Boilermakers hope to keep pace in Big Ten title race

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/26/2009 - Ann Arbor, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers continue their push toward the Big Ten Conference regular-season title, and they need to beat the Michigan Wolverines on the road this evening.

Purdue is hot on the heels of the Michigan State Spartans, and the team is an impressive 21-6 overall. The Boilermakers have recorded four consecutive victories to move to 10-4 in Big Ten action, and the most recent triumph came over Indiana on Saturday by an 81-67 final. They beat Michigan State by 18 points last week, and it can be argued that no team in the conference is better than Matt Painter's group right now.

As for Michigan, it owns a 17-11 overall record, and the club hopes to even its 7-8 league mark this evening. The team is 13-3 at home, an obvious reason for confidence. The Wolverines carried a modest two-game win streak into Sunday's road clash with Iowa, and the result was a heartbreaking 70-60 overtime defeat.

Purdue crushed Michigan by a 67-49 final on January 31st, and the Boilermakers own an 80-60 series advantage over the Wolverines.

Looking at the victory over Indiana, Purdue shot 57.1 percent shooting from the floor, including 7-of-13 from three-point range. The Boilermakers also earned an 18-6 edge in points from the foul line, although their 54.5 percent accuracy from the charity stripe wasn't exactly impressive. E'Twaun Moore was outstanding in the triumph, as he posted 26 points on the strength of a 5-of-6 effort from behind the arc. JaJuan Johnson pitched in 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Boilermakers, and he is averaging 13.6 ppg and 6.0 rpg this season to go along with 64 blocked shots. Moore tops the roster with 14.0 ppg, and Robbie Hummel provides 11.9 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Purdue is limiting its opponents to 58.0 ppg on 37.6 percent shooting from the field, as strong defense is clearly the key to the team's success.

Manny Harris is the leading scorer for Michigan this season, as the versatile guard is generating 16.9 ppg to go along with 120 assists and 7.1 rpg. DeShawn Sims is the other half of the club's standout duo, as the forward provides 14.5 ppg and 7.3 rpg. The Wolverines are netting 67.3 ppg overall while limiting foes to 63.4 ppg on 43.4 percent field goal efficiency. In the disappointing loss to Iowa last time out, Michigan shot a dreadful 1-of-10 from the field in overtime. The Wolverines connected on only 32.3 percent of their field goal attempts overall, and they were outscored and outrebounded in the tilt. Stu Douglass led the way in the setback with 14 points, while Sims added 13 points. Harris was 3-of-13 from the floor and tallied nine points.

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A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

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Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.