Big Ten battle pits Fighting Illini against Buckeyes

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/22/2009 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Ten rivals collide in Columbus today, as the Ohio State Buckeyes play host to the 18th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini.

Illinois coach Bruce Weber is hoping his team puts forth a much better offensive showing than it did in a recent loss to Penn State, as the Illini scored a mere 33 points, by far their worst effort of the season. Despite the setback, Illinois is still having a sensational campaign, going 21-6, which includes a 9-5 mark in conference. The Illini, who haven't lost consecutive games this year, are an even 4-4 in true road games, winning two in a row outside of Champaign. Consistency is the key to UI's success as the team has run out the same starting five in 25 straight games.

Ohio State will try to put the brakes on a two-game slide, and the team should be confident coming in as it sports a 13-2 home record to this point in the season. At 17-7 overall and 7-6 in Big Ten play, coach Thad Matta's club can significantly improve its chances of securing an NCAA Tournament bid with a win over the Illini this afternoon. The Buckeyes are 5-4 against ranked foes this season, and have won two in a row over such opponents. Going back a bit further, OSU has won seven of its last 11 against teams in the Top-25.

These two teams met in Champaign back on January 20th, with the Illini taking a 67-49 decision. As a result, Illinois' lead in the all-time series stands at 101-64. Ohio State owns a 40-39 advantage in games played in Columbus over the years, and the Buckeyes have won three straight versus the Illini at Value City Arena.

Balance on offense and one of the stingiest defenses in the country are the reasons Illinois is in position to challenge for the Big Ten regular-season title as well as a favorable seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Demetri McCamey leads the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) while ranking second to Chester Frazier in assists (130). Frazier has dished out 144 helpers and has come up with a club-best 37 steals. Mike Tisdale (11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Mike Davis (10.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Trent Meacham (10.0 ppg) round out the unit's double-digit scorers, demonstrating the total team concept rather than relying on one or two star players. The Illini are allowing just 55.7 ppg and the team ranks second in the conference and 28th nationally in FG percentage defense (.392) while sitting atop the league and placing eighth in the country in three-point FG percentage defense (.286). The Illini certainly did the job defensively in the recent loss to Penn State, holding the Nittany Lions to 28.3 percent shooting from the floor and only 38 points. Unfortunately, Illinois couldn't find open shots, and missed the majority of the ones it did, netting 33 points (UI's lowest point total in more than 60 years) on only 30 percent FG efficiency.

Ohio State's Evan Turner is one of the more productive players in the Big Ten, averaging 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game to lead his team in all three categories. William Buford (11.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Jon Diebler (11.3 ppg, 3.3 ppg) are both netting double digits for the Buckeyes, who put up 67.8 ppg while permitting 61.3 ppg. The team is knocking down its field goals at a 48.3 percent clip while allowing the opposition a 40.3 percent success rate. Diebler went off in OSU's recent 72-69 loss at Northwestern, scoring 28 points on the strength of eight three-pointers, the team as a whole converting 52.6 percent from out on the perimeter. Turner added 14 points, six assists and five boards in the setback, while B.J. Mullens came off the bench to log a double-double with 11 points and the same number of rebounds. The Buckeyes led by double digits in the second half, but the Wildcats rallied to put an end to OSU's 11-game win streak in the series.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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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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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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