Double-digit Scorers From Goal Efficiency Field Goal Efficiency

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

Simply put, Michigan State is getting the job done at both ends of the court this season. The Spartans, who shoot 48.4 percent from the floor and knock down 37.6 percent of their three-point tries, average a robust 76.1 ppg, despite boasting just two double-digit scorers in Draymond Green (15.0 ppg, 10.2 rpg) and Keith Appling (12.6 ppg, team-high 79 assists). In Big Ten games alone, MSU leads the conference in both field goal percentage (.509) and three-point field goal percentage (.448). From a defensive standpoint, the Spartans control the opposition to the tune of 60.6 ppg on shooting efforts of only 38.0 percent overall and 29.4 percent from beyond the arc. Add a +9.7 rebounding margin to the equation and it's no wonder the team is enjoying yet another highly successful campaign. Branden Dawson scored a game-high 14 points in the recent rout of Purdue, as Michigan State shot a blistering 60.0 percent from the floor, converting 7-of-13 three-point tries along the way. The Boilermakers were held to just 29.0 percent field goal efficiency, and they were a woeful 3-of-20 from beyond the arc. MSU outscored PU on the break, 18-0.

 

Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - SEC foes square off in Starkville tonight, as the LSU Tigers come calling on the 18th-ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs. LSU is currently five games over .500 on the year (12-7), but the Tigers have lost three of their five league bouts, the most recent of which occurred this past Saturday at nationally-ranked Florida, 76-64. This game is the second of three in a row LSU will play against Top-25 competition, as next up for the Tigers is this Saturday's home clash with No. 1 Kentucky.

 

This game marks the 201st meeting all-time between LSU and MSU, with the Tigers clinging to a 104-96 advantage. The Bulldogs have won four of the last five meetings, although LSU has been victorious in two of the last three played in Starkville, including last year's 84-82 final.

 

Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still in search of their first Big 12 Conference win of the season, the Texas Tech Red Raiders give it another go tonight, although accomplishing the feat won't be easy as the 22nd-ranked Kansas State Wildcats are the opponent. Kansas State opened the year an impressive 11-1, but the start of Big 12 play didn't go quite the way head coach Frank Martin had hoped as the his team dropped three of its first four league bouts. The Wildcats have bounced back however, winning each of their last two, the most recent of which being a 66-58 decision at Oklahoma State on Saturday. The win snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Cowboys in Stillwater, and improved K-State to 14-4 overall, 3-3 in conference and 2-2 in true road games.

 

Texas Tech head coach Billy Gillispie had high hopes for his first year in Lubbock, but things haven't gone according to plan as his team is just 7-11 overall and has lost its first six Big 12 bouts -- the first time that has happened since the 1999-2000 campaign. The Red Raiders, who are 6-3 at home this season, haven't tasted victory since winning back-to-back games against Cal State Bakersfield and Southeastern Louisiana to close out the 2011 calendar year.

 

Despite a rough shooting effort that saw Kansas State hit a mere 36.4 percent of its field goal attempts and only 21.4 percent of its three-point tries, the Wildcats picked up the big win at Oklahoma State over the weekend thanks to a 50-29 rebounding advantage and some pretty stingy defense which allowed the Cowboys to shoot just 34.8 percent from the floor, which included a horrendous 1-of-16 showing from beyond the arc. Rodney McGruder and Angel Rodriguez scored 14 points apiece to lead K-State, which also got a double-double from Jamar Samuels, who tallied 12 points and as many rebounds. Both teams turned the ball over 16 times and scored nearly the same number of points from the foul line (OSU 25, KSU 23), but the 'Cats worked harder on the inside, outscoring the Pokes in the paint, 32-18. Kansas State has now held six opponents this season below 60 points, including two Big 12 foes. McGruder leads the team in scoring with 15.6 ppg, the team as a whole is averaging 74.8 ppg while allowing 64.5 ppg.

 

At 18-3, the Rebels are off to their best start since 1991-92 when they finished 26-2.

 

As for the Broncos, this is their first season as members of the MWC, coming over from the Western Athletic Conference where they experienced their own share of success. Unfortunately, the transition has not gone all that well in the early going with BSU dropping the first three league bouts on the schedule, which means the Broncos are all alone at the bottom of the MWC standings.

 

The Rebels have won two of the previous three meetings in the series with Boise State, the most recent of those coming last season at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas by a score of 75-72. The lone win for the Broncos came in the first round of the 2004 NIT, 84-69, in Idaho.

 

Boise State hit a major lull in the second half against TCU, held without a field goal for more than 11 minutes, which is why the visitors coughed up a big lead and potentially their first win on the road. Derrick Marks was responsible for 13 points and eight rebounds to pace the Broncos in both categories, but he also logged six turnovers without benefit of a single assist. Thomas Bropleh chipped in 10 points off the bench, but not only did the Broncos lose a huge lead in the meeting with TCU, they might have lost guard Jeff Elorriaga for the remainder of the campaign after he fractured his thumb. Without Elorriaga in the lineup it means the Broncos will have to fill in for his 6.7 ppg which, while it is not all that overwhelming, it is still never easy to plug in a substitute this late in the season. But whatever happens with finding a replacement for Elorriaga, the Broncos must get more production out of Anthony Drmic who is the only double-digit scorer on the roster with his 13.1 ppg.

 

The Bluejays are off to a 18-2 start this season after handling Indiana State 75-49 on Saturday. The Bluejays shot 43.6 percent from the floor and connected on 11-of-24 attempts from long range in the contest. Head coach Greg McDermott has his team playing very well both at home and on the road this year. If the Bluejays win tonight, they will have won six-straight road games for the first time in program history since 1975. Creighton is ranked first in the nation in field goal percentage (51.4) and second in assists (19.2). The Bluejays 81.4 ppg on the offensive end is the best in the MVC this year.

 

Rayvonte Rice and Ben Simons will need to put forth huge efforts to pull off the upset tonight. Rice is the team's leading scorer with an average of 16.9 ppg on 44.3 percent shooting from the field. The sophomore guard was held to just nine points his last time out by Northern Iowa. Simons is second on the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), but also had a difficult time against the Panthers as he was held to just seven points. Simons had scored in double-figures in nine-straight games before the forgettable performance. Kurt Alexander was big off the bench while Rice and Simons struggled, as he went 8-of-10 from the floor to score a team-high 21 points. Kraidon Woods could make an impact in this one as well, as he recently recorded a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds against Illinois Sate. Woods has blocked 11 shots in his last four games off the bench.

 

Tim Frazier had 16 points and five assists for Penn State (10-12, 2-7), which has dropped five of six.

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NFL Football Betting


BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES

It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.

BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES

All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.

COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES

Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.

TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES

Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.

RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.

PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.

JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES

Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.

SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES

I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.

VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES

Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.

DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES

Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.

SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES

I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.

BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES

Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.

BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES

Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.

RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES

A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.

PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers

Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.