NCAA Basketball Big 12 Power Poll
1: Baylor Bears (3-1 ATS, 10-1 SU) (LW: 2) The Bears remain undefeated at home this season with a 74-59 victory over Hartford right before Christmas. They'll play their first home game with a sports betting line on Monday in a very crowded week.
This Week: Home vs. Portland State, Home vs. Jackson State, Home vs. South Carolina
2: Kansas Jayhawks (4-2 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: 1) It's becoming increasingly evident that this isn't the same Jayhawks team of last season. They lost 84-67 in Arizona last week, and must rebound in a hurry if they plan on being back in the Big Dance this year. The good news is that they don't leave home this week, and they're a perfect 4-0 ATS in Lawrence.
This Week: Home vs. Albany, Home vs. Tennessee
3: Oklahoma Sooners (5-4 ATS, 12-0 SU) (LW: 3) Oklahoma handed Rice a 70-58 defeat last Monday, but it couldn't figure out how to cover the 16.5-point spread. The ATS skid is now at two games for OU, and the road doesn't get any easier with a trip to Arkansas on deck.
This Week: Away @ Arkansas, Home vs. Coppin State
4: Texas Longhorns (5-4 ATS, 10-2 SU) (LW: 6) The difficult non-conference slate for the Longhorns continued last week in Wisconsin, and they passed another test with flying colors. The 74-69 win was UT's fifth major win against non-Big XII foes. Austin will get to see their Longhorns for the first time since December 20th this week.
This Week: Home vs. Appalachian State
5: Texas A&M Aggies (3-3 ATS, 11-1 SU) (LW: 5) A&M hasn't been winning games with much flair, but it continues to notch the 'W's. The Aggies beat Sam Houston St. 60-50 last week, and has now averaged beating opponents on this seven-game win streak by just eight points per game.
This Week: Away @ Rice, Home vs. McNeese State
6: Missouri Tigers (4-3 ATS, 10-2 SU) (LW: 4) A 75-59 loss to Illinois as short favorites had to sting for the Tigers heading into the holidays. The year should end on a high note with Centenary coming to town before traveling to Georgia to kick off '09.
This Week: Home vs. Centenary, Away @ Georgia
7: Iowa State Cyclones (5-5 ATS, 8-4 SU) (LW: 9) The Cyclones crack the Top-8 this week after posting a resounding 71-67 upset in Houston. A few cupcakes are on deck at home, but in its L/3 at home, Iowa State is just 1-2 SU and 1-1 ATS, averaging just 62.3 points per game against all non-BCS schools.
This Week: Home vs. Mercer, Home vs. SIU-Edwards
8: Kansas State Wildcats (2-3-1 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: 7) KSU has been off since the 20th, and has a few home games against lesser opponents before kicking off Big XII play on January 10th. The Wildcats beat Wagner 101-59 last season, and you can expect a similar result this time around.
This Week: Home vs. Wagner, Home vs. Idaho State
And the rest...
9: Colorado Buffaloes (3-4 ATS, 7-3 SU) (LW: 7)
10: Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-3 ATS, 7-3 SU) (LW: 10)
11: Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-4-1 ATS, 8-3 SU) (LW: 11)
12: Texas Tech Red Raiders (2-4-1 ATS, 9-4 SU) (LW: 12)
(c) 1994-2008 BetUS.
Falling Fast
Milwaukee,Wi - Marquette's days of playing as a ranked team could be numbered.
The No. 24 Golden Eagles look to rebound from their most recent loss in the hope of maintaining a spot in the Top 25 when they host Western Carolina on Friday night.
Oddsmakers from Online Sportsbook Sports Interaction have made the Marquette -17.5 point spread favorites for Wednesday's game against the W Carolina. Current College Basketball Public Betting Information shows that 57% of more than 169 bets for this game have been placed on the Marquette -17.5.
Marquette could be on the verge of falling out of the poll after losing 80-68 to No. 16 Tennessee in Nashville on Tuesday. It was the Golden Eagles' first contest against a ranked opponent and their second loss on a neutral court after falling to unranked Dayton 89-75 on Nov. 29 at the Chicago Invitational.
While it's uncertain if even a convincing victory over Western Carolina (5-3) could keep the Golden Eagles as a ranked team, they'll certainly need to improve on their most recent performance.
Wesley Matthews had 30 points for Marquette, which was forced to use just eight players due to injuries they tried to overcome while playing with five players with at least three fouls midway through the second half. Starters Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Dwight Burke each fouled out as the Golden Eagles shot a season-low 37.5 percent and committed 16 turnovers.
