Butler edges Cleveland State, wins Horizon League title

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/28/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Willie Veasley scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and the 24th-ranked Butler Bulldogs secured their third consecutive regular season Horizon League title with a 58-56 victory over the Cleveland State Vikings.

Matt Howard added 12 points for the Bulldogs (25-4, 15-3 HL), who have secured the top seed in the Horizon League tournament, meaning Butler will advance to the semifinals next Saturday and will have home-court advantage throughout. Ronald Nored contributed 11 points in the victory.

Norris Cole tallied a game-high 17 points for the Vikings (21-10, 12-6), who had won eight straight conference games. J'Nathan Bullock provided 13 points and eight rebounds, while Cedric Jackson had 11 points in the loss.

Down by six at halftime, Cleveland State made it a four-point contest several times in the early portion of the second half, but six straight points from Butler made it 48-38 with 11:44 to play.

The Vikings went almost six minutes without a field goal before three consecutive three-pointers -- two from Jackson and one from Bullock -- brought the visitors to within 50-49 with 7 1/2 minutes left.

After Veasley missed a pair of free throws and a three-point attempt, Cleveland State took its first lead of the second half on Trevon Harmon's layup two minutes later.

Jackson capped the 12-0 run with a free throw, but Gordon Hayward's dunk for Butler promptly tied the game at 52.

George Tandy hit a layup with just over two minutes left to put the Vikings ahead by a pair, and Hayward connected on only 1-of-2 from the line with 1:40 left for Butler, making it a 56-55 game.

After a Bulldogs steal on the ensuing possession, Veasley missed a three-point attempt, but Nored was right there for an offensive rebound and layup, giving the hosts a 57-56 edge with 53 seconds to go.

Bullock was off on a baseline jumper at the other end, and Nored made only 1- of-2 from the line with 16.7 seconds left to give Butler a two-point lead.

Cole tried to win the game for the Vikings, but his three-point attempt drew only air, and Butler held on in the final seconds for the regular season conference championship.

Butler scored the first five points of the contest, but a 9-0 Cleveland State run put the Vikings ahead, 17-12, six minutes into the game. Jackson led the burst with four points.

The Bulldogs answered with a 13-2 spurt, with Veasley contributing four points. Howard's layup with almost 10 minutes left put the hosts ahead by five. Butler extended its lead to 11, 36-25, on the heels of a 9-0 run and held a 38-32 advantage at halftime.

Game Notes

Butler is an impressive 14-1 at home, with its only loss coming to Loyola- Illinois on February 15...Cleveland State is 7-8 on the road...The Bulldogs swept the season series, 2-0 and leads the all-time series with the Vikings, 25-6...Butler shot 56.1 percent from the field, while Cleveland State shot 40.4 percent...Hayward finished with nine points and six rebounds, while Shelvin Mack had eight points and eight rebounds for Butler.

Wwwugameasia NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Hoyas hold off 'Nova, keep faint NCAA hopes alive
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - DaJuan Summers scored 16 points and Chris Wright added 13 with a pair of clutch free throws in the final seconds, as Georgetown kept its flickering NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a 56-54 victory

<< Hansbrough sets free throw record as UNC crushes Georgia Tech
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Hansbrough finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds, and set an NCAA record for made free throws, as fourth-ranked North Carolina dominated Georgia Tech, 104-74. Hansbrough, who entered the contest

<< Chiefs acquire Cassel and Vrabel from Pats
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kansas City and New England finalized a major trade on Saturday, a deal that will send quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs in exchange for a second-round draft pick.

<< Ogilvy among the semifinalists at WGC
Marana, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Geoff Ogilvy, the 2006 winner, handled teenager Rory McIlroy, 2&1, Saturday to advance to the semifinals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship. Ogilvy will meet last year's second-place finisher,

<< San Fracisco 49ers
Signed wide receiver Brandon Jones.

Broncos make it official with Pro Bowl safety Dawkins >>
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos made it official Saturday and signed safety Brian Dawkins to an undisclosed contract. The Broncos Web site said the former Philadelphia Eagle will be introduced at a Saturday afternoon pr

Cubs sign Koskie to minor league deal >>
Mesa, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms on a minor league contract with infielder Corey Koskie, the club announced Saturday. Koskie will join the Cubs after he finishes playing for Team Canada i

Speed wins pole in his Nationwide debut >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Speed captured his first career Nationwide pole in his first start Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Speed, the former Formula One driver-turned-rookie in the Sprint Cup Series this year

Saints give Stinchcomb five-year contract >>
Metairie, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Saints agreed to terms with offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb on a five-year contract Saturday. "Jon has been a real good player for us since cracking the starting lineup in 2006," said tea

Memphis runs win streak to 20 with rout of Southern Miss >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Robert Dozier finished with 18 points and seven rebounds, as fifth-ranked Memphis downed Southern Miss, 58-42, to extended its nation's-best winning streak to 20 games. Tyreke Evans added 14 points and six b

SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.

It is called the "pointspread."

Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.

But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.

A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.

In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.

The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards