Wolverines visit Buckeyes in Big Ten showdown

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/29/2012 - Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 20th-ranked Michigan Wolverines head to the Value City Arena today to take on the fourth-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes with the first place position in the Big Ten Conference standings at stake.

This will be the 162nd meeting in the all-time series between Ohio State and Michigan. The Buckeyes hold a 90-71 edge in the rivalry and have gone 51-26 against the Wolverines in Columbus to this point. Ohio State has won five overall and 14 of the last 16 meetings in the series. The Wolverines will be looking to snap their seven-game losing streak in Columbus today.

Michigan head coach John Beilein led his team to a crucial 66-64 road victory over the Purdue Boilermakers on Tuesday to stay in first place in the conference. Despite defeating Purdue on the road, Michigan is still only 2-4 in games away from home this year. The Wolverines still own an impressive 16-5 overall record which includes a 6-2 mark in league play. The Wolverines submitted their best shooting performance since entering Big Ten play against Purdue, as they made 54 percent of their field goals including 6-of-9 from three point range. The Wolverines provide a challenge for their opponents as they allow a mere 61.0 ppg, which is fourth best in the league.

Michigan has one of the best backcourts in the nation as Tim Hardaway Jr. and Trey Burke are two of the top guards in the Big Ten. Hardaway is the team's leading scorer with an average of 15.2 ppg. The sophomore guard came up huge his last time out as he scored 19 points to help charge the victory over Purdue. Hardaway Jr., has a big impact every time he steps on the floor due to his athleticism, which he utilizes at both ends. Despite being a freshman, Burke is tied for second in the conference in assists (5.0 apg) and second on the team in scoring (14.1 ppg). Evan Smotrycz is leading Michigan on the boards with 5.7 rpg and Zack Novak is a third scoring option as he is netting just under 10 ppg.

Thad Matta's Buckeyes come in with an impressive 18-3 record after dominating Penn State 78-54 their last time out. The victory improved the team's Big Ten record to 6-2. Ohio State has won three straight games, with all of the victories coming by double-digit margins. The Buckeyes have been sharp at both ends of the floor this season and exhibited their talents against Penn State by shooting 50 percent from the field and holding the Nittany Lions to 31.3 percent shooting. Ohio State leads the Big Ten with a +22.0 scoring margin.

Jared Sullinger leads the charge for Ohio State with averages of 17.3 ppg and 9.3 rpg. The star sophomore recorded a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds versus Penn State. Sullinger has now recorded nine double-doubles this season. William Buford and Deshaun Thomas are both quality players for the Buckeyes as they each have averages around 15 ppg. Buford has scored in double figures in three straight contests. Thomas saw his streak of five straight games with double-digit scoring end, as he was held to nine points by Penn State.

Bestonsports NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Tar Heels put lengthy home win streak on line vs. Yellow Jackets
Chapel Hill, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels will try to make it 31 in a row at home tonight when they host the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in an Atlantic Coast Conference battle at the Smith Center. This w

<< Hoosiers host Hawkeyes in Big Ten battle
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ranked 16th in the nation to close out the week, the Indiana Hoosiers try to get back to .500 in Big Ten Conference play this evening as they entertain the Iowa Hawkeyes at Assembly Hall in Bloomington. Si

<< Wolves aim to snap long skid vs. Lakers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Lakers will finish a two-day tour of the Midwest on Sunday aiming for their 16th consecutive win over the much-improved Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves haven't beaten LA since March 6, 2007 but this is a much differ

<< Hawks and Hornets tangle in the Big Easy
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Hornets hope to build on their first win in over two weeks when they host the Atlanta Hawks in the Big Easy. New Orleans tasted victory for the first time since Jan. 9 on Friday when Carl Landry netted a team-high 17 p

<< Mavs and Spurs renew rivalry in Dallas
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime Lone Star State rivals meet with first place in the Southwest Division on the line as the Mavericks welcome San Antonio to Big D. Dallas, the reigning NBA champs, and the Spurs, the defending division champs, bot

Irish to try their luck in Big East brawl with Huskies >>
Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Notre Dame Fighting Irish conclude their two-game road trip with a visit to the XL Center to square off with the 24th- ranked Connecticut Huskies. This will be the 27th meeting in the all-time series betwe

Clippers and Nuggets square off in Denver >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Western Conference contenders meet in the Rockies Sunday when the Denver Nuggets entertain the Los Angeles Clippers at Pepsi Center. The surprising Nuggets sport the second best record in the West and come into

Falcons add former Fresno State coach Pat Hill >>
Flowery Branch, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Fresno State head coach Pat Hill will join the Atlanta Falcons' staff as offensive line coach. Hill spent the past 15 seasons guiding the Bulldogs and was fired in December after the team strugg

De Jong's hat trick moves Twente into second >>
Enschede, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luuk de Jong's hat trick propelled Twente to a 4-1 win over Groningen on Sunday, moving the club past third- place AZ Alkmaar on goal difference. AZ's surprising 2-0 defeat to Roda on Saturday

Bledsoe back with Clippers >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe is back with the team after being recalled from Bakersfield of the NBA Development League on Sunday. Bledsoe has not played for Los Angeles this season because of a right k

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.