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Baylor sweetly proves better than 10th in Big 12NCAA Basketball Betting Lines03/23/2010 - WACO, Texas (AP) -Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn knew before even playing a game this season that Baylor had a much better team than the Big 12 coaches expected. They have already proven that, and have a chance to accomplish even more since they are still playing. ``Being picked 10th, we took that as disrespect,'' Dunn said Monday. ``We knew we're a better team than 10th. ... We knew we had to come out and prove a point.'' The Bears (27-7) have made it to the NCAA round of 16, joining Kansas State as the only Big 12 teams still left with a chance to play for the national championship. What about Kansas, the preseason Big 12 favorite by the coaches and the No. 1 overall NCAA seed? The Jayhawks have already been eliminated along with Texas, the league coaches' preseason No. 2 which started 17-0 and reached No. 1 in the AP poll in mid-January. ``I don't play this game to worry about what anybody else thinks. As long as this family here is tight, I'm all right,'' said Carter, the point guard and one of only two Baylor seniors. ``At the same time, it comes up in the back of your mind, you've got to come out and show them why we're better than 10th.'' In an NCAA tournament filled with upsets, most notably Kansas' second-round loss to Northern Iowa, Baylor has remained unscathed as the No. 3 seed in the South Regional. After defeating Sam Houston State and 11th-seeded Old Dominion in New Orleans, the Bears will be even closer to home for their next game. They play in Houston on Friday night against No. 10 Saint Mary's (28-5), which advanced with victories over Richmond and Villanova. Before last week, Baylor hadn't won an NCAA tournament game since 1950. The Gaels, often overshadowed in the West Coast Conference by Gonzaga, had gone only nine years fewer without an NCAA victory. ``Both teams had similar roads. Both teams have been competitive the last few years,'' Baylor coach Scott Drew said. ``They've been knocking on the door, and we've been knocking on the door. Both of us have just entered together.'' Baylor has its third consecutive 20-win season, has already set a school record for victories and has not lost any game by more than seven points. The Bears made it to the NCAA tournament two years ago, but lost to Purdue in the opening round. (The Boilermakers are also in Houston and play top-seeded Duke in the other game Friday night). Baylor overcame a late-season slump last year to make it to the Big 12 tournament championship game then had an extended farewell for seniors Curtis Jerrells, Kevin Rogers and Henry Dugat, making it to the NIT final before losing to Penn State in Madison Square Garden. That trio's career began in 2005-06, when Baylor was limited to playing only a half-season. The Bears played only conference games as part of NCAA penalties for wrongdoing under previous coach Dave Bliss that was uncovered following the shooting death of player Patrick Dennehy by teammate Carlton Dotson in the summer of 2003. Jerrells, Rogers and Dugat played significant roles in the rebuilding of the program, including that NCAA appearance two years ago. When they graduated, there was some uncertainty about how the Bears would fare - at least outside, based on how the Big 12 coaches picked. ``That goes to respect of what the guys who left the program last year did. We were picked low for a reason, and it was out of respect to them,'' Drew said. ``With the returning players, give all the credit to them for having great chemistry, great upperclassman leadership.'' While Dunn (19.4 points per game) and Carter (15.1 points, 6 rebounds) have excelled, the Bears got a boost from the addition of 6-foot-10, 240-pound Ekpe Udoh, who had to sit out last season after transferring from Michigan. Udoh provided an inside presence that had been missing, setting a Big 12 record with 128 blocked shots while contributing 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds a game. ``Last summer, just to be around each other and get the feel for each other playing pickup games, that's where it all started,'' Dunn said. ``Everybody got on the same page and agreed on the same thing and had the same goal. That really got us going and got us where we are now.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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NFL Football BettingBILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover. BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week. COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy. TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win. RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win. PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start. JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch. SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do. VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams. DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home. SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one. BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1. BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses. RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw. PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1. Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting. |
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