Illini and Badgers square off in Big Ten brawl

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/09/2010 - Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Illinois Fighting Illini carry a four-game win streak into tonight's Big Ten Conference battle with the 11th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers, who are tough to beat in Madison.

Illinois has quietly gotten itself into position to contend for the Big Ten title with its recent winning streak, as the club is 8-3 in league play. The Illini, who are 16-8 overall, knocked off Michigan State on Saturday by a 78-73 final, avenging a five-point loss to the Spartans last month. All but one of the club's eight losses this season have come by 10 or fewer points, proof that Illinois has been competitive even in defeat.

Like Illinois, Wisconsin is 8-3 in conference action thanks to wins in four of its last five contests. The Badgers defeated Michigan on Saturday by a 62-44 final to move to 18-5 overall, and they carry a 13-0 home record into this evening's affair.

Illinois owns a 107-74 series advantage over Wisconsin, but the Badgers have won six of the last seven meetings.

The Illini have achieved strong offensive balance thanks to the contributions of four double-digit scorers. Demetri McCamey leads the way with 15.4 ppg, and he has dished out 153 assists against 76 turnovers. Mike Tisdale provides 11.7 ppg on 57.6 percent shooting, and D.J. Richardson provides 11.2 ppg. As for Mike Davis, he rounds out the foursome with 10.7 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Illinois is posting 74.2 ppg through 24 games, while opponents are netting 67.0 ppg against the team. McCamey shot 6-of-9 from three-point range and finished with 22 points against Michigan State last time out, and Richardson added 14 points. The Illini shot 52.5 percent from the field and committed only 10 turnovers, eight fewer than the Spartans. Those positives enabled the Illini to overcome a 34-24 rebounding deficit.

Trevon Hughes is netting 15.5 ppg this season for Wisconsin, which is scoring 67.8 ppg while limiting opponents to 56.2 ppg on 41.0 percent field goal efficiency. Jason Bohannon checks in with 11.1 ppg, and Jordan Taylor adds 10.0 ppg. Against Michigan over the weekend, Wisconsin connected on 53.7 percent of its field goal attempts, including a 11-of-21 effort from three- point range. The Badgers also earned a 29-19 rebounding advantage and played tremendous team defense in the second half. Bohannon tallied 18 points in that contest, and he handed out five assists. Hughes pitched in 14 points, and Jordan Taylor finished with 13.

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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook

Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds.  The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.

Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.

Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).

Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.

World Series odds

Adam Dunn 15-1

Albert Pujols 5-1

Alex Rodriguez 12-1

Alfonso Soriano 15-1

Andruw Jones 25-1

Barry Bonds 50-1

Carlos Delgado 40-1

David Ortiz 8-1

Jermaine Dye 40-1

Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1

Lance Berkman 40-1

Manny Ramirez 20-1

Richie Sexson 40-1

Ryan Howard 6-1

Travis Hafner 20-1

Vladimir Guerrero 40-1

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