While the teams traded the lead seven times with four ties over the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Vols' deeper bench ultimately was too much for Marquette to handle.
"Anytime we get in foul trouble, no matter who the player is, we're out of whack," first-year Marquette coach Buzz Williams said.
Matthews, averaging a team-leading 20.6 points per game, bounced back for a season high after combining for 21 in his previous two contests.
Lazar Hayward added 14 points and seven rebounds after posting double-digit rebounds in his two previous games. The 6-foot-6 junior is averaging 15.9 points and 10.2 boards per contest.
Marquette will face Western Carolina for the third time as it tries to extend its 19-game non-conference home winning streak dating to a 70-66 loss to then-No. 9 Wisconsin on Dec. 9, 2006.
The Golden Eagles won the previous two games, including a 75-64 win over the Catamounts on Nov. 14, 2004 in the teams' most recent meeting.
Western Carolina enters this contest coming off a 96-90 loss to Gardner-Webb on Wednesday. Jake Robinson scored 23 points, but the Catamounts shot 40.5 percent from the field while going 8-for-34 from 3-point range.
The junior forward is averaging a team-leading 15.5 points on the season and 20.0 in three games this month for Western Carolina, which had won four in a row prior to its most recent defeat.
Off to a strong start after finishing 10-21 in 2007-08, Western Carolina will face its second ranked opponent of the season since falling 81-55 to No. 2 Connecticut on Nov. 14.
The Catamounts are 0-14 versus Top 25 teams since the start of the 1996-97 season.
(c) 1999-2008 TheSpread.com Inc.
Leftover tidbits from MSU's terrible night
There isn't much left to be said about Michigan State's performance Wednesday night against top-ranked North Carolina besides what coach Tom Izzo mentioned after the 98-63 loss.The Spartans (4-2) did some good things in the first half, but completely ran out of gas after that. North Carolina (8-0) thoroughly took advantage of MSU's fatigue, and as Izzo said, "It was a little embarrassing in the second half."
Here are some leftover tidbits from the evening.
* From UNC point guard Ty Lawson, who had 17 points and eight assists, on his matchup with MSU's Kalin Lucas: "He's good, he's real quick. He was rushing his shot a little bit, but he's going to be a good player down the road."
* From Izzo on the four-games-in-seven-days schedule: "I did it, so the blame goes to me, not our players."
* From UNC forward Tyler Hansbrough on playing on a bad ankle --- although he finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds: "I understand it's a big game and once that sets in, your adrenaline starts going and all these small things that bother you, that adrenaline takes over and you don't really feel it. You have a bad ankle sprain, a shin problem, you still worry about it and if the shin was bothering me I was going to sit out regardless, but everything felt fine."
That empty feeling
The other big topic on everyone's minds was the atmosphere at Ford Field. Although the stadium has been used for basketball -- an NCAA regional and the BasketBowl game against Kentucky in 2003 -- the environment isn't so great if the stadium isn't full. That's what happened Wednesday. Attendance was listed at 25,267 -- far below the 72,000-plus that attended the NCAA regional games earlier this year.
One big difference between those games was that they were played on weekends. Holding a game on a Wednesday night with a 9:15 p.m. tipoff made it unappealing for many MSU supporters who had to face a long drive back to East Lansing at midnight.
MSU's performance in the Old Spice Classic against Maryland may have dampened interest as well. The game against UNC would have seemed more appealing if both teams had entered undefeated, and MSU had shown a better effort against a middle-of-the-road ACC squad.
Entering the North Carolina game, many analysts and basketball fans began to expect that the Tar Heels would blow out the Spartans, who dropped from No. 5 to No. 13 in the nation after the Maryland loss, and the game was no longer the premier event that the Big Ten and the ACC had hoped for when is was first planned.
Some big names were in attendance, however. Among those spotted were Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars, Pistons forward and former North Carolina star Rasheed Wallace, MSU football coach Mark Dantonio, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany, and ESPN announcer Dick Vitale, who made the rounds and greeted fans before the game.
Not the ticket
Although frustrated watching their team shoot 20% in the second half and fell behind by as many as 37 points, Michigan State fans booed only once during the game.
That happened during a break in the action when an advertisement for Lions tickets was displayed on the big screens above the court.
(c) Detroit Free Press
Larranaga turns down Providence, gets extension from Patriots
FAIRFAX, Va. -- Jim Larranaga, who took George Mason to the Final Four two years ago, signed a three-year extension to remain coach of the Patriots on Wednesday, turning down an offer to move to his alma mater, Providence College.
