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.
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Horse Betting
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
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."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.