Mexico faces another quick exit against Argentina

Soccer Betting Lines

06/26/2010 - Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mexico advanced to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the fifth consecutive time, but to end its run of four straight round of 16 exits, will have to beat Argentina on Sunday.

Mexico finished second to Uruguay in Group A, and its reward in the first game of the knockout round is unbeaten Group B winner Argentina.

Argentina won all three of its group games, disposing of Nigeria, South Korea, and Greece by combined scores of 7-1.

Mexico opened with a 1-1 draw against South Africa, then topped France 2-0 and ended with a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay to set up the knockout stage opener against Argentina at Ellis Park Stadium.

"We're hurting after this game and this result. We're left with a sour taste in our mouths. It's true that we've qualified and that's the most important thing, but we need to go over all the errors we made," Mexico defender Rafael Marquez said.

"It'll be crucial to work hard and improve ahead of what's to come."

Marquez rescued Mexico in its opener with a 79th-minute equalizer, then posted a more impressive result against France thanks to second-half goals by Javier Hernandez and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

Although Mexico basically had a knockout stage berth sealed entering its group finale against Uruguay, midfielder Giovani Dos Santos admitted the team has to improve or it faces another quick exit against Argentina.

"We've got a lot of things to work on. It's vital for us to set the record straight as a team from now on," Dos Santos said.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona, who led the country to its last title in 1986, has to be excited after the first stage. Argentina had four different scorers in the first three games, and Lio Messi hasn't found the net yet.

Messi has played extremely well, though, and if he ends his scoring drought in the knockout stage, Maradona will be able to shower more praise on his side.

"The team did a fantastic job. Every single one of my players did exactly what I wanted them to do," Maradona said after the Greece match.

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Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

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