Illinois welcomes No. 15 Wisconsin to Champaign

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/07/2010 - Champaign, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In desperate need of a win, the Illinois Fighting Illini seek an upset of the 15th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers today in a Big Ten showdown at Assembly.

At 10-7 within the conference, Illinois is already guaranteed a fifth place finish, but is in need of a run to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive. Once a lock for the Big Dance, the Illini have fallen in four of their last five outings to put them on the so called bubble at 18-12. The team had an opportunity to help its chances of reaching the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday, but came up short in a 73-57 loss at nationally-ranked Ohio State.

The Badgers, meanwhile, can finish no worse than fourth in the conference and could even grab a third seed for the upcoming league tourney with a win today and a Michigan State loss to Michigan. Winners of three straight games, including a 67-40 trouncing of Iowa on Wednesday, Wisconsin has earned a first-round bye in the league postseason and is competing for a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

As for the all-time series, Illinois owns a 108-74 advantage over Wisconsin and the Illini handed the Badgers their lone home loss of the season with a 63-56 decision back on February 9th.

The Badgers shot an efficient 54.9 percent from the floor, including a 6-of-12 showing from long range, as they breezed past Iowa earlier in the week. Wisconsin, which broke the game open with an 18-0 run in the first half, also dominated the boards 33-20. Jon Leuer led the way with 18 points on 8-of-9 field goals, while Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon checked in with 15 and 11 points, respectively. For the season, Hughes tops the roster in scoring at 15.4 ppg and he shoots 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. Leuer adds 14.6 ppg and a team-high 5.8 rpg to the mix, while Bohannon tacks on 12.3 ppg on 41.3 percent shooting from three-point range.

The Illini made just 38.3 percent of their attempts from the floor and were outscored at the foul line, 15-4, in a loss at Ohio State this past week. The battle on the boards also went to Ohio State, which held a 41-32 advantage. Demetri McCamey paced the team in defeat with 18 points and seven helpers, while Mike Tisdale had 10 points and four blocks. For the season, McCamey has not only been counted on to lead the team in scoring at 15.1 ppg, but he is also responsible for running the show, dishing off 6.9 apg. Tisdale brings 11.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg to the lineup, while D.J. Richardson chips in with 10.5 ppg. Mike Davis, the team's leading rebounder at 8.8 rpg, gets into the mix with 10.4 ppg as well.

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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.