Baylor beats Texas again, advances in Big 12 tourney

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ekpe Udoh scored 25 points and pulled down eight rebounds as 21st-ranked Baylor ran past Texas, 86-67, in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

Tweety Carter added 20 points, while LaceDarius Dunn chipped in 19 points, nine boards and seven assists for the Bears (25-6), who will face ninth-ranked Kansas State in Friday's semifinals. The Wildcats upended Oklahoma State earlier Thursday.

Baylor, which lost to Missouri in last year's title game, has never won the Big 12 tourney. It was the Bears' third win over Texas in as many tries this season. That includes a victory in Baylor's regular season finale.

Damion James totaled 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Longhorns (24-9), who will await to see where they'll be placed when the field for the NCAA Tournament is announced on Sunday. Avery Bradley and Dexter Pittman each scored 14 in defeat.

Pittman's layup to start the second half brought the Longhorns within 43-41, but the third-seeded Bears scored the ensuing 13 points, capped by Carter's layup. Dunn had seven points during the flurry.

The sixth-seeded Longhorns managed to climb within 58-50 with under 13 minutes to go on Pittman's jam and they inched closer at 64-59 following another jam by the senior center with just over eight minutes remaining.

Dunn countered with a layup, and soon after his three-point play expanded the margin back to double-digits at 71-61 with 6 1/2 minutes left. Texas never threatened down the stretch.

Baylor, which shot 53.6 percent, led for virtually the entire first half, although Texas managed to tie the game at 30 on a pair of James free throws with 4 1/2 minutes left.

Game Notes

Only five schools have won the Big 12 championship, led by Kansas' six titles. Texas has also never won it, advancing to the final five times, including three in a row, from 2006-08...Last season in Oklahoma City, Baylor became the first No. 9 seed to advance to the Big 12 Championship title game -- and the second-lowest seed ever to accomplish the feat...Baylor's current four-game winning streak over Texas is its longest since winning six straight from Feb. 7, 1981-Feb. 26, 1983...This marks the first time the Bears have beaten the Longhorns three times in the same season since the 1981-82 campaign...Texas ended at 36.4 percent from the field.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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