Kentucky remains No. 1 in men's hoops poll

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/13/2012 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky remained the top team in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll.

The Wildcats, who first had a two-week stay at No. 1 starting in late November, are the top team in the nation for a fourth straight week. They received 63 first-place votes and a total of 1,623 points from a nationwide media panel for the third consecutive week.

Syracuse, which preceded Kentucky at the top with a six-week run, held firm at No. 2 with the other two first-place votes. Missouri moved up a slot to third and fellow Big 12 member Kansas vaulted three places to fourth, while Duke leapt five spots to fifth.

Ohio State, which lost to Michigan State at home on Saturday, tumbled three places to sixth and the Spartans moved up four places to seventh. North Carolina, which lost on a last-second shot to Duke last week, fell three places eighth. Baylor was sixth last week, but tumbled to ninth after losing to both Kansas and Missouri.

Georgetown, despite an overtime loss to Syracuse last week, moved up two spots to 10th and is followed by UNLV, Marquette, San Diego State, Florida, Wisconsin, Murray State, Michigan, Indiana, Louisville and Florida State. Florida tumbled six spots from eighth after losses to Kentucky and Tennessee, and Murray State dropped seven places from ninth after suffering its first loss of the season at home against Tennessee State.

The last five teams ranked this week are Saint Mary's, Virginia, Notre Dame, Gonzaga and Wichita State. Gonzaga returned to the poll after a one-week absence following a 73-59 win over Saint Mary's, and Wichita State, which posted an 89-68 win over previously-ranked Creighton and is ranked for the first time this season, are tied for 24th.

Notre Dame is also ranked for the first time this season. The Fighting Irish have won six straight games, a stretch that started January 21 with a victory over then-unbeaten Syracuse.

Creighton was 17th last week, but its loss to Wichita State was its third in a row. Mississippi State also dropped out, as did Harvard, which was 25th before a loss Saturday at Princeton.

This week's ranked matchups include a Big Ten tussle on Thursday between Wisconsin and Michigan State in East Lansing and another Big Ten battle Saturday as Ohio State visits Michigan. Saturday's slate also features the BracketBuster contest between Saint Mary's and Murray State.

Lesseters NCAA Basketball Betting News

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.