Wisconsin seeks sweep of Purdue

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Wisconsin seeks sweep of Purdue

Annually one of the most confounding teams in the country is Wisconsin. Even though Bo Ryan can X and O with the best in college basketball, a look at the roster before the season screams of this school not being in the Top 125 talent-wise. Yet here they are, in second place the Big Ten Conference with 6-2 record, which appears to be improved over recent years. The Badgers (16-4, 10-8 ATS) will lean a little heavier on guard Trevon Hughes, with versatile forward Jon Leuer out three to four more weeks with broken wrist. Wisconsin is 7-3 ATS vs. teams like Purdue allowing 64 or less points a game this season.

Last week, the Boilermakers (16-3, 9-10 ATS) broke their three-game losing skid at Illinois 84-78, getting a lift from unlikely source which seemed to elevate the entire squad. John Hart, who had played all of 33 minutes and wasn?t even in official score book for that game, came off the bench to score 14 points (12 in second half) to lead Purdue charge. Coach Matt Painter hopes this leads to others being productive off the bench which invigorates the team to play more for each other, instead of feeling pressured to produce on individual basis. Purdue is 15-7 ATS in home games after a conference game over the last three seasons.

Wisconsin has seen guard Jordan Taylor rise to the occasion with the absence of Leuer, scoring and displaying all around floor game. This could be challenging spot the Badgers; since they are 4-9-1 ATS in road games vs. teams with a winning home record.

Purdue is still jittery home favorite, sporting 9-1 and .500 spread record. The win at Champaign was followed up with mauling Michigan in first half 43-27, but let backers down in being outscored by six points in final stanza and failing to cover the 13-point spread.

The Boilers have normally blasted the Badgers at home and are on 8-1 SU and ATS run against them, which is why Bookmaker.com has them as eight-point favorites. Purdue is 9-2 when playing with three or more days rest, nonetheless is vile 3-8 ATS with this much time to practice.

Wisconsin took the earlier meeting 73-66 at the Kohl Center as one-point home underdogs and has covered six of last seven Thursday throw-downs.

This Big Ten battle is in the 7:00 Eastern Time slot on ESPN with total of 126 and the are Badgers 1-10 UNDER on the road and Purdue is 6-2 OVER on Thursday nights.

Power Line ? Purdue by 4

 

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Top Trends

Top Trends

CBB | (595) MOREHEAD ST @ (596) TENNESSEE ST | 01/28/2010 8:30 PM
Play UNDER TENNESSEE ST on the first half total in All games after playing 3 consecutive road games
The record is 0 Overs and 11 Unders for the last three seasons (+11.00 units)
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CBB | (595) MOREHEAD ST @ (596) TENNESSEE ST | 01/28/2010 8:30 PM
Play UNDER TENNESSEE ST on the first half total in All games after playing 3 consecutive road games
The record is 0 Overs and 11 Unders for the last three seasons (+11.00 units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBB | (595) MOREHEAD ST @ (596) TENNESSEE ST | 01/28/2010 8:30 PM
Play UNDER TENNESSEE ST on the first half total in All games after playing 3 consecutive road games
The record is 0 Overs and 11 Unders for the last three seasons (+11.00 units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBB | (589) MARIST @ (590) IONA | 01/28/2010 7:30 PM
Play AGAINST IONA using the money line in Home games versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game after 15+ games
The record is 2 Wins and 4 Losses since 1997 (-20.85 units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBB | (589) MARIST @ (590) IONA | 01/28/2010 7:30 PM
Play AGAINST IONA using the money line in Home games versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game after 15+ games
The record is 2 Wins and 4 Losses since 1997 (-20.85 units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBB | (589) MARIST @ (590) IONA | 01/28/2010 7:30 PM
Play AGAINST IONA using the money line in Home games versus poor offensive teams - scoring <=64 points/game after 15+ games
The record is 2 Wins and 4 Losses since 1997 (-20.85 units)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBB | (529) IL-CHICAGO @ (530) WRIGHT ST | 01/28/2010 7:30 PM
Play AGAINST IL-CHICAGO using the money line in All games off a loss against a conference rival
The record is 4 Wins and 13 Losses for the last two seasons (-17.40 units)

 

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Thursday Hoops Action

Thursday Hoops Action

Thursday Hoops Action



There won?t be any shortage of college basketball action on Thursday with a full card of contests. Even better for the gambling public is that there are several televised games that will take them well into the early morning hours. Let?s look at a pair of those tilts that we can pace the floor about in the comfort of our own living rooms?or bars.

