14th-ranked Purdue takes on Penn State in Big Ten battle
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
01/06/2009 - University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers will try to avoid an 0-2 start to Big Ten play tonight, as they square off against the Penn State Nittany Lions at the Bryce Jordan Center.
The Boilermakers kicked off their Big Ten slate a week ago, dropping a 71-67 overtime decision to Illinois. It was the second overtime loss this season for Purdue, which fell to 0-5 in such games under head coach Matt Painter. With the setback, the Boilermakers saw their six-game win streak come to an end, as they dipped to 11-3 on the season.
As for PSU, it too comes into the contest on a low note, falling 65-61 at Wisconsin on Saturday. The loss snapped the team's five-game win streak and dropped it to 12-3 overall and a level 1-1 in league play. The Lions, who are 2-3 in their last five meetings against ranked teams, now return back home, where they have go a solid 9-1, including five straight wins.
The head-to-head to series, though, is led by Purdue, which holds a 20-9 advantage over PSU and has won the last four meetings.
The Boilermakers have really clamped down on defense this season, forcing 18.0 turnovers per game and holding foes to a mere 35.8 percent shooting from the floor. E'Twaun Moore has made his presence felt at both ends of the floor and he leads Purdue in scoring (14.6 ppg), to go with 21 steals. Robbie Hummel turns in 13.8 ppg and a team-high 8.1 rpg for Purdue, while JaJuan Johnson adds 12.6 ppg and 5.5 rpg to the mix. In the team's last game, Johnson recorded a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds, but it wasn't enough for Purdue in an overtime loss to Illinois. Moore logged a team-high 17 points, and Hummel snared 11 caroms in the setback. The Boilermakers did themselves in with poor shooting, connecting only 38.1 percent from the floor, 4-of-16 from long range and 15-of-27 at the foul line.
The Lions are shooting a solid 39.8 percent from three-point range for an average of 71.7 ppg, and they are also crashing the boards following any missed shots, outrebounding foes by 6.1 rpg. Talor Battle, a 42.6 percent shooter from long distance, has been outstanding for PSU and he leads the team in scoring (18.7 ppg), assists (5.1 apg) and steals (22). Stanley Pringle has provided a nice complement to him with 14.9 ppg, 3.3 apg and 19 steals, while Jamelle Cornley contributes 14.5 ppg and a team-high 7.1 rpg. On Saturday, Pringle poured in a career-high 26 points and doled out five assists, but the Lions just didn't have enough to upend Wisconsin. Cornley also had a big game with 20 points and seven rebounds, but Battle was held to only six points in the setback. Wisconsin held a 12-8 edge in free-throw points and a 26-16 advantage in points in the paint and that was good enough to hand PSU the loss.
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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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