NCAA Basketball Big Ten Power Poll
1: Michigan Wolverines (5-1-1 ATS, 9-2 SU) (LW: 2) Florida Gulf Coast was no challenge for the Wolverines this week. They moved to a perfect 8-0 SU in Ann Arbor and 4-0 ATS. Those marks will be on the line this week with three home games.
This Week: Home vs. North Carolina Central, Home vs. Wisconsin, Home vs. Illinois
2: Minnesota Golden Gophers (4-2-1 ATS, 12-0 SU) (LW: 3) HC Tubby Smith has his Gophers rolling from the get-go this year, and continued rolling with wins over High Point and SE Louisiana this week. They are the only unbeaten team left in the Big 10, but that will be threatened this week with home games against MSU and OSU.
This Week: Home vs. Michigan State, Home vs. Ohio State
3: Northwestern Wildcats (4-2-1 ATS, 8-2 SU) (LW: 1) Northwestern's #2 ranked defense in the country had another strong performance against SMU this week, but a 66-55 victory wasn't quite enough to cover the spread. The Wildcats will kick off Big 10 play in Happy Valley in just their third true road test of the season.
This Week: Away at Penn State, Home vs. Michigan State
4: Illinois Fighting Illini (6-3 ATS, 12-1 SU) (LW: 5) A 75-59 win over Missouri will be a huge boost for an NCAA Tournament resume for the Illini, but a 62-53 win over Eastern Michigan on Sunday won't be a highlight. The ATS loss to the Eagles snapped a three-game win streak for the Illini.
This Week: Away at Purdue, Away at Michigan
5: Penn State Nittany Lions (4-2 ATS, 11-2 SU) (LW: 4) Penn State isn't normally in the discussion for March Madness, but it probably will be this year. With eight days to rest, the Nittany Lions will head into conference play. They'll put their four-game winning streak at home on the line against the Wildcats.
This Week: Home vs. Northwestern
6: Iowa Hawkeyes (5-2 ATS, 10-3 SU) (LW: 6) The Hawkeyes have had minimal luck on the road this season, going 1-2 SU, but they are 2-1 ATS. They're looking for some respect and a boost to their tournament resume, and a win in Columbus this week will go a long way towards helping those problems out.
This Week: Away at Ohio State, Home vs. Indiana
7: Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3 ATS, 9-1 SU) (LW: 7) Sports betting fanatics were brutalized by the Buckeyes last week. OSU suffered its first loss of the season in embarrassing fashion to West Virginia by a 76-48 final count. They'll have to turn the page though, as Iowa and Minnesota should both provide stern tests this week.
This Week: Home vs. Iowa, Away at Minnesota
8: Michigan State Spartans (4-4 ATS, 9-2 SU) (LW: 9) Sparty knocked off Oakland 82-66 last week at home, but they'll hit the road this week for two huge Big 10 match-ups. In two road tests this year, MSU is 2-0 SU and 1-0 ATS, including that huge 67-63 win in Austin two weeks ago.
This Week: Away at Minnesota, Away at Northwestern
And the rest...
9: Wisconsin Badgers (5-5 ATS, 9-3 SU) (LW: 8)
10: Purdue Boilermakers (4-5 ATS, 11-2 SU) (LW: 10)
11: Indiana Hoosiers (3-4 ATS, 5-7 SU) (LW: 11)
(c) 1994-2008 BetUS.
Big 10 Power Poll
1: Northwestern Wildcats (4-0-1 ATS, 6-1 SU) There aren't many teams that have yet to hand at least one loss to sports betting fans, but the Wildcats are still on the short list. They've had nine days off to prepare for two games this week, the second of which is the team's first lengthy road trip of the season.
This Week: Home vs. UMKC, Away at Stanford
2: Michigan Wolverines (5-1-1 ATS, 7-2 SU) With an average season in the Big 10, it's going to be hard to deny Big Blue its entry to the Big Dance this year. They padded a resume that already includes wins over Duke and UCLA with a 91-60 thumping of Eastern Michigan last week. The schedule is a snap for the rest of the month until the New Year's Eve showdown with the Badgers.
