-5, while Michigan State and Villanova are each 4-1 to win the title.
Seba says UConn is favored to beat Michigan State by 4 points in their semifinal, even though the teams play in Detroit.
Carolina is favored over Villanova by 71/2 points. Seba says Villanova’s wins over UCLA and Duke have made the Wildcats popular among bettors.
Rodeo
Cheney rider member of ‘Pride’
Cheney bareback rider Ryan Gray and two-time world champion Bobby Mote, traveling with Jason Havens and Brian Bain during the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association season, have dubbed their group the “Pride.”
Last year another group of bareback riders called the “Wolf Pack,” was featured by PRCA Properties on RodeoUp, their life on the road through video blogs. This year the PRCA is featuring the Pride, with the first video up on Monday at www.prorodeo.com.
The first video goes behind the scenes at Rodeo Houston to provide a feel of the locker room before the big competition, the Justin Sports Medicine Room and the autograph session following each performance. Fans will also be treated to a game of hackee sack – the group’s warm-up ritual.
Video blogs will be posted as often as new footage is available. In addition, Gray has his own written blog, as does Mote, at bobbymote.com.
College basketball
Wrenn faces prison time
Former basketball star Doug Wrenn is facing prison after he was convicted of assault last month for pointing a gun at another driver in March of last year in Seattle.
The Seattle Times reports he’s free on bail while appealing for a new trial.
Wrenn led O’Dea High School of Seattle to a state title in 1997 as a junior and was a selected to the Parade magazine All-America team. He signed with Connecticut but was dismissed in 2000 after run-ins with police.
Wrenn played for the Washington Huskies and won the Pac-10 newcomer of the year award in 2002 after averaging nearly 20 points a game in coach Bob Bender’s final season.
Wrenn didn’t get along with new coach Lorenzo Romar and left the team in 2003 and was not drafted in the NBA.