Denmon helps Missouri edge Oklahoma

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/06/2012 - Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Denmon made four three-pointers en route to 25 points, as the fourth-ranked Missouri Tigers snuck past the Oklahoma Sooners, 71-68.

Ricardo Ratliffe added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (22-2, 9-2 Big 12), who have won four in a row since a loss to Oklahoma State on January 25. Michael Dixon donated 13 points.

Steven Pledger ended with 22 points and five boards for the Sooners (13-10, 3-8), who have dropped three straight. Sam Grooms tallied 17 points and 10 assists.

Trailing by eight, 66-58, with under 4 1/2 minutes to play, Carl Blair and Pledger made back-to-back three-pointers to spark an 8-2 spurt. Oklahoma had the ball following Pledger's turnover and Dixon's missed three-pointer.

Grooms made 1-of-2 from the line to cut the gap to three. Denmon's turnover led to Pledger's 1-of-2 effort from the charity stripe, which cut the gap to 68-66 with 1:29 remaining.

Kim English made a three-pointer from the corner, stopping the surge and giving the Tigers a 71-66 lead.

But Andrew Fitzgerald made two free throws at the other end to make it a three-point game with 41.6 seconds to go. Dixon followed with a missed jumper at the opposite end.

Oklahoma dribbled the ball to halfcourt before calling a timeout with 3.9 ticks left on the clock. Romero Osby was intentionally fouled and missed both foul shots. The second shot, which was missed on purpose, hit off the backboard and was tapped to Pledger beyond the three-point line. His shot was off the mark as time expired.

Down by three, 33-30, with 3:04 to go in the first half, the Tigers scored the final six points of the frame. Ratliffe bookended the burst with a pair of layups to make it 36-33 at the break.

Denmon started the second half with a three-pointer and three foul shots, making it 42-33.

But the Sooners stayed within striking distance to set up the tight finish.

Game Notes

Oklahoma holds a 112-97 lead in the all-time series. Missouri has won nine of the last 13 meetings, including an 87-49 victory earlier this season in Columbia...The Tigers shot 56.3 percent from the field...Oklahoma turned the ball over 16 times...Fitzgerald ended with 12 points.

Indexspreads NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< No. 24 Louisville routs Connecticut
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Smith scored 16 points and Gorgui Dieng added 15 to lead No. 24 Louisville to a thorough 80-59 throttling of Connecticut. Kyle Kuric chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds, while Chane Behanan

<< Carmelo Anthony leaves game with strained groin
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony suffered a strained right groin in Monday's game against the Utah Jazz and will not return. He suffered the injury near the midpoint of the first quarter as he

<< BU downs Harvard, gains Beanpot final
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kieran Millan stopped 29 shots and Wade Megan tallied twice as Boston University took a 3-1 decision over Harvard in the first semifinal matchup of the 60th annual Beanpot from TD Garden. Matt Nieto als

<< Crosby skates with team
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby skated with the team on Monday, but did not participate in full team practice and his status has not changed. Crosby has been out since December 5 due to concu

<< Granada edges Malaga to emerge from drop zone
Granada, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Granada climbed out of the relegation zone on Monday with a 2-1 win over Malaga at Los Carmenes. With its second-straight La Liga victory, Granada improves to 25 points on the year to sit tied with Rayo Va

Leafs continue winning ways, outscore Oilers >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel tallied twice and added one assist, as Toronto doubled up Edmonton, 6-3, at Air Canada Centre. Clarke MacArthur, Joffrey Lupul and Tyler Bozak also lit the lamp for the Maple Leafs, who have ta

Duke routs North Carolina in ACC clash >>
Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tricia Liston led No. 5 Duke with 23 points as it trounced in-state rival and 22nd-ranked North Carolina, 96-56, at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday. The Blue Devils (19-3, 10-0 ACC) had five scorers in dou

Bulls roll past Nets >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls shot 55.6 percent from the floor, made nine three-pointers and went 19-of-23 from the foul line en route to an easy 108-87 win over the New Jersey Nets on Monday night. But it was not al

Sixers escape with win over Lakers >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lou Williams scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter as the Philadelphia 76ers rallied late to down the Los Angeles Lakers, 95-90, at Wells Fargo Center. Jrue Holiday added 13 points and si

Nash, Suns strike down Hawks >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steve Nash scored 24 points and handed out 11 assists, as the Phoenix Suns downed the Atlanta Hawks, 99-90 at Philips Arena. Channing Frye contributed 19 points and nine rebounds, while Michael Redd and Jare

Football Betting Lines

The 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds have been released and Denver Broncos' running back Knowshon Moreno has been made the opening favorite.

Bet NFL Sports Lines

Moreno was selected in the first round of April's NFL draft and is expected to carry the rushing load for the Broncos this season. And with Jay Cutler now in Chicago, Moreno might be expected to be Denver's entire offense.

Betting Lines from sports betting lines have made Moreno a 5/2 favorite to win this year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. Fellow running back Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) is right behind Moreno at 7/2, while Donald Brown (Indianapolis Colts) and receiver Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers) are 5/1 to win. Quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (New York Jets) and Matthew Stafford (Detroit Lions) are 7/1 and 8/1, respectively.

A couple of players who present some value are Josh Freeman, Shonn Green and Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Freeman needs to beat out Byron Leftwich to become the starting quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but if he does, he has a lot or raw talent and could use the weapons around him (i.e. Kellen Winslow Jr. and Antonio Bryant) to be very successful in his first season.

Green enters a crowded backfield in New York, but considering both Thomas Jones and Leon Washington are unhappy about their contract situations and might holdout, the former Iowa product could become the Jets' primary back.

Everyone was shocked when Al Davis took Heyward-Bey with the eighth overall pick in April's draft, but the kid has a tremendous amount of talent and if quarterback JaMarcus Russell takes the next step this year, the former Maryland product could blossom. Plus, Heyward-Bey will be looking to prove the people wrong who said Oakland should have taken Michael Crabtree with the No. 8 pick.

And if you're looking for a deep sleeper, check out Pat White at 30/1. He enters the Miami Dolphins vaunted “Wild Cat” offense and could be a big time playmaker.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds, see below.

2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds to Win

Ramses Barden (NYG) 40/1

Andre Brown (NYG) 20/1

Donald Brown (IND) 5/1

Kenny Britt (TEN) 20/1

Glenn Coffee (SFO) 30/1

Chase Coffman (CIN) 50/1

Michael Crabtree (SFO) 5/1

Josh Freeman (TB) 14/1

Shonn Green (NYJ) 14/1

Percy Harvin (MIN) 10/1

Darrius Heyward-Bay (OAK) 18/1

Juaquan Iglesias (CHI) 30/1

Cornelius Ingram (PHI) 50/1

Rashad Jennings (JAC) 30/1

Johnny Knox (CHI) 40/1

Jeremy Maclin (PHI) 18/1

Mohamed Massaquoi (CLE) 30/1

LeSean McCoy (PHI) 12/1

Knowshon Moreno (DEN) 5/2

Hakeem Nicks (NYG) 18/1

Brandon Pettigrew (DET) 30/1

Brian Robiskie (CLE) 20/1

Mark Sanchez (NYJ) 7/1

Matthew Stafford (DET) 8/1

Jason Smith (STL) 40/1

Mike Thomas (JAC) 25/1

Patrick Turner (MIA) 50/1

Mike Wallace (PIT) 50/1

Chris Wells (ARI) 7/2

Pat White (MIA) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 9/1

Betting Line

To visit this sports betting site go to BettingExpress.com for all your football betting lines needs.

For sports betting with credit cards site go to BettingExpress.com as well.

SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.