Sooners set sights on Wildcats in Big 12 affair

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/28/2012 - Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma Sooners will play their second straight ranked opponent, as they invade Manhattan this afternoon for a Big 12 showdown with the 22nd-ranked Kansas State Wildcats.

Lon Kruger's Sooners are in the midst of a three-game gauntlet against ranked foes. The team opened up the set with a 77-65 loss to Baylor this week and will follow this game with a matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence on February 1st. The loss to the Bears, the team's second straight, dropped OU to a mere 2-5 in league play. Oklahoma is still in search of its first true road win of the season at 0-4.

Frank Martin's Wildcats are still within striking distance in the Big 12, as the team has rebounded from a 1-3 start to league play by winning its last three games, including a 69-47 rout of Texas Tech this week.

Oklahoma holds a 103-91 advantage in this longstanding series. Kansas State has won four of the last six meetings, but it is the Sooners seeking the regular-season sweep after posting an 82-73 victory over KSU in Norman back on January 14th.

The Sooners failed to match Baylor's offensive firepower but there are a lot of teams that have befallen the same fate. Oklahoma remains a team that can compete at that end of the floor, shooting .441 overall and putting up 72.9 ppg. Steven Pledger's perimeter game is what fuels OU's attack. Pledger, who is converting 42.7 percent from behind the arc (47-of-110), is averaging 17.2 ppg (fourth in the conference). Andrew Fitzgerald (13.3 ppg) and Romero Osby (12.1 ppg, 8.3 rpg) headline the play up front. Sam Grooms (6.5 ppg) is serviceable at the point, ranking fourth in the conference in assists (5.5 apg) and first in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8). The Sooners shot a solid 46.6 percent from the floor against Baylor this week, but the Bears were simply better at a 54-percent clip, including 9-of-18 from behind the arc. Pledger had a nice all-around game with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Osby posted a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards, while Fitzgerald chipped in with 13 points.

The Wildcats beat up on the Red Raiders in just about every facet of the game, leading to a blowout win this week in Lubbock. Despite a poor 1-of-9 showing from three-point range, KSU still managed to down 48.1 percent of its shots overall. Kansas State also outrebounded Texas Tech 35-25 and forced the Red Raiders into a whopping 25 turnovers, while recording 12 steals. Martavious Irving led the offensive charge with 16 points. Rodney McGruder joined Irving in double figures with 13 points. KSU is at its best when it can play stingy defense and work off of that. The Wildcats come into this contest holding foes to just 63.6 ppg on .392 shooting, including .282 from three-point range. McGruder leads the team in scoring (15.5 ppg) and steals (24). Jamar Samuels and Will Spradling round out the double-digit scorers for KSU at 10.5 and 10.4 ppg, respectively.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

NFL Sports Betting

NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.

There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.

Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.

The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.

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