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.

Wwwquam NCAA Basketball Betting News

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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