Spartans and Gophers mix it up in Big Ten action

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2012 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The sixth-ranked Michigan State Spartans will try to remain in sole possession of the Big Ten Conference's top spot as they head to Williams Arena for a league bout with the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

This will be the second meeting this season and 109th encounter in history between Michigan State and the Golden Gophers. The all-time series is tied up 54-54 after the Spartans' 68-52 victory on Jan. 25th of last month in the initial matchup of the season. Michigan State shot 54.2 percent from the field against Minnesota in the first contest, while the Golden Gophers managed to make only 38.3 percent of their field goals.

Tom Izzo's squad picked up its fifth straight victory on Sunday as it downed the Purdue Boilermakers 76-62 on the road to stay a game up on Ohio State and Michigan in the league standings. Michigan State's triumph was helped by a tremendous defensive effort, as Purdue was held to an ice-cold 33.8 percent shooting from the floor. The win improved the Spartans' record to 22-5 overall. Michigan State was very impressive on the glass against Minnesota, as it held a 44-32 edge in the rebounding battle in the contest. The Spartans have outscored their opponents by an average of 14.6 ppg this season.

Draymond Green has been the driving force of the Spartans' success this season. The senior forward averages a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest. Green had 20 points, 10 boards, and seven assists as the Spartans trounced Purdue on Sunday. Austin Thornton added 17 points versus the Boilermakers, while Branden Dawson recorded a double-double of his own with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Keith Appling is typically the team's second leading scorer, as he averaging 12.0 points and a team-high 3.8 assists per outing.

The Golden Gophers are on a three-game losing slide after their 64-53 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday. In their loss to the Wildcats, the Golden Gophers held a 41-20 advantage in the rebounding battle, but could not keep up as Northwestern drained 10 three-pointers to gain an edge. Minnesota is outscoring its opponents by an average of 4.2 ppg this season. The loss dropped Tubby Smith's team to 17-10 overall and 5-9 in Big Ten play.

Rodney Williams leads the balanced attack for Minnesota with team highs of 11.0 points and 5.4 boards per game. Julian Welch contributes 10.5 ppg. Williams was held to just nine points by the Wildcats, while Welch poured in a team-high 21 points and handed out five assists. Joe Coleman netted 12 points in the losing effort. Austin Hollins, Ralph Sampson III, and Andre Hollins will need to improve their play to help the Golden Gophers turn it around.

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Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year

Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.

Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.

With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.

Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.

Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.

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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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