The deal is on top of an extension Larranaga signed shortly after GMU's Final Four appearance. He is now under contract to the school through the 2014-15 season.
The new extension came after a strong courtship from Providence, which is looking for a replacement for Tim Welsh. Welsh was fired last month after three losing seasons in the last four years.
"We offered him a very substantial package but he was too comfortable in his current situation and opted to stay at George Mason," Providence athletic director Bob Driscoll said Wednesday. "As a result, I will continue to have ongoing discussions with the other finalists in this search."
The 58-year-old Larranaga has led George Mason to the NCAA tournament four times (1999, 2001, 2006, 2008) and the NIT twice (2001-02) in his 11 seasons at the school. His 207-131 record makes him the school's all-time winningest coach. This year's team lost to Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAAs.
"I've said before that I hope to retire here at George Mason and this contract extension allows me to do just that," Larranaga said in a statement.
Larranaga graduated from Providence in 1971 and was the Friars' leading scorer in his sophomore and junior seasons.
Welsh was fired after 10 seasons at Providence. The Friars went 15-16 this season and lost in the first round of the Big East tournament.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Ohio St. 74, Dayton 63
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State's season will end where it started.
Kosta Koufos scored 21 points and Jamar Butler added 12 to lead the Buckeyes past Dayton 74-63 Wednesday night in an NIT quarterfinal.
The Buckeyes (22-13) advance to meet Mississippi (24-10) in the NIT semifinals at New York's Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. The Rebels beat Virginia Tech 81-71 earlier Wednesday night.
Ohio State won three games in the NIT Season Tip-Off before losing to Texas A&M 70-47 in the championship game at the Garden on Nov. 23.
Evan Turner added 11 points and Jon Diebler came off the bench to score 10 more, all in the second half, for the Buckeyes, who have won five of their last six games.
The game was played before a loud, capacity crowd of 19,049 at Value City Arena, with Dayton fans making up at least a quarter of those in attendance. It was the sixth-largest crowd to ever witness the Flyers play and was the biggest they have played in front of in 13 years.
Brian Roberts had 20 points and Chris Wright 12 for the Flyers (23-11), who were trying to make their first trip to the NIT semifinals since 1968. Their resume included wins over NCAA-tournament teams Pittsburgh and Louisville, the latter on the road.
Koufos hit 9-of-11 shots from the field including his only 3-point attempt. He also made both free throws and had five rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot.
Butler, a first-team All-Big Ten player averaging 15 points a game, had just three in the first half but did contribute six assists. He joined with Koufos to lead the Buckeyes on a decisive spurt.
Down 31-30 at the break, the Buckeyes took the lead early in the second half and then pulled away, at first by going inside to Koufos and later by kicking passes out for 3-pointers or slashing through the lane.
With Ohio State ahead 36-35, Diebler hit a 3-pointer on a pass back outside from Koufos before Koufos followed a Dayton miss with two foul shots. Butler was on a break when his alley-oop pass was batted up in the air by Roberts. Butler leaped high to catch it, then drove to the basket and hit a left-handed layup to push the lead to 43-35.
Dayton's Wright ended a 3-minute scoring drought with two free throws before Diebler, shooting 29 percent behind the arc on the season, hit another 3 and Butler came off a pick unchallenged and hit a 3 of his own for a 49-37 lead with just under 12 minutes left.
The Flyers never got closer than nine points again.
With three 3-pointers in the opening half, Roberts passed Tony Stanley's school record of 291 3-pointers made.
The teams had not met since trading home-and-home games in the late 1980s.
The game was played on the anniversary of Ohio State's only previous NIT championship. Dennis Hopson had 26 points and Brad Sellers 17 in the Buckeyes' 73-63 win over Wyoming in the 1986 title game.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
IU appoints committee to begin search for new basketball coach
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- While Indiana prepares for its first-round game in the NCAA tournament, the school said Monday that a former trustee will lead a 10-member committee to search for a replacement for disgraced coach Kelvin Sampson.
The head job became vacant last month when Sampson resigned amid allegations of NCAA violations. Dan Dakich, an assistant under Sampson and a former Indiana player and assistant under Bob Knight, took over as interim coach for the rest of the season.
Harry Gonso, a former Indiana quarterback and attorney, will lead the search committee, which includes athletic director Rick Greenspan and former Hoosier player Wayne Radford.
No timetable for the selection was announced, and Gonso said committee members would not comment publicly on progress until a decision is made.
