Pistons enjoying time off

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02/27/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons are the best team in the Eastern Conference, and currently are enjoying quality time off to rest and regroup.

Detroit is riding a four-game winning streak and hasn't played since a 95-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Flip Saunders' bunch owns an 11-1 mark over the previous 12 contests, and the coach became the fastest in team history to win 100 games with the victory over the Bulls.

The usual suspects are getting it done for Saunders, as Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Chris Webber continue to keep their club perched atop the Central Division. Detroit currently has a 4 1/2-game lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the standings.

Hamilton, who is averaging a career-high 21.5 ppg this season, is averaging 5.0 apg over the previous five contests. Hamilton, who has scored 20-plus points 34 times this season, helped the Pistons to the best February mark (10-1) since the 1989-90 squad finished the month with the same record. The best February mark was a 13-1 record during the 1985-86 campaign.

C-Webb, meanwhile, has helped his new club to a 15-4 record since he left Philadelphia. His demeanor in the Motor City compared to the days in Philly best resembles Lionel Kiddie City's "Turn that Frown upside Down ad." Webber appeared as if someone had died in his family before he left the Sixers, and now he couldn't be more happy. It also helped that Webber was able to pick who he gets to score points for next.

But with all the speculation aside, Webber is averaging 13.8 points and 7.1 rebounds in 18 games as a starter for Detroit. The former University of Michigan standout also has been a positive influence on teammate Rasheed Wallace.

Instead of getting caught smoking weed or causing problems with teammates, Wallace has benefited greatly since Webber inked a free-agent contract in mid January. Before Webber was named a Piston, Wallace was averaging 11.9 points per game with a 41.2 shooting percentage. Now Wallace is posting 13.2 ppg with a 42.0 shooting percentage. Even though the difference is minimal it still adds up in the final box score.

Speaking of Wallace, former Pistons center Ben Wallace made his return to The Palace in Sunday's loss for Chicago. After signing a huge contract with the division-rival Bulls in the offseason, Big Ben was back in Motown over the weekend and was greeted with a healthy mix of cheers and boos.

"Oh yeah, that's what I expected," said Wallace, who spent six seasons in Detroit. "There ain't nothing like a good cheer or a good boo, either way, it's all good."

Wallace finished with six points, eight rebounds, four assists and two blocks against his former employer. Wallace and the Bulls will return to The Palace of Auburn Hills on April 4 this season.

Detroit will return to the hardwood on Friday, March 2 against the Miami Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena. It will then close out its brief two-game road trip at Memphis on Saturday. The Pistons have the best road record in the Eastern Conference at 17-9.

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NCAA Football Betting : USC's reward: Top spot in Top 25

NEW YORK (AP) -By staying away from the cupcakes, Southern California earned itself a slim new ranking.

No. 1 always seems to fit USC.

Southern California jumped two spots to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Tuesday, rewarded by voters for opening the season with a dominant performance on the road against a BCS conference opponent.

Georgia and Ohio State, the preseason Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, started their seasons with glorified scrimmages at home against FCS (formerly I-AA) teams. USC, however, traveled across country to face Virginia and could not have been more impressive in a 52-7 victory.

Georgia fell to No. 2 and Ohio State to No 3.

"We realize that rankings so early in a season are certainly fluid. But rankings do help establish a pecking order for things later in the season," USC coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. "As for moving into the No. 1 spot, it's nice to know that people think highly of our team."

Since reaching No. 1 on Dec. 7, 2003, the final-regular season AP poll of that season, USC has been No. 1 in 39 polls, by far the most of any team during that time.

"Some have said the voters are taking our schedule into consideration," Carroll said. "Our philosophy has always been to schedule outstanding opponents. We need to play challenging games like we just did, traveling across the country to open the season at Virginia. Games like that bring out our best and make us stronger as a team."

The latest voting was close. USC received 21 first-place votes and 1,539 points from the 65-member media panel. Georgia had 20 first-place votes and 1,506 points. Ohio State got 15 first-place votes and 1,497 points.

"I'd say we've evolved as pollsters," said Stewart Mandel of SI.com, who moved USC up to No. 1. "In the past, voters just kind of automatically moved teams up and kept teams where they were if they won."

Georgia beat Georgia Southern 45-21 on Saturday and Ohio State opened with a 43-0 win over Youngstown State.

"There's a bit of a growing backlash for the amount of teams that open with I-AA cupcakes," said Mandel, whose book "Bowls, Polls and Tattered Souls" chronicles college football's controversies. "To see a team [USC] go on the road and play a New Year's Day bowl team from last season, and not only play them but destroy them, how could you not reward that team?"

USC also jumped past Georgia to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches' poll, which has the same top five as the AP poll.

"It's definitely a privilege to be No. 1. But it's not heartbreaking to me if we drop," Georgia offensive lineman Josh Davis said. "It doesn't matter right now what we're ranked. What matters is our next game and right now, that's Central Michigan. The only time the polls matter is in December. That's when the polls matter."

While the Bulldogs opened easy, their schedule ultimately should be as difficult as any team's. Georgia's big nonconference test is at No. 15 Arizona State on Sept. 20. The Bulldogs also face six Southeastern Conference rivals that've been ranked in the first two polls.

As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes play at USC on Sept. 13 before getting into the Big Ten schedule.

But of the teams in this week's top 10, USC and Texas are the only ones that don't play an FCS opponent, and the Trojans are the only team that doesn't play a team from a non-BCS conference.

Get the latest 2009 BCS Championship odds at MySportsbook.com.

The last team to drop from No. 1 after a victory was USC last season. LSU jumped from No. 2 to No. 1 when it beat Tulane 34-9, the same week the Trojans edged Washington 27-24 on the road.

The last preseason No. 1 team to lose the top spot after winning its opening game was Florida in 2001. The Gators beat Marshall 49-14, but preseason No. 2 Miami opened with a 33-7 victory over Penn State and the Hurricanes jumped to No. 1 with Florida slipping to second.

The next four teams in the new Top 25 stayed the same: No. 4 Oklahoma (two first-place votes), No. 5 Florida (five first-place votes), No. 6 Missouri (one first-place vote), No. 7 LSU (one first-place vote) and No. 8 West Virginia.

No. 9 Auburn and No. 10 Texas each moved up a spot, taking advantage of Clemson's big drop. Clemson, ninth in the preseason, fell out after losing 34-10 to Alabama on Saturday.

Also falling out after losses were Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh and Tennessee.

Moving into the rankings were No. 21 Fresno State, No. 22 Utah, No. 23 UCLA and No. 24 South Carolina.

Alabama moved up 11 spots after its big victory over Clemson.

The second 10 started with No. 11 Wisconsin, followed by Texas Tech, Alabama and Kansas. BYU and Arizona State were tied for 15th. Rivals BYU and Utah are both ranked for the first time since 1996.

South Florida was No. 17, ahead of Oregon, Penn State and Wake Forest at No. 20.

The final five were all the teams to move into the ranking, except for Illinois, which dropped four spots and tied South Carolina for No. 24.

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