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03/02/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 30th-annual Horizon League Tournament will begin Tuesday, March 3rd and will come to a conclusion on Tuesday, March 10th. The Butler Bulldogs earned the regular season title and the top seed in the tournament with a regular-season ending victory over Cleveland State, 58-56. It was the third consecutive regular-season title for the Bulldogs, who will try to repeat as tournament champions.
The second seed belongs to the Wisconsin-Green Bay Phoenix, who will also enjoy a bye to the semifinals along with Butler. The Phoenix finished 22-9 overall and 13-5 in league play, which is the team's best regular-season showing since the 2004-05 campaign. However, the Phoenix have not captured a tournament title since 1995, which was UW-Green Bay's first season in the Horizon League.
The remainder of the teams will square off in first-round action, which will begin Tuesday. The first game will pit the 10th-seeded Detroit Titans on the road against the third-seeded Cleveland State Vikings, and that matchup will be followed by the sixth-seeded Youngstown State Penguins, who will host the seventh-seeded Illinois-Chicago Flames. The other two contests will have the forth-seeded Wright State Raiders hosting the ninth-seeded Valparaiso Crusaders and the Eighth-seeded Loyola-Chicago Ramblers traveling to Milwaukee to take on the fifth-seeded Panthers.
Postseason play will begin with the Vikings and Titans, as the two schools will collide Tuesday night at Wolstein Center. The Vikings swept the Titans in the season series for just the second time in school history, and that includes a convincing, 66-49 decision over Detroit at the Wolstein Center.
For the second straight season the Vikings have eclipsed the 20-win plateau, as the squad posted a 21-10 ledger this season, and that included a 12-6 mark in conference play. However, the team stumbled down the stretch, losing two of its last three games, including a 58-56 setback to 24th-ranked Butler in the regular-season finale. The Vikings have relied on tenacious defensive play all year, and come into this matchup third in the conference, allowing just 59.2 ppg. Offensively the team has leaned on the inside presence of J'Nathan Bullock, as the forward is leading the Vikings with 15.6 ppg, and 6.8 rpg. Norris Cole is contributing 12.5 ppg, while Cedric Jackson has done a little of everything, posting 9.9 ppg, to go along with 5.5 rpg and a team- high 169 assists.
The Titans have been one of the worst teams in the Horizon this season, and stumble into this matchup with CSU on a six-game losing skid. Detroit is at the bottom of the conference in scoring, netting just 56.9 ppg, which would explain the team's 7-22 overall mark and 2-16 conference ledger. The only real option on the floor this season for the Titans has been Thomas Kennedy, who is leading the team with 11.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg.
The next matchup will pit the seventh-seeded Illinois Chicago Flames against the sixth-seeded Youngstown State Penguins. The Penguins have been up and down throughout the season, but the team enter's the postseason on a low note, losing three of its last four games, including two in a row. YSU only finished 7-11 in league play but two of those victories came against the Flames. The Penguins are only producing 66.0 ppg on the year, and will lean on Kelvin Bright and DeAndre Mays. Bright is pacing the team with 11.6 ppg, while Mays is contributing 10.9 ppg, to go along with a team-high 99 assists.
UIC closed out the regular season with four wins in a row, finishing with a 7-11 mark against conference foes. The Flames possess one of the top scorers in the Horizon League in Josh Mayo, as the guard is averaging 16.9 ppg. Robo Kreps is contributing 12.1 ppg on the season, while Scott VanderMeer has been one of the top big man in the conference, posting 10.7 ppg, to go along with a conference-best 8.9 rpg.
The Raiders come into this tournament as one of the dark horses. Wright State finished with a respectable 12-6 mark in league action, and close out the regular season with four wins in its last six games. However, what makes this squad a dangerous team is its ability to play tenacious defense. Wright State is the top defensive squad in the HL, holding opponents to a meager 57.0 ppg on the year, and that is also good for fourth in the nation. All the attention paid to the defensive end of the floor, has left a void at the other end, as Wright State is netting just 59.7 ppg. Todd Brown is the only player posting double on the year, as the big man is netting 11.8 ppg, to go along with 5.0 rpg.
As for Valparaiso, it did not enjoy similar success this season, as the team finished with just nine overall victories, along with a pathetic 5-13 mark in league play. The poor showing against conference foes left the Crusaders with the ninth seed in the tournament and a date with Wright State, which earned two wins over Valpo this season. Valparaiso does not have much to rely on offensively, as the team is bringing just one double-figure performer to the postseason. Urule Igbavboa has been the only legitimate threat, as the forward is posting 12.1 ppg, to go along with a team-high 5.9 rpg.
The final first-round matchup will have the eighth-seeded Loyola-Chicago Ramblers tangle with the fifth-seeded UW-Milwaukee Panthers. The Panthers have won three of the last six conference tournaments, but if UWM wants its fourth, the team will have to win three games. Milwaukee collected 16 victories this season, and finished with a respectable 11-7 mark in league action, and that includes two wins over Loyola.
As for the Ramblers, they head into the postseason with eight losses in their last 10 games, including two in a row. The team finished 14-17 on the year, and that included a poor 6-12 mark against Horizon foes. Loyola's poor play offensively can be attributed to the lackluster season, as the team finished its regular-season schedule averaging a meager 63.2 ppg, behind a weak 40.9 percent shooting effort. obviously if Loyola plans on winning its first Horizon title since 1984-85, the team will need to improve in a hurry.
The defending Horizon League champion Butler Bulldogs will be a handful in this tournament, as the team will play out of the top-seed, while also enjoying a bye into the semifinals. Butler will host the tournament as well, which should be trouble for opponents, considering the Bulldogs finished 14-1 at the Hinkle Fieldhouse. Last season Butler collected its fifth league title, and barring an upset in the near future the Bulldogs are well on their way to their sixth Horizon League championship. Butler however, was not just dominant in conference play, but the team also finished with a 25-4 overall record and was ranked for much of the season.
The Bulldogs have been a terror at both ends of the floor, but what makes this team run is its stingy defensive play. Butler currently ranks fifth in the nation, allowing just 57.4 ppg, and is holding opponents to a weak 37.9 percent shooting effort from the field. At the other end, the team has relied on the play of Matt Howard, who is leading the way with 14.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 45 blocks. Gordon Hayward has also contributed, netting 13.8 ppg, while grabbing 6.3 rpg. Running the show on the floor has been Shelvin Mack, who is leading the team with 103 assists, while also chipping in 11.7 ppg.
The Phoenix did not close out their season on the right foot, falling to Wright State, 65-64. It was only the third loss in the last 11 games for Wisconsin-Green Bay, but the setback did snap a three-game winning streak, and also sent the team into the postseason on a down note. The Phoenix took a huge step forward this season, grabbing 22 victories, while finishing with a conference record above .500 for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign. The 13-5 mark earned UW-Green Bay the second seed in the tournament, and like Butler, the Phoenix will enjoy a bye into the semifinals.
Butler might be the favorite coming into this tournament, but the Phoenix have already defeated the Bulldogs once this season, and are definitely dangerous enough to pull off another victory over the defending champs. Green Bay, which is producing a conference best 72.9 ppg, comes into the postseason with four different players posting double figures, beginning with Ryan Tillema, who is netting 17.4 ppg, while shooting a very strong 45.4 percent from long range. Troy Cotton is contributing 12.7 ppg on the year, while Mike Schachtner is registering 11.4 ppg. Running the show on the court for the Phoenix has been Rahmon Fletcher, who has distributed a team-best 131 assists, while also showing his ability to score (10.6 ppg).
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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
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