Boilermakers and Golden Gophers meet in Big Ten semifinals

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03/13/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A chance to play in the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game will be on the line this afternoon when the sixth-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers take on the second-seeded Purdue Boilermakers in semifinal round action at the Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Golden Gophers began the tournament with a 76-55 victory over Penn State, and followed that with an impressive 72-67 overtime decision over Michigan State on Friday. Minnesota might be playing as the sixth seed, but the team has won six of its last eight games.

The sixth-ranked Boilermakers moved into the semifinal round with a solid, 69-61 victory over Northwestern on Friday. It was the 13th win in the last 14 games for Purdue, which is looking to repeat as the Big Ten Tournament champs.

The Boilermakers currently own a 95-78 edge over Minnesota in the all-time series and have won the last five meetings. This season Purdue narrowly defeated the Golden Gophers twice.

The Golden Gophers were not intimidated by the 14th-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Friday, and proved it by grabbing a five-point overtime victory to move into the semifinal round. Minnesota shot just 39.0 percent from the floor, but finished a solid 10-of-23 from behind the arc and also connected on 16-of-21 attempts from the foul line. Devoe Joseph led the way with 17 points, while Blake Hoffarber tallied 14 points. Colton Iverson and Lawrence Westbrook finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the win. Westbrook comes into this matchup leading the Gophers with 12.7 ppg, while Hoffarber is contributing 10.6 ppg for Minnesota, which as a whole is netting 73.4 ppg.

The Boilermakers shot just 29.6 percent from the floor in the first half and went into the break down four points against Northwestern. However, Purdue stormed back in the second stanza and by the final buzzer the team had claimed an eight-point victory. The Boilermakers only shot 35.3 percent from the matchup, but connected on 29-of-39 attempts from the foul line. E'Twaun Moore poured in 28 points in the win, while JaJuan Johnson added 22 points and eight rebounds. Without Robbie Hummel on the floor, Moore has stepped up his production and comes into this contest averaging 17.0 ppg, to go along with 87 assists. As for Johnson, he is posting 15.1 ppg and a team-best 7.2 rpg for Purdue, which as a whole is producing a respectable 72.0 ppg.

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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.


FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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