Marquee matchup pits Jayhawks against Tigers

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The most anticipated game in the Big 12 has finally arrived, as top-10 foes Kansas and Missouri collide in Columbia, with positioning atop the conference standings at stake.

The eighth-ranked Jayhawks lead the Big 12 with an 8-1 mark. Bill Self's squad, which is 18-4 overall, had a 10-game win streak halted at Iowa State last weekend (72-64), but bounced back in a big way three days ago in Lawrence, routing the Oklahoma Sooners, 84-62.

The fourth-ranked Tigers are just one game back at 7-2 in Big 12 play. Frank Haith's first season in Columbia has gone quite well with the team sitting at 20-2 overall. Missouri comes in having won two straight and six of its last seven games, including a hard-fought 67-66 decision at Texas on Monday.

This is the 266th meeting in this historic rivalry that dates back to 1907. Kansas holds a 171-94 series advantage and has won each of the last five meetings.

Kansas shot just .393 from the floor in the first half, but still led by three points at intermission against Oklahoma this week. The Jayhawks blew the game open after the break however, draining an eye-popping 20-of-28 shots from the floor (.714) to run away from the Sooners. All-American candidate Thomas Robinson was once again unstoppable down low, finishing with 20 points and 17 rebounds. He was actually trumped in the scoring column by point guard Tyshawn Taylor, who finished with 21 points and six assists. Center Jeff Withey got into the act with 15 points, while Travis Releford chipped in 12.

The scoring deluge is nothing new for the Jayhawks, who are averaging a steady 75.6 ppg, on a healthy .484 shooting. The team is doing all the little things right as well, averaging an impressive 16 assists per game and outrebounding foes by just over six boards per game. Of course, Robinson is a big reason for that, as he has to be considered a favorite for National Player of the Year honors, averaging 17.6 points and 12.0 rebounds per game this season. Taylor provides the perfect complement with his ability to score from the outside (16.7 ppg), as well as distribute (5.3 apg). Releford (9.8 ppg), Elijah Johnson (9.1 ppg) and Withey (8.5 ppg) round out the starting five.

Missouri is one of the few teams that would welcome a shootout with Kansas. The Tigers use a four-guard set, but are definitely comfortable in their own skin, shooting .498 from the floor (fifth nationally) and putting up 81.2 ppg (sixth nationally). Marcus Denmon leads the charge in the backcourt, averaging 17.2 ppg. He gets plenty of help from Kim English and his 14.1 ppg. The pair are both at their best draining the long ball, combining for 107 of the team's 169 three-pointers to date. Ricardo Ratliffe (14.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is the team's resident muscle down low. Michael Dixon (12.1 ppg) is one of the best sixth men in the game. The emergence of sophomore point guard Phil Pressey has provided stability as well. The 5-10 youngster is netting 9.7 ppg and is the conference's top distributor at 6.1 assists per game.

Dixon saved the day against Texas this week, coming off the bench to hit 9- of-10 shots from the floor, leading all scorers with 21 points in 27 minutes of work, including the game-winning layup with 31 seconds remaining in the one-point victory. Ratliffe and Phil Pressey netted 13 points apiece, but Demon and English struggled, combining for just 14 points and going a miserable 6-of-20 from the floor.

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NFL ODDSTop Football Betting Free Agents to Change Teams

NFL Betting

It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.

We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.

Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.

Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.

Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.

NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.

The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

NFL Wagering

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