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02/01/2012 - Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off their first Big 12 loss of the season, the eighth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks return to the friendly confines of the Allen Fieldhouse for a league bout with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Bill Self's Jayhawks had a 10-game win streak halted this past weekend, with a 72-64 setback at Iowa State. Still, the team is 7-1 in league play and holds a half game lead over Missouri (7-2) in the conference standings. The Jayhawks will get an opportunity for breathing room in the conference this weekend, when Kansas takes on Missouri in Columbia.
Lon Kruger's first season in Norman has had its ups and downs. The Sooners are certainly a competitive squad, sitting six games over .500 at 13-7. The league slate (3-5) has been a bit more challenging, although Oklahoma can certainly take some positives from the 63-60 road win at Kansas State this past weekend.
Kansas holds a 137-64 advantage in the all-time series that dates back to 1920. The Jayhawks have dominated the Sooners of late, winning each of the last eight meetings overall and the last 10 matchups at the Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas is seeking the regular-season sweep after posting a 72-61 victory in Norman on January 7th.
The Sooners almost let one slip away in Manhattan this past weekend, giving up a 10-point second-half lead to trail with just under six minutes to play. Oklahoma rallied however, with a 14-9 run down the stretch to earn the victory over Kansas State. Oklahoma shot a mere 40 percent from the floor but made up for that by forcing 20 turnovers, scoring 22 points off those miscues. Star guard Steven Pledger led the way, hitting 11-of-17 from the floor to finish with 30 points. Cameron Clark was a distant second in the scoring column with 11 points. Putting up gaudy offensive numbers is certainly not the norm for Oklahoma, which comes into this contest averaging a modest 72.4 ppg on .439 shooting. Pledger has no problem filling up the basket, ranking second in the conference at 17.8 ppg. Forwards Andrew Fitzgerald (12.8 ppg) and Romero Osby (12.0 ppg, team-high 8.0 rpg) provide frontcourt balance. Clark (8.5 ppg) and Sam Grooms (6.4 ppg, team-high 5.6 apg) round out the starting five.
While Oklahoma relies on the scoring exploits of Pledger, Kansas has the advantage of two of the conference's top scorers in Thomas Robinson and Tyshawn Taylor. Robinson has emerged as one of the nation's premier low post players, ranking third in the Big 12 in scoring (17.5 ppg) and first in rebounding (11.8 rpg). Taylor is the perfect complement with his long-range acumen and ball-handling. Taylor is hitting 45.2 percent from beyond the arc and netting 16.5 ppg (fifth in the league), while doling out 5.2 apg (fifth in the league). Guards Travis Releford (9.7 ppg) and Elijah Johnson (9.2 ppg) give the team perimeter depth. Kansas shot a solid 48 percent from the floor in Ames this past weekend, but was outrebounded 36-23 and outscored at the free-throw line 25-10. All five starters were heard from, led by Taylor's double-double of 16 points and 10 assists. It was Taylor's first double-double of the season and second in his career. Robinson added 13 points and seven boards to the cause, while Releford, Johnson and Jeff Withey all chipped in with 10 points.
<< Streaking Heat take on Bucks at Bradley Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James and the streaking Miami Heat will take a five-
game winning streak on the road to Milwaukee tonight.
The Heat weren't all that impressive on Monday but James finished two assists
shy of a triple-double with 22
<< Suns and Hornets tangle in the Big Easy
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns will hit the road to the Big Easy tonight
for a showdown with the New Orleans Hornets.
The Suns have lost four of five games and are coming off Mondays 122-99 loss
to the Dallas Mavericks. Marcin Gortat le
<< Improved Wolves entertain Pacers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indiana Pacers target their third straight win tonight,
when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
Indiana has won two in a row and five of its last seven games, including
Tuesday's 106-99 triumph o
<< Celtics kick off homestand vs. Raptors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It appears the Boston Celtics are back on track and will
commence a five-game homestand tonight versus the Toronto Raptors at TD
Garden.
Boston will also host the Knicks, Grizzlies, Bobcats and Lakers, and is 6-6 in
Beant
Feathers are sure to fly in clash between Redbirds and Bluejays >>
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Creighton Bluejays continue one
of their most memorable seasons ever, as they play host to the Illinois State
Redbirds tonight in Omaha in Missouri Valley Conference action.
Illinois State is 14-8
Hoosiers and Wolverines meet in Big Ten showdown >>
Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of ranked foes in the Big Ten
Conference square off in Ann Arbor this evening, as No. 20 Indiana comes
calling on No. 23 Michigan.
Indiana started the season impressively, jumping out to a 12-0 record
Huskies and Hoyas square off Big East action >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Connecticut Huskies have made their
way to the nation's capital for tonight's Big East Conference showdown with
the 14th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas.
UConn is hoping to put the brakes on a three-game slide
Broncos battle 17th-ranked Aztecs >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trying to win their first conference game as
a member of the Mountain West, the Boise State Broncos face one of their
toughest tests yet as they tangle with 17th-ranked San Diego State at Viejas
Arena tonight.
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
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Let’s take a look at the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds and the betting line and figure out where they’ve been and where they are going to go.
MySportsbook.com put up the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds late on Sunday night with the Pittsburgh Steelers favored by 6.5 points and a total betting line at 47.5 points.
Since then, however, the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds have seen a good deal of movement and you’ll want to be on top of where they are likely to move to make sure you get the best line value for the big game.
Since opening, the Super Bowl 2009 betting lines went to Steelers -7 in the span of roughly 3 hours but were quickly bought back down just minutes later to 6.5 again.
After that is took about 5-6 more hours before the betting line went back to -7 where it has sat for a while now and is likely to remain. The opening betting total of 47.5 was bet down right after the line became available and went to 47 within minutes.
Roughly a day later it has been bet even further down to the 46.5 tally it currently is set at.
Roughly 60% of gamblers seem to be on the Cardinals here so the point spread will be bet down and a 7.5 would not last very long at all with many taking the early 6.5 in hopes of finding a potential middle in the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds.
If you like Arizona and see a 7.5, I’d take it as soon as possible because it’s unlikely to last. For Pittsburgh backers, the -7 might be the best you’ll be able to find but a 6.5 is definitely possible close to game time.
Regarding the Super Bowl 2009 betting odds for the total, most tracked gamblers are already on the over and with those who took the under 47.5 already securing a middle on the over 46.5, the only way I see it moving is back up to 47 so if you like the over, I’d recommend betting now.
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