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03/06/2010 - Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Christopherson scored 18 points and made two key foul shots with 3.2 seconds left in overtime, as the Iowa State Cyclones upended fifth-ranked Kansas State, 85-82, in the regular-season finale for both clubs.
Craig Brackins fouled out late in the second half but still managed to pour in 19 points and pull down 12 rebounds for the Cyclones (15-16, 4-12 Big 12), who had lost their previous eight games against Kansas State.
Marquis Gilstrap added 13 points and 13 boards. LaRon Dendy and Justin Hamilton each chipped in 10 points for Iowa State, which will be the No. 11 seed in next week's Big 12 tourney.
Jacob Pullen's 27-point performance wasn't enough for the Wildcats (24-6, 11-5), who dropped their final two games heading into the conference tourney as the No. 2 seed coming off Wednesday's lopsided loss to Kansas.
Curtis Kelly donated 19 points for Kansas State, which lost to Iowa State in Manhattan for the first time since February 21, 2001.
This was the last home game for seniors Denis Clemente, Luis Colon, and Chris Merriewether. Clemente finished with 17 points.
Ahead 78-77 late in overtime, Diante Garrett made a layup to put the Cyclones in front by three with 54.8 seconds remaining. The Wildcats cut the margin back to one on Dominique Sutton's slam on the next possession.
Garrett made 1-of-2 shots from the foul line to make it 81-79 with 35.9 ticks to go. After Pullen missed a layup, Gilstrap also went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe to extend Iowa State's lead to three with 26 seconds left.
Clemente was off the mark on a three but Sutton grabbed the offensive rebound. However, Sutton lost control of the ball as he went up for the putback and turned it over.
Gilstrap made 1-of-2 from the line to make it an 83-79 game with 9.7 ticks left on the clock. However, things got interesting when Pullen was fouled on a three-point shot at the opposite end and made all three with 3.2 ticks left.
Christopherson then made a pair of big foul shots to put Iowa State ahead 85-82. Pullen's shot from near midcourt was well off the mark as time expired.
Garrett made 1-of-2 from the foul line to give Iowa State a 74-71 edge with two minutes left in regulation. But Clemente came up big for Kansas State at the other end, draining a three-pointer to tie the contest.
After each team missed on their ensuing possessions, Gilstrap had his layup blocked by Kelly with about 30 seconds to go. After the Wildcats took a timeout, Pullen let the clock go down before missing a long trey.
The Cyclones pulled down the rebound and were left with 0.8 seconds. But Kansas State stole the inbounds pass following a timeout to send the tilt into overtime.
Iowa State held a 42-33 margin following 20 minutes of action.
Pullen scored the first four points of the second half to pull the Wildcats within five, 42-37. Moments later, Pullen made a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 46-43 a little more than three minutes in.
The Cyclones responded with a 10-4 burst to build a nine-point lead, 56-47, with 12:14 remaining.
The Wildcats were down by seven, 65-58, a few minutes later before ripping off six straight points to get within one on Jamar Samuels' free throw with less than 6 1/2 minutes to play.
Game Notes
The Cyclones had lost 21 straight games to ranked teams...Kansas State leads the all-time series versus Iowa State 132-77...The last Cyclone win versus KSU was on January 7, 2006.
<< Summit League Tournament Recaps
Sioux Falls, SD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Larry Wright scored 16 points, and the
Oakland Golden Grizzlies advanced to the semifinals of the Summit League
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Keith Benson and Derick Nelson each sco
<< Vokun stops 31 in win over Carolina
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Vokoun's 31 saves set the tone for
Florida's 4-1 victory to snap the Carolina Hurricanes' seven-game win streak
at Bank Atlantic Center.
Kamil Kreps scored twice, including an empty-net goal,
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Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Theodore stopped all 30 shots he faced
for his first shutout of the season, as Washington posted a defensive-oriented
2-0 victory over the New York Rangers at Verizon Center.
Eric Fehr and Eric Belang
<< ETSU wins Atlantic Sun for second straight year
Macon, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Justin Tubbs led a balanced scoring attack with
18 points, and the East Tennessee State Buccaneers secured their second
consecutive Atlantic Sun tournament championship with a 72-66 victory over
Mercer.
Kessel nets SO winner as Leafs nip Sens >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel got the game-winner in the shootout
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After Jonas Gustavsson stoned Alex Kovalev on the first shot, Kes
No. 12 Butler reaches Horizon final >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Howard had 18 points to lead five
players in double figures, as 12th-ranked Butler downed Milwaukee, 68-59, in a
chippy Horizon League semifinal tilt at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Ronald Nored collected 1
Murray State captures OVC title with win over Morehead State >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Isaiah Canaan scored 16 points to lead a
balanced Murray State attack, and the Racers clinched a spot in the NCAA
Tournament with a 62-51 win over Morehead State in the championship game of
the Ohi
Stamkos nets 40th as Bolts jolt Thrashers >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Stamkos scored a pair of goals including
his 40th of the season, and extended his franchise-record point streak to 16
games, as Tampa Bay downed Atlanta, 6-2, at St. Pete Times Forum.
Martin St. Louis
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The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
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