Buckeyes on the road to take on Golden Gophers

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02/18/2007 - Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The nation's second-ranked team has traveled to Minneapolis, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers host the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes in Big Ten Conference action.

Ohio State owns its highest ranking since 1991, and the team has won nine straight league games, the program's longest streak since 1971. After jumping out to a huge lead early against Penn State on Wednesday, the Buckeyes fell apart and had to hold on for a 64-62 victory.

With four consecutive losses, Minnesota has fallen to 9-17 overall and 3-9 in conference. The Gophers played host to third-ranked Wisconsin on Wednesday, and that game resulted in a 75-62 setback. With that in mind, the team clearly enters tonight's clash as a decided underdog.

Ohio State owns a 71-52 advantage in the all-time series with Minnesota, and the Buckeyes won last season's meeting by a 67-54 final.

Ohio State freshman center Greg Oden has received more attention than any first-year collegiate player in recent memory, and after sitting out the early part of the season with a wrist injury, the big man has played 19 games and put up outstanding numbers. Oden is averaging 15.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 4.3 bpg despite the fact that he is still recovering from the injury. Another Buckeye freshman, Daequan Cook, is scoring 12.1 ppg, and Ron Lewis adds 11.2 ppg for the Buckeyes. The third member of the outstanding rookie trio is Mike Conley Jr., a standout guard who is posting 10.3 ppg. More impressive is the fact that Conley Jr. has dished out 163 assists against only 55 turnovers. Oden had 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in the narrow win over Penn State. Lewis added 12 points for the Buckeyes, who shot just 38.5 percent from the floor in the second half.

Minnesota is averaging a lackluster 62.2 ppg this season, overshadowing the fact that the team has been able to limit its opponents to 66.2 ppg on 41.5 percent shooting from the field. The Golden Gophers have attempted 130 fewer free throws than their opponents, an obvious reason for the poor record. Also, the team is being outrebounded by nearly four boards per contest. Lawrence McKenzie paces Minnesota with 15.6 ppg, and Dan Coleman adds 14.8 ppg. The third and final double-digit scorer is Spencer Tollackson with 12.9 ppg. In the loss to Wisconsin, McKenzie scored 21 points, while Tollackson (13) and Coleman (12) reached double figures as well. The Gophers committed 16 turnovers, nine more than they forced, and they permitted the Badgers to shoot 55.6 percent from the floor in the second half after a strong defensive performance early on.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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