Beat Vikings and Bulldogs win outright Horizon League title
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/28/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 24th-ranked Butler Bulldogs will try to wrap up the outright Horizon League title today, as they host the Cleveland State Vikings at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
With a 78-57 trouncing of Youngstown State on Thursday, the Bulldogs clinched a share of their third consecutive HL regular-season championship at 14-3 within the conference. Butler however, is just one game ahead of UW-Green Bay and because the Phoenix own the tie-breaker, the Bulldogs would need a win or UW-Green Bay loss today in order to lock up the top-seed in the upcoming league tournament. The top seed gets to host the later rounds of the HL Tournament and that would be big news for the Bulldogs, who are a healthy 13-1 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
As for CSU, it too has a lot on the line and needs a win in order to secure the No.3 seed in the postseason tourney. CSU, the preseason favorite in the HL, is the hottest team in the conference having won eight straight league bouts, including a 71-64 triumph at Valparaiso on Thursday. The win pushed the Vikings to 21-9 overall and 12-5 in conference play, leaving them just one game ahead of Wright State for the third spot.
Today's game marks the 31st all-time meeting between CSU and Butler, with the Bulldogs holding a commanding 24-6 advantage in the series, including a dramatic 50-48 victory in an earlier meeting this season.
The Vikings shot a scorching 61.0 percent from the floor and converted an efficient 20-of-25 free-throw attempts, as they downed Valpo on Thursday. The team also forced Valpo into 15 turnovers, generating 19 points off those mishaps. J'Nathan Bullock headed the charge with a 25-point, six-rebound performance, while George Tandy tallied 15 points and six boards off the bench. On the season, Bullock tops the roster in each scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg) and he also has 34 steals to his name. Norris Cole chips in with 12.3 ppg, and Cedric Jackson has been in charge of running the offense, dishing out a team-best 5.5 apg. Jackson also has an impressive 89 steals to his credit, helping CSU limit foes to just 59.2 ppg.
The Bulldogs held YSU to a dismal 35.8 percent shooting from the floor, including just 3-of-14 from downtown, as they coasted to victory on Thursday. Butler hit on 54.9 percent of its chances from the field and dominated the boards, 40-25. Leading the way was Matt Howard, who registered a double-double with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Gordon Hayward logged 14 points and four assists, and Willie Veasley had 12 points and eight boards in the winning effort. On the campaign, Howard is both the team's leading scorer (14.4 ppg) and rebounder (7.1 rpg) and he has also blocked 44 shots. Hayward has provided a nice complement to him with 13.9 ppg and 6.4 rpg and he also has a team-best 44 steals on the season. Shelvin Mack adds 11.8 ppg and 3.6 apg for Butler, which is holding opponents to a mere 57.5 ppg.
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Washington Huskies will try to claim at least a share of the Pac-10 title today, as they welcome the Arizona Wildcats to Bank of America Arena in Seattle. The Huskies and Arizona State did battl
<< Sun Devils visit Cougars in key Pac-10 contest
Pullman, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Arizona Sun Devils will try to
rebound from a critical loss and remain in the thick of the Pac-10 race this
evening, as they challenge the Washington State Cougars at Friel Court.
In a battle fo
<< Irish to try their luck against Huskies in Storrs
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-ranked Connecticut Huskies continue
their quest for a Big East title, as they play their last home game of the
season this weekend, welcoming the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to Storrs, for a
conference sho
<< Blue Devils continue late-season push in clash with Hokies
Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils continue
their late season run, as they invade the Cassell Coliseum this afternoon, for
an ACC showdown with the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg.
With just three games
<< Clemson visits Florida State in clash of ranked ACC foes
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-25 foes meet in the Sunshine State
today, as the 12th-ranked Clemson Tigers invade the Tucker Center for an ACC
clash with the 23rd-ranked Florida State Seminoles.
Oliver Purnell's Tigers would like to
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 17th-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs will try to complete another perfect West Coast Conference campaign tonight, as they battle the San Diego Toreros at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Last week, Gonzaga wrapped up the re
Sooners visit Red Raiders in Big 12 action >>
Lubbock, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Oklahoma Sooners have endured
back-to-back defeats, and they will attempt to get back to their winning ways
in today's Big 12 Conference clash with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
On Monday night,
Top-ranked Panthers in Newark to tangle with Pirates >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers still have
some work to do if they are to be crowned Big East champions and that work
begins this evening in Newark, as the Panthers take on the Seton Hall Pirates
at the Prudenti
Big Ten brawl pits Buckeyes against Boilermakers >>
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers will
try to avenge an earlier loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes, as the two Big Ten
programs clash at Mackey Arena today.
Purdue leads the all-time series with OSU, 79-7
Tigers go in search of 20th straight win >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers put the
nation's longest winning streak on the line today, as they entertain the
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in Conference USA play at the FedExForum.
Since losing to Syra
FOOTBALL BETTING LINES
NFL Football Sports BettingTwo playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
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Football Betting
NFL Football Betting OnlineThe San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .