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.

7decks NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Gordon, Bulls down Mavs
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ben Gordon had 30 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 96-85 win over the Dallas Mavericks at the United Center. Luol Deng donated 21 points and grabbed nine boar

<< No. 8 LSU rolls past Arkansas
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quianna Chaney had 15 points to pace eighth-ranked LSU past Arkansas, 70-53, in a Southeastern Conference clash at Maravich Center. Sylvia Fowles added 13 points and 13 rebounds for LSU (19-2, 5-1

<< Purdue routs Northwestern
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton scored 17 points as 12th-ranked Purdue demolished Northwestern, 72-30, at Mackey Arena. Erin Lawless had 11 points and 11 rebounds for Purdue (19-3, 8-0 Big Ten), which has

<< Lady Vols hold off Vanderbilt
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney Spencer poured in a career-high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds as fourth-ranked Tennessee held off 15th- ranked Vanderbilt, 67-57, in a SEC clash. Candace Parker scored 19 points and pull

<< Duke downs Seminoles to remain unbeaten
Tallahassee, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alison Bales led a very balanced attack with 15 points and also gathered nine rebounds, as top-ranked Duke downed Florida State, 73-60, at the Tucker Center. Carrem Gay totaled 14 points and eig

Cubs release Rusch >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Cubs released pitcher Glendon Rusch on Thursday after a blood clot in his left lung cut short his 2006 season. The left-hander, 32, was 3-8 with a 7.46 earned run average in 25 gam

UCLA tops Cal >>
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arron Afflalo scored 25 points to lead the third-ranked UCLA Bruins past the California Golden Bears, 62-46, at Haas Pavilion. Afflalo made 7-of-13 shots from the floor and was a perfect 9-for-9 fro

No. 9 Stanford downs Arizona >>
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brooke Smith scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as ninth-ranked Stanford held on to beat Arizona, 86-76, to remain perfect in the Pac-10 standings. Candice Wiggins and Jayne Appel each scored 18

Sessions, Nevada rout Louisiana Tech >>
Reno, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ramon Sessions dropped in 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting to guide No. 18 Nevada past Louisiana Tech, 84-67, at Lawlor Events Center. Sessions also had seven rebounds and six assists while Nick Fazekas scored

Sun Devils roar past Cal >>
Tempe, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jill Noe poured in a season-best 19 points and added seven rebounds to pace 10th-ranked Arizona State past No. 20 California, 66-54, at Wells Fargo Arena. Emily Westerberg scored 15 points and Briann January

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.


MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse betting . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees!

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs.