Illini welcome Gophers to Champaign

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/26/2009 - Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Still in the hunt for the Big Ten title, the 20th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini, welcome the Minnesota Golden Gophers to Champaign this evening, for a key conference clash at Assembly Hall.

Bruce Weber's Illini are 10-5 in league play and sit two games behind league- leading Michigan State with three games to play, including one on Sunday against the Spartans. The Illini have kept things close by winning four of their last five games, including last weekend's thrilling 70-68 nail-biter at Ohio State.

Tubby Smith's Gophers have been solid for the most part this season and their 20-7 overall mark is certainly indicative of that. Minnesota however, is just treading water in the Big Ten with an 8-7 mark and has lost four of its last six games, overall. Still, the team was able to halt a brief two-game losing streak, with last Sunday's 72-45 pasting of Northwestern.

Illinois owns a 68-16 advantage in this series at home and has won 10 straight against Minnesota in Assembly Hall, with the Gophers' last road win in this series coming back in 1996. Minnesota should have some confidence coming in though, having brought an end to an ugly 20-game skid against Illinois with a 59-36 decision in Minneapolis back on January 29th.

The Golden Gophers were superior in just about every facet of the game against Northwestern on Sunday, shooting over 50 percent from the floor, while limiting the Wildcats to a mere 14 total field goals. Minnesota also outrebounded NU 40-21 and outscored the Wildcats 21-11 at the free-throw line. Lawrence Westbrook led the offensive charge with 17 points. He has been the driving force at the offensive end all season long for Minnesota, averaging 12.5 ppg. Scoring depth is hard to come by in Minneapolis this season, with the next highest scorer coming in at just 8.8 ppg. Still, Minnesota is not known for its offensive prowess (68.5 ppg), but rather, its defensive tenacity, holding foes to an anemic 62.0 ppg, on under 40 percent shooting overall (.397).

Illinois is very similar in the fact that it is the defensive pressure which sets things up for the Illini at the offensive end. The top defensive team in the Big Ten this year, Illinois is allowing a meager 56.2 ppg, holding opponents under 40 percent shooting overall (.395), including under 30 percent from behind the arc (.290). Four of the five starters are averaging double digits for Illinois, but none can be called explosive. Demetri McCamey paces the team at 11.9 ppg and is followed closely by Mike Davis (11.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg), Mike Tisdale (10.9 ppg) and Trent Meacham (10.3 ppg). Chester Frazier rounds out the starting five and while not much of a scorer (5.4 ppg), he does lead the way in assists (5.4 apg) and steals (37). The Illini took a five- point lead at the half and never allowed the hometown Buckeyes to recapture the lead, as Bruce Weber picked up his 150th win at Illinois. The Illini shot 58 percent from the floor in the game and placed three players in double figures, led by Davis' 22 points. Meacham added 17 points to the cause, while McCamey finished with 15 points and a game-high seven assists.

Xportsbook NCAA Basketball Betting News


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Stanley Cup betting

New York, NY – October 3, 2007 – The dress rehearsal is over! The NHL preseason has ended and now that fans have had a glimpse of what is to come it is time to hit the book! Stanley Cup odds are live at MySportsbook.com, the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino.

The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings remain on top of the odds charts after an impressive start in the preseason. Betting lines opened for both teams at 6-1 in June. Since then the Sens have fallen to 7-1 and the Red Wings are now caught in a pack including the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks, all at 10-1.

MySportsbook.com has also posted props on each team’s point total for the regular season. The Senators lead the charge at 108.5 followed by the Ducks at 106.5. Detroit will attempt a repeat for the prize as the Red Wings are deadlocked with the Predators at 104.5 a piece. The temporary loss of highly touted rookie Evgeni Malkin puts a lot of pressure on the stick of assistant captain Sidney Crosby - his lowly Pittsburgh Penguins are listed at 71.5.

Even if bettors are not brave enough to put their money on the underdog, an early bet on the favorites at sportsbook.com tends to produce bigger payouts than a mid-season wager. Placing a $1,000 bet last summer on the Detroit Red Wings or Ottawa Senators would have paid out to $8,000 and $10,000 respectively, opposed to a $2,500 or $3,000 payout at the beginning of the playoffs.

Stanley Cup Odds    

 Ottawa Senators
Detroit Red Wings 
Carolina Hurricanes  
San Jose Sharks     
Anaheim Ducks    
Philadelphia Flyers 
Calgary Flames     
New Jersey Devils 
Buffalo Sabres   
Dallas Stars    
New York Rangers  
Nashville Predators  
Vancouver Canucks 
Colorado Avalanche  
Minnesota Wild    
Tampa Bay Lightning    
Boston Bruins    
Florida Panthers   
Montreal Canadiens   
Atlanta Thrashers 
Toronto Maple Leafs  
Edmonton Oilers      
Phoenix Coyotes    
Los Angeles Kings      
New York Islanders   
Columbus Blue Jackets  
St. Louis Blues      
Pittsburgh Penguins 
Washington Capitals   
Chicago Blackhawks    
7-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
10-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
15-1
20-1
20-1
25-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
30-1
40-1
40-1
50-1
50-1
80-1
80-1
100-1
100-1 

NHL Regular Season Points - Team Must Play 82 Games 

Team     
Ottawa Senators      
Anaheim Ducks 
Detroit Red Wings   
Nashville Predators 
San Jose Sharks 
Calgary Flames     
Philadelphia Flyers    
New Jersey Devils     
Buffalo Sabres    
Carolina Hurricanes       
Dallas Stars          
New York Rangers   
Minnesota Wild     
Atlanta Thrashers     
Montreal Canadiens    
Team        
Los Angeles Kings           
Tampa Bay Lightening   
Vancouver Canucks 
Boston Bruins       
Colorado Avalanche 
Edmonton Oilers  
Phoenix Coyotes  
Toronto Maple Leafs   
Florida Panthers 
Columbus Blue Jackets   
New York Islanders   
Chicago Blackhawks  
St. Louis Blues  
Washington Capitals 
Pittsburgh Penguins  
Over/Under
108.5
106.5
104.5
104.5
103.5
101.5
100.5
99.5
97.5
97.5
97.5
95.5
94.5
93.5
92.5
Over/Under
91.5
91.5
91.5
89.5
89.5
88.5
88.5
86.5
84.5
82.5
80.5
72.5
72.5
72.5
71.5

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey sportsbook needs.