Wisconsin at Purdue ? 7:00 p.m. EST, ESPN

Wisconsin (16-4 straight up, 9-7 against the spread) is holding onto its second place perch in the Big Ten with an iron grip. Although the Badgers had to work to keep pace in the league in their 79-71 win over Penn State in Madison on Jan. 24. Wisky found itself down 52-36 with just over 11 minutes left in the second half to the Nittany Lions. Bo Ryan?s crew buckled down on defense and relied on Jordan Taylor to score eight of his 20 points in the final two minutes of regulation to force overtime. Wisconsin would prove too much for lowly Penn State, but still failed to cover the spread as a 12-point home favorite. The combined 150 did easily surge ?over? the closing total of 117.

The Boilermakers are in no danger of missing the NCAA Tournament from what ESPN?s Joe Lunardi is saying (he?s got them as a No. 4 seed, if you were wondering). What Purdue (16-3 SU, 8-9-1 ATS) has to determine is how to beat the Big Ten?s better programs. Matt Painter?s crew lost suffered three straight losses in league play to Northwestern (not as bad as we?ve seen in the past), Ohio State and to these same Badgers on Jan. 9. The main issue for the Boilermakers in those contests is the fact that they shot less than 46 percent from the field in two of those three setbacks (41% vs. NW, 43% vs. OSU), which is their season average.


One thing Purdue has going for itself is Robbie Hummel. The junior forward is averaging 16.1 points per game this year with 7.0 rebounds per game. Hummel had a great game against Wisky earlier this season, picking up 13 points and seven boards in a losing effort.

While you don?t want to say you can afford to lose a game, Wisky can do just that. Wisconsin would end up with a split of the season series if they lose on Thursday night, but would still hold onto the No. 2 seed for the Big Ten. Purdue, however, would find itself plummet to sixth in the conference standings.

That win by the Badgers in the first meeting was something of an albatross. Before that setback, Purdue had gone 5-1 SU and 6-0 ATS in the six games versus Wisconsin in that time.

Las Vegas Sports Consultants (LVSC) has decided to list the Boilermakers as 10-point home favorites.

The ?over? has gone on a tidy 3-1 run when these two teams meet up. Could that lead to a nice long trend for us? Possibly as the ?under came through in four straight meetings from March 2005 to January of 2008.

Purdue has been a friend to the ?over? bettors recently to boot with it going 4-1-2 in its last seven contests. The Badgers, on the other hand, has watched the ?under? go 9-2 in their past 11 fixtures this season.

Mississippi at Auburn ? 9:00 p.m. EST, ESPNU

Perhaps Ole Miss (15-4 SU, 10-5 ATS) has stopped the bleeding. The Rebels opened the season with a 12-2 SU record in non-conference play. Once they jumped into their Southeastern Conference, the wheels fell off of the cart as they dropped two of their first three league games.

The Rebels appear to have turned that all around now with two straight wins over LSU and South Carolina. Mississippi lost the rebound battle in both of its SEC losses (Mississippi State and Tennessee) to start the league campaign. In the wins over the Tigers and Gamecocks, Ole Miss held a 63-57 advantage on the glass. Not a big edge, but it?s enough to determine if a team wins or loses.

Andy Kennedy has to hope his team can stay tough on the boards since a tourney berth is not a given. Lunardi only has them as an eighth seed in his brackets. Being an eighth seed is a where most of the lower level major conference schools will find themselves.

Auburn (10-10 SU, 6-8 ATS) doesn?t have to worry about making the NCAA Tournament. Hell, they don?t really have to worry about getting into the NIT at this point.

