Top-10 collision on tap in Columbia
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/11/2012 - Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-10 foes square off in a crucial Big 12 affair, as the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers welcome the sixth-ranked Baylor Bears to Mizzou Arena this afternoon.
Frank Haith's first season in Columbia has been highly successful, as Missouri is an impressive 22-2 on the year. The Tigers' two losses have come in- conference at Kansas State and at Oklahoma State, but the team is tied for first place in the league standings with Kansas, thanks to wins in each of the last four games, including Monday's 71-68 win at Oklahoma.
Scott Drew's Bears had a huge showdown with the aforementioned Jayhawks earlier this week in Waco, but Baylor came up incredibly short, in a 68-54 loss. The setback ended a four-game win streak for Baylor and dropped it one game behind Kansas and Missouri in the conference standings at 8-3.
This is just the 25th all-time meeting between these two programs. The Tigers hold a 14-10 advantage and are seeking the regular-season sweep after posting a thrilling 89-88 win in Waco on January 21st.
The Bears trailed by just three points at the half against Kansas this week, but the Jayhawks pulled away in the second half and led by 20 points late, before settling for a 14-point win. A usually potent offensive squad, Baylor converted just 37 percent from the floor against Kansas. Pierre Jackson led the team in defeat with 16 points. Quincy Acy recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Cory Jefferson came off the bench to tally 11 points in 23 minutes of work. However, leading scorer Perry Jones III struggled, hitting just 1-of-8 from the floor and finishing with five points.
Jones has been much more reliable on the season, shooting .536 from the floor and pacing the Bears in both scoring (14.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg). Jackson is a complete weapon in the backcourt, averaging 12.9 ppg, while averaging 5.8 apg. Acy (12.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg), Quincy Miller (12.0 ppg) and Brady Heslip (9.2 ppg) complete the potent starting five. One of the top offensive teams in the Big 12, Baylor is averaging 75.8 ppg on a healthy .481 shooting.
Not many teams can compete is a shootout with Baylor, but Missouri is certainly one of them. The Tigers are among the nation's top teams in terms of offensive production, averaging 80.5 ppg on 50.1 percent shooting. Unlike the Bears however, Missouri is fueled by its perimeter game. The team is comfortable giving up size as it throws four guards out there as starters. Marcus Denmon leads four Tigers in double figures with 18.0 ppg. Kim English (14.0 ppg) adds to the scoring deluge from behind the arc, as he and Denmon have combined for 120 three-pointers thus far. Ricardo Ratliffe (14.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg) is the top performer in the frontcourt, while Michael Dixon (12.3 ppg) represents the conference's top sixth man. Point guard Phil Pressey is charged with running the offense, and nets 9.3 ppg, while doling out just under six apg.
Missouri shot 56.3 percent from the floor, but needed every bit of it in a hard-fought win over Oklahoma. Denmon led the charge, hitting 9-of-16 from the floor, including 4-of-9 from three-point range to lead all scorers with 25 points. Ratliffe recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Dixon came off the bench to tack on 13 points.
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FOOTBALL BETTING
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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