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02/28/2009 - Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Thornton scored 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds as 18th-ranked LSU captured the outright regular-season Southeastern Conference championship with a 73-70 win over Kentucky at Rupp Arena.
Tasmin Mitchell added 21 points and eight boards for the Tigers (25-4, 13-1 SEC), who have won 13 consecutive conference game since losing their conference opener in Alabama on January 11. Bo Spencer ended with 16 points.
LSU also won at Rupp Arena for the first time in 20 years.
"I think I heard somewhere that if we won, it would have been the first time since 1989 that LSU had won in here," said Thornton. "It feels great to go down in history by getting this big win in Rupp. It was an intense environment tonight and a great win for us."
Kentucky (19-10, 8-6) was paced by Patrick Patterson, who had 28 points and nine rebounds. Jodie Meeks finished with 24 points for the Wildcats, who have lost three of their past four outings.
"It was a game where they were tougher than us and smarter than us. That is why they won," said Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie.
Trailing 64-63, Mitchell misfired on a long-range shot from the top of the key. But Thornton collected the rebound and made a tip-in shot, which he was fouled on. Thornton made his foul shot to complete the three-point play and put the visiting team up two with under two minutes to play.
Patterson tied the game with a layup on the next Kentucky possession. But on the ensuing LSU possession, Spencer silenced the crowd with a three-pointer from the corner to put his team ahead 69-66 with about 1:20 remaining.
After a Thornton free throw, Kevin Galloway was fouled by Spencer on the Wildcats' next trip down the court with 34.5 ticks to go. Galloway made his first foul shot before missing the second. Patterson grabbed the offensive board and hit an open Miller, who drilled a shot from beyond the arc to tie the tilt at 70 with 27 seconds remaining.
LSU essentially sealed the win on their next trip down the court as Mitchell hit a three-pointer on a pass from Thornton with just 9.7 ticks to go. With one last chance, Meeks couldn't hit a trey after taking a handoff-pass. The Tigers' Garrett Temple played great defense on the play to force a tough shot from Meeks.
"We knew that they were going to put the ball in his hands. I told the guys to hedge and not to worry about the slip. We had slipped sometimes in the game but we didn't need to that time," said Temple. "When he went up for the shot, I knew that we didn't need to foul. We were trying to get him to take a tough shot. That is why I didn't go up for the block at the end because it was such a tough shot."
The Wildcats were able to hang with LSU early in this SEC clash. But the Tigers extended their cushion to 12, 24-12, with a 12-2 run. Spencer's shot from beyond the arc capped off the flurry with about 8:45 until half.
LSU used that momentum to control the remainder of the first half, and held onto a 36-28 advantage heading into the locker room.
Mitchell and Patterson led their respective teams at the break with 14 points each. Both clubs shot over 45 percent after 20 minutes of play. But LSU drained five three-pointers in the frame, compared to just one for Kentucky.
The Wildcats were able to stay close in the first stanza by outscoring the Tigers 16-6 in the paint.
After trailing for a majority of the first half, Kentucky came out firing to start the final frame. The Wildcats used a 12-4 spurt to tie the game at 40. Meeks jumper capped off the run and sent the crowd into a frenzy with over 15 minutes remaining.
Down 44-43, Kentucky rattled off 11 consecutive points to go ahead by 10, 54-44. Meeks tallied five points during the surge, which was topped off with a Perry Stevenson jumper with just over 11 minutes left.
Trailing 56-46, the Tigers fought their way back into the game with a 10-2 flurry. Thornton had eight points during the spurt including a deuce to cut the margin to 58-56 with about 7 1/2 minutes to go. The remainder of the game was tight and would set up for an exciting finish.
Game Notes
LSU shot 9-of-20 from three-point land, while Kentucky made 3-of-14 from beyond the arc...The Tigers had 11 turnovers, compared to 15 for the Wildcats...Kentucky holds a commanding 78-23 series advantage over LSU, which includes wins in 17 of the last 20 meetings.
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BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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