The Tigers have failed to show the ability to put together a full effort during the season. Normally they can put up one half of quality basketball, followed up by a bunch of disorganized pay. Auburn showed this off once again last Saturday at Vanderbilt. The Tigers jumped out to a surprising 43-32 lead at halftime. They proceeded to allow the Commodores to outscore them 50-31 to lose 82-74. At least Auburn played well enough to cover as a 13-point road pup. That is actually the only saving grace to the Tigers right now is that they?ve covered the spread in their last three games.

LVSC has tabbed the Rebels as five-point road faves for this contest.

Despite the lousy season Auburn has fared well against Ole Miss recently, as evidenced by a 3-1 SU and ATS record against the Rebels. And even though this isn?t the same Tigers? squad that performed that well, they do have home court advantage, which has allowed them to go 3-1 SU and ATS since 2006.

Something will have to give here if we want to cash in with a totals play. The ?over? has hit in two straight for the Rebels, while the ?under? is on a 3-0 roll for Auburn.

If you need a tiebreaker for playing a side on the totals, then we?ll point you to the ?under.? Over the last nine meetings between these SEC foes, the ?under? has posted a 6-3 mark, hitting in the last two games.

 

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Preview: Badgers (16-4) at Boilermakers (16-3)

Preview: Badgers (16-4) at Boilermakers (16-3)

Preview: Badgers (16-4) at Boilermakers (16-3)

Date: January 28, 2010 7:00 PM EDT

Purdue was sitting atop the Big Ten standings with an undefeated record before a visit to Wisconsin earlier this month began a difficult slide.

Having since recovered, the 10th-ranked Boilermakers look for a measure of revenge on Thursday night when they try to continue their dominance over the 16th-ranked Badgers at Mackey Arena.

Purdue (16-3, 4-3) was 14-0 and ranked fourth in the AP poll when it entered Madison on Jan. 9 looking to set a school record for consecutive wins to start the season. Instead, the team lost 73-66 to the Badgers (16-4, 6-2), then dropped its next two as well.



The Boilermakers have responded to the slump with consecutive victories, defeating Illinois on the road and then recording a 69-59 win against Michigan on Saturday. They'll look to continue their resurgence as they try to improve on a 35-2 home record against Wisconsin.

Purdue, which is giving up 62.6 points per game this season, had one of its better defensive games against the Wolverines, holding an opponent below 70 points for the first time in five games. JaJuan Johnson scored 21 points and E'Twaun Moore added 19 points, six assists and three steals.

Johnson, who is averaging 14.2 points, has scored 22.5 per game in his last two contests after totaling 18 points during the three-game skid.

"We talked ... about JaJuan Johnson getting the basketball more and really that being a two way street," said coach Matt Painter, who would become the sixth Purdue coach to reach 100 victories with a win Thursday. "He can say all day 'they're not getting the ball to me,' and they can say he's not open, but you have got to work together to get him the basketball."

Johnson scored seven points against the Badgers earlier this month, but he had 20 points and 10 rebounds in Purdue's last home game against Wisconsin.

Purdue has won three in a row at home against Wisconsin, which has been held to 56.7 points per game and 38.0 percent shooting in those trips to West Lafayette.

The Badgers could be in for another rough offensive night at Mackey Arena if they get off to another slow start. They have won four of their last five but have averaged 21.7 points in the first half of the last three contests.

Wisconsin trailed 33-25 going into the break against Penn State on Sunday before rallying for a 79-71 overtime win. The Badgers came back from an eight-point deficit in the final two minutes of regulation, led by Jordan Taylor, who added 10 points in overtime and finished with 20.

Taylor, who joined the starting lineup after Jon Leuer broke his wrist in the win over Purdue, scored eight points in the previous two games and was coming off an 0-for-7 shooting performance against Michigan.

Wisconsin was 10 of 33 from 3-point range in the win and is shooting 26.5 percent beyond the arc over the last six contests. But the Badgers are confident they will eventually snap out of the slump.

