Top-five foes collide in Lawrence in Big 12 battle

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/03/2010 - Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A top-five showdown is on tap in Lawrence this evening, as the second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks close out the home portion of their schedule, as they host the fifth-ranked Kansas State Wildcats at the Allen Fieldhouse.

The Jayhawks are a perfect 17-0 at home this season and are sporting the nation's longest homecourt winning streak at 58 games. However, KU comes into this contest following its first league loss of the season, falling at Oklahoma State on Saturday, 85-77. The loss leaves the team two games up in the conference standings with two to play. Kansas has already claimed at least a share of its sixth straight Big 12 title and NCAA-record 53rd conference crown.

Kansas State is in search of its first conference title since 1977, but will need two victories to close out and for Kansas to lose at Missouri this weekend. KSU comes in with plenty of momentum, as the team has won seven straight games, all in-conference, to set a new school record in Big 12 play. The Wildcats enter off last weekend's 63-53 besting of Missouri in Manhattan.

Kansas has a huge lead in the all-time series, at 178-90 and has won the last four meetings, including a thrilling 81-79 overtime decision in Manhattan on January 30th. The Jayhawks have won a remarkable 39 of the last 41 meetings overall.

The Wildcats have been very productive at the offensive end of the floor this season, averaging 80.4 ppg, behind a solid .459 shooting. The team has also excelled on the boards, with a a +5.3 rebounding margin and is forcing just over 17 turnovers per game. Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente are a formidable backcourt tandem. Both have the ability to fill up the basket, as well as distribute the ball. Pullen leads the team in scoring at 18.5 ppg to go along with 3.8 apg. Clemente adds 15.8 ppg, while doling out 4.1 apg. The two have combined for 143 of the team's 189 three-pointers to date. Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly round out the top offensive threats with 11.9 and 11.4 ppg, respectively. The Wildcats only shot .339 from the floor against Missouri, but made up for it by outscoring the Tigers 21-9 at the free-throw line in the 10- point victory. Samuels led the way with 14 points off the bench. Pullen and Clemente added 11 points each, while Kelly recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Jayhawks have been able to adapt their game to their opponent for the most part, showing the ability to win at either end of the floor. Kansas comes into this game leading the nation in scoring margin at +18.6 and ranks fourth nationally in scoring at 82.4 ppg, getting the job done on a healthy .488 shooting. Four of the team's five starters are averaging double figures, led by All-American candidate Sherron Collins' 15.3 ppg. Collins is also tops on the team and fifth in the conference in assists (4.3 apg). Help in the backcourt comes in the form of freshman Xavier Henry (14.0 ppg), while forward Marcus Morris (12.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and center Cole Aldrich (11.4 ppg, 10.0 rpg) get the job done in the frontcourt. Oklahoma State was the first team to shoot over 60 percent from the floor against Kansas all season long and the result was an eight-point loss for the Jayhawks in Stillwater. Kansas was able to shoot .533 from the floor in the second half, but it didn't make up for a mere .393 effort over the first 20 minutes of the game. Collins led the team in the loss with 22 points. Henry poured in 17, followed by Aldrich (11 pts) and Morris (10 pts).

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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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