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03/15/2010 -
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -Look who's lurking deep in the Midwest bracket where Kansas proudly sits as overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
It's none other than Tennessee and Oklahoma State - the ``2'' in that glittering 32-2 record that the Jayhawks compiled while dominating a Big 12 Conference that sent seven teams into the 65-team field.
As expected, the Jayhawks were given the distinction of being overall No. 1 and, as hoped, get to play their opening game against Lehigh in Oklahoma City - an easy drive down Interstate 35 from Lawrence. But they weren't thinking that the only teams to beat them would be right there in their same bracket.
``My eyes got big,'' said sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor. ``Maybe we'll get a chance to get these guys back.''
Tennessee, seeded No. 6 in the Midwest, beat the Jayhawks 76-68 on Jan. 10, while seventh-seeded Oklahoma State - Kansas coach Bill Self's alma mater - was an 85-77 winner on a cold night in Stillwater on Feb. 27.
But that was the last loss for a deep and talented Jayhawk team led by Sherron Collins, its all-conference senior guard, and Cole Aldrich, the 6-foot-11 junior center who shattered the team record this year for blocked shots.
Self made it clear they were in no mood to look ahead.
``There's also a team that beat us twice in there last year - Michigan State,'' said the coach of the team that was ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press poll all but four weeks this season.
``You would think if we had a chance to play any of those teams, it could mean two things. Either the other team will be confident, or it could mean that we would be angry,'' Self said. ``But we're not going that far. We've got to win a two-game tournament. You win a two-game tournament, the next two games obviously will be against quality opponents.''
It's the ninth time Kansas has been a No. 1 seed and the third time in four seasons they've rolled up 30 wins.
Kansas State, in the meantime, drew the No. 2 seed in the West Regional, the highest seeding ever for the Wildcats and an honor that Self said was ``well deserved.''
The Wildcats, who finished second to Kansas in the Big 12 tournament and regular season, will also get to play in Oklahoma City on Thursday against No. 15 seed North Texas.
``I didn't really know what to expect, but I'm happy we got a two-seed,'' said Kansas State guard Jacob Pullen. ``We have a chance to make a deep run. I think the players that were here my freshman year understand the venue and everything that's there. But it's a great opportunity. We get a chance to go into the tournament, face some teams that are good.''
Self said he would not argue with anyone who claimed the Midwest is the toughest regional.
``I would agree wholeheartedly,'' he said. ``If we're the overall No. 1 and you've got a team out there that's also the No. 2 seed (Ohio State) that several people thought were in the conversation for a No. 1 seed, and then you have in my opinion a team that played unbelievably down the stretch - Georgetown. Your No. 4 seed (Maryland) is your ACC co-champion, and your five-seed (Michigan State) is the Big Ten co-champion, or tri-champion. You can make a case looking at it like that.''
Perhaps with the experience of 2008 in mind, when the Jayhawks beat Memphis in overtime for the NCAA title, Self said he will not let his team worry about anybody but Lehigh.
And if they get by Lehigh, they will be concerned only with the next game, the winner between Northern Iowa and UNLV.
``We can get kind of carried away with the tournament if you look ahead,'' Self said. ``You can't look too far ahead because if you do, you might be preparing for something that doesn't even exist. You've got to stay in the present and the present is this weekend.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Seton Hall removes Mitchell from basketball team
South Orange, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seton Hall announced it has removed junior
forward Robert Mitchell from the basketball team for unspecified reasons.
Mitchell, a transfer from Duquesne, started in 15 of the 31 games this season
and averag
<< Federer, Murray, Roddick victorious at BNP Paribas Open
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time champion Roger Federer
won his second-round match Sunday at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open, an
ATP World Tour Masters event.
Federer captured his fifth lifetime matchup without a loss against
<< George Mason, Harvard to play in postseason tournament
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - George Mason and Harvard are part of the 16-team
field selected to play in the second annual College Insider.com postseason
tournament.
The Patriots, who reached the NCAA Final Four in 2006, will host Fairf
<< Suns down free-falling Hornets
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Amare Stoudemire scored 36 points, pulled down
12 rebounds and sank all 14 of his free throw attempts, as Phoenix ran past
the New Orleans Hornets, 120-106, at US Airways Center.
Jason Richardson had 20 p
NCAA Capsules-East Regional >>
Lexington, 32-2.Nickname: Wildcats. Coach: John Calipari.Conference: Southeastern. Bid: SEC champion.Region: East. Seed: No. 1.Tournament Record: 100-45, 50 years. Last appearance: 2008.Scoring: Team (79.2); John Wall 16.9; DeMarcus Cousins 15.3; Pa
Syracuse-Vermont rematch highlights West >>
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Big East tournament and staring at an injury to starting forward Arinze
Onuaku, Syracuse is the No. 1 seed in the West Region as the Orange head into
a much-
Kentucky garners No. 1 seed in the East >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Kentucky, which
scorched the Southeastern Conference in the regular season and won the
conference tourney crown in a tense overtime contest, was named as the top-
seeded
Duke, Big East highlight South >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hours after winning their record 18th ACC
Tournament title on Sunday, the Duke Blue Devils were awarded the No. 1 seed
in the South Region in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.
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“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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