Indiana hoops: Hoosiers far behind state's top 3

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/15/2010 -

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) -Basketball still rules in Indiana. Even if the Hoosiers no longer rule basketball in the state

They're not even in the top three.

For the 20th time in the past three decades, at least three teams from the state of Indiana have made it into the NCAA tournament. For the first time, however, the Indiana Hoosiers were not one of those three.

They weren't even eligible.

Purdue, Butler and Notre Dame are all preparing for the tournament, which will end April 5 with the championship game in Indianapolis. Indiana is on spring break with nowhere to go.

Purdue (27-5) landed a No. 4 seed and will play Siena in Spokane, Wash., on Friday. Butler (28-4) got a No. 5 seed and will be trying to extend the nation's longest winning streak to 21 games when it faces UTEP in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday.

Sixth-seeded Notre Dame (23-11), which won six straight games before losing to West Virginia in a Big East tournament semifinal, will play Old Dominion in New Orleans on Thursday.

Hoosiers fans? It was the second straight season and the fourth time in the past seven years that they had no reason to turn on the NCAA selection show other than to see where their in-state rivals were headed. All Indiana coach Tom Crean could do Sunday was tweet about his hopes that the Hoosiers will be back.

``From the cornfields to the Capitol we are out and about today,'' Crean posted on his Twitter account. ``We need to get the guys added that can help us get back to Selection Sunday.''

He later added: ``Size, toughness and athleticism is the ingredients of the day.''

Crean has been urging Hoosier fans to support the Hoosiers, urging them to wear crimson and cream to high school games, tweeting: ``WE NEED TO ALL TAKE BACK THE STATE.''

Indiana hasn't been among the best teams in the state since Kelvin Sampson resigned because of recruiting violations two years ago. That left the Hoosiers with only eight scholarship players and one senior for the 2008-09 season, when they finished with a 6-25 record, winning just one Big Ten game, and posting the school's worst winning percentage in nearly a century.

This season, the Hoosiers had a big win against Pittsburgh and played well for half against Kentucky. But they also had an embarrassing loss to Loyola of Maryland, struggled against South Carolina-Upstate and narrowly avoided becoming the first squad in school history to lose 12 in a row.

Indiana lost by 15 points to Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, ending the season at 10-21, including losses in 12 of its last 13 games.

Freshman guard Jordan Hulls, who was Indiana's Mr. Basketball a year ago, said afterward that it will be hard for the Hoosiers to watch the NCAA tournament on television.

``We know that we're a good team and we can play with a lot of other teams, and it's going to be tough seeing those other guys thinking we should be out there playing as well,'' he said. ``But like I said, we're just going to have to move on from this and try to get better.''

Guard Jeremiah Rivers, a transfer who was a backup at Georgetown, said he probably won't watch much of the tournament.

``This is the first time I've played and not gone to it. I was spoiled my first two years, and went to the Final Four with Georgetown,'' he said. ``It's not going to be the same thing. Missing the tournament hurts.

``Things can turn, you know. Look at North Carolina in the championship last year and not making the tournament.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Wwwcricket365 NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< NCAA Capsules-West Regional
Syracuse, N.Y., 28-4.Nickname: Orangemen. Coach: Jim Boeheim.Conference: Big East. Bid: At large.Region: West. Seed: No. 1.Tournament Record: 50-32, 32 years. Last appearance: 2009.Scoring: Team (81.5); Wesley Johnson 16.0; Andy Rautins 11.7; Kris J

<< Kansas looms large in the Midwest
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas Jayhawks began the 2009-10 college basketball season atop the preseason polls, and so far the voters have been spot on, as the Big 12 champs will carry that top ranking into the NCAA Tournam

<< Duke, Big East highlight South
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hours after winning their record 18th ACC Tournament title on Sunday, the Duke Blue Devils were awarded the No. 1 seed in the South Region in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Duke (29-5), backed by the triumv

<< Kentucky garners No. 1 seed in the East
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Kentucky, which scorched the Southeastern Conference in the regular season and won the conference tourney crown in a tense overtime contest, was named as the top- seeded

<< Syracuse-Vermont rematch highlights West
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Despite losing in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament and staring at an injury to starting forward Arinze Onuaku, Syracuse is the No. 1 seed in the West Region as the Orange head into a much-

World Cup of Golf to become biennial event >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The World Cup of Golf will return in 2011 as a biennial event so it does not conflict with the sport's inclusion in the Olympics, the Asian Tour said Monday in a press release. The decision to hold the team event only

Arenas: 'I deserve to be punished' for gun prank >>
WASHINGTON (AP) -Gilbert Arenas says he deserves to be punished for bringing guns to the locker room.The suspended Washington Wizards guard tells Esquire magazine he wasn't using ``longevity thinking'' when he took out four guns in what he says was

