Badgers hope to end run of futility in clash with Illini

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02/05/2009 - Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini will take on the slumping Wisconsin Badgers this evening in what figures to be a highly-competitive Big Ten Conference battle.

Illinois has won three of its last four games to improve to 18-4 overall and 6-3 in conference. The Illini played tremendous defense in Sunday's 62-54 victory over Iowa, and the hope tonight is that they can improve their 2-3 mark in true road games.

As for Wisconsin, it has suffered six consecutive defeats to plummet to 3-6 in Big Ten action, overshadowing a 12-9 overall record. The last five losses have come by seven points or fewer, including a pair of overtime setbacks. On Saturday, the club dropped a 66-63 decision to Northwestern on the road, and that setback was preceded by a one-point home loss to Purdue.

Illinois beat Wisconsin in a 64-57 final on January 24th, and the Illini now own a 107-73 series advantage over the Badgers.

Illinois does not have a star-caliber player in its lineup, but the team does feature a balanced attack with four double-digit scorers in the fold. Demetri McCamey continues to lead the way with 12.0 ppg and 5.0 apg, while Mike Tisdale contributes 11.6 ppg on the strength of his 54.1 percent shooting from the floor. Trent Meachem adds 10.4 ppg to the mix, and Mike Davis provides 10.3 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Illinois is netting 67.8 ppg as a team while holding opponents to 56.6 ppg on 39.6 percent overall shooting. Clearly, strong defense has been a major key to the 18-4 record. Tisdale scored 18 points on Sunday to pace his squad in the eight-point victory over Iowa. Dominique Keller pitched in 12 points off the bench for the Illini, who earned a 35-22 rebounding advantage and a 12-3 edge in points from the foul line.

In order for Wisconsin to put an end to its current losing streak tonight, the team will need huge efforts from Marcus Landry, Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon. Landry leads the team with 12.8 ppg, and he is shooting 50.2 percent from the floor. Hughes checks in with 12.4 ppg, and Bohannon provides 10.6 ppg despite his 38.6 percent shooting from the field. The Badgers are generating 66.1 ppg while limiting opponents to 61.6 ppg, but that positive scoring differential isn't reflected in the club's 3-6 league record. In the three- point loss to Wisconsin on Saturday, Hughes scored 15 points to pace the squad, while Jon Leuer added 12 points off the bench. Landry tallied 10 points for the Badgers, who got 11 points from Bohannon. Wisconsin actually connected on 52.6 percent of its field goal attempts, but the team permitted the Wildcats to shoot 57.1 percent.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
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Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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