Big Ten brawl pits Illinois against No. 9 Purdue

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

12/30/2008 - West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Big Ten slate gets underway tonight for the ninth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Illinois has reason to be extremely confident, as the squad is riding a six- game win streak and owns a tremendous 12-1 record. The Illini are fresh off a 62-53 victory over Eastern Michigan on Sunday and beat then nationally-ranked Missouri in the previous outing. The lone loss came by just two points to a Clemson squad that enters Tuesday's action undefeated.

As for Purdue, it has also won its last six outings, and coach Matt Painter's team is 11-2 overall. On Sunday, the club cruised to victory over Valparaiso by a 59-45 final and has also beaten the likes of Boston College and Davidson this season. The only two losses suffered by PU came against powerhouse opponents Duke and Oklahoma.

Purdue holds a narrow 88-82 series lead over Illinois, and the Boilermakers won two of the three meetings a year ago.

Strong defense has clearly been the main ingredient in Illinois' 12-1 start. The Illini are holding foes to just 55.8 ppg on 39.6 percent shooting from the floor, including 26.4 percent from three-point range. Trent Meacham and Demetri McCamey are both averaging 12.2 ppg for Illinois, which is getting 12.1 ppg and 7.8 rpg from Mike Davis. As for Mike Tisdale, he rounds out a foursome of double-digit scorers with 11.6 ppg. In the nine-point win over Eastern Michigan on Sunday, Tisdale racked up 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting from his center position. Meacham had 16 points, and Chester Frazier pulled down 11 boards. The Illini earned a 13-7 edge in points from the foul line and forced 21 turnovers -- two obvious keys to the victory.

As good as Illinois has been defensively this season, it can be argued that Purdue has been even better. The Boilermakers are only allowing 56.0 ppg on 35.1 percent shooting by the opposition. Offensively, they are posting 74.2 ppg, and Robbie Hummel shares the team scoring lead with E'Twaun Moore, as both players are netting 14.4 ppg. Hummel is pulling down 7.8 rpg, and Moore is a versatile talent as well. The third and final double-digit scorer on the roster is JaJuan Johnson with his 12.3 ppg. In the 14-point decision over Valparaiso on Sunday, Moore scored a team-high 14 points. Johnson added 10, and while Hummel was limited to nine points, he did pull down 11 rebounds. The Boilermakers only committed nine turnovers and help the Crusaders to 33.3 percent field goal efficiency. For those reasons, Purdue was able to overcome a sub par 7-of-15 showing from the charity stripe and 36.4 percent shooting from the floor.

Sportsbooj NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Intrastate rivals collide, as No. 20 Clemson visits South Carolina
Columbia, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bitter rivals will collide in non-conference action this evening, as the South Carolina Gamecocks play host to the undefeated and 20th-ranked Clemson Tigers. Expect Clemson to enter this tilt with a wealth of

<< No. 25 Butler hosts UAB in non-conference clash
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Butler Bulldogs will try to build off their biggest win of the season, as they entertain the UAB Blazers in non-conference play at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Despite fielding a young team, the Bull

<< Kings welcome Clippers to ARCO Arena
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Sacramento Kings close out a three-game homestand Tuesday, hoping to halt an ugly six-game skid when they welcome the Los Angeles Clippers to ARCO Arena. The Kings fell to 0-2 on their residency Sunday

<< Celtics close out trip in Portland
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics conclude a four- game road swing in the Pacific Northwest Tuesday when they visit the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden. The Celtics won for the first time on the trek Su

<< Knicks hope to snap skid in Charlotte vs. Bobcats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks will try to stop a season-high six-game losing streak tonight when they pay a visit to the Charlotte Bobcats. New York hasn't had much success on the road this season, going 4-11 and losing the last thr

Arkansas seeks upset of No. 4 Oklahoma >>
Fayetteville, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Arkansas Razorbacks of the SEC are considered underdogs on their home court tonight, as they welcome the mighty Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12 to town. Oklahoma remains undefeated, as the squad has won

Wake Forest puts perfect mark on line versus Radford >>
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The undefeated and sixth-ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons will attempt to avoid an upset as they welcome the Radford Highlanders to Winston-Salem. Radford is obviously a heavy underdog, as it carries a 4-

No. 13 Syracuse hosts Seton Hall in Big East opener >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big East rivals will collide at the Carrier Dome this evening, as the 13th-ranked Syracuse Orange host the Seton Hall Pirates in the league opener for both squads. Seton Hall enters this clash with a 9-3 recor

Hornets, Wizards clash in the Big Easy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets will shoot for their third consecutive win Tuesday when they welcome the Washington Wizards to the Big Easy. Most recently, David West hit the go-ahead jumper with 2.5 seconds remainin

Spurs try to stay on track vs. Bucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The streaking San Antonio Spurs shoot for their sixth consecutive victory Tuesday when they welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to the AT&T Center. The Spurs needed two overtimes to dispose of Memphis in the Alamo Ci

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.

Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Odds

Will he or won't he?  Now that the Dallas Cowboys have a new head coach in Wade Phillips, the big question will be: Does Terrell Owens stay with the team.

Jerry Jones continues to suggest that Terrell Owens will remain with the team.

"I've said that he's back, he's here, he's under contract," Jones said. "In the interviews I've just been through (to hire a new coach), it was very clear to me how highly he's thought of and how much of an impact he had on our offensive success."

Just to be sure though, Terrell Owens cleared out his locker and removed his name plate.

Terrell Owens was among the Cowboys most productive players this past season, catching 85 passes for 1,180 yards and a league-best 13 touchdowns.

But T.O. is due a $3 million roster bonus in June, then a $5 million salary this season. Cutting him before then would save a lot of money and headaches.

Aside from the questions surrounding Terrell Owens, the oddsmakers at MySportsbook.com have concerns over starting quarterback Tony Romo's state of mind and whether he will remain a starting quarterback.  It is also not known how players will adjust to new head coach, Wade Phillips.

Here are the football odds as seen at MySportsbook.com and subject to change after February 10, 2007 if not locked in prior to that date.
Arizona Cardinals 60-1


Atlanta Falcons 50-1


Baltimore Ravens 15-1


Buffalo Bills 50-1


Carolina Panthers 18-1


Chicago Bears 10-1


Cincinnati Bengals 15-1


Cleveland Browns 100-1


Dallas Cowboys 15-1


Denver Broncos 15-1


Detroit Lions 100-1


Green Bay Packers 50-1


Houston Texans 100-1


Indianapolis Colts 6-1


Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1


Kansas City Chiefs 30-1


Miami Dolphins 40-1


Minnesota Vikings 75-1


New England Patriots 10-1


New Orleans Saints 18-1


New York Giants 20-1


New York Jets 30-1


Oakland Raiders 100-1


Philadelphia Eagles 18-1


Pittsburgh Steelers 10-1


Saint Louis Rams 60-1


San Diego Chargers 6-1


San Francisco 49ers 75-1


Seattle Seahawks 20-1


Tampa Bay Buccanneers 75-1


Tennessee Titans 40-1


Washington Redskins 50-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook credit cards needs.