Team USA turns the page

Basketball Betting Lines

08/16/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With Mike Krzyzewski at the helm of USA Basketball, the operative word is always going to be "team."

You probably aren't going to describe the 2010 USA Men's World Championship club with the adjective "dream" before that aforementioned "team," but Krzyzewski has put together another imposing bunch in preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championship, set to begin Aug. 28 in Turkey.

The NBA's superstars restored order in the basketball world back in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when a star-studded team let by Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Chris Bosh brought back the gold medal to the United States for the first time since 2000.

Success in the World Championships has been tougher to come by, however. The same players that won the gold in Beijing, minus Bryant, were only able to take home a bronze in the 2006 World Championship, and the U.S. hasn't won a gold there since 1994 when Shaquille O'Neal was in his prime and dominating for the Americans.

The 2010 version of the U.S. National Team probably has the least amount of star power since the professionals started playing for USA Basketball. Most of the NBA's superstars took a pass this time and USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo, along with Krzyzewski and his assistants, Jim Boeheim, Mike D'Antoni, Nate McMillan and Jay Triano, cobbled together what can best be described as an NBA B-team.

Coach K started Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala, Dallas' Tyson Chandler, Denver's Chauncey Billups and Boston's Rajon Rondo for the team's first official exhibition game on Sunday in front of a sold-out crowd of 19,763 at Madison Square Garden.

The only true superstar in that bunch is Durant but that didn't stop Team USA, from blitzing a French team featuring NBAers Boris Diaw, Nicolas Batum, Ian Mahinmi and Alexis Ajinca, 86-55.

The USA squad was led by 19 points off the bench from Memphis' Rudy Gay, while Durant added 14. Billups, who notched 17 points as the off-guard flashed his vaunted leadership skills, was named Player of the Game.

"This is a really good experience for us," Krzyzewski said. "It's our first game, and I thought our defense was outstanding throughout and our effort was outstanding throughout. France played well and I thought we had a little bit of jitters to start off the game. It's the first time for most of these guys to play for our country and in a game. That's why these exhibition games are so important for us."

The team is clearly still a work in progress and Krzyzewski may have to tweak his rotation a bit, especially to start. Team USA made just 6-of-16 shots in the first quarter with defenders like Iguodala and Rondo on the floor. In fact, France led 15-11 before Gay broke loose for a slam on the break and followed that with a 3-pointer.

But, depth is what differentiates the U.S. from the rest of the world. Warriors sharp-shooter Stephen Curry, versatile big man Lamar Odom of the world champion Lakers, Chicago point guard Derrick Rose, Indiana scorer Danny Granger and rising stars Russell Westbrook of Oklahoma City, Kevin Love of Minnesota and Eric Gordon of the Clippers, along with Gay make up Krzyzewski's bench.

"Our depth, I think we're going to find that every game there might be two different people who like today Chauncey and Rudy were outstanding," Krzyzewski said. "Yesterday when we scrimmaged, Granger was 9-for-12; he didn't score today but he still played hard. So that type of thing is good."

Four USA players scored during the first four minutes of the second quarter as America went on top for good, 29-19. France did manage to muster a 7-2 run to close to within three points, 29-26, with a little over four minutes to play before intermission, but the U.S. responded and led 39-30 heading to the locker room.

Billups the hit a pair of threes in the early moments of the second half and the U.S. was off to the races.

"No one is going to play over 20 minutes here," Rondo said. "So you have to go all out. Not that I'm pacing myself like in the NBA games. It's a long season. This is only nine games. We have six guards here, five are points and a combo. For the most part I'm trying to go all out. I'm coming out within four minutes."

That means the defensive screws can be put on at all times and, more often than not, will wear down the opposition. The USA forced 21 French turnovers on Sunday and finished the afternoon with 12 steals, outscoring France 22-9 in the all-important fourth quarter.

"I thought our defense kept us in the ballgame part of the second quarter, and then for the rest of the game," remarked Krzyzewski. "I thought we really played well offensively and ran good half-court offense. The main thing we like about it is the fact that we can keep up constant pressure defensively."

So, while the star power may be lacking, the chemistry sure isn't.

"I think this group is really a good group," Krzyzewski said. "I can tell you intangible-wise it's off the charts with attitude, team, hard work, 'I'll do anything', all that. That's a good place to start."

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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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.