Turner's heave beats buzzer as Buckeyes survive Michigan

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ohio State star Evan Turner buried a desperation three-pointer with no time on the clock to lift the fifth-ranked Buckeyes to a thrilling 69-68 victory over rival Michigan in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big Ten Conference Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse.

Turner's 40-foot shot gave him 18 points on the afternoon, while David Lighty and William Buford both finished with 15 points for the top-seeded Buckeyes (25-7), who kept their hopes for a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament alive.

Ohio State will play the winner of the Wisconsin/Illinois game scheduled for later Friday.

Manny Harris scored a game-high 26 points, as the Wolverines (15-17) put a dent in their chances for a possible NIT bid. DeShawn Sims and Stu Douglass each netted 16 points in the heart-breaking loss.

A Kyle Madsen dunk early in the second half staked Ohio State to a seemingly comfortable 39-27 advantage. However, the Wolverines clawed back with an 8-0 burst capped on a pair of threes by Douglass for a 39-35 difference. The Buckeyes eventually re-gained their double-digit lead at 48-38 on a Buford jam with less than 12 minutes to go in the contest.

After a Turner three made it 51-38, Michigan scored 16 of the next 23 points to pull within 58-54 on a Sims layup. Buford then made 1-of-2 foul shots on the other end before another Harris three-pointer made it interesting at 59-57 with four minutes remaining in the game.

Michigan cut it to 62-61 on a Harris trey, but a pair of free throws by Turner gave OSU a three-point lead. Douglass would tie the contest at 64-64 with a jumper beyond the arc to get the crowd into the game, while Harris continued to have the hot hand on the other end, scoring on a driving layup for a 66-64 Michigan lead. The Buckeyes then knotted the score on a Lighty jumper.

Harris then knocked down a 15-foot shot with 2.2 seconds left in the game for a 68-66 score, opening the door for Turner's heroics. Turner dribbled down the court and launched a 40-foot three-pointer at the buzzer to win the game. The shot was upheld by the officials after a quick review.

Turner's slashing layup three minutes into the game tied it at 6-6. It stayed that way for several minutes until Sims sank a pair of free throws for an 8-6 Michigan edge. Turner, though, evened the score on a short-range jumper shortly afterwards.

A 6-0 run capped by a Harris dunk gave Michigan a 14-6 lead, while Douglass later knocked down a three-pointer to push the margin to 19-10. The Buckeyes then showed why they're the top-seeded team in this tournament and went on a 22-4 run to claim a 32-23 lead on Turner's three-pointer with less than a minute to go in the first half.

Ohio State then headed to the locker room with a 35-25 cushion. Sims led all scorers at the break with 12 points, while Turner had nine for OSU.

Game Notes

Harris was 8-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Harris and Sims both pulled down six rebounds in defeat...Turner dished out eight assists and was a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown...Jon Diebler contributed 11 points for the Buckeyes, who had a 30-18 advantage in the paint and shot 51.9 percent from the floor...Michigan made 49.0 percent of its shots.

Online-wagering-casino NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Duke uses late surge to fend off Virginia in ACC quarters
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Singler scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, as fourth-ranked Duke pulled away late to earn a 57-46 victory over Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Jon Sc

<< Owls top Bonnies to start quest for A-10 three-peat
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Fernandez scored 17 points and doled out seven assists, as No. 17 Temple advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament with a solid 69-51 victory against St. Bonaventure at Boardwalk Hall.

<< Losing starts at the top
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - March is when college basketball vaults to the top of the sports scene. It also happens to be when I really start to pay attention to the college game with an eye on June's draft. Conventional wisdom says

<< Two-Year-Old Champ Returns to the Races
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what could be the sign of the times, Lookin At Lucky, last year's Eclipse Award-winning two-year-old, will have just two prep races prior to the Kentucky Derby. If the Bob Baffert-trained colt winds up c

<< West Ham tries to overcome Bolton disappointment
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Last weekend's 2-1 loss at home against fellow relegation-strugglers Bolton did not sit well with West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola. But he is calling on his team to recover and pull off a stu

Bulls' Rose to miss at least one game with sprained wrist >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Bulls All-Star point guard Derrick Rose will miss Friday's game at Miami and is listed as day-to-day after an MRI confirmed he has a sprained left wrist. During Thursday's loss to the Magic, Ros

Berkman to have surgery on knee, out up to a month >>
Kissimmee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Houston Astros first baseman Lance Berkman will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee within the next few days and will miss two to four weeks of action. Berkman said he felt discomfort in the k