This Week: Home vs. Oakland, Home vs. Florida Gulf Coast
3: Iowa Hawkeyes (5-1 ATS, 9-2 SU) Iowa notched its fourth straight cover last week by cruising past Iowa State 73-57. If you like defense, this Saturday's game against Drake should be just for you, as the Hawkeyes will hope to avenge last year's 56-51 loss to the Bulldogs and pad their NCAA resume with a huge road win against an MVC squad that is in the hunt for a tourney bid almost every season.
This Week: Away at Drake
4: Penn State Nittany Lions (4-2 ATS, 9-2 SU) The Nittany Lions picked up a pair of relatively easy victories over Mount St. Mary's and Army last week, and the task at hand shouldn't get much more difficult this week with a home date against lowly Lafayette.
This Week: Home vs. Lafayette
5: Illinois Fighting Illini (4-2 ATS, 9-1 SU) Illinois may have an impressive record and some gaudy numbers on the defensive side of the ball, but basketball bettors really haven't seen them take on much in the way of competition this year. An 89-50 victory against Chicago State last week was expected, but a game against Detroit this week won't do anything for their tourney resume even if the Illini win by 100.
This Week: Home vs. Detroit
6: Minnesota Golden Gophers (3-2-1 ATS, 9-0 SU) If HC Tubby Smith had plans of taking his undefeated Gophers into March Madness this season, Saturday's test against Louisville would be a great feather in his cap. Unfortunately, Minnesota hasn't had any real tests of note this season, and a victory over the #10 team in the country would be considered a bit of a surprise.
This Week: Home vs. Louisville
7: Wisconsin Badgers (5-4 ATS, 8-2 SU) Wisconsin-Green Bay may not be the victory that puts the Badgers over the top this year, but their 20-point victory was good enough to notch their fourth cover in five games. With a stingy defense that ranks 40th in the nation, this team is one for sports bettors to watch in the weeks to come. The schedule is going to get much harder in a hurry after a final tune-up against Coppin State.
This Week: Home vs. Coppin State
8: Ohio State Buckeyes (3-2 ATS, 6-0 SU) Most Ohio State games haven't been pretty this season, and last week's 54-51 win over Butler was no exception. The Buckeyes failed to cover the seven-point spread, but the team still ranks #2 in the land, allowing just 50.3 points per game. Those numbers should improve this week against two sub-par opponents.
This Week: Home vs. Jackson State, Home vs. Iona
And the rest...
9: Michigan State Spartans (3-3 ATS, 6-2 SU)
10: Indiana Hoosiers (3-3 ATS, 5-5 SU)
11: Purdue Boilermakers (3-4 ATS, 8-2 SU)
(c) 1994-2008 BetUS.
Odds to win NCAA Championship
In college basketball, maybe more than any other sport has multiple teams with chances to win the National Championship. Even though North Carolina, behind Tyler Hansbrough is the odds on favorite to win the title this year, NCAA basketball teams all have a shot because of March Madness and 65 teams who will make the big tournament and have a shot at the title as Kansas did last season.
Most offshore sportsbooks offer betting futures on who will win the Men's championship so you could find some value in several teams who might get hot at the right time in March.
The early odds have North Carolina as a 2/1 favorite to win it all with Connecticut (10/1), Duke, Louisville (13/1) and Tennessee (14/1) next in line.
Last year's winner Kansas is 35/1 while last year's runner-up, Memphis is 25/1.
One possible long shot could be the Miami Hurricanes who began the season in the top 25 for the first time in many years. Miami is currently 40/1 according to 5Dimes.com.
Here is a full list of NCAA future betting odds as of 11/30/08.
North Carolina +200
Wisconsin +6600
Connecticut +1000
Washington State +7000
Duke +1300
Wake Forest +7500
Louisville +1300
Missouri +7500
Tennessee +1400
Virginia Tech +8000
Pittsburgh +1800
Washington +8500
Purdue +1800
Michigan +8500
Oklahoma +1800
Clemson +8500
Georgetown +2000
Georgia Tech +9000
Gonzaga +2000
California +9000
UCLA +2000
Florida State +9000
Texas +2200
Mississippi +9000
Florida +2200
Texas A&M +10000
Memphis +2500
Texas Tech +10000
Ohio State +2500
Stanford +11000
West Virginia +2500
North Carolina State +11000
Michigan State +2800
LSU +11000
Notre Dame +3300
Georgia +11000
Kansas +3500
Mississippi State +11500
Syracuse +3500
Boston College +11500
Miami Florida +4000
BYU +11500
Marquette +4500
Kansas State +12500
Villanova +4500
Illinois +12500
Davidson +4500
Oregon +12500
Kentucky +5000
Alabama +15000
Southern California +5500
Oklahoma State +15000
Maryland +6000
Iowa +15000
Arizona State +6000
Seton Hall +17500
Baylor +6600
Indiana +100000
Arizona +6600
(c) Cappers Mall.
