Buckeyes and Spartans meet in key Big Ten bout

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/27/2007 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trying to keep within striking distance of the red-hot Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten, the fifth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes play host to the Michigan State Spartans in league play from Value City Arena this evening.

The Buckeyes are 5-1 in the Big Ten, following Wednesday's 59-50 victory at Northwestern. It was the team's fourth straight victory and leaves it one game behind the 6-0 Badgers in the conference standings.

The Spartans are within reach as well, sitting at 4-2 in league play. Tom Izzo's squad has also strung together four consecutive wins and enters this contest off a 70-46 pasting of Minnesota on Wednesday. The Spartans are a perfect 14-0 at home this season, but have struggled a bit in true road games, winning just once in four attempts.

The Spartans own a 59-47 edge in the all-time series with Ohio State and have actually won four straight in Value City Arena.

The Spartans abused the Golden Gophers in the paint, outscoring their foe down low 32-4. The team shot 50.9 percent from the floor and held Minnesota to a mere .311 shooting performance. In addition, MSU won the battle on the boards (38-24) and forced 15 turnovers. Raymar Morgan led the way with 14 points, followed closely by Drew Neitzel and Goran Suton, who finished with 13 and 10 points, respectively. On the year, Neitzel has clearly asserted himself as the offensive leader, pacing the team with 18.2 ppg. Most of Neitzel's damage comes from long range, where he has connected on 41.1 percent of his attempts, leading the team with a whopping 62 three-pointers thus far. Morgan is the only other Spartan with a double-digit average, adding 10.8 ppg. Not a flashy offensive team by any stretch of the imagination, MSU is averaging just 68.9 ppg. The team has thrived at the defensive end though, yielding a mere 55.8 ppg, while holding foes under 40 percent shooting (.374).

The Buckeyes can win games at either end of the court, showing the ability to light up a scoreboard when needed (77.6 ppg), while also showing some real grit at the defensive end (61.3 ppg against). It took a little time, but freshman phenom Greg Oden is beginning to assert himself as the best big man in the country. The seven-foot youngster is shooting .658 from the floor and currently leads the Buckeyes in scoring (15.4 ppg), rebounding (10.1 rpg) and blocked shots (47). Daequan Cook and Ron Lewis provide perimeter balance with 13.1 and 12.2 ppg, respectively. In the nine-point win over the Wildcats this week, Oden finished with yet another double-double, posting 17 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. Forward Ivan Harris also finished with double digits in terms of scoring, leading the team with 18 points. OSU really beat up Northwestern on the glass, outrebounding the Wildcats, 39-19.

Wwwskybook NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Cowboys hope to lasso Cyclones
Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys finish up a brief two-game homestand this weekend, as they play host to the Iowa State Cyclones in Big 12 action from the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwa

<< Top-ranked Gators hit the SEC road
Auburn, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-ranked Florida Gators continue their feverish run through the SEC, as they travel to Alabama this weekend to battle the Auburn Tigers from the Beard-Eaves Coliseum. This is the third strai

<< Jayhawks host Buffaloes in Big 12 clash
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at opposite ends of the Big 12 standings meet this afternoon in Lawrence, as the eighth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks host the Colorado Buffaloes in conference action from the Allen Fieldho

<< High-powered Penguins skate into Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their push towards a possible playoff spot this evening, where the up-and-coming club visits the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena. Pittsburgh has won four of its last five ga

<< Scorching Blues hope to end string of misfortune vs. Preds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The resurgent St. Louis Blues hope to end a long winless drought against the Nashville Predators when the two Central Division opponents face off tonight at Scottrade Center. Nashville boasts 13 consecutive

Top-25 battle pits Tar Heels against Wildcats >>
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A rare non-conference treat late in the season takes place in the desert this afternoon, as the fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels come calling on the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats in Tucson.

Sooners attempt to continue mastery of Aggies >>
College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sitting in a logjam atop the Big 12 standings, the sixth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies return home to the friendly confines of Reed Arena, as they play host to the Oklahoma Sooners in confere

Top-25 Pac-10 tilt features Oregon at Washington State >>
Pullman, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A top-25 battle in the Pac-10 takes place in the Pacific Northwest this evening, as the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks take on the 20th-ranked Washington State Cougars from Friel Court in Pullman

Trojans attempt to slay Golden Bears in Berkeley >>
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an attempt to salvage something from their trip to the Bay Area, the 25th-ranked USC Trojans will take on the California Golden Bears in Pac-10 play from Haas Pavilion this evening. The Tro

Tide puts perfect home record on line >>
Tuscaloosa, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa is the site of today's SEC battle between the Arkansas Razorbacks and Alabama Crimson Tide. Not much has gone right for Arkansas lately, as the team has lost four of it

NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

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.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.

NFL Football Office Pool Printable Schedules
MySportsbook.com , leading online sportsbook, offers free NFL football office pool printable sheets! Run your own NFL Football Office Pool. Create your own pool, invite your friends to join. Compete with your with co-workers, friends or family for bragging rights every week. Exchange some hard hits without risk of injury -- Trash Talk with your fellow co-workers.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.