Wall, Kentucky withstand tough test from Alabama >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Wall had 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists in his first taste of tournament basketball, as second-ranked Kentucky moved into the semifinals of the SEC Tournament with a 73-67 triumph over Al

Heat suspend Wright for two games after DUI arrest >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Heat suspended forward Dorell Wright for the next two games after he was charged with driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license on Thursday. "This is out of character for D

Pats re-sign CB Bodden, add LB Murrell >>
Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots on Friday re-signed cornerback Leigh Bodden and inked linebacker Marques Murrell to an undisclosed contract. Bodden started in 14 of the 15 games he played in for the Patriots last s

Pacific-10 Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Stanford

Oregon and USC get their tickets punched after taking care of business this weekend. Yes, the Trojans' computer numbers aren't great, but there's no way the third-place team in this league is getting nixed. Grudgingly, I added Arizona after consultation with our Bracketologist. I don't know that Arizona will lose its last three (including a Pac-10 quarterfinal game), and even if the Cats do, I still can't see how they'd be left out, given the overall profile. That said, it bears watching, as three more L's would leave them at 18-12 (9-9) and on a 6-11 skid entering the Dance. It would be nice to see the Wildcats get at least one W in the Bay Area next week, as Cincinnati (albeit without Armein Kirkland and with a worse profile) was axed after a similar slide last season. I just couldn't rationalize having some of the other teams as locks and not having Arizona in that category -- there just aren't enough good teams behind the Cats to threaten their spot, it seems. Stanford has its fate in its own hands with the Arizona schools coming to the Farm to close out the regular season next weekend.

Should be in:

Stanford [17-10 (9-7), RPI: 40, SOS: 21] No shame in not getting a win in L.A., but that makes the home game against Arizona State a must-win ahead of what could be an intriguing meeting with Arizona should the Cats lose at Cal. Getting to 11 Pac-10 wins would make Selection Sunday much more comfortable, but 10's probably more than enough this season. The Cardinal have nonconference wins over Texas Tech and at Virginia to lean on, although they also lost badly to Air Force and Santa Clara at home.

Southeastern Conference odds
Work left to do: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Mississippi State

It looks more and more possible that no one from the SEC West will make the NCAAs. How weird is that? Tennessee and Vandy move into the locks category after more good work this weekend. Kentucky stays there, although it would be smart for the Cats to handle Georgia at home Wednesday ahead of a trip to the Swamp. Could a disaster scenario (two more L's and a first-round SEC tourney exit) somehow dislodge the Cats despite their incredible computer numbers? Still unlikely, but not worth chancing it.

Work left to do:

Alabama [19-9 (6-8), RPI: 43, SOS: 47] The tough L at Tennessee was understandable, and even created some hope. Unfortunately, that hope was dashed by a home loss to Auburn, which leaves the Tide in some real trouble. There's still no signature win on the profile (no, Kentucky doesn't count), and the computer profile is weakening rapidly. The Tide conceivably could beat Ole Miss and win at Miss. State to get to 8-8 and clinch at least a share of the West crown, but that's probably not enough right now. The Tide will need to do some work in the SEC tourney.

Georgia [16-10 (8-6), RPI: 52, SOS: 23] This is the team with the best chance to make it from this section right now. The Bulldogs rebounded from a terrible performance at Ole Miss to beat down Miss. State. Now they are at Kentucky (king of the RPI 51-100 win) and home to Tennessee. That would be worth a lot of computer points to get both (which is doable), as both teams are in the top 11 in RPI. Finishing at least 9-7 is an absolute must, and I would feel much better about the Dawgs' chances if they got both to get to 10 SEC wins. They also beat Gonzaga, but lost to ACC bubblers Georgia Tech and Clemson.

Mississippi [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 63, SOS: 79] Like everyone else in this division, Ole Miss gacked up a chance to stake a claim, losing by double figures at South Carolina. Even 9-7 likely is not nearly enough with a nonconference profile devoid of anything notable.

Mississippi State [16-11 (7-7), RPI: 66, SOS: 37] With a chance to get in the mix, these Bulldogs were leashed by their Georgia counterparts. Could they get to 9-7? I guess -- although winning at Arkansas, then beating Alabama is no lock -- but would that mean all that much for a team with this overall profile? Probably not. There's nothing of note (on the good side) in the nonconference profile.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.