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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Colts give the ‘D’ its due
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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