Kansas looms large in the Midwest

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas Jayhawks began the 2009-10 college basketball season atop the preseason polls, and so far the voters have been spot on, as the Big 12 champs will carry that top ranking into the NCAA Tournament.

The Jayhawks (32-2) are the top-seeded team in the tourney's Midwest Region, which will play its final games at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. If Kansas is to win its second title in three years, though, it will have to motor through some heady competition to gain its 14th Final Four appearance and fourth NCAA crown.

Bill Self's club does have one major factor going for them going into the first round: experience. Several of his players have been there and done that, defeating Derrick Rose and Memphis in the 2008 title game. The two leaders this season, senior guard Sherron Collins and junior center Cole Aldrich, were both on that squad, and both figure to have a major say in who comes out of the bracket.

"It was anti-climatic to know that we would be a No. 1 seed because we basically knew that going into the day," Self said. "To be the overall No. 1 it is good even though it doesn't mean anything. It will be a good recruiting mail-out this week. We are excited but know that we have a lot of work ahead of us."

The Jayhawks will face off against 16th-seeded Lehigh (22-10) in its opening game Thursday night in Oklahoma City.

Staring at the Jayhawks on the opposite end of the bracket is second-seeded Ohio State (27-7), which boasts National Player of the Year candidate Evan Turner. Turner recently led the Buckeyes through a gauntlet to win the Big Ten Tournament, making an incredible three-point shot to beat Michigan before a double-overtime victory over Illinois and a rout of Minnesota in Sunday's final.

OSU has also tasted some recent success in the NCAA Tournament, and the last time the team won the conference tourney, it finished as the runner-up to Florida in 2007.

The 15th-seed in the Midwest and Ohio State's first-round opponent is the Big West Champion UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (20-9).

The third seed in this region is the traditional power Georgetown (23-10). The Hoyas, who were seeded eighth in the Big East Tournament but managed to come within seconds of beating West Virginia in the title game, are looking for their second Final Four appearance in four years after joining the Buckeyes in the 2007 quartet.

Georgetown's first-round opponent tilted the NCAA field as possibly the biggest bracket buster of Championship Week. That is 14th-seeded Ohio (21-14), which, as a ninth seed, captured the MAC Tournament title. The Bobcats survived an overtime test in their opening round matchup before downing top- seeded Kent State, fourth-seeded Miami-Ohio and third-seeded Akron to earn their first NCAA tourney berth since 2005.

The Bobcats, who have not won a game in the NCAA Tournament since 1983, will get that chance Thursday night in Providence.

"You can't get to this part of the year and overlook anyone," head coach John Thompson III said. "The teams are too well-coached, too poised. They won their league or they're playing well to get an at-large bid - that's what makes (the NCAA Tournament) so special."

Sitting fourth is surprise ACC regular season co-champion Maryland (23-8), which earned its third fourth seed since the 2003-04 season. Since the Terrapins won it all in 2002, the team has advanced past the second round just once.

The Terrapins will play Friday in Spokane against Houston (19-15), which is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992 after a shocking run to the Conference USA title. The Cougars are widely known for the successful "Phi Slama Jama" era from 1982-84, which was highlighted by two runner-up finishes thanks to now-NBA Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler.

This Cougars team doesn't figure to make as deep of a run, but should they upset Maryland, it would be the first tourney win for the school since Olajuwon's and Drexler's run to the title game in '84.

Last year's runner-up Michigan State (24-8) is the fifth seed after sharing the Big Ten regular season title. Tom Izzo has had numerous successes with the Spartans during his time in East Lansing and has won at least one NCAA Tournament game in three straight years.

The Spartans will battle with 12th-seeded New Mexico State (22-11), which was a surprise winner in the WAC Tournament over Utah State on Saturday. The Aggies are making only their second tournament appearance since 2000.

In a twist of irony in the Midwest Region, the sixth and seventh seeds -- Tennessee (25-8) and Oklahoma State (22-10) -- represent the only two losses Kansas has endured this season. Luckily for the Jayhawks, those two squads are on the lower half of the bracket and would likely have to beat Ohio State and/or Georgetown to have another shot at the top-ranked team in the country. Having those two teams in the Midwest, though, shows the enormous depth in the region that all these teams face.

