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01/17/2007 - Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Winners of 13 straight games, the second- ranked Wisconsin Badgers play host to the Purdue Boilermakers this evening in Big Ten action from the Kohl Center in Madison.
Bo Ryan's squad has been a picture of consistency thus far, as a two-point loss to Missouri State back on November 24th is the only blemish on Wisconsin's stellar record (17-1). More recently, the team moved to 3-0 in Big Ten play with Saturday's 56-50 win at Northwestern.
Purdue should not be overlooked by anyone in the conference, as the team has a solid 13-5 record thus far. Matt Painter is in his second season at the helm in West Lafayette and has these Boilermakers believing in themselves. Purdue evened its conference record at 2-2 with a 67-53 win over Michigan this past weekend. The victory also gave the team its 11th victory at home without a defeat.
This is the 160th meeting between these two schools, with Purdue holding a 98-61 advantage all-time. UW has won the last seven meetings in Madison. This is the only regular season meeting between these two teams this season.
The Boilermakers are not an offensive juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, as the team is averaging a modest 73.7 ppg, despite shooting a respectable .475 from the floor. What the team does have though, is one of the conference's top performers in senior forward Carl Landry. The 6-7 veteran is shooting a scorching .631 from the floor this year and leads the Boilermakers in both scoring (19.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg). David Teague provides perimeter support at 12.5 ppg and is the team's top long-range threat, delivering on 40 percent of his three-point attempts (42-of-105). It was the combination of Landry and Teague that led the team to victory over the Wolverines last time out. Landry finished with a game-high 22 points, hitting 9-of-14 from the floor. Teague was on his game as well, hitting 8-of-10 shots, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc, to finish with 21 points. The Boilermakers shot .565 from the floor in the game and forced Michigan into 17 turnovers.
It was a strong defensive effort that led to Wisconsin's win at Northwestern over the weekend. The Badgers held the Wildcats to just .385 shooting, including .222 from long range (4-of-18). It was a good thing, because UW was off its offensive game, shooting just .436 from the field, including .167 from behind the arc (2-of-12). The team only attempted 39 shots overall, the lowest total this season. All-American candidate Alando Tucker led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds. Kammron Taylor was the only Badger to join Tucker in double digits, chipping in 12, despite hitting just 3-of-12 shots from the floor. It has been a strong defensive effort that has fueled Wisconsin's success thus far. The team is limiting foes to a meager 57.4 ppg this year, holing them under 40 percent shooting from the field (.391). Tucker is one of the Big Ten's stars. He is shooting .493 on the year, and is good for almost 20 points per game (19.8). Taylor (13.2 ppg) is the resident sniper, hitting over 46 percent from three-point range (32-of-69). Brian Butch is hitting half of his shots on the year and is closing in on double digits (9.9 ppg), while leading the way on the glass (6.4 rpg).
<< Federer, Roddick advance; Baghdatis falls at Aussie Open
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Roger Federer and
American star Andy Roddick were straight-set second-round winners, while 2006
runner-up Marcos Baghdatis went by way of the upset Wednesday at the
Australian Open.
<< Mauresmo, Kuznetsova, Serena move on at Oz Open
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Reigning champion Amelie Mauresmo,
French Open runner-up Svetlana Kuznetsova and two-time Melbourne titlist
Serena Williams highlighted Wednesday' second-round winners at the Australian
Open.
The seco
<< Rangers extend offer to Sosa
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have offered Sammy Sosa a
chance to return to the majors.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told the Dallas Morning News that Sosa has
been offered a minor league contract with an invita
<< VanGorder leaves Georgia Southern for Atlanta Falcons
Statesboro, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian VanGorder resigned as head coach at
Georgia Southern to take over as the linebackers coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
VanGorder spent just one season as the head coach at Georgia Southern,
comp
Vandy aims for upset of 'Bama >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vanderbilt Commodores hope to thrill the
Nashville crowd with an upset of the 10th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide this
evening in an SEC tilt.
Alabama opened league play with an ugly 88-61 loss to
Rebels and Tigers meet in Baton Rouge >>
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 16th-ranked LSU Tigers have the talent
in place for another run at the Final Four, and they are clearly favored in
tonight's game against a talented yet inconsistent Ole Miss team.
On Saturday,
Vols try to right ship at Auburn >>
Auburn, AL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 22nd-ranked Tennessee Volunteers, led by SEC
Player of the Year hopeful Chris Lofton, invade Auburn tonight for a battle
with the Tigers.
Tennessee had a streak of nine consecutive wins before los
Butler puts perfect home mark on the line >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 18th-ranked Butler Bulldogs are the
favorites to win the Horizon League title this season, and they will
attempt to avoid an upset tonight as they host the Youngstown State
Peng
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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