Butler battles Milwaukee in Horizon League Tournament semifinals
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/06/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Butler's journey to a second Horizon League Tournament title in three season begins this evening when the top- seeded Bulldogs host the fourth-seeded Milwaukee Panthers in a semifinal-round tilt at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Panthers opened tournament action with a 73-67 victory over Illinois- Chicago and then followed that with an 82-75 decision over Cleveland State on Friday. Overall, it was the fourth straight win for Milwaukee and the seventh in the team's last eight matchups.
As for the 12th-ranked Bulldogs, they are coming off another tremendous season in which they collected 26 wins and finished a perfect 18-0 in conference. Butler also finished with a flawless 13-0 ledger at home and under coach Brad Stevens the team is a remarkable 42-3 at the Hinkle Fieldhouse. However, the Bulldogs do have unfinished business after falling to Cleveland State in last year's tournament title tilt.
The winner of this contest will take on either Wright State or Detroit in the championship game on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs defeated the Panthers twice during the regular season and now have a commanding 29-10 edge in the all-time series.
The Panthers were sensational in their victory over Cleveland State on Friday, as Milwaukee scored 82 points against the Vikings. Milwaukee shot a sizzling 55.3 percent from the floor and finished a solid 22-of-33 from the foul line. Anthony Hill and Ja'Rob McCallum finished with 14 points apiece, while Ricky Franklin tallied 13 points, to go along with six boards and six assists. Ryan Haggerty finished with 12 points, while James Eayrs and Jason Averkamp tallied 11 and 10 points, respectively. On the season however, the Panthers have been nothing more than mediocre, averaging 70.0 ppg. Franklin is leading the team with 14.9 ppg and 3.9 apg, while Eayrs is posting 12.6 ppg, to go along with a team-best 5.9 rpg.
There is not much wrong when looking at Butler on paper, as the team simply dominated each and every foe in Horizon league action. The team was outstanding defensively, holding opponents to just 60.6 ppg, while being led by Ronald Nored who earned Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the conference. At the other end of the floor the Bulldogs are even tougher, as the team is being led by the likes of Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack. Hayward, who was selected as the Horizon League Player of the Year, led the team on the season with 15.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 24 blocks. As for Mack, a First- Team All-Horizon selection, he posted 13.9 ppg during the regular season, to go along with 95 assists. Another First-Team All-Horizon nominee, Matt Howard, contributed 12.0 ppg for Butler and pulled down 5.3 rpg as well.
Charlottesville, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their sights set on the ACC title, the 22nd-ranked Maryland Terrapins close out their regular season in Charlottesville, as they take on the Virginia Cavaliers from the John Paul Jones Arena. Gary
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Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the Big 12 title already secured, the
second-ranked Kansas Jayhawks close out their regular-season in Columbia, as
they take on one of their most bitter rivals in the Missouri Tigers.
Bill Self's Jayhawks
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State College, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Purdue Boilermakers
will try to grab a share of the Big Ten regular-season title today, as they
take on the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Ohio State has already w
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Conway, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament will
be handed out this afternoon, as the top-seeded Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
and the third-seeded Winthrop Eagles collide in the Big South Conference title
game.
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Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Murray State Racers and the
second-seeded Morehead State Eagles have reached the title game of the Ohio
Valley Conference Tournament, and they will compete tonight for a berth in the
"Big Dance".
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 17th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers welcome the Rutgers Scarlet Knights to town this afternoon for the regular-season finale for both Big East Conference teams. Rutgers has suffered losses in three of the la
Commodores close regular season against visiting Gamecocks >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The South Carolina Gamecocks carry a six-game
losing streak into today's regular-season finale against the 13th-ranked
Vanderbilt Commodores, who are on a major roll.
At one point last month, the Gamecocks ap
Vols head to Starkville to challenge Bulldogs >>
Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers and the
Mississippi State Bulldogs will close out the 2009-10 regular season with an
SEC battle this evening in Starkville.
Wins in four of the last five games have lifte
West Virginia visits Villanova in clash of ranked Big East foes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With both teams having already secured
byes into the quarterfinal round of the upcoming Big East Conference
Tournament, the 10th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers and ninth-ranked
Villanova Wildcats will put
C-USA clash pits Blazers against Miners >>
El Paso, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - UAB will attempt to beat a ranked opponent on
the road for the first time since 1994, as the Blazers head to the Don Haskins
Center to take on the 24th-ranked Texas-El Paso Miners in the regular-season
finale for
Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year
Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds.
Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.
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FOOTBALL BETTING
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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