Butler at the top of the Horizon again
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/08/2010 -
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Howard went 12-of-14 from the free
throw line in a 20-point effort, and 18th-ranked Butler used a big second half
to down Loyola-Chicago, 62-47, and clinch a share of the Horizon League title.
Willie Veasley added 12 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs (21-4, 14-0
Horizon), who clinched at least a share of their fourth straight league title
with their 13th consecutive victory. Butler will go for the outright
championship against Youngstown State on Thursday.
Geoff McCammon and Walt Gibler had nine points apiece to lead the Ramblers
(13-11, 4-10), who have lost six of seven. Courtney Stanley and Terrance Hill
each added eight points in defeat.
Back-to-back baskets by Ronald Nored and Howard at the end of the first half
had Butler down by two, 26-24, at halftime, but the Bulldogs roared in front
in the second half.
A pair of Howard free throws early on tied the game at 29 and began a 7-0 run
that ended with Veasley's three-pointer for a 34-29 advantage with 16 minutes
left.
The lead ballooned to 43-33 after Gordon Hayward made two consecutive layups
with 11 1/2 minutes to go, and Loyola-Chicago never got closer than eight the
rest of the way.
The margin remained at 10, 51-41, with just under six minutes remaining, but
Butler went on a 10-2 run to put the game away. Howard had six of the points,
including two free throws to end the spurt with an 18-point lead and only 2
1/2 minutes to play.
The Ramblers jumped out quickly to a 13-4 lead after an Andy Polka jumper just
past the seven-minute mark, but an 8-0 burst by Butler, capped by Shawn
Vanzant's two free throws, had the hosts within 19-18.
The visitors pushed their advantage to 23-18 before a late charge by the
Bulldogs had the margin at two points at halftime.
Game Notes
Butler went 16-of-18 from the free throw line for the game, while Loyola-
Chicago went 9-of-14...The Bulldogs beat the Ramblers, 48-47, on January 21.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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