Horizon League foes lock horns in Green Bay

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/19/2007 - Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Butler Bulldogs have lost two of their last three games, and they hope to get back on track in tonight's Horizon League clash with the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix.

Butler appeared to be running away with the Horizon League regular season crown, but a loss to Wright State on February 10th pulled the Raiders even with the Bulldogs. Since that outing, Butler has played two straight non- conference tilts, and after beating a weak Florida Gulf Coast team, the Bulldogs fell to nationally-ranked Southern Illinois on Saturday in BracketBuster action. The loss halted the Bulldogs' 22-game home winning streak, and although their resume' is still strong for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, a loss today could change things.

Wisconsin-Green Bay has recorded back-to-back wins to improve to 16-12 overall and 7-7 in league play. On Saturday, the Phoenix took a break from conference action to post an 82-76 decision over Northern Illinois.

Butler crushed Wisconsin-Green Bay in an 80-59 final back on January 20th, and the Bulldogs own a 22-13 advantage in the all-time series.

Butler's matchup with Southern Illinois was one of the most highly-anticipated games of BracketBuster weekend, and the two mid-major powers did not disappoint. The contest was close throughout, but the Bulldogs suffered a 33-24 rebounding disadvantage and a 27-19 deficit in points from the foul line in the loss. Those negatives overshadowed the fact that Butler turned the ball over only six times in 40 minutes of action. Mike Green scored 18 points for the Bulldogs, and Peter Campbell pitched in 17 points off the bench. Unfortunately, A.J. Graves finished with just five points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field. Graves is the team's leading scorer through 28 games with 17.1 ppg, but his 38.7 percent efficiency from the floor leaves much to be desired. Green adds 14.3 ppg, and he has dished out 113 assists. Butler is limiting foes to 56.8 ppg on 39.9 percent overall shooting, key to the squad's success.

Mike Schachtner scored 25 points to lead Wisconsin-Green Bay to its six-point victory over Northern Illinois last time out. Ryan Evanochko and Ryan Tillema tallied 17 points apiece in the win, while Terry Evans added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench. The Phoenix shot 50 percent from the floor and turned the ball over six times. Also, a 25-of-29 showing from the foul line also helped the cause. Evanochko leads the team with 15.4 ppg, and he has dished out 145 assists against only 64 turnovers. Schachtner adds 15.0 ppg, and those two players clearly form one of the top duos in the Horizon League.

Casinoonlinewagering NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Big East foes meet in Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off a heart-breaking loss, the Villanova Wildcats will try to help their NCAA Tournament chances with a victory over the 12th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles in Big East Conference action. O

<< Pitt continues to build head of steam as home stretch approaches
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers continue their quest for the Big East Conference regular season title, and they will take another step in the right direction if they can knock off the Seto

<< Jayhawks and Wildcats square off in pivotal Big 12 clash
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas hopes to extend its winning streak to five games as it battles long-time rival Kansas State in Big 12 Conference action from Manhattan. The fourth consecutive win for KU came on

<< Flyers, Bruins look to continue good play of late
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of teams that have shown improved play in recent weeks will get together this evening at the Wachovia Center, where the Boston Bruins resume a long road trip with a showdown against the Philadelphia Flyers.

<< Predators try to end recent woes against struggling Coyotes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators will try to regain possession of first place in the Central Division as they continue a homestand this evening with a matchup against the slumping Phoenix Coyotes. Nashville lost its grasp on

Duke still unanimous No. 1 in women's poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Duke remained the unanimous No. 1 team in the Associated Press women's college basketball poll. The Blue Devils (28-0) earned all 50 first-place votes and a total of 1,250 points from a national media pane

Oilers place Pisani on IR >>
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers placed right wing Fernando Pisani on injured reserve on Monday. Pisani has missed the past three games after suffering a concussion during the team's 5-1 win over Atlanta on February 11 in

Wisconsin, Ohio State head men's hoops poll >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wisconsin and Ohio State, the Big Ten's best, are also the top two teams in the latest Associated Press men's college basketball poll. After Florida lost to Vanderbilt on Saturday and had a 17-game wi

Zetterberg, Selanne and Sakic earn NHL weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Detroit Red Wings left wing Henrik Zetterberg, Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne and Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic have been named the NHL's Three Stars for the week ending Februar

Grand Rapids' Ellis garners AHL weekly honors >>
Springfield, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The American Hockey League announced today that Grand Rapids Griffins center Matt Ellis has been named the CCM Vector/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending February 18, 2007. Ellis recorded four goals a

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.