ST. John Helps First Half Over East

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyshawn Taylor had 28 points and six assists as No. 7 Kansas downed previously unbeaten No. 3 Baylor, 92-74, in Big 12 action. Thomas Robinson had 27 points and 14 rebounds, Elijah Johnson and Travis Releford each added 11 points while Jeff Withey had 10 points and 10 boards for the Jayhawks (15-3, 5-0 Big 12), who have won eight straight.

 

Perry Jones III totaled 18 points and Quincy Miller added 17 for the Bears (17-1, 4-1), who set a school record for best start to the season.

 

"I chose St. John's because I think it's a perfect fit for me," said Branch in a statement from St. John's. "They have a great coaching staff who I feel can help me a lot with my game. Those guys are like teachers in a classroom, but teachers of the game. They know so much about the game. We have a really great team and I think we could compete with anyone in the future."

 

Branch averaged 4.2 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds while playing 18.6 minutes during his brief stay at Texas A&M. He played against St. John's during the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in November and scored seven points with five rebounds in 24 minutes.

 

As for the Spartans, already 3-2 against ranked foes in 2011-12, they are coming off a loss of their own on Saturday as they bowed to Northwestern on the road in an 81-74 final. The defeat was just the third of the year for a program that had won 15 in a row since falling to top-ranked North Carolina in the season opener and then sixth-ranked Duke four days later.

 

Michigan State led by as many as nine points in the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena versus Northwestern over the weekend, but in the final minutes of the period the momentum swung in favor of the Wildcats who eventually claimed the seven-point win. Keith Appling scored a team-best 17 points in 36 minutes for the visitors, but he shot just 4-of-13 from the floor and missed all five of his three-point tries. Draymond Green, accurate on 4-of-5 from three-point range, tallied 14 points and also made an impact in the paint with 14 rebounds as well. In addition to proving himself a worthy perimeter shooter at 40.7 percent, Green has forced opposing defenses to pick their poison because he is also leading the Spartans on the glass with 10.1 rpg as well. Scoring 15.8 ppg Green, who is second on the unit with 61 assists and paces MSU in both blocks (21) and steals (27), is one of only a few players in the nation who is averaging a double-double. Appling checks in with 12.9 ppg and is the only one ahead of Green in the passing department with his 69 dishes through 18 games.

 

Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will try to extend their winning streak to 10 games in a row tonight as they host the Arkansas Razorbacks in a Southeastern Conference battle at Rupp Arena. This will be the 33rd meeting between Arkansas and Kentucky. The Wildcats hold a 24-8 advantage in the rivalry. The Razorbacks ended a 10-game losing streak to Kentucky last season with an overtime victory, but have gone just 2-11 in Lexington all-time with their last victory in Rupp Arena coming during the 1993-1994 season.

 

B.J. Young and Mardracus Wade will lead the upset attempt tonight. Young might be the best rookie in the conference and has been excellent as of late, averaging 18.5 ppg on 60-percent shooting from the field. Wade's ability to spread the floor with his accuracy is extremely valuable to the Razorbacks. The sophomore guard is leading the SEC with a three-point shooting percentage of 49.3, after knocking down 3-of-4 from long range on his way to 14 points his last time out. Hunter Mickelson made a huge impact on the defensive end his last time out. The freshman forward recorded his second seven-block outing of the year against LSU. Despite playing just 16.6 minutes per game, Mickelson has blocked a shot in every game this year.

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Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter Johnson

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander
Josh Johnson won't be ready when the season starts April 2.

Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm.

MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season .

''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.''

Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain.

He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday.

''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.''

Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia.

Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind.

With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer.

Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com

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