Turner leads Ohio State to Big Ten title with rout of Gophers

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/14/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Turner capped a dominant performance in the Big Ten Tournament with 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, as fifth-ranked Ohio State pulled away late to notch an impressive 90-61 win over Minnesota to secure the conference championship.

David Lighty was equally impressive with 20 points, seven boards and five assists, while Jon Diebler knocked down five three-pointers en route to 19 points.

The balanced attack also included 13 points from William Buford as the Buckeyes (27-7) won their third Big Ten title and made their case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Lawrence Westbrook had 17 points and Devoe Joseph added 14 on four three- pointers for the sixth-seeded Golden Gophers (21-13), who were aiming for their first Big Ten Tournament championship.

Minnesota's incredible run through the conference bracket certainly placed it squarely on the bubble for an at-large bid, having toppled the likes of No. 11 Michigan State and sixth-ranked Purdue following an opening-round rout of Penn State.

The Gophers kept it close throughout the first half and early on in the second before the likes of Turner and Lighty ignited an incredible 23-5 run to shatter what was a two-point game.

Minnesota trailed by only three at halftime and was within a basket at 42-40 more than six minutes into the second half following a Devron Bostick three- pointer.

Turner then opened the game-changing OSU surge with a jumper and a trey, and Lighty scored the next six points. Diebler banged home a three for a 56-42 difference before Joseph countered with one of his own to slow the Buckeyes' roll.

The run continued, though, as Lighty and Diebler hit from beyond the arc on back-to-back possessions, and Turner converted the conventional three-point play to open up a 20-point lead, 65-45, with a little more than seven minutes to play.

The Gophers were never able to recover down the stretch.

Things looked promising for another exciting Big Ten finish in the first half. Minnesota had it tied at 11-all just past the midway point after a Joseph three-ball found its mark.

The three-point shot dominated certain stretches, and Westbrook used two long distance shots to help keep the Gophers' deficit at 24-21 near the four-minute mark -- bookending one each by Turner and Diebler.

Joseph was able to fake off a defender and sink a three-pointer just before the horn for only a 33-30 Minnesota deficit at halftime.

Game Notes

OSU last won the conference tournament in 2007 and lost to Purdue in last year's finale...Ohio State shot an amazing 65.6 percent from the floor in the second half and 57.6 percent overall...Minnesota connected on 42.3 percent of its shots.

Waskjeeves NCAA Basketball Betting News

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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