Hofstra names Cassara new hoops coach

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

05/05/2010 - Hempstead, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hofstra University named Mo Cassara head coach of the men's basketball team on Wednesday, just two days after Tim Welsh resigned following his DWI arrest.

Cassara spent the last four years as an assistant at Boston College, where he was heavily involved with recruiting, scouting, off-season workouts and scheduling.

"We have had the opportunity to see Mo's dynamic leadership, energy and enthusiasm in action," said Hofstra president Stuart Rabinowitz. "His experience with college basketball, his passion for the game, and his desire to work with student-athletes in all facets of their development, will serve our basketball team well and help take our program to the next level of excellence."

Prior to joining Boston College, Cassara served as the head coach at Clark University, a Division III program, for two years (2004-06). He also had a one-year stint as an assistant at Dayton in 2003-04.

Cassara agreed to a multi-year contract to replace Welsh, who was reportedly arrested on the morning of April 30.

According to the New York Daily News, the 49-year-old Welsh was found asleep at the wheel at a green light. He registered a .18 on a breath test, more than twice the legal limit, and was charged with driving while intoxicated. He later pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.

Welsh had been hired on March 31 to succeed Tom Pecora.

Gambleling NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Spurs lock up Champions League place
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Crouch scored eight minutes from time to give Tottenham a 1-0 win over Manchester City on Wednesday that clinches a spot in the Champions League for Harry Redknapp's men. Both sides create

<< This Week in Auto Racing May 2 - 7
Darlington, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams spend this Mother's Day weekend at Darlington Raceway, while Formula One competes in Europe for the first time this season with the Spanish Grand Prix in Barc

<< AP Source: Hornets interview Fratello
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -A person familiar with the meeting says the New Orleans Hornets have interviewed Mike Fratello, the third candidate to meet with the club about its vacant head coaching job.Hornets executives met with Fratello in Cleveland on Wedne

<< Temple's Golden, Dunphy get new contract extensions
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Temple University head football coach Al Golden and head men's basketball coach Fran Dunphy received lengthy contract extensions on Wednesday. For Golden, it is a five-year extension, while D

<< Serena, Venus reach Rome quarters
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning world No. 1 Serena Williams and her former top-ranked big sister Venus were a pair of third-round victors Wednesday at the $2 million Italian Masters, a clay-court French Open tune-up

Who will tame Darlington this time? >>
Darlington, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup. Date: Saturday, May 8. Race: Showtime Southern 500. Site: Darlington Raceway. Track: 1.366- mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 367. Miles: 501. 2009 winner: Mark Martin. Tel

Keselowski looking for third win in a row >>
Darlington, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Series: NASCAR Nationwide. Date: Friday, May 7. Race: Royal Purple 200. Site: Darlington Raceway. Track: 1.366-mile oval. Start time: 7:30 p.m. (et). Laps: 147. Miles: 200.8. 2009 winner: Matt Kenseth. Televisi

Motherwell rallies for draw in 12-goal thriller >>
Motherwell, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lucas Jutkiewicz scored in stoppage time to cap a four-goal rally in the final 23 minutes of a thrilling 6-6 draw with Hibernian at Fir Park Stadium on Wednesday, keeping the Steelman in fourth

No Bradley in Mariners' starting lineup >>
SEATTLE (AP) -Milton Bradley is not in the Seattle Mariners' starting lineup one day after he left the stadium following his benching by manager Don Wakamatsu.Ryan Langerhans is listed as the starter in left field for Wednesday's game against Tampa

Ainge comes clean in Cleveland towel incident >>
WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) -Danny Ainge says he regrets tossing a towel in the air to distract a Cavaliers player during a free throw attempt.The Celtics GM told WEEI-AM in Boston he behaved unprofessionally during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifina

Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.