Top-seeded Valparaiso will enter the 2015 Horizon League Tournament as the favorite at the online sportsbooks to win that conference title, with the event set to get underway on Tuesday, March 3 with a pair of first-round matchups.
Valparaiso finished the regular season atop the Horizon League standings at 25-5 SU and 15-11 ATS, and as the No. 1 seed in the tournament they automatically advance to the March 7 semifinals along with No. 2 seed Green Bay. The Phoenix turned in records of 23-7 SU and 14-13 ATS on the season.
And Sportsbook has Valparaiso set as the -115 favorite and Green Bay next as the +175 second-favorite on the odds to win the Horizon League Tournament and grab the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Cleveland State and Oakland are then at +750 and +850 on that futures list; as the No. 4 and No. 3 seeds they will await opponents in the March 6 quarterfinals.
The first-round matchups on March 3 are then No. 5 Detroit vs. No. 8 Youngstown State, and No. 6 Illinois Chicago vs. No. 7 Wright State. Detroit is at +3000 at Sportsbook on the Horizon League Tournament odds, with Wright State at +7500, UIC at +15000, and Youngstown State at +35000..
Horizon League Tournament Odds at Sportsbook
Valparaiso -115
Green Bay +175
Cleveland State +750
Oakland +850
Detroit +3000
Wright State +7500
Illinois Chicago +15000
Youngstown State +35000
Horizon League Tournament Schedule
Sportsbook Round - March 3
Quarterfinals - March 6
Semifinals - March 7
Championship Game - March 10
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It'll be Green Bay vs. Milwaukee and Cleveland State vs. Wright State on Saturday as the semifinal round of 2014 Horizon League Tournament betting action tips off.
In the second round of the tournament on Friday Wright State cruised past Oakland in a 73-57 victory, while Milwaukee rolled over Valparaiso with a 74-57 win. They'll now take on second-seeded Cleveland State and top-seeded Green Bay with berths in the Horizon League championship game on the line.
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Cleveland State was the most profitable team on the college basketball odds in the Horizon League this season at 21-7 ATS, but they're just the No. 2 seed in the conference heading into Horizon League Tournament betting action on Tuesday.
Cleveland State was 21-10 SU during the regular season, and they're sitting as the second seed behind No. 1 Green Bay (24-5 SU, 15-10 ATS) in the tournament. Both of those schools have byes into the semifinals of the Horizon League Tournament and won't hit the hardwood until Saturday.
Tuesday's first-round action of Horizon League Tournament betting has No. 4 Valparaiso vs. No. 9 UIC, No. 5 Milwaukee vs. No. 8 Detroit, and No. 6 Oakland vs. No. 7 Youngstown State. The Sportsbooks of those first two matchups will play in the second round on Friday, with the Oakland vs. Youngstown State Sportsbook advancing to face No. 3 Wright State.
Horizon League Tournament Odds at Sportsbook
Green Bay -210
Cleveland State +300
Wright State +950
Valparaiso +1400
Oakland +3500
Milwaukee +4500
Youngtown State +5500
Detroit +7000
Illinois Chicago +50000
Horizon League Tournament Schedule
Sportsbook Rounds - March 4,7
Semifinals - March 8
Championship Game - March 11
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No. 3 Wright State advanced to the Horizon League Tournament semifinals on Friday night with a 66-59 win over Youngstown State. Wright State will take on No. 2 Detroit on Saturday. Detroit is 5-1 SU and ATS in its last six games against Wright State.
No. 4 Green Bay earned a trip to the semifinals against No. 1 Valparaiso with a 64-63 win Friday night over Illinois-Chicago. Valparaiso was 2-0 SU and ATS against Green Bay this season.
The Sportsbooks of these two semifinal matchups will meet in the Horizon League Tournament Final on Tuesday night.
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No. 4 Green Bay and No. 5 Illinois-Chicago both won their first-round matchups in Tuesday’s Horizon League action, setting the stage for the two teams to square off in the second round on Friday. Green Bay is 14-5 SU and 12-7 ATS in its last 19 games against Illinois-Chicago.
Tuesday’s third Sportsbook, No. 6 Youngstown State, punched its ticket to a second-round matchup Friday against No. 3 Wright State. Wright State is 5-2 SU in its last seven games against Youngstown State, but just 1-6 ATS over that span.
No. 1 Valparaiso awaits the Sportsbook of the Green Bay vs. Illinois-Chicago game while No. 2 Detroit will face the Sportsbook of the Youngstown State vs. Wright State game.
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Nine teams will take the court in this year’s Horizon League Tournament, but barring any major surprises this conference tournament should be a two-horse race between the betting favorites.
The clear favorite to win is No. 1 Valparaiso going off at -160 to win the Horizon League Tournament at Sportsbook. Valparaiso’s main competition should be No. 2 Detroit (+190); by earning the top two seeds in the conference, both of these teams earn an automatic trip to the conference’s semifinals on Saturday.
Valparaiso finished the 2012-13 regular season with a 24-7 SU and 18-10 ATS record, ending the year with four straight wins and a 14-2 SU run. Valparaiso won the regular season conference title with a 13-3 record, one win ahead of Detroit’s 12-4 conference mark.
No. 4 Green Bay (+1500) should kick off the tournament with a win Tuesday going up against lowly No. 9 Milwaukee. Milwaukee (+75000) went just 3-13 in the conference this season with just eight wins (8-23) on the season overall.
No. 5 Illinois-Chicago (+5000) will look to buck a losing trend against No. 8 Cleveland State (+25000) on Tuesday. While Cleveland State isn’t expected to do any damage in this conference tournament, it is 12-0 SU and 8-3-1 ATS in its last 12 games against Illinois-Chicago including a season sweep this regular season.
Wrapping up Tuesday’s conference-Sportsbook action, No. 6 Youngstown State takes on No. 7 Loyola of Chicago (+9000). Youngstown State has won each of its last four games against Loyola of Chicago straight up.
Wednesday, No. 3 Wright State (+1800) will take on the Sportsbook of the Loyola of Chicago vs. Youngstown State game for a bid to face Detroit in the semifinals, while the two other first-round Sportsbooks meet for a chance to take on Valparaiso.
Horizon League Conference Tournament Odds - courtesy of Sportsbook:
Valparaiso -160
Detroit +190
Wisconsin Green Bay +1500
Wright State +1800
Illinois-Chicago +5000
Youngstown State +5000
Loyola of Chicago +9000
Cleveland State +25000
Wisconsin Milwaukee +75000
Tuesday, March 5 – First Round
8:00 PM ET – No. 9 Milwaukee vs. No. 4 Green Bay (Game 1)
8:00 PM ET – No. 8 Cleveland State vs. No. 5 Illinois-Chicago (Game 2)
7:05 PM ET – No. 7 Loyola of Chicago vs. No. 6 Youngstown State (Game 3)
Friday, March 8 – Second Round
6:00 PM ET - Game 3 Sportsbook vs. No. 3 Wright State (Game 4)
8:30 PM ET - Game 1 Sportsbook vs. Game 2 Sportsbook (Game 5)
Saturday, March 9 - Semifinals
6:00 PM ET - Game 4 Sportsbook vs. No. 2 Detroit
8:30 PM ET - Game 5 Sportsbook vs. No. 1 Valparaiso
Tuesday, March 12 - Championship Game
9:00 PM ET - Semifinal Sportsbooks