"It's good we have players who have confidence and grit to keep shooting the ball knowing the percentages play in our favor," guard Jason Bohannon said. "We're a good shooting team. Just because the numbers don't show it, that doesn't mean anything about it."

Wisconsin last won both regular season meetings with Purdue in 2004-05.

 

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Matchup Analysis

Matchup Analysis

Matchup Analysis

Wisconsin @ Purdue
Thursday January 28
7:00 PM EDT

Purdue -10.0, Total

Picks | Line Movements



RECORD ANALYSIS:
Straight Up Against The Spread
Wisconsin Home Away Total Home Away Total
Year to Date 13 - 0 3 - 4 16 - 4 7 - 3 2 - 3 9 - 6
Last 10 Games 6 - 0 2 - 2 8 - 2 3 - 2 2 - 2 5 - 4
Straight Up Against The Spread
Purdue Home Away Total Home Away Total
Year to Date 10 - 1 5 - 2 15 - 3 6 - 5 2 - 3 8 - 8
Last 10 Games 4 - 1 3 - 2 7 - 3 2 - 3 2 - 3 4 - 6

PREVIOUS MEETINGS
Date Matchup Line Total ATS Result
01/09/10 Purdue 66 @ Wisconsin 73 NA HOME +125.5 NA/O
01/27/09 Purdue 64 @ Wisconsin 63 WISC -1.0 124.0 PURDUE/O
01/11/09 Wisconsin 52 @ Purdue 65 PURDUE -6.0 123.0 PURDUE/U


Wisconsin Last 10 Games
Date Matchup Line Total ATS Result
01/24/10 PENNST 71 @ WISC 79 -12 117 L/O
01/20/10 MICH 48 @ WISC 54 -7.5 120 L/U
01/16/10 WISC 51 @ OHIOST 60 +5.5 125 L/U
01/13/10 WISC 60 @NWEST 50 -3 123.5 W/U
01/09/10 PURDUE 66 @ WISC 73 PK 125.5 W/O
01/06/10 WISC 47 @ MICHST 54 +6 132 L/U
01/03/10 WISC 63 @PENNST 46 -5.5 125 W/U
12/31/09 OHIOST 43 @ WISC 65 -6 129 W/U
12/27/09 ILLCHI 43 @ WISC 79 -21.5 127 W/U
12/23/09 WISCMI 58 @ WISC 68 -16 132 L/U


Wisconsin Last 5 Home Games
Date Matchup Line Total ATS Result
01/24/10 PENNST 71 @ WISC 79 -12 117 L/O
01/20/10 MICH 48 @ WISC 54 -7.5 120 L/U
01/09/10 PURDUE 66 @ WISC 73 PK 125.5 W/O
12/31/09 OHIOST 43 @ WISC 65 -6 129 W/U
12/27/09 ILLCHI 43 @ WISC 79 -21.5 127 W/U
12/09/09 WISC 84 @ WISCGB 88 -5 L/U


Purdue Last 10 Games
Date Matchup Line Total ATS Result
01/19/10 PURDUE 84 @ILL 78 -4.5 137.5 W/O
01/16/10 PURDUE 64 @ NWEST 72 -7.5 132.5 L/O
01/12/10 OHIOST 70 @PURDUE 66 -8.5 136 L/P
01/09/10 PURDUE 66 @ WISC 73 PK 125.5 L/O
01/05/10 MINN 60 @ PURDUE 79 -8.5 139 W/P
01/01/10 WVA 62 @ PURDUE 77 -4.5 135 W/O
12/29/09 PURDUE 67 @IOWA 56 -14 127.5 L/U
12/22/09 SIU 63 @ PURDUE 90 /
12/19/09 BALL 49 @ PURDUE 69 -23.5 125 L/U
12/12/09 PURDUE 73 @ALA 65 -6.5 135 W/O


Purdue Last 5 Home Games
Date Matchup Line Total ATS Result
01/12/10 OHIOST 70 @ PURDUE 66 -8.5 136 L/P
01/05/10 MINN 60 @ PURDUE 79 -8.5 139 W/P
01/01/10 WVA 62 @ PURDUE 77 -4.5 135 W/O
12/22/09 SIU 63 @ PURDUE 90 /
12/19/09 BALL 49 @ PURDUE 69 -23.5 125 L/U


