Bulldogs hope to cool off red-hot Raiders

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/08/2009 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Butler Bulldogs are once again the favorites to capture the Horizon League title, and they will play host to the Wright State Raiders this evening.

Wright State opened the season with six consecutive defeats and appeared to be on its way to a horrendous season. Surprisingly, however, the Raiders have turned things around, as they have won eight of their last nine contests, including six in a row, to move to 8-7 overall and 2-2 in HL action. On Saturday, Wright State held off Youngstown State in a 60-59 final.

Butler has won 14 consecutive Horizon League regular-season games dating back to last year. The Bulldogs hope to improve to 4-0 in league play for the first time since 2002-03, and they are 6-0 at home. On Saturday, they posted a 75-62 decision over Valparaiso.

Butler owns a narrow 17-15 series lead over Wright State, and the teams split a pair of meetings last season.

Vaughn Duggins is the leading scorer for Wright State with 11.8 ppg, and Cory Cooperwood checks in with 10.7 ppg. The Raiders are generating only 58.3 ppg on 39.9 percent shooting from the floor, so they are far from explosive at the offensive end. Fortunately, they have thrived on defense by limiting foes to 56.7 ppg. Wright State connected on only 30.8 percent of its field goal attempts in the first half against Youngstown State, including a 2-of-10 showing from three-point range. The Raiders trailed by 13 points at the break, but were able to knock down 57.1 percent of their shots from the floor over the final 20 minutes to claim the come-from-behind victory. Cooperwood, Todd Brown and Cooper Land scored 11 points apiece to lead the way in the triumph.

Butler is a tremendous defensive team, as it is yielding just 57.2 ppg on 39.1 percent shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs are generating 69.4 ppg, and there are three starters averaging double figures in scoring. Matt Howard paces the club with 14.0 ppg, and he is pulling down 6.8 rpg. Shelvin Mack is posting 13.3 ppg, and Gordon Hayward provides 12.9 ppg. Against Valparaiso on Saturday, Howard tallied 16 points on the strength of his 4-of-4 effort from the floor and 8-of-9 showing from the foul line. Willie Veasley and Gordon Hayward both scored 15 points, and Hayward also pulled down 13 rebounds. Mack contributed 14 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 56.5 percent from the field in the second half after a 38.5 percent performance in the first half.

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Super Bowl XLIV Odds

Super Bowl XLIII isn't even a week old yet and oddsmakers have already released Super Bowl XLIV odds.

Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers winning Super Bowl 43, the New England Patriots are 8/1 favorites to win Super Bowl 44.

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

With their 27-23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers became the latest NFL champion. But believe it or not, oddsmakers from online sports book MySportsbook.com don't have the Steelers the favorites to win Super Bowl XLIV next season.

That honor belongs to the New England Patriots, who are 8/1 favorites to win despite not even qualify for the postseason in 2008. The Pats also have a major decision to make regarding what to do with Matt Cassel, who played well in Tom Brady's (knee surgery) absence last year but is also a free agent this offseason.

Ironically, the Steelers aren't even oddsmakers second choice to win Super Bowl 44, as the Dallas Cowboys are listed right behind the Patriots at 9/1 despite not making the playoffs themselves. Clearly oddsmakers think the public will hop back on the Cowboys' bandwagon considering the immense talent they have and the opening of a brand new stadium.

After Dallas, then comes Pittsburgh at 10/1, but they share those odds with the New York Giants, who won Super Bowl XLII. The Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers round out the top six teams at 12/1, while the Baltimore Ravens (14/1), Tennessee Titans (16/1), Carolina Panthers (18/1) and Philadelphia Eagles (18/1) complete the top 10.

The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals got no love from oddsmakers as they were established as a 30/1 long shot to win next year's Super Bowl. They share those same odds with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – two teams that didn't even qualify for the postseason. Other long shots are the Kansas City Chiefs (100/1), Detroit Lions (100/1), St. Louis Rams (75/1) and Oakland Raiders (75/1).

To see a complete list of all the team's odds to win Super Bowl XLIV, check below.

NFL TEAM FUTURE ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL XLIV

New England Patriots 8/1

Dallas Cowboys 9/1

New York Giants 10/1

Pittsburgh Steelers 10/1

Indianapolis Colts 12/1

San Diego Chargers 12/1

Baltimore Ravens 14/1

Tennessee Titans 16/1

Carolina Panthers 18/1

Philadelphia Eagles 18/1

New Orleans Saints 20/1

Atlanta Falcons 25/1

Denver Broncos 25/1

Green Bay Packers 25/1

Jacksonville Jaguars 25/1

Minnesota Vikings 25/1

New York Jets 25/1

Arizona Cardinals 30/1

Chicago BearS 30/1

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30/1

Buffalo Bills 35/1

Houston TexaNS 35/1

Miami Dolphins 35/1

Washington Redskins 35/1

Seattle SeahawkS 50/1

Cleveland Browns 55/1

Cincinnati Bengals 60/1

San Francisco 49ers 60/1

Oakland Raiders 75/1

St. Louis Rams 75/1

Detroit Lions 100/1

Kansas City Chiefs 100/1

Odds as of: 2/2/09

Bet Super Bowl XLIV Future Odds

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