Kansas in rush
March 20, 2007
NY Post
You want to see what energetic youth looks like? Take a gander at the Jayhawks as they race into the Sweet 16.
No one player epitomizes what Kansas is all about as faithfully as Brandon Rush, a lithe 6-6, 210-pound athlete with a long, lean body, oozing grace and skill with every boundless step across the court. Rush is also alike his teammates in that he's an underclassman who has never been this far and might not know what to expect.
Surely, Rush doesn't have a handle on what comes next, as Kansas, the No. 1 seed in the West Region, faces No. 4 Southern Illinois Thursday in San Jose. Asked what he knows of about SIU, Rush offered his scouting report.
"A quick, up-and-down, fast-paced team like we are," Rush explained. "They get out and run and they got some great players."
Um, well, not quite. Southern Illinois averages only 63.1 points a game (Kansas is fifth in the nation at 83.6) and allows a mere 56.1 on defense. Figure Rush will have a better understanding in the days to come as to what the Salukis are all about: relentless defense and controlled, deliberate offense, not close to the running style Kansas utilizes with such lethal effectiveness.
Pardon Rush for the shaky info, as he's only a sophomore, which makes him an old-timer among the Jayhawks. There's not a senior to be found on the roster and the top five Kansas scorers are freshmen and sophomores.
It's the job of Kansas coach Bill Self to educate his club and clearly, the lessons to his kiddie corps are sinking in. Kansas (32-4) has won 13 consecutive games and had absolutely no trouble disposing of Niagara (107-67) and Kentucky (88-76) in a pair of one-sided games in the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament at Chicago's United Center.
"Sometimes I think when you're kind of favored to win it's more relief than it is jubilation," Self said. "We should enjoy this but get refocused and hopefully get ready for another big weekend."
The last time Kansas made a strong run in the tournament was in 2002, when the Jayhawks advanced to the national championship game before losing to Syracuse. That was with Roy Williams as the head coach. Under Self, Kansas got to the Elite Eight in 2004, his first year in Lawrence. Since then, Self watched as Kansas was eliminated in the first round the past two years. Now, Self has the Jayhawks back in the hunt.
"I think there's still some steps we got to take but we're headed in the right direction and guys have their heads in the right mindset," said junior guard Russell Robinson, who hails from The Bronx. "It's going to show in the next week or two."
Confidence runs deep with the Jayhawks, who did not express even a trace of surprise at the way they've dominated thus far in the tournament. "What can you say?" wondered sophomore guard Mario Chalmers, who had 16 points, four steals and matched his career high with eight assists against Kentucky. "We got two victories we were supposed to win, that's what we're supposed to do."
Added Rush of the weekend in Chicago, "I think we got everything we wanted. I think we're clicking on all cylinders, everything we're doing offensively is working pretty good, we ain't making no mental lapses on our offensive sets, so I think we're playing our best."
Next comes a legitimate scouting report for the next game, which, considering his initial reaction, is something Rush needs to study.
"I am a fan from afar of Southern Illinois," Self said. "They are as tough as any team in the country. They love grind-it-out games. The shot clock will go deep for both teams many, many times. I feel like they are probably as sound defensively as any team in the country. They are very quick. They get up and under you. I haven't studied them totally but I know they make it hard to score."
paul.schwartz@nypost.com
Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
Largest crowd in NIT history cheers Orange to seco
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Too much Orange for San Diego State.
The largest crowd in NIT history -- an orange-clad swarm of 26,752 -- braved sleet, snow and a biting March wind to give the Carrier Dome a championship atmosphere Monday night, and the Syracuse Orange responded with an 80-64 second-round victory over San Diego State.
