Big 12 showdown pits Tigers against Jayhawks

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/01/2009 - Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 11th-ranked Missouri Tigers and the 15th- ranked Kansas Jayhawks will battle in a Big 12 Conference showdown with major title implications.

Missouri head coach Mike Anderson deserves consideration for national coach of the year honors, as his team was just 16-16 a year ago. Right now, the Tigers are 24-4 overall, and a victory today would give the school a dozen Big 12 wins for the first time ever. Missouri is currently riding a seven-game win streak that includes Wednesday's 94-74 triumph over Kansas State.

Considering the fact that Kansas is 12-1 in conference action, first place is on the line today. The Jayhawks have recorded four straight wins to move to 12-1 in Big 12 action, and they knocked off Oklahoma in the most recent outing last Monday in an 87-78 final. What makes KU's success particularly impressive is that all five starters are gone from the team that captured the national title less than a year ago.

Missouri defeated Kansas in a 62-60 final last month, but the Jayhawks own a 166-94 edge in the all-time series.

Missouri boasts an outstanding duo that consists of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons. Carroll is scoring 17.1 ppg this season on the strength of his 57.1 percent shooting from the field, and he is pulling down 7.1 rpg. As for Lyons, he checks in with 14.3 ppg on 50.4 percent field goal efficiency. Thanks largely to the efforts of those two players, the Tigers are generating 82.6 ppg while limiting foes to 65.4 ppg on 40.8 percent shooting from the floor. In the 20-point romp over Kansas State on Wednesday, Carroll led a balanced attack with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Lyons and Laurence Bowers added 16 points apiece, while J.T. Tiller posted 15 points and six assists. Missouri played tremendous team defense, limiting the Wildcats to 37.3 percent shooting while forcing 21 turnovers.

The only current member of the Kansas team that made a consistent and significant contribution to last year's national title run is Sherron Collins, and he now takes a back seat to no one. Collins is scoring 18.3 ppg for Bill Self's squad, and he is dishing out 4.9 apg as well. Cole Aldrich pitches in 15.0 ppg, and he is pulling down 10.7 rpg to complement his 71 blocks. Aldrich, who is just a sophomore, is shooting 61.4 percent from the field. Those two players help Kansas post 77.4 ppg, and outstanding team defense has limiting opponents to 64.8 ppg. Both Collins and Tyshawn Taylor exploded for 26 points in the victory over Oklahoma on Monday. Aldrich was a force in that tilt was well, as he racked up 15 points and 20 rebounds without Oklahoma standout Blake Griffin in the lineup due to injury. A 28-19 edge in points from the foul line and 16 forced turnovers helped lead the way to the win.

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MySportsbook.com: NFL draft - The NFC South


In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South.  Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC.  The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game.  For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft.  Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.

1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign?  New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1.  Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT.  Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.

Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami

2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season.  With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round.  LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems.  If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU

3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season.  The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach.  The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub.  High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career.  With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson. 

Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season.  The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age.  It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot.  This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.

Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas

It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season.  On the clock: the NFC North

Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2    

Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1

Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1

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