Leafs-Oilers not what it used to be >>
Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There was a time when the Edmonton Oilers playing the Toronto Maple Leafs on a Saturday night was a glittering affair. In the 1980s, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and Co. would come in to Maple Leaf Gardens a

Devils hope to get on track versus Bruins >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Devils learned last time out that they can't take any opponent lightly. New Jersey will keep that in mind tonight when it shoots for a third straight win against Boston, while the Bruins try to avoid losing their grip on

Blue Jackets host Oilers in meeting of disappointing clubs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With both clubs headed towards disappointing finishes to the 2009-10 season, the Edmonton Oilers and Columbus Blue Jackets face each other for the final time this year tonight at Nationwide Arena. Columbus made the postsea

Eastern Conference Playoff Betting Trends

We all know by now that the “public” loves to put their money on the FAVORITES and the OVERS.  Just by taking a quick glance at Sportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends” it appears as is this tendency will continue as far as the Eastern Conference games are concerned.  For the inaugural games of the first round, 69% of the early money is on Toronto -4.5; 59% of bettors prefer Chicago -4.5; 84% are backing Detroit -9; and 56% think Cleveland -11.5 is the way to go.  As far as TOTALS are concerned, the only UNDER the “public” is backing is the Cleveland/ Washington game in which 83% are pounding the UNDER (190).  Remember, there is no better way to predict a possible line change than by monitoring MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.   By determining who the “public” is backing, you can get the most ideal line for your bet.  For example, if you are siding with the public you better place your bet before the line moves in the wrong direction.  On the other side of the coin, if you prefer the team that the “public” is betting against; you might be able to get and extra ½ or even more by placing your bet a bit later.  Under the “Betting Trends” section, Sportsbook.com also provides plenty of statistical data and trends in order for the bettor to make the most informed pick.  Below are some extremely important trends for the first round opponents of the Eastern Conference match-ups, more can be found at MySportsbook.com

New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors

Toronto was the most reliable covering team this season with a 48-33-1 ATS record but covered the OVER only 41.5% of the time.
The last 20 times these teams have played, the TOTAL has gone UNDER 16 times.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Toronto is 33-19 ATS including 17-9 at home.
 New Jersey has covered four games in a row while Toronto has failed to cover their last four games.
When playing a team with a winning record during the second half of the season, New Jersey was just 5-13 ATS this season.
After scoring 105 points or more, Toronto has covered the OVER only 28% of the time this season. 
 
Miami Heat @ Chicago Bulls

Miami has failed to cover their last 7 games whereas Chicago has covered 6 out of their last 8 games.
Miami has covered the UNDER in four of their last five games whereas Chicago has covered the UNDER in five out of their last six.
When playing on Saturdays, Miami covered 80% of their games this season.
Away from home, Chicago is just 16-25 ATS this season.
At home, Miami covered the UNDER about 66% of the time whereas Chicago covered the UNDER about 61% of the time.
The last 13 times these teams have played each other, Chicago has covered 9 times.
In Miami’s last 11 road games, the UNDER covered 9 times. 
 
Orlando Magic @ Detroit Pistons

Detroit has covered 5 out of their last 6 games.
Away from home, Detroit is 28-13 ATS but just 14-26-1 ATS at home.
At home, Orlando covered the UNDER 64% of the time while Detroit covered the UNDER in 63% of their away games.
The last five times these teams have played in Detroit, the OVER covered each time.
Versus Eastern Conference teams, Detroit is 8-17-1 ATS at home but 17-9 ATS away.
Detroit covered the spread 5 out of the last 6 times they played Orlando.
After a Division game, Orlando covered the UNDER 87% of the time this season. 
 
Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers

In a home game where the TOTAL is between 190 and 194.5 points, Cleveland is 9-1 ATS this season.
Washington has covered the UNDER in their last 6 games and in 8 of their last 9 games.
The last 6 times these teams have played each other, the UNDER covered each time.
When playing on 3 or more days of rest, Washington is just 18-37 ATS since 1996.
Since 1996, Washington is 28-16 ATS versus Cleveland including 11-5 over the last 3 seasons.
In their last 7 road games, Washington is 6-1 ATS.
Versus Eastern Conference teams at home, Washington is just 6-18-2 ATS. 
 
For even more betting trends for not just the NBA but for all of the major sports, log on to Sportsbook.com and click on “Trends”.  With only two months left in the NBA betting season it is important to be as well informed as possible in order to maximize your profit.  Also for all of you poker players, check out MySportsbook.com’s “WSOP Low Bid Auction”. You could be on your way to Vegas to play against the world’s best poker players for under a buck.

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your basketball sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.