Wisconsin, Ohio State head men's hoops poll
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/19/2007 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wisconsin and Ohio State, the Big Ten's best, are also the top two teams in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll.
After Florida lost to Vanderbilt on Saturday and had a 17-game winning streak stopped, the Gators dropped from a unanimous No. 1 to third in this week's poll. That allowed the Badgers and Buckeyes to move to the top of the rankings.
Wisconsin (26-2), which is No. 1 for the first time in school history, received 35 first-place votes and a total of 1,747 points from a nationwide media panel to edge Ohio State (24-3) for the top spot. The Buckeyes, who own an 11-game winning streak, earned 31 first-place votes and 1,728 total points.
The two Big Ten powers share the conference lead with 12-1 marks and will square off this Sunday in Columbus. Wisconsin won the first meeting of the season on January 9 in Madison, pulling out a 72-69 triumph.
Sunday's meeting will mark the first 1 vs. 2 matchup in college basketball since December of 2005, when top-ranked Duke rolled to a 97-66 victory over No. 2 Texas in a neutral-site matchup at the Meadowlands.
Florida (24-3) still picked up four first-place votes to sit third this week, while UCLA (23-3) garnered top support from two voters to move up one spot into fourth.
North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, Texas A&M, Washington State and Pittsburgh complete the top 10.
The second 10 consists of Nevada, Georgetown, Southern Illinois, Air Force, Butler, Marquette, Vanderbilt, Duke, Texas and Louisville.
Vanderbilt, Duke, Texas and Louisville were among six newcomers to this week's poll. Vandy moved back into the rankings after a one-week absence thanks to an 83-70 home win over Florida, while Duke also made a comeback after falling out of the poll last week. The Blue Devils, who had been ranked for 200 straight polls, beat Boston College and Georgia Tech last week.
Texas has been in and out of the poll most of the season, while Louisville is ranked for the first time this season after picking up wins at Pittsburgh and Marquette last week.
The final five teams in this week's poll are BYU, West Virginia, Oregon, Virginia and Alabama. Oregon dropped eight spots from 15th after losing twice last week.
BYU is ranked for the first time since March of 1993, while Virginia is back in the poll after a brief stay in November.
Southern California, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Boston College, Arizona and Indiana fell out the rankings this week.
In addition to the big Sunday showdown, games involving a pair of ranked teams this week include a Pac-10 battle Thursday between Washington State and Oregon, and a Big East matchup Saturday with Pittsburgh visiting Georgetown.
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers placed right wing Fernando Pisani on injured reserve on Monday. Pisani has missed the past three games after suffering a concussion during the team's 5-1 win over Atlanta on February 11 in
<< Duke still unanimous No. 1 in women's poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Duke remained the unanimous No. 1 team in the
Associated Press women's college basketball poll.
The Blue Devils (28-0) earned all 50 first-place votes and a total of 1,250
points from a national media pane
<< Horizon League foes lock horns in Green Bay
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Butler Bulldogs have lost two
of their last three games, and they hope to get back on track in tonight's
Horizon League clash with the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix.
Butler appeared to
<< Big East foes meet in Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a heart-breaking loss, the Villanova
Wildcats will try to help their NCAA Tournament chances with a victory
over the 12th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles in Big East Conference action.
O
<< Pitt continues to build head of steam as home stretch approaches
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers
continue their quest for the Big East Conference regular season title, and
they will take another step in the right direction if they can knock off the
Seto
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg, Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne and Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending Februar
Grand Rapids' Ellis garners AHL weekly honors >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American Hockey League announced today
that Grand Rapids Griffins center Matt Ellis has been named the CCM Vector/AHL
Player of the Week for the period ending February 18, 2007. Ellis recorded
four goals a
New man in Charge: San Diego turns to Norv >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers are reportedly set to
name Norv Turner as their new head coach.
The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Monday that Turner will replace Marty
Schottenheimer, who was fired just one we
Report: Jays, Gibbons agree to one-year extension >>
Dunedin, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly agreed to
a one-year extension with manager John Gibbons.
The Toronto Globe and Mail reported on Monday that the Blue Jays reached an
agreement with Gibbons on a deal th
Howell cracks top 20 in world rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charles Howell III collected his second
PGA Tour win on Sunday, defeating Pebble Beach winner Phil Mickelson in a
playoff at the Nissan Open.
That win propelled Howell to 16th in this week's offici
FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million
In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.
And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.
Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.
So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.
Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)
The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.
As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.
The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.
In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.
Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.
And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.
So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.
There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.
So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.
And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.
There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)
Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.
Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.
Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.
So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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