Graves leads Butler past LCU in OT

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/26/2007 - Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A.J. Graves scored 10 points in overtime, connecting on a game-winning, three-point shot with 56 seconds to play, as 14th-ranked Butler edged Loyola-Chicago, 70-66, at the Joseph J. Gentile Center.

The Bulldogs (18-2, 6-1 Horizon) trailed in the final minute of regulation until Graves wiped out a two-point deficit with a pair of free throws to tie the game at 59-59 with 13 seconds to play. Blake Schilb missed a jumper for LCU, sending the game into the extra session.

Graves then caught fire, hitting a shot from beyond the arc to give Butler a 62-61 lead at 4:27. Majak Kou followed with a layup for Loyola, but Graves went right back down the floor and hit another three-pointer to give the Bulldogs a two-point edge.

Schilb's trey gave LCU the slim one-point lead again, but Graves was fouled by Majak with 1:46 to play, making the shot from the charity stripe to tie it at 66-66. Majak followed with a missed jumper, grabbed his own rebound, and had another shot ride off the rim. Brian Ligon pulled down the ball off the second missed shot and dished to Graves, who drained the decisive bucket.

Tracy Robinson missed a final three-point attempt for Loyola with five ticks to play, while Pete Campbell hit a free throw to account for the final margin.

Graves ended with 26 points for Butler, which won for the fourth straight time. Campbell contributed 12 points for the Bulldogs, while Mike Green and Drew Streicher each had nine.

Schilb netted a game-high 27 points and added 11 boards for the Ramblers (13-8, 4-4) who had a two-game winning streak halted. Kou ended with 14 points, while Leon Young donated 12 points and eight rebounds on the night.

Neither team trailed by my more than three in the early going, as the lead changed hands nine times in the first 11 minutes.

An eventual 8-2 run by the Bulldogs opened a 25-20 advantage at 6:57. Graves' three-pointer started the spurt, while Campbell's short jumper and trey sandwiched a Brandon Woods layup at the other end for LCU.

Butler maintained its lead down the stretch, as Graves' shot from beyond the arc sent the Bulldogs into the locker room holding a 35-27 advantage.

Butler led by as many as seven points in the second half, before the margin was erased on a pair of Young free throws and a couple of three-point shots by Schilb and Tom Levin.

Schilb's jumper gave LCU a 59-57 edge with just 25 seconds remaining in the contest, but Graves sent the game into overtime with the free throws.

Game Notes

Butler started a stretch of four games in eight days, with the first three being road contests...Loyola is 9-2 at home this season...Butler has won six of the last seven meetings between the teams and leads the overall series, 42-28...This marked the first time since Dec. 9, 2000, that a nationally ranked opponent played in the Gentile Center.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

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SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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