Buckeyes host Wildcats in Big Ten action

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/17/2007 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at opposite ends of the Big Ten Conference standings meet in Columbus tonight, as the Northwestern Wildcats come calling on the seventh-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

Northwestern started the season a solid 10-3, but losses in all four of its league bouts thus far has the squad just three games over .500 at the moment. The Wildcats bring up the rear in the Big Ten at 0-4, and they have dropped three of the four games by double figures. The lone exception during that span was last Saturday's 56-50 setback to No. 3 Wisconsin.

As for Ohio State, it is 2-1 in Big Ten play and 14-3 overall. Thad Matta's Buckeyes stepped out of conference last weekend to entertain SEC foe Tennessee in a game that lived up to the hype as OSU prevailed in a nailbiter, 68-66. It was the Buckeyes' first win over a ranked opponent this season after dropping bouts to North Carolina, Florida and Wisconsin, and the win improved the club to 27-0 in non-league home games under Matta. Ohio State is a perfect 11-0 at home this season while Northwestern is 0-3 in true road tilts.

Ohio State owns a commanding 107-44 lead in the all-time series with Northwestern, and the Wildcats haven't topped the Buckeyes since 1998. OSU is the only Big Ten team NU head coach Bill Carmody has yet to beat.

Defense is traditionally the name of the game in Evanston, and the Wildcats have proven themselves more than worthy this season. Northwestern's foes are scoring just 56.5 ppg on 42.6 percent shooting from the field, and the 'Cats own a winning record despite being outrebounded by 7.7 rpg. Offensively, NU is hitting 44.8 percent of its total shots and putting up just 58.8 ppg. The team boasts three double-digit scorers, but Kevin Coble's club-best 12.1 ppg demonstrates a lack of big-time offensive production. Craig Moore and Tim Doyle check in with 10.2 and 10.1 ppg, respectively, with Doyle also serving as the team's primary playmaker with 95 assists in 17 games.

The 'Cats gave visiting Wisconsin all it could handle over the weekend, as the Badgers made good on just 2-of-12 three-point tries, suffered 15 turnovers and allowed the home team to actually hit more field goals in the contest (20-17). Jeff Ryan led the NU attack with 18 points and Doyle added 11 points and eight assists.

Freshman sensation Greg Oden had arguably his best game of the season in Ohio State's recent win over Tennessee, as the 7-0 Indianapolis native scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Oden, who hit 9-of-13 shots from the field, also played a huge role defensively, coming up with three blocks and a steal in addition to making the Volunteers think twice about coming into the lane throughout the game. Fellow rookie Mike Conley Jr. poured in a career-high 16 points. Ohio State turned the ball over 20 times, but claimed an 18-5 edge in points from the foul line as well as a dominating 46-30 rebounding advantage in earning the narrow victory.

Despite missing the first seven games due to a wrist injury, Oden has been nothing short of spectacular during his freshman campaign, hitting 61.1 percent of his field goal attempts in averaging 14.9 ppg. He also pulls down 9.8 rpg and has 39 blocks for an average of nearly four per game. Oden doesn't have to go it alone however, as the Buckeyes have three other double-digit scorers, with Daequan Cook (14.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg), Ron Lewis (12.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Ivan Harris (10.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg) all producing this season. Conley Jr. is averaging 9.4 ppg and leads the team with 6.4 apg.

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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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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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