Big 12 showdown pits Tigers against Jayhawks

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/01/2009 - Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 11th-ranked Missouri Tigers and the 15th- ranked Kansas Jayhawks will battle in a Big 12 Conference showdown with major title implications.

Missouri head coach Mike Anderson deserves consideration for national coach of the year honors, as his team was just 16-16 a year ago. Right now, the Tigers are 24-4 overall, and a victory today would give the school a dozen Big 12 wins for the first time ever. Missouri is currently riding a seven-game win streak that includes Wednesday's 94-74 triumph over Kansas State.

Considering the fact that Kansas is 12-1 in conference action, first place is on the line today. The Jayhawks have recorded four straight wins to move to 12-1 in Big 12 action, and they knocked off Oklahoma in the most recent outing last Monday in an 87-78 final. What makes KU's success particularly impressive is that all five starters are gone from the team that captured the national title less than a year ago.

Missouri defeated Kansas in a 62-60 final last month, but the Jayhawks own a 166-94 edge in the all-time series.

Missouri boasts an outstanding duo that consists of DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons. Carroll is scoring 17.1 ppg this season on the strength of his 57.1 percent shooting from the field, and he is pulling down 7.1 rpg. As for Lyons, he checks in with 14.3 ppg on 50.4 percent field goal efficiency. Thanks largely to the efforts of those two players, the Tigers are generating 82.6 ppg while limiting foes to 65.4 ppg on 40.8 percent shooting from the floor. In the 20-point romp over Kansas State on Wednesday, Carroll led a balanced attack with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Lyons and Laurence Bowers added 16 points apiece, while J.T. Tiller posted 15 points and six assists. Missouri played tremendous team defense, limiting the Wildcats to 37.3 percent shooting while forcing 21 turnovers.

The only current member of the Kansas team that made a consistent and significant contribution to last year's national title run is Sherron Collins, and he now takes a back seat to no one. Collins is scoring 18.3 ppg for Bill Self's squad, and he is dishing out 4.9 apg as well. Cole Aldrich pitches in 15.0 ppg, and he is pulling down 10.7 rpg to complement his 71 blocks. Aldrich, who is just a sophomore, is shooting 61.4 percent from the field. Those two players help Kansas post 77.4 ppg, and outstanding team defense has limiting opponents to 64.8 ppg. Both Collins and Tyshawn Taylor exploded for 26 points in the victory over Oklahoma on Monday. Aldrich was a force in that tilt was well, as he racked up 15 points and 20 rebounds without Oklahoma standout Blake Griffin in the lineup due to injury. A 28-19 edge in points from the foul line and 16 forced turnovers helped lead the way to the win.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.