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03/12/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Tisdale scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Illinois to a much-needed 58-54 victory over No. 13 Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Demetri McCamey ended with 13 points and eight assists and D.J. Richardson added 12 points for the Fighting Illini (19-13), which had lost to Wisconsin, 72-57, in the regular season finale.
That was the fifth loss in six games for the fifth-seeded Illini, but they held Wisconsin to 28.6 percent shooting to advance to Saturday's semifinals against top-seeded Ohio State.
Jon Leuer and Trevon Hughes each netted 14 points for the fourth-seeded Badgers (23-8), who had a four-game winning streak snapped.
Hughes shot just 4-of-16 from the field but drained a trio of three-pointers in the final minute to pull Wisconsin within 56-54 with 31.4 seconds left.
After Jeff Jordan made 1-of-2 from the foul line to keep it a one-possession game, Jason Bohannon missed an open three from the right wing with Hughes having just fouled out.
Mike Davis, who finished with 10 points and 10 boards, came down with the long carom and made another freebie to seal the win and help Illinois' chances at gaining an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Wisconsin made just one field goal over the first six minutes of the game, allowing Illinois to take an 11-3 lead on a Davis field goal.
Leuer scored five straight to make it a three-point game, but that was as close as the Badgers got in the first half.
The Illini led 29-20 at the break and held the Badgers scoreless for the first four minutes of the second half, as Richardson's three provided a 34-20 lead.
Despite the horrid shooting effort, Wisconsin was within 46-38 with four minutes to go after Leuer capped an 8-0 run with a jumper.
After Bohannon missed a three in an attempt to make it a five-point game, McCamey drained one from behind the arc for some breathing room.
Davis' three-point play with just over a minute left gave Illinois a 54-45 lead before Hughes made things interesting.
Game Notes
Illinois and Wisconsin split the regular season series...The Illini shot 52.5 percent from the field but had 17 turnovers, compared to just five for Wisconsin...Hughes had five steals...Bohannon shot 1-for-10 from the field and ended with five points.
<< Boise State's Greg Graham out as head coach
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Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings activated forward
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Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms on a
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for the Titans last season, re
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Foxboro, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Patriots on Friday re-signed
cornerback Leigh Bodden and inked linebacker Marques Murrell to an undisclosed
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Oregon RB James sentenced to probation, 10 days in jail >>
Eugene, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oregon sophomore running back LaMichael James
was sentenced to 24 months probation and 10 days in jail after pleading guilty
to one count of physical harassment on Friday.
James agreed to a bargain that
Inter stunned by Catania >>
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Masoli, Embry the latest Ducks to enter guilty plea >>
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was sentenced on a misdemeanor harassment charge, Oregon quarterback Jeremiah
Masoli and wide receiver Garrett Embry pled guilty to charges of burglary.
Masoli
Auburn dismisses Lebo >>
Auburn, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Auburn University has dismissed its head men's
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the last six seasons, will no longer be behind the Tigers' bench.
The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.
Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.
The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
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