"Harry Gonso is the ideal person to lead a search of this importance," school President Michael A. McRobbie said in a statement. "Harry has a deep appreciation for both our academic mission and our athletic traditions. He is well aware of the high expectations our fans and alumni have for our men's basketball program."
The Hoosiers lost their final two regular-season games and their only game in the Big Ten tournament last week. They will open the NCAA tournament on Friday against Arkansas.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
Westbrook carries Minnesota to 55-52 victory in Big Ten Tourney
INDIANAPOLIS -- In case anyone forgot, Lawrence Westbrook can score.
Westbrook scored 11 of his career-high 17 points in the second half Thursday, and Dan Coleman added 16 points and forced a key turnover late as Minnesota rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat Northwestern 55-52 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
Craig Moore took a desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it wasn't even close.
"I just wanted to give a boost to my team," said Westbrook, who led the nation in scoring with 41 points a game when he was a junior at Chandler (Ariz.) High School.
"I didn't think about it. I just shot, and it was falling for me tonight."
The sixth-seeded Gophers (19-12) will play No. 22 Indiana in Friday's quarterfinals. Minnesota probably needs to at least make it to Sunday's championship game to have any shot at an at-large bid and extending coach Tubby Smith's streak of 14 straight appearances in the NCAA tournament.
Moore led Northwestern (8-22) with 15 points, and Kevin Coble and Michael Thompson each scored 13. It was the Wildcats' third loss to Minnesota this season, and yet another close game they just couldn't pull out.
"This game, at halftime, we thought maybe we'd broken though a little bit," said Coble, who didn't score in the second half. "It's disappointing. It's not how we wanted to end. Every night we can't quite figure out what it is, and tonight was the same deal. It's just sickening to think we gave them the game."
Smith was so unhappy with Minnesota's defense in last weekend's regular-season finale that he had them practice in shoulder pads and helmets Monday to regain some of their toughness. But the Gophers didn't look much better in the first half, when Northwestern shredded their man-to-man defense with backdoor cuts and screens.
The Wildcats shot 65 percent from the floor, and Coble had 11 points before the 10-minute mark.
"There wasn't much you could say," Smith said when someone asked about his halftime speech. "They were shooting lights out, and I didn't think we were defending like we should."
But that all changed in a hurry when the second half started.
While shutting the Wildcats down with a zone defense, the Gophers made seven of their first 10 shots during a 21-8 run that tied the game at 42 with 12:29 left. And with leading scorer Lawrence McKenzie struggling to find his shot, it was Westbrook who picked up the slack.
The sophomore, whose previous career-high was 16 earlier this month against Ohio State, scored Minnesota's last nine points in the spurt, and single-handedly broke down a Northwestern defense that had stymied the Gophers throughout the first half.
"That second half was typical of what he brings to our team: aggressive play, attacking the basket, pushing the ball up the court and playing at a pace we need to play at," Smith said. "Lawrence has been as consistent as anyone all year long. He plays with a lot of toughness and he overcompensates for a lack of size."
He does it with a bad hand that will probably require surgery this summer, too.
"I really don't know how he does it," Smith said. "That tells me about his heart and his courage, and he's guy that we depend on."
Moore finally halted Minnesota's run with a jumper and a 3. Feeling the effect of their defensive efforts, the Gophers cooled off on the offensive end. They missed their next eight shots and went 7:29 without scoring before McKenzie made a pair of free throws with five minutes left.
But they turned up the intensity on defense again, forcing Northwestern into ball-handling violations on three straight possessions. Thompson, Northwestern's freshmen point guard, was called for a 10-second violation, and the Wildcats were called for a backcourt violation when Sterling Williams couldn't corral Thompson's pass without going over the line.
Coleman then reached in to snag Thompson's pass, and took it in for a thundering dunk that gave Minnesota a 48-47 lead -- its first since the opening basket of the game.
"I have confidence in my guys and I have confidence in myself," Coleman said. "We just kept on trying to look for shooters and stay aggressive, go to the basket as much as possible and try to draw a foul."
Moore's 3-pointer put the Wildcats back ahead 52-51 with 2:34 to play, but they would not score again. Give Coleman credit for that. With about 4 seconds left, Williams was trying to get off a shot along the baseline or find an open teammate. But Coleman may as well have had eight arms for as little room as he gave Williams, and he eventually stripped the ball away.
Coleman drew a quick foul, and made both free throws to seal the win.
"It just shows that if we put in the effort and bring the energy, we can win any game," said McKenzie, who finished with 13 points. "Every guy showed his heart."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
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