Hacker Speak

“I want to increase my golf swing clubhead speed!” I hear this one all the time from the members of my golf-trainer.com site and golfers sending me emails. I want to be a ’straight’ shooter (pardon the pun) right now. Increasing your golf swing clubhead speed is not everything!

You heard that correctly.

You can swing at 140 mph and it won’t mean anything unless your golf swing sequence and moment of impact is solid. There are lots of 300 yard drives in the woods! I have to chuckle when I see the Speed Stik commercials with Vijay.

Swinging that thing harder and harder isn’t going to make your ball go straight…and if I’m correct, the goal is to get it in the fairway, right?

The point I’m trying to get at is a more powerful, controlled, sequenced swing that does produce a higher clubhead speed, yet in control swing. One that has a consistent swing path and solidness of hit on the clubface.

So how do you achieve this?

The only way is to improve your golf-specific strength and flexibility!

If you’ve read any of my 300 plus articles, you’ll know I come back to this time-and-time again. It’s your BODY that limits your golfing ability.

Now picture this!

You do some simple, ‘in-home” golf exercises and go to the course. You step up to the tee and rip one farther than you have in years and it stays in play.

Doesn’t that sound more like it?

There is a balance between a higher clubhead swing speed, control and sequence of motion that gets you back to impact hitting the ball in the center of your clubface. Swinging hard just to swing hard won’t accomplish your goals of longer/straighter drives.

I receive emails from members, customers of my golf fitness dvds and manual who tell me how much more stable their swing has become doing my simple golf exercises, and how they are hitting it 20-30 yards further…consistently.

So don’t get me wrong!

I’m all about improving your golf swing clubhead speed…but with a stable swing…not one that is out of control and balance. I’m very proud when I receive these emails and know I’ve made yet another golfer a believer in golf training.

So next time you see Vijay’s commercial for the Speed Stik, don’t run out and buy it with the intension your going to see that number go up-and-up. Buy it with the intension that your swing will be stronger, stabler and in better sequence.

Then and only then will increasing your golf swing clubhead speed be a factor.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf performance experts in the country. He is Golf Magazines golf performance expert; author, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf performance membership sites. Take a look at his just released golf dvds and manual at his golf swing training site - Perform Better Golf.

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There is really one basic athletic motion which is used in all of athletics. The golf swing is golf’s version of this athletic motion. It is the same basic motion that is used to hit a tennis ball, throw a football, kick a soccer ball, or break a rack in pool.

To describe the athletic motion, let’s take a look at the baseball pitcher. Why the pitcher? You are familiar with the pitching motion and have probably thrown a ball or two yourself. The pitcher does what you as a golfer want to do; throw it fast, accurately and consistently. As a golfer you want to hit the ball long distances and down the middle with consistency.

So just how does the pitcher throw the ball? How do you throw a ball? It’s not complicated. Let’s take a look so we can apply these principles to the golf swing.

After getting the sign from the catcher, the pitcher begins his wind-up by moving his body so that all of his weight is on his back foot, the one on the pitching rubber. By doing this, he has caused the arm to be flung away, in the direction opposite from where he will deliver the ball. When all the weight is on the back leg and the arm is still going away from the target, he reverses the direction of the body by pushing off his back foot. This causes his body to be pushed toward the target. The arm was still going away when the body changed directions. The arm only changes directions when it can go no further back and is pulled swiftly toward the target by the forward motion of the body. This allows the arm to function with maximum effectiveness, speed, and accuracy. The arm is completely dependent on the body. The arm moves ONLY because the body moves it — not because the muscles of the arm itself made the arm move.

Have you ever seen a major league pitcher stand flat-footed and pitch the ball?

Of course not.

Any pitcher knows that he will have neither speed nor accuracy if he throws the ball flat-footed. To be effective he must use the big muscles (the legs and back) to move the body in order to create the speed and accuracy necessary for a good pitch.

I want you to try to throw the ball as far as you can, but with different rules. In order to be very powerful, you must hold the ball as tightly as possible, tightening all the muscles in your arm and shoulder. I want to see all the veins popping out; that way I know you are powerful and can throw it far. You know instinctively as you tighten up or quit moving the body that you cannot throw the ball any distance at all. In spite of this, I regularly see golfers holding the club so tightly and flexing those shoulder muscles, then wondering why they can’t hit the ball far.

Great muscular effort doesn’t do the job.

For confirmation of this, tighten up your arms and take a practice swing. Listen for any noise the club makes. There’s not much air moving, is there? Now try again, this time with your arms completely relaxed. Listen for the loud noise of the club through the air. There is quite a difference, isn’t there?

In order to have the arms and shoulders move at their top possible speed and with maximum reliability, they must be kept relaxed. This is achieved when the legs, which are the body’s real source of strength, cause the arms and shoulders to move.

Simply stated, the feet and legs cause the trunk of the body to move, which in turn causes the arms to move. All types of athletics are played with the feet moving the body. It all comes from the ground up, never from the top down.

For an observation, watch someone throw a bowling ball or throw a horseshoe to a post. The legs move the body, and the arm is completely dependent upon them.

It’s the same in all of athletics, including golf.

Because we are holding this long stick with the intention of hitting this little, innocent ball as hard as we can, this is contrary to our golf instincts. Common sense would tell us that in order to end that poor little ball’s life (without missing the ball, of course), we must use those powerful arms - and never look up? Isn’t that right? Not so!

There you have it — the process through which I developed the Concept Golf swing principles that will take your golf game to a new level. Because these ideas are simple, and because there are only five fundamentals, you might be tempted to not give them proper reverence. These principles have been tested and proven by golfers just like you. The new golfer, the professional, the high handicapper and the plus-one handicapper have all profited from these few simple ideas.

The Concept Golf swing principles are simple, logical, easy to understand, and easy to put into action. Everything else in the golf swing is a result of these few fundamentals — for all clubs, for all shots. They apply to the full swing, the short wedge and even the putter. As you understand and accept these ideas and put them to use, you will see great progress in your golf game.

It doesn’t have to be hard to discover the Par Golfer within you.

John Toepel is a Veteran PGA Tour Player, instructor, author and professional speaker. He is also the discoverer of Concept Golf, the quickest way to immediate, life-long lasting improvements to anyone’s golf game. To learn more about Concept Golf, including the most comprehensive golf instruction system ever, “The Concept Golf Perfect Shot Making System”, please visit http://www.conceptgolf.com/PSMS.htm and Discover the Par Golfer in You!

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Confused by EDTV vs HDTV? We don’t blame you. The number of acronyms floating about with regard to digital TV is frightening. What’s even more worrying is that very often they are used by people who have little or no knowledge about what they mean. If the person selling you doesn’t know the difference between EDTV vs HDTV, how are customers supposed to decide which TV or projector top go for?

In our guide below, we’ve tried to distill