ST. John Helps First Half Over Michigan

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyshawn Taylor had 28 points and six assists as No. 7 Kansas downed previously unbeaten No. 3 Baylor, 92-74, in Big 12 action. Thomas Robinson had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford each added 11 points while Jeff Withey had 10 points and 10 boards for the Jayhawks (15-3, 5-0 Big 12), who have won eight straight.

 

Syracuse and Murray State remain the only unbeaten schools in Division I basketball.

 

Queens, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamal Branch has transferred from Texas A&M to St. John's. Branch, who appeared in 11 games for the Aggies in the fall of 2011, can begin practicing with the Red Storm but cannot play until December of 2012.

 

, (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Michigan Wolverines try to remain perfect at home, as they host in-state and Big Ten Conference rival Michigan State, which enters play as the ninth-ranked team in the country. Michigan, which along with Michigan State make up two of the five teams from the Big Ten Conference that are currently ranked, has won 11 straight decision at home this season, and 12 consecutive at Crisler Arena overall dating back to last season. However, the team's most recent outing over the weekend took place at Iowa and the Wolverines failed to find any magic at Carver-Hawkeye Arena as they stumbled in an awkward 75-59 final. The setback was the second in the last four games and dropped Michigan to 4-2 in league play as a result.

 

The Wolverines hold a 93-74 advantage in a series that dates back more than a century to 1909. Last season Michigan took both contests, the first being a 61-57 decision on the road, and then the first week of March it was a 70-63 triumph at home.

 

Michigan took itself out of contention against Iowa by shooting just 34.8 percent from the field in the first half, including 3-of-16 behind the three- point line. Obviously things improved after the break for the visitors, but not enough so that the Wolverines could prevent defeat. Trey Burke was responsible for a team-best 19 points, and Zack Novak 14 to go along with his game-high eight rebounds, yet the Hawkeyes still beat Michigan on the glass by a 39-30 margin. Tim Hardaway Jr. accounted for nine points, but he shot just 2-of-13 from the field and failed on all eight of his three-pointers. As a starter in all 18 games, it only makes sense that Hardaway would be the top scorer for the Wolverines with his 15.7 ppg, although one might have to question his persistence in trying to become a perimeter threat with just 28.6 percent accuracy beyond the arc. Burke (14.3 ppg) has also put himself out there as a passing threat now that he has almost twice as many assists (89) as anyone else on the roster.

 

Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will try to extend their winning streak to 10 games in a row tonight as they host the Arkansas Razorbacks in a Southeastern Conference battle at Rupp Arena. This will be the 33rd meeting between Arkansas and Kentucky. The Wildcats hold a 24-8 advantage in the rivalry. The Razorbacks ended a 10-game losing streak to Kentucky last season with an overtime victory, but have gone just 2-11 in Lexington all-time with their last victory in Rupp Arena coming during the 1993-1994 season.

 

B.J. Young and Mardracus Wade will lead the upset attempt tonight. Young might be the best rookie in the conference and has been excellent as of late, averaging 18.5 ppg on 60-percent shooting from the field. Wade's ability to spread the floor with his accuracy is extremely valuable to the Razorbacks. The sophomore guard is leading the SEC with a three-point shooting percentage of 49.3, after knocking down 3-of-4 from long range on his way to 14 points his last time out. Hunter Mickelson made a huge impact on the defensive end his last time out. The freshman forward recorded his second seven-block outing of the year against LSU. Despite playing just 16.6 minutes per game, Mickelson has blocked a shot in every game this year.

 

The Wildcats have been racking up blocked shots behind Anthony Davis' NCAA leading average of 4.6 per game. Davis is just one block away from the program's single season record of 83. The freshman forward has contributed in other aspects as well, as he has tallied nine double-doubles already. Terrance Jones, Doron Lamb, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Marquis Teague all own scoring averages in double figures and have the ability to step into the spotlight and take over games which makes the Wildcats a nearly impossible team to stop.

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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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FOOTBALL TRASH TALK

NFL Football Trash Talk

Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).

Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.

Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).

Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.

Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say, will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.

The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.

What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.

Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.

But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.

In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.