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.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

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