Badgers take top-ranking into East Lansing

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/20/2007 - East Lansing, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The now top-ranked Wisconsin Badgers have made the trip to East Lansing for tonight's Big Ten Conference clash with the Michigan State Spartans.

Five consecutive wins have enabled Wisconsin to move to 26-2 overall and 12-1 in conference, and the Badgers remain tied with the Ohio State Buckeyes atop the Big Ten standings. The most recent of the five victories occurred on Saturday for Wisconsin, as it cruised to a 75-49 decision over Penn State. The Badgers' 26 wins are the most in the nation and the most in one season in program history. The team has reached the top of the national poll for the first-time ever.

Michigan State hasn't been quite as successful as its counterpart today, as the Spartans have split their 12 Big Ten games. They are on a bit of a roll, however, as they have won two straight by double figures, including an 81-49 thrashing of Iowa on Saturday. Michigan State is now 16-1 at home, an obvious reason for confidence tonight.

The Spartans hold a 65-54 series advantage over the Badgers, and Michigan State has won two of the last three meetings.

If anyone is going to steal National Player of the Year honors away from Texas freshman Kevin Durant, it figures to be Wisconsin standout Alando Tucker. The outstanding forward has scored at least 20 points in seven consecutive outings, including a 22-point effort against Penn State on Saturday. Kammron Taylor pitched in 18 points for the Badgers, who got 11 points from Jason Bohannon off the bench. Wisconsin connected on 51.9 percent of its field goal attempts in that clash, including a stellar 12-of-23 showing from behind the arc. Tucker is averaging 20.4 ppg this season, and he can get his own shot at any time. Taylor checks in with 13.1 ppg on 42.1 percent shooting from three-point range for the Badgers, who are limiting opponents to 57.8 ppg on 40.3 percent shooting from the field.

Drew Neitzel is the leading scorer for Michigan State, as he is netting 18.1 ppg on 40.4 percent shooting from three-point range and 90.4 percent accuracy from the foul line. Also, Neitzel has dished out 118 assists against only 59 turnovers. Raymar Morgan is the only other double-digit scorer in the lineup, as he is posting 11.1 ppg. Strong defense is clearly the key to success for the Spartans, as they are holding foes to 56.0 ppg on 37.9 percent shooting from the field. Neitzel scored 17 points in the blowout victory over Iowa last time out. Morgan pitched in 16 points for Michigan State, which connected on 57.9 percent of its field goal attempts and limited Iowa to 34.1 percent efficiency from the floor.

Startluckcasino NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Lone Star State rivals meet in Austin
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Intrastate and Big 12 rivals will collide in Austin this evening, as the 19th-ranked Texas Longhorns welcome the Texas Tech Red Raiders to town. Back-to-back wins have enabled Texas Tech to

<< Falcons soar into Sin City
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No longer the only member of the Mountain West Conference among the nationally-ranked, the Air Force Falcons put their three-game win streak on the line tonight as they visit the UNLV Runnin' Rebels

<< Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
Signed quarterbacks Mike McMahon and Tom Arth.

<< Lakers' Radmanovic out at least eight weeks
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Los Angeles Lakers forward Vladimir Radmanovic will be sidelined at least eight weeks after separating his right shoulder. The Los Angeles Times reported that the 26-year-old Radmanovic sustaine

<< Chargers add Rivera to coaching staff
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New San Diego Chargers head coach Norv Turner named former Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera the team's linebackers coach. With his contract set to expire next week, the Bears announc

Big East action pits Mountaineers at Friars >>
Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In need of a quality win, the Providence Friars host the 22nd-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in a key Big East showdown from the Dunkin' Donuts Center tonight. The Friars have had a solid campai

Argonauts ink QB McMahon >>
Toronto, Ontario (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Argonauts signed former NFL quarterback Mike McMahon on Tuesday. In 29 career NFL games, spread over five seasons with Detroit and Philadelphia, McMahon completed 229 of 515

Pistons visit Central Division-rival Milwaukee >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Central Division-leading Detroit Pistons try to get back on the winning track tonight when they hit the road to visit the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center. Detroit had its seven-game winning streak halted with las

Nuggets, Spurs clash in San Antonio >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs have recovered from their eight-game road trip and return to the AT&T Center this evening to host the Denver Nuggets. San Antonio, which is second in the Southwest standings, went 4-4 on the swing a

Wild try to end futility against Dallas >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild will try to stop their longest current losing streak against any team in the league when they host the Dallas Stars this evening at Xcel Energy Center for the final time this season. Minnesota has droppe

Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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