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.

Www3sex 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

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

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