Cowboys hope to lasso Cyclones

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/27/2007 - Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys finish up a brief two-game homestand this weekend, as they play host to the Iowa State Cyclones in Big 12 action from the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.

The Cowboys moved to 3-2 in league play and 17-3 overall with a 66-61 win over rival Oklahoma on Monday.

The Cyclones are a game behind OSU in the standings at 2-3 and the team brings a three-game losing streak into Stillwater. The team hasn't played since last weekend, when it fell at home to Kansas State, 69-60.

The Cowboys hold a 56-51 advantage in the all-time series. Oklahoma State has won seven of the last eight meetings with ISU and has a 32-13 edge in games played at home in this series.

The Cyclones struggled with their shot, especially in the first half and trailed by 10 points at the break against Kansas State last weekend. The team did a little better in the second half, but could not overcome the deficit, falling by nine in the end. Mike Taylor did his best to lead the way to victory, as he scored 21 points to pace all Cyclones. Jiri Hubalek had a solid game as well, registering a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. On the season, Iowa State has struggled offensively for the most part, averaging just 67.1 ppg, on a modest .419 shooting. Taylor has been the most consistent performer, averaging 16.7 ppg. However, his .382 shooting from the floor could certainly use some improvement. Wesley Johnson is one of the top freshmen in the league, averaging a near double-double with 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Hubalek has been a force up front as well, with 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per outing.

The Cowboys remained perfect at home with a solid win over the Sooners this week. Oklahoma State shot just .419 from the floor in the game, but outscored the visiting Sooners, 27-13 at the free-throw line in the victory. Byron Eaton led the offensive charge with a season-high 17 points. Three others joined him in double figures, with Mario Boggan putting up 13 points, followed by JamesOn Curry and David Monds, at 12 and 11 ppg, respectively. This season, Oklahoma State is averaging a steady 81.8 ppg, on nearly 50 percent shooting (.492) There may not be a better one-two punch in the nation than Boggan and Curry, who combine for nearly 40 points per game. Boggan leads the team in both scoring (21.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg), while shooting .575 from the field. Curry is a perfect complement with his perimeter game, pouring in 18.8 ppg, while delivering on 43.3 percent from behind the arc (55-of-127). Terrel Harris provides another option offensively, at 10.8 ppg.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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