UConn's Calhoun receives five-year extension

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

05/07/2010 - Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Connecticut handed longtime men's head basketball coach Jim Calhoun a five-year contract extension running through the 2014 season on Friday.

The deal is effective retroactively from July 1, 2009 and is weighted with lofty figures for appearances as well as performance and postseason incentives.

Calhoun will receive a base salary of $325,000 for 2009-10 with a $25,000 bump in each additional year. In addition to the base salary, Calhoun's agreement calls for $1,675,000 in year one of the agreement for institutional speaking engagements and media-related appearances and will increase in each year after. The combined figures will total $2,300,000 for 2010-11, $2,700,000 for 2011-12 and $3,000,000 for 2012-13 and 2013-14.

"I am very happy that this new contract will allow me to finish my coaching career here at UConn," Calhoun said at a news conference Friday to announce the pact. "This is a tremendous show of recognition and support from (Athletics Director) Jeff Hathaway and (President) Michael Hogan."

Calhoun, who turns 68 on Monday, recently completed his 24th season as head coach at UConn and his 38th as a collegiate head coach. It was a trying season for both the program and Calhoun, who experienced health problems and left the team for seven games with an undisclosed condition.

The up-and-down campaign saw the Huskies finish 18-16, including a lowly 7-11 mark in conference play. An embarrassing 75-53 loss to St. John's in the first round of Big East Tournament preceded a loss to Virginia Tech in the second round of the NIT.

"Jim is one of the elite coaches in college basketball," remarked Hathaway. "He has taken UConn Basketball to the national championship level, and he is a valued representative of the University and the State of Connecticut."

A 2005 inductee into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Calhoun guided the Huskies to a pair of national titles in 1999 and 2004 and has gone 575-221 in his 24 years at the helm. He also coached 14 seasons at Northeastern, compiling a record of 248-137.

In 2009, Calhoun became the seventh Division I coach in NCAA history to reach 800 career wins. The year also saw the program mired in an investigation into NCAA rules violations related to the recruitment of Nate Miles. That and a myriad of health concerns led Calhoun to question his future in coaching following the Huskies Final Four loss to Michigan State.

Calhoun has survived cancer three times, including prostate cancer in 2003 and skin cancer in 2008.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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