For the team's four seniors -- Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, -- it was their last home game, and they relished every minute.
"We like the fact that we came in here and broke the record," said Roberts. "We're making history. Even though we were put in a bad situation a lot of guys really didn't want to be in, we're making the best of it."
It had been eight days since the NCAA selection committee overlooked Syracuse despite a resume that included a 6-1 record in February and a dominating 14-point victory over Georgetown, the Hoyas only loss in the past 21 games.
That oversight may be in the past. It certainly won't be forgotten.
"It's always going to be in the back of your mind, no matter what you say and no matter how much you try to forget about it," Roberts said. "All we can do now is try to win out."
Syracuse (24-10), the second seed in the South, will play at Clemson (23-10) on Wednesday night in the quarterfinals.
Sixth-seeded San Diego State (22-11) was one of three teams to pull a first-round upset on the road, beating third-seeded Missouri State 74-70.
It was only the second postseason win for the Aztecs in 37 seasons at the Division I level. The streak was short-lived.
Syracuse, clinging to a 38-33 halftime lead, outscored the Aztecs 19-7 to start the second half, finishing the burst with an 11-0 run that gave the Orange a commanding 19-point lead.
"Too many orange in the stands and too much orange on the court against us," San Diego State coach Steve Fisher said. "We fought hard and competed hard, but weren't quite good enough tonight. We were hopeful that we could find a way to make a few more shots, but it just wasn't to be."
Nichols had 20 points and Andy Rautins scored 15. Watkins had eight rebounds and six blocks, and freshman Paul Harris had 12 points and seven rebounds, combining with Eric Devendorf for 10 of the Orange's 21 assists.
Lorrenzo Wade led the Aztecs with 16 points before fouling out with just more than two minutes left, and Mohamed Abukar had 14.
Senior guard Brandon Heath, whose 3-pointer in the final seconds won the Aztecs' first-round game, finished with 15 points and seven assists and shot 3-for-12 on 3-pointers. But he wasn't the big factor he normally is, thanks to the work of the 6-foot-11 Watkins and 6-9 Roberts.
"They definitely let their presence be known in the paint," said Heath. "They did that from start to finish, and that was one of the keys."
So was the crowd, which was both deafening and creative. One sign that was repeatedly held aloft read -- "That would have looked good in the tournament" -- referring to that other affair that will decide the national champion next month in Atlanta.
"We wanted to show our appreciation because they didn't have to come out," said Nichols, who leads the team in scoring at 19 points per game. "They've been great all year. This is a good way to go out for the team and the city. They have been the best fans in the whole country."
Syracuse made nine 3-pointers, outrebounded the Aztecs 49-33, committed only four turnovers in the second half, and stifled the Aztecs with some staunch defense.
That, and the fans, left a smile on head coach Jim Boeheim's face.
"The fans are tremendous and have been for 31 years here," said Boeheim, who turned and applauded when the attendance was announced. "You have to be appreciative how much they were into the game from the beginning."
The previous record crowd for an NIT game was 23,522, set in 1979 when Clemson played at Kentucky.
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March Madness Begins
By Reuters
Fri Mar 16, 2007 7:59 AM EDT
(Pic)- Virginia Commonwealth University Rams fans cheer for their team during their first round NCAA men's basketball game against Duke University in Buffalo, New York March 15, 2007 (Enlarge Pic). REUTERS/Mike Cassese
NEW YORK (Reuters) - March Madness opened in subdued fashion on Thursday when tops seeds Ohio State and North Carolina led a parade of Favorites into the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
There were no major upsets on the opening day of the 64-team event, a sharp contrast to prior years when traditional powers are often stunned by unheralded rivals.
Big Ten champion Ohio State whipped Central Connecticut State 78-57 in the South Region, while Atlantic Coast Conference winner North Carolina breezed by Eastern Kentucky, 86-65 in the East Region opener.
Ohio State freshman sensation Greg Oden scored 19 points and had 10 rebounds, while junior Jamar Butler added 17 points. The Buckeyes knocked down 11 of 20 three-pointers to subdue the Northeast Conference champions.
"We didn't go into the game saying, 'Let's knock down out threes,'" Ohio State coach Thad Matta told reporters.
