Texas battles Oklahoma State in pivotal Big 12 showdown

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/28/2009 - Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma State Cowboys are in desperate need of a signature win and they will try to get that this evening against the 25th-ranked Texas Longhorns in Big 12 play at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

At 18-9 overall, the Cowboys sit squarely on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, as they need a noteworthy win to bolster their resume. With Texas, Kansas State and Oklahoma on its remaining schedule, OSU certainly has the potential to secure a spot in the Big Dance with a solid finish. The team has given itself a chance for NCAA Tournament consideration on the strength of a four-game win streak that includes a 76-55 pasting of Colorado on Wednesday. The triumph pushed the Cowboys to 7-6 in conference play, tying them with Kansas State for fifth place.

Sitting one game ahead of OSU is Texas, which improved to 8-5 within the league following an 87-81 victory over Texas Tech on Wednesday. The Horns, who were coming off a 73-68 upset of than second-ranked Oklahoma, have now won four of their last five games to improve to 19-8 overall.

Texas leads the head-to-head series with OSU, 40-34, and that includes a 99-74 win in a meeting earlier this month.

The Longhorns won Wednesday's game at the foul line, where they held a 31-15 advantage in points over Texas Tech in an 87-81 decision. Texas earned 43 free-throw attempts by controlling the paint, where it outscored Texas Tech, 44-22, and held a 20-13 edge on the offensive glass. A.J. Abrams led the way for the Horns with 24 points and he went 4-of-9 from three-point land and 8- of-10 at the foul line. Damion James notched a double-double with 20 points and 11 boards, while Dogus Balbay had 11 points and five helpers. On the season, Abrams leads Texas in the scoring department with 17.3 ppg and he is by far the team's most dangerous three-point shooter, hitting at a 39.8 percent clip. James almost contributes a double-double with 15.7 ppg and a team-high 9.1 rpg, while Gary Johnson adds 11.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg to the mix. Johnson though, missed last game with a sprained left ankle and is listed as questionable for tonight.

The Cowboys shot a solid 49.6 percent from the field and drilled 13-of-23 three-point tries, as they cruised past Colorado on Wednesday. Leading the charge was James Anderson, who recorded a double-double with 30 points and 10 boards. Keiton Page tallied 12 points and Terrel Harris had 10 in the winning effort. On the season, Anderson paces OSU in scoring with an average of 18.5 ppg and he is also grabbing 5.9 rpg and shooting 43.3 percent from downtown. Byron Eaton adds 14.6 ppg and a team-best 5.7 apg to the lineup and he has also been a factor on defense, posting 56 steals. Harris contributes 14.5 ppg and 4.9 rpg, and Obi Muonelo puts forth 13.4 ppg and a team-high 7.8 rpg for the Cowboys.

Lassseters NCAA Basketball Betting News

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Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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