Over / Under
Overall Home Away
Wisconsin 3-9 3-5 0-4
Purdue 7-2 3-1 4-1

 

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Badgers at Boilermakers

Badgers at Boilermakers

Badgers at Boilermakers

Wisconsin Badgers at Purdue Boilermakers

Line: -8, 126

Tenth-ranked Purdue (16-3, 4-3) hosts No. 16 Wisconsin (16-4, 6-2) in the teams? second meeting in less than three weeks. On Jan. 9, the Badgers handed the Boilermakers their first loss of the season in a 73-66 upset.

Purdue?s initial loss was its first of three consecutive; however, the Boilermakers have rebounded with victories over Illinois and Michigan. Wisconsin has also won two in a row but has struggled against the spread, losing three consecutive and four of its last six.

Last time

In the first meeting, despite being a slight underdog at home, Wisconsin prevailed by seven points because of its rebounding and accurate shooting from the charity stripe and Purdue?s lack thereof.

The Badgers were 22 of 27 (81.5 percent) shooting free throws and grabbed 43 boards. Purdue had only 34 rebounds and was a dismal 13 of 24 (54 percent) on free throws, despite ranking 25th in the country in free throw percentage at more than 74-percent accuracy.

Losing Leuer

Wisconsin?s Jon Leuer has missed the last four games due to a wrist injury suffered against Purdue and is considered to be out indefinitely. Prior to the injury, the junior forward was second on the team in scoring (15.4 ppg), first in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and blocks (19), and averaged nearly two assists per game.

At the time of the injury, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said, ?For those that have followed us and have seen the foul trouble Jon has been in in several games?you have to get it from someone who was a non-starter.?

The Badgers have primarily been ?getting it? from Keaton Nankivil. After averaging 19.5 minutes and 4.8 points in Wisconsin?s first four conference games, the junior forward has averaged 32.3 minutes, 11 points, and 6.5 rebounds since Leuer?s injury.

Who?s hot?

Wisconsin guard Jordan Taylor had missed 18 consecutive field goal attempts over a span of three games before finally hitting a late 3-pointer in the Badgers? last game against Penn State.

Taylor made his final six shots, including three 3-pointers, and scored 20 points in Wisconsin?s 79-71 win in overtime.

After averaging just six points per game during Purdue?s three-game losing streak, forward JaJuan Johnson scored 21 and 24 in the Boilermakers? last two contests and was named the conference?s player of the week.

?We really put an emphasis on [getting Johnson the ball],? said Purdue coach Matt Painter. ?Why we would get away from that doesn?t make sense.?

It has shown, when Johnson is playing at his best, the rest of the Boilermakers follow suit. In Purdue?s recent loss to Wisconsin, Johnson, a 73-percent free-throw shooter the last two seasons combined, made just 1 of 7 free throws and was held to seven points.

Mackey madness

Purdue rarely loses at Mackey Arena, recording a 40-6 record at home the last three seasons, including 9-1 this year. Wisconsin has struggled on the road this season, going 2-3 ATS in away games and 1-2 ATS at neutral sites.

The Badgers have especially had their troubles on the road in West Lafayette, In., winning just one of 32 games since 1972. The lone win came in 2005 against a Boilermaker squad who would eventually win only seven games the entire season.

Wisconsin will certainly have its hands full Thursday night, especially considering its history at Mackey and the fact Purdue will undoubtedly be seeking revenge for the setback it suffered to the Badgers earlier this month.

Trends

Purdue is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games. The Boilermakers are 2-5 ATS in Big Ten play for the season and 2-5 ATS in its last seven home games.

Although the underdog is 7-1 ATS in the last eight meetings between these two, Wisconsin is just 1-7 ATS in the previous eight games against Purdue.

The under is 37-18 in Wisconsin?s last 55 games versus Big Ten competition.