"They were just kind of there. The guys were open and they just did a good job of knocking them down."
Butler, who hit five of six from beyond the arc, said the key was Ohio State's ability to move inside on the Blue Devils' zone and then kick the ball outside.
"We penetrated their zone, got in the paint and found the open man," he said. "We stepped up and knocked down the shots."
DUKE LOSES
In other games, Big East champion Georgetown (27-6) blew past 15th-seeded Belmont 80-55 in the East Regional on the back of 20 points by sophomore guard Jessie Sapp, while third seeded Washington State beat number 14 Oral Roberts 70-54 in the East.
Third-seeded Texas A&M knocked off number 14 Pennsylvania 68-52 in the South, and over in the Midwest fourth-seeded Maryland overcame an eight-point second-half deficit to down number 13 Davidson 82-70.
In a minor West Region upset, sixth seeded Duke lost to Colonial Conference champion Virginia Commonwealth, 79/77, behind 22 points by guard Eric Maynor, including a 15 foot jumper with 1.8 seconds remaining.
North Carolina coach Roy Williams set an NCAA record by winning at least one NCAA tournament game for the 18th straight year, but the Tar Heels saw an early 27 point lead reduced to just four early in the second half.
But led by Tyler Hansbrough's 21 points and 10 rebounds, UNC rebounded to again take control in the final 10 minutes and easily pull away.
Next up for North Carolina is ninth seeded Michigan State, who beat Marquette 61-49, while Ohio State faces number nine Xavier, a 79-77 winner over Brigham Young.
Georgetown trailed 11-4 in the early going but ultimately wore down the champions of the Atlantic Sun Conference with their superior athletic ability.
In the second round, Georgetown will face seventh-seeded Boston College, who bounced Texas Tech 84-75 behind 26 points from sophomore guard Tyrese Rice.
Florida, hoping to become the first back-to-back champion since Duke in 1991-92, plays its first game on Friday against Jackson State.
Copyright 2000-2007 Macon Area Online
Clemson denies Virginia Tech shot at share of ACC
March 4, 2007
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports
BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Clemson showed it could take the heat.
The Tigers withstood second-half pressure from No. 21 Virginia Tech on Sunday for a 75-74 victory that prevented the Hokies from capturing a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference's regular-season title.
"We're not a clutch team, but we needed this win and we got it," said K.C. Rivers, who led the Tigers (21-9, 7-9) with 22 points and scored the decisive basket with 18 seconds remaining. Rivers, whose season average is 13 points, was 5-for-7 from 3-point range and hit all three of his second-half attempts.
Cliff Hammonds added 17 points and six assists for the Tigers in the ACC regular-season finale for both teams.
"We made a couple of big plays down the stretch," said Hammonds, who had three 3-pointers.
The Tigers shot 61 percent in the second half, including 75 percent from behind the arc. The Hokies (20-10, 10-6) shot 64 percent after halftime, but only 33 percent from 3-point range.
"This is a tough road win, as good a win as we've had all year," said Tigers coach Oliver Purnell.
Zabian Dowdell led Virginia Tech with 25 points. Jamon Gordon added 14 points. Both are seniors who were among five honored by Tech at the beginning of the game.
"It's a fine line between winning and losing," Hokies coach Seth Greenberg said. "We were in position. We just weren't tough enough on one or two plays defensively."
Except at the very beginning, the Hokies didn't lead until Dowdell stole the ball and ran the length of the court for a basket to make it 66-65 with 5:48 remaining. Clemson took the lead back when Hammonds hit a basket and a 3-pointer, and led 70-66 with 3:10 left.
Dowdell then had four points as the Hokies went on a 6-0 run to regain the lead at 72-70. Rivers made a 3-pointer to give Clemson a one-point lead with 2:11 left, only to have Dowdell respond with a jumper to give Virginia Tech a 74-73 lead with 47 seconds left.
The Tigers built a 26-11 lead, thanks to a 15-0 run, with 10:08 left in the first half. But Dowdell then got hot, scoring 15 points as the Hokies narrowed the deficit to 35-32 at halftime.
"We were down and we fought back," Gordon said. "We should have won this game. We gave them too many opportunities."
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