Racers seek turnaround against Governors

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/11/2012 - Murray, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Now that the ninth-ranked Murray State Racers have finally lost their first game, they can now turn their attention to winning their third straight Ohio Valley Conference regular season championship, when they host the Austin Peay Governors for a league match at the CFSB Center.

This will be the second encounter between APSU and Murray State this season and 113th in history. The Racers hold a 71-41 lead in the all-time series after their 87-75 victory on Jan. 7th in Clarksville. Isaiah Canaan hit seven straight three-pointers in the first half to lead the Racers past the Governors in the first bout this season.

The Governors are looking to snap a three-game losing streak that was recently extended in their 94-55 loss at Belmont on Monday. APSU allowed Belmont to shoot 53 percent from the field and connect on 10-of-25 attempts from three- point range in the contest which dropped its overall record to 9-17. The Governors are 6-6 in league play, which has them five games back of MSU in the OVC Standings. Head coach Dave Loos does not have to worry about his team's offensive production as much, as it is averaging 69.7 ppg. However, APSU must improve on the defensive end as it allows a second worst in the OVC 73.9 ppg.

APSU will look to its senior center John Fraley to lead them to a victory tonight. Fraley has averaged 21.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game over the span of his last four games. Melvin Baker has played well at the opposite forward position. Baker has been consistent, averaging 13.3 in OVC action. The frontcourt duo have combined to shoot 60 percent from the field in league play. Josh Terry, TyShwan Edmondson, and Jerome Clyburn form to back the backcourt for the Govs. Terry and Edmondson both average 12.3 ppg while Clyburn dishes out 3.2 apg.

Head coach Steve Prohm is now 23-1 for his career after leading the Racers to their still incredible start. Murray State will begin its recovery from its 72-68 loss to Tennessee State, which ended the best start for any team in conference history. The Racers have an 11-1 record in league action, which gives them a three-game lead in the standings with four games left to play. Murray State has outscored its league opponents by an average of 13.2 ppg, and also leads the OVC in blocks (4.2), steals (8.5), and turnover margin (+2.67).

Canaan has been the leader for Murray State all season. The junior guard is ranked second in the league and 21st in the nation in scoring with 19.3 ppg and is also third in the OVC in assists with 3.7 per game. Donte Poole and Ivan Aska have been steadily contributing to Murray State's success. Poole has been slumping as of late, as he has gone 4-of-25 from the floor in his last three contests. Aska is grabbing a team-best 5.9 boards per game. Jewuan Long stretches the defense with his 50.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc.

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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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