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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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.


NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.