Sixth-ranked Bears welcome Longhorns to Waco

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Baylor Bears continue their quest towards the top spot in the Big 12, as they welcome the Texas Longhorns to Waco for a conference showdown at the Ferrell Center.

Scott Drew's Bears are 5-2 in-conference and would like to stay within striking distance heading down the homestretch. The losses came in back-to- back affairs against Kansas and Missouri within the last 12 days. Baylor found its way back into the win column earlier this week though, topping Oklahoma in Norman, 77-65.

Rick Barnes' Longhorns have struggled to keep their heads above water in league play. The team is just 3-4 in Big 12 games and suffered three straight losses to nationally-ranked foes in Missouri, Kansas State and Kansas. Texas was able to finally able to end the skein this week with a 62-55 win over Iowa State.

Texas has played more games against Baylor than any other in the school's history. The Longhorns hold a 157-79 advantage in the series and have a 64-46 edge in games played in Waco, including a 12-1 mark under Barnes.

The Longhorns are at their best when they play tough defense and put the ball in the hands of standout guard J'Covan Brown. Texas is allowing just 64.9 ppg this year, holding foes under 40 percent shooting (.392) and outrebounding them by 4.1 rebounds per game. Brown knows how to fill up the basket. Despite shooting a modest .410 from the floor, the veteran guard leads the Big 12 in scoring at 19.1 ppg and the team in three-pointers (48). Sheldon McClellan and Myck Kabongo provide more perimeter depth with 11.5 and 9.8 ppg, respectively. Kabongo is just a freshman, but the young point guard has doled out a team- high 110 assists on the season, ranking third in the Big 12 (5.5 apg). Texas converted a mere 43.6 percent from the floor, but held the Cyclones to 33.3 percent. Kabongo led the team with 13 points in the win. Brown struggled to a 12-point outing, hitting just 3-of-16 shots from the floor. Freshman Julien Lewis added 12 points as well.

Baylor is a team that can win games at either end of the floor, evidenced by an impressive +15.2 scoring margin. The Bears are converting nearly 50 percent of their shots this year (.496) powered by a .414 showing from behind the arc (sixth nationally). All five starters are averaging double figures. Perry Jones III paces the team in both scoring (14.2 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). Pierre Jackson (12.8 ppg) is next in the scoring column and is leads the Big 12 in assists (6.0 apg). Quincy Acy (12.7 ppg), Quincy Miller (12.5 ppg) and Brady Heslip (10.0 ppg) round out the quintet. Baylor was sharp offensively against Oklahoma, shooting 54 percent from the floor, 50 percent from behind the arc (9-of-18) and 82.4 percent from the free-throw line (14-of-17). Perry Jones was dominant in the low post, finishing with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Jackson tacked on 16 points and doled out seven assists. Acy and Anthony Jones chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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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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