Baylor gets by Sam Houston State

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/18/2010 - New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ekpe Udoh put up 20 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and Baylor used a late run to pull away from Sam Houston State for a 68-59 victory in first-round action of the South Region.

LaceDarius Dunn scored six of his 13 points during a game-sealing 8-0 run with under three minutes left, as the third-seeded Bears (26-7) advanced to Saturday's second round of the NCAA Tournament against Old Dominion, a 51-50 winner over Notre Dame in Thursday's opener at New Orleans Arena.

"At the end of the game, we did a better job just executing, and [I was] getting to the right places, being there at the right time and just making the shots," said Dunn, whose late spark led the program to its first tourney win since 1950, the year it went to the Final Four.

Anthony Jones and Quincy Acy each chipped in 10 points for the Bears, whose only loss in the past seven games came against Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

Gilberto Clavell had 23 points and seven rebounds to lead the Bearkats (25-8), who set a school record for wins this season en route to the Southland Conference title.

Sam Houston State, making its second-ever tourney appearance, gave the Bears all they could handle from the opening tip through to the final three minutes of the contest.

With 2 1/2 minutes left, Acy threw down a dunk following a Preston Brown miss. Udoh was then fouled corralling Ashton Mitchell's errant three and bricked the front end of a 1-and-1 at the other end.

However, Acy quickly stole Brown's outlet pass and dished to a streaking Dunn for a slam.

Another turnover from Brown preceded a pair of free throws from Dunn, who finished the eight-point rally with two more from the line for a 63-55 lead with 1:04 to play, putting the game out of reach.

"We didn't knock down shots," Clavell said of the stretch run. "We had good looks every time...But this time the ball didn't [go] in."

Baylor recovered from a slow start with seven points in a little over a minute, as A.J. Walton's three-pointer tied the game at 10 six minutes in.

The largest lead for either team the rest of the first half was three, held by SHSU at 31-28 after Josten Crow nailed a late three. Two Udoh free throws pulled the Bears within 31-30 at the intermission.

Baylor didn't start slow in the second half, as Udoh hit a jumper, Josh Lomers converted a three-point play and Tweety Carter put in a layup for a 37-31 lead 2 1/2 minutes in.

Mitchell and Corey Allmond answered with makes from behind the arc, and it went back-and-forth until the final minutes.

Game Notes

Sam Houston State's only other appearance in the NCAA's came in 2003 and that also resulted in a first-round exit...Baylor improved to 4-7 all-time in the tourney...This is the highest seed Baylor has ever received in the tourney...Mitchell went 2-for-14 from the floor for the Bearkats, who received 13 points from Brown and 10 from Allmond...The Bears won the battle on the glass, 47-37...SHSU shot 33.8 percent from the floor and 6-of-31 from three- point land...Baylor made 44.1 percent of its shots.

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NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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