Tennessee's opponent in the opening round will be 11th-seeded San Diego State (25-8), which beat a top-10 team in New Mexico before topping the UNLV for the Mountain West Tournament title. The Aztecs are making their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2005. SDSU has never advanced out of the first round.

Seeded 10th and facing Oklahoma State is ACC Tournament runner-up Georgia Tech (22-12), which is making its first tourney appearance since 2007. The Yellow Jackets have not tasted any success in the NCAAs since a surprise runner-up finish in 2004.

The 8-9 matchup features a pair of mid-majors in UNLV (25-8) and Northern Iowa (28-4). The Rebels, who used to be one of college basketball's big powers, won the entire tournament in 1990 amid a stretch of three Final Four appearances in five years. The team has made somewhat of a return to prominence in recent years, as this is its third NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons.

Should UNLV get past the ninth-seeded Panthers, who are looking for their first NCAA tourney win since 1990, the Rebels will likely have an opportunity to avenge its 2008 tournament loss to Kansas.

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Football Betting: Defensive Rookie of the Year Awards

Oddsmakers have released the odds for the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry has been made the opening favorite.

Bet on NFL Football

Seattle took Curry with the fourth overall pick in April's NFL draft and plan on inserting him into its starting lineup right away. The Hawks traded linebacker Julian Peterson in the offseason, so Curry is expected to have a significant role in Seattle's defense next year and that's one of the primary reasons he is the favorite to win the NFL ROY Award.

Oddsmakers from online sportsbook MySportsbook.com have made Curry a 5/1 favorite to win this year's NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award. Given that he was the best defensive prospect in this year's draft and how he'll have plenty of opportunities to make plays in '09, Curry offers a ton of value at 5/1.

Another thing working for Curry is the position he plays. A linebacker has won the defensive ROY award six straight times and eight of the last nine years. Jerod Mayo, Patrick Willis, DeMeco Ryans, Shawne Merriman, Jonathan Vilma, Terrell Suggs, Kendrell Bell and Brian Urlacher were the most recent linebackers to take home the award.

Following Curry at 5/1 are Tyson Jackson (Chiefs) at 7/1, James Laurinaitas (Rams) at 8/1, Brian Orakpo (Redskins) at 10/1, Rey Maualuga (Bengals) at 10/1 and Jerry Peria (Falcons) at 10/1.

All the players mentioned above are expected to start for their respective teams, but Jackson and Peria are going to have a tough time being recognized on a national level given they're both defensive linemen. D-linemen rarely put up the numbers that it takes to win an individual award like the ROY.

A couple of players with some value are Clay Matthews (Packers) at 12/1 and Larry English (Chargers) at 15/1. Matthews is expected to start at outside linebacker in Green Bay's new 3-4 defense and could rack up a ton of tackles. English, who was an impressive player at Northern Illinois, is expected to be a situational pass rusher for the Chargers and could rack up a ton of sacks.

For complete odds on the 2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, see below. And for complete odds for the 2009 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, click the link provided.

2009 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award

Robert Ayers (DEN) 12/1

Ron Brace (NE) 25/1

Everette Brown (CAR) 16/1

Darius Butler (NE) 40/1

Patrick Chung (NE) 30/1

Aaron Curry (SEA) 5/1

Brian Cushing (HOU) 12/1

Vontae Davis (MIA) 30/1

Louis Delmas (DET) 30/1

Larry English (SD) 15/1

Evander Hood (PIT) 25/1

Tyson Jackson (KC) 7/1

Malcolm Jenkins (NO) 25/1

Paul Kruger (BAL) 50/1

James Laurinaitas (STL) 8/1

Sen'Derrick Marks (TEN) 20/1

Clay Matthews (GB) 12/1

Aaron Maybin (BUF) 15/1

Rey Maualuga (CIN) 10/1

Roy Miller (TB) 20/1

Michael Mitchell (OAK) 45/1

Fili Moala (IND) 30/1

Brian Orakpo (WAS) 10/1

Jerry Peria (ATL) 10/1

B J Raji (GB) 7/1

Clint Sintim (NYG) 35/1

Alphonso Smith (DEN) 40/1

David Verkune (CLE) 20/1

Jason Williams (DAL) 30/1

Field (Any Other Player) 6/1

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