Sonics thrilled to have Allen back on the court

Basketball Betting Lines

12/26/2006 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle SuperSonics are just 11-17 and are in the cellar in the Northwest Division. They close out a three-game homestand on Tuesday when they welcome the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets to KeyArena.

It is the second meeting of the season between the Sonics and Hornets. On December 8th, Chris Wilcox had 19 points and eight rebounds to lead Seattle to a 94-74 win over the Hornets at KeyArena. The SuperSonics have won two of the last three contests in the series. The Hornets have lost two in a row and five of their last six at Seattle.

The Hornets will host the Sonics on February 23, 2007 and April 4, 2007 in the final two contests of the season between the squads.

Seattle is 1-1 on the homestand. On Saturday, All-Star guard Ray Allen returned from a nine-game absence and scored 28 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the SuperSonics past the Toronto Raptors, 110-97, at KeyArena.

Allen missed time with a bone bruise in his right ankle. The Sonics were just 3-6 without him in the lineup. The Connecticut product leads Seattle in scoring (25.4 ppg).

Luke Ridnour posted 18 points and six assists in the win over Toronto for Seattle, while Nick Collison had 15 points and eight boards for the SuperSonics, who snapped a six-game losing streak.

The SuperSonics are 7-7 at KeyArena this season. They will play their next two games against Northwest Division rivals. Seattle is scheduled to visit Denver on Thursday and Minnesota on Friday. The Sonics will be playing the Nuggets and Timberwolves for the first time this season.

Seattle suffered a big loss when forward Rashard Lewis suffered a sprained tendon in right hand on December 20th during a 103-95 loss to the Mavericks. Lewis is expected to miss up to eight weeks with the injury. Lewis is averaging 21.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 27 contests this season.

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MySportsbook.com Posts Heisman Trophy Odds

With 3,919 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and a mere seven interceptions last season, combined with a powerful South Bend Heisman legacy, odds makers at MySportsbook.com have given Notre Dame senior quarterback Brady Quinn the best Heisman Trophy odds at 5-2.

Quinn isn’t the only big man on campus this season.  Oklahoma junior running back and 2004 Heisman runner-up Adrian Peterson, listed at 7-2, rushed for a combined 3,033 yards in his first two years as a college player and will give Quinn a run for his money. 

This online sportsbook has also listed Troy Smith, Ohio State senior quarterback, as another strong favorite to win the 72nd Heisman Trophy.  A 7-1 bet, Smith threw for 2,282 yards last season and also led the Buckeyes to a convincing 34-20 victory over Quinn and the Fighting Irish in last season’s Fiesta Bowl.

Current betting odds Heisman trophy are:

Brady Quinn (QB, Notre Dame)
Adrian Peterson (RB, Oklahoma)
Troy Smith (QB, Ohio State)
Michael Bush (RB, Louisville)
Steve Slaton (RB, West Virginia)
Brian Brohm (QB, Louisville)
Chris Leak (QB, Florida)
Mike Hart (RB, Michigan)
Ted Ginn (WR, Ohio State)
Darius Walker (RB, Notre Dame)
Drew Tate (QB, Iowa)
Marshawn Lynch (RB, Cal)
Kenny Irons (RB, Auburn)
Chad Henne (QB, Michigan)
Kyle Wright (QB, Miami)
Drew Stanton (QB, Michigan State)
Kenneth Darby (RB, Alabama)
JaMarcus Russell (QB, LSU)
Drew Weatherford (QB, Florida State)
Blake Mitchell (QB, South Carolina)
Reggie Ball (QB, Georgia Tech)		 5-2
7-2
7-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
18-1
18-1
20-1
30-1
35-1
35-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1
60-1

For complete NCAA Football odds visit MySportsbook.com.








Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.