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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Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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