Spartans visit Gophers in clash of ranked Big Ten foes

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

12/31/2008 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Michigan Spartans and the 21st-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers begin Big Ten Conference play this afternoon in Minneapolis.

Michigan State has played quite well recently, as the squad has won its last five games to improve to 9-2 overall. The Spartans are fresh off an 82-66 victory over Oakland on Saturday, and they managed to defeat mighty Texas in the previous outing. The lone losses for coach Tom Izzo's club have come against a pair of ACC foes, Maryland and top-ranked North Carolina.

As for Minnesota, it is led by Tubby Smith, the former head coach at Kentucky. The Golden Gophers are off to their best start in half a century, as they went 12-0 against non-conference opponents to open this campaign. On Sunday, they cruised past High Point by an 82-56 final, and while many of the team's wins have come against rather weak opponents, a six-point decision over Louisville on December 20th caught the eye of the nation.

Minnesota owns a narrow 56-54 edge in the all-time series with Michigan State, but the Spartans won both meetings last season and eight of the last nine overall.

Michigan State is generating 79.5 ppg this season on 49 percent shooting from the floor, including 38.8 percent efficiency from three-point range. Defensively, the squad is holding foes to 68.0 ppg on 41.6 percent shooting. Raymar Morgan leads the team with 15.3 ppg, and he is knocking down a stellar 65.3 percent of his shots from the field. Kalin Lucas provides 11.4 ppg to go along with 71 assists, and he has turned the ball over a mere 11 times. Goran Suton and Chris Allen are both posting 10.2 ppg, providing balance to the lineup. In the 16-point win over Oakland on Saturday, Suton led the way with 16 points and nine rebounds. Lucas scored 15 points and dished out six assists for the Spartans, who also got 14 points from Travis Walton. They shot 51.6 percent from the floor, including 11-of-20 from three-point range, and finished with a 38-22 rebounding advantage.

Strong defense has been key to Minnesota's success, as it is holding opponents to just 61.6 ppg on 38.6 percent shooting from the floor. At the offensive end of the court, the Golden Gophers are generating 74.8 ppg. Lawrence Westbrook leads Tubby Smith's club with 13.0 ppg, while Damian Johnson (10.7 ppg) and Blake Hoffarber (10.3 ppg) have been solid offensive contributors as well. Freshman center Ralph Sampson III scored 17 points for Minnesota in the victory over High Point last time out. Westbrook tallied 13 points in that tilt, while Devoe Joseph, Hoffarber and Devron Bostick all tallied 11 points. The Golden Gophers connected on 52.5 percent of their field goal attempts and finished with 11 three-pointers. They also tallied 24 assists and forced 19 turnovers.

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Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

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"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

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