Buffs battle 'Horns in Big 12 opener
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
01/09/2010 - Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Texas Longhorns put their perfect record on the line this afternoon, as they welcome the Colorado Buffaloes to Austin for the Big 12 opener for both squads.
The Longhorns have won all 14 games on the schedule thus far, including 13 victories by double digits. Texas completed a flawless non-conference slate with Tuesday's 96-85 shootout win at Arkansas.
The Buffaloes are four games over .500 and have won four of their last six games, including a 67-65 nailbiter against Miami-Ohio on Tuesday. Colorado is a perfect 8-0 in Boulder this year, but the road has been a different story, with just one victory in six games both away and at a neutral site.
The Longhorns hold a 13-8 advantage in the all-time series thanks to wins in each of the last five meetings with Colorado.
The Buffs are winning these days with stellar play at the offensive end of the floor. The team is averaging a solid 76.5 ppg on the year, with a shooting percentage of .486 overall, including .383 from behind the arc. Colorado boasts of a pair of explosive scorers in Cory Higgins and Alec Burks. A junior guard, Higgins leads the team at both ends, netting 18.4 ppg, while also pacing the team with 23 steals. Just a freshman, Burks pours in 16.3 ppg and leads the way on the boards with 5.0 caroms per game. One area where Colorado has struggled is on the glass, averaging just 30.0 rebounds per game and getting outrebounded by almost three boards per outing. In the recent win over Miami-Ohio, the Buffs shot an impressive 51.2 percent from the floor, despite it resulting in just 67 points. Burks led the way with a double-double consisting of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus Relphorde and Dwight Thorne II added 14 points apiece, while Higgins, who was held scoreless in the first half, finished up with 11 points.
The Longhorns are in the position they are because of stellar play at both ends of the floor. The result is a gaudy +25.6 scoring margin. Offensively, the team has a number of weapons, resulting in 87.0 ppg on 50 percent shooting. The offensive firepower has not limited UT's effectiveness defensively either, with Texas yielding a mere 61.4 ppg thus far on just .352 shooting. Damion James and Dexter Pittman form one of the nation's top frontcourt tandems. James is averaging a double-double wit team-highs of 16.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Pittman (14.6 ppg, 7.1 rpg) isn't far behind in either category. J'Covan Brown adds 11.2 ppg to the mix, while Avery Bradley chips in with 10.7 ppg. Texas once again flexed its offensive muscle in the win over Arkansas, as a 20-9 run in the second half distanced the visiting team from a 48-48 halftime tie. Pittman led the way with a double- double of 21 points and 10 rebounds. James just missed his own double-double with 20 points and nine boards, while Gary Johnson and Bradley finished with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Missouri Tigers put their 29-game home winning streak on the line today, as they take on the red-hot, 11th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats in the Big 12 opener for both squads. The Tigers' home winning streak
<< Zags try to ground Pilots in WCC action
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 19th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs begin their
run at another West Coast Conference title tonight, as they take on the
University of Portland Pilots at the Chiles Center.
The Bulldogs have long owned the WCC and
<< New Mexico seeks return to win column in clash with UNLV
Albuquerque, NM (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Conceding that this is perhaps the toughest
stretch of games the Lobos will see all season, New Mexico head coach Steve
Alford prepares his 15th-ranked team for a visit from Mountain West Conference
foe UNLV i
<< Miners try to dig up win over 25th-ranked Cougars
El Paso, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former league foes in the Western Athletic
Conference, the Miners of Texas-El Paso and the 25th-ranked BYU Cougars,
rekindle an old rivalry as the two lock horns at the Don Haskins Center
tonight.
BYU, which i
<< Hawkeyes face tall task in clash with 10th-ranked Spartans
Iowa City, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having won both of their Big Ten Conference
bouts thus far, the 10th-ranked Michigan State Spartans arrive in Iowa City
for a league tussle with the struggling Iowa Hawkeyes.
Michigan State has won three stra
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A top-25 battle is on tap in Atlanta this afternoon, as the fifth-ranked Duke Blue Devils take on the 20th-ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in a key ACC matchup at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. The Blue Devil
No. 3 Kentucky opens SEC slate against Georgia >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Kentucky Wildcats open up
SEC play this afternoon, as they take on the Georgia Bulldogs at Rupp Arena in
Lexington.
John Calipari's first season at UK has certainly been a successful one thus
Red Raiders lift lid on Big 12 slate against Cowboys >>
Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders and
Oklahoma State Cowboys square off in the Big 12 opener for both teams at
Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater this evening.
The Red Raiders have won 12 of their first
Big East heavyweights lock horns in D.C. >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-25 teams clash in the nation's capital
this afternoon, as Big East play takes to the floor at the Verizon Center,
featuring the 13th-ranked Connecticut Huskies against the 12th-ranked
Georgetown Hoyas.
Irish hope to hand Mountaineers first Big East loss >>
South Bend, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The eighth-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers
put their flawless Big East record on the line this evening, as they take on
the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend.
The Mountaineers opened their season wit
MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
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