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03/07/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Butler Bulldogs will finally take the floor in the 2009 Horizon League Tournament, when they host the Wright State Raiders in semifinal-round action at the Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The Raiders find themselves in the semis after defeating UW-Milwaukee, 80-70, in quarterfinal play on Friday. Wright State, which finished 12-6 in conference, earning the fourth-seed, opened the tournament with a 68-56 victory over Valparaiso.
As for the 22nd-ranked Bulldogs, they earned the top seed in this event and a bye into this round with a 15-3 conference ledger. It was the seventh Horizon League regular season championship for Butler, which is participating in the semifinals for the 11th time in 13 seasons and will be trying to repeat as conference tournament champion. The Bulldogs will have a clear advantage playing at home where the team is 14-1 this season, and 124-16 since 1999-2000.
The Bulldogs defeated Wright State twice this season, and that included a convincing 64-48 decision over the Raiders at Hinkle Fieldhouse back in January. With the two victories over Wright State this season, the Bulldogs now own a 19-15 mark in the all-time series.
The Raiders opened the second half against UW-Milwaukee with a 15-2 run, and never looked back as the team went on to defeat the Panthers in an 80-70 final. Wright State shot a sizzling 53.2 percent from the floor in the win, and that included an even more impressive 12-of-18 showing from behind the arc. Cory Cooperwood's double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds led the way, while Cooper Land tallied 13 points off the bench. N'Gai Evans added 12 points and five assists in the win, and Scott Grote chipped in 10 points. It was without question a surprising performance by WSU, which is averaging just 60.6 ppg. The team's leading scorer, Todd Brown (11.8 ppg), was not even a factor in the win over UWM, as the guard finished with just eight points. Although the Raiders were offensive-oriented in their recent win, the team still relies on its tenacious defensive play, which has held opponents to just 57.3 ppg on the season.
Butler's success this year also stems from the its outstanding defensive play. The Bulldogs allow a mere 57.4 ppg, and just a 37.9 percent shooting from the field. Butler is also forcing 13.6 turnovers per matchup, and as a team the Bulldogs are outrebounding the competition by 3.2 rpg. The Bulldogs were at it again in the regular-season finale against Cleveland State, as Butler held the Vikings to 56 points on a 40.4 percent shooting from the floor. Butler forced 14 turnovers. Offensively, the team was paced by Willie Veasley who scored 16 points and also collected seven rebounds. Matt Howard contributed 12 points, while Ronald Nored tallied 11. The HL's Newcomer of the Year, Gordon Hayward, chipped in with nine points and six boards for Butler. Hayward, who was also selected to the All-Horizon First Team, is contributing 13.8 ppg on the season, but the main scoring threat has been Howard who is averaging 14.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Shelvin Mac has been a terrific floor general for Butler, handing out 103 assists, to go with his 11.7 ppg.
<< Huskies visit Panthers in clash of Big East titans
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In what could prove to be one of the best
games of the college basketball season, the top-ranked Connecticut Huskies
invade the Steel City for a Big East Conference showdown with the third-ranked
Pittsburgh Pan
<< 'Hawks host 'Horns in pivotal Big 12 showdown
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ninth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks close out
their regular season at home this afternoon, as they welcome the Texas
Longhorns to Lawrence for a Big 12 showdown from the Allen Fieldhouse.
The Jayhawks are coming
<< Germany leads Austria 2-1 in Davis Cup first-rounder
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The host Germans got
a doubles victory from Nicolas Kiefer and Philipp Kohlschreiber on Saturday to
grab a 2-1 lead over Austria in their best-of-five first-round Davis Cup tie.
Kiefe
<< Golden Bears visit Sun Devils in Pac-10 action
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils will try
to break out of their slump today, as they entertain the California Golden
Bears in Pac-10 Conference action at Wells-Fargo Arena in Tempe.
The Sun Devils were on
OVC title up for grabs in clash between Eagles and Governors >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The championship game of the Ohio Valley
Conference Tournament pits the second-seeded Austin Peay Governors against the
fourth-seeded Morehead State Eagles. The winner of this game will earn an
automatic bid to
Memphis takes aim at third straight perfect C-USA slate >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers will attempt to
clinch their third consecutive perfect Conference USA regular season in
today's finale against the Tulane Green Wave.
After going 16-0 in C-USA play in both 2006-
Huskies sniffing around first outright league title since 1953 >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Washington Huskies will try to
wrap up the outright Pac-10 Conference regular season title today, as they
host bitter rival Washington State at Bank of America Arena in Seattle.
With a win over
Xavier can clinch outright A-10 title with win at Richmond >>
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the top-seed in the upcoming Atlantic 10
Tournament already locked up, the 17th-ranked Xavier Musketeers take aim at
the outright regular season crown as they tangle with the Richmond Spiders at
the Robins C
Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds
Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.
The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.
The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.
Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.
MySportsbook.com's Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds:
Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)
Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)
Matt Foust won both of his conference championship plays yesterday and he is ready to serve up plenty of Super Bowl action. Each individual play costs $15.00, however, MySportsbook.com recommends purchasing Matt's NFL Playoff Package which includes all of Matt's Super Bowl props and picks from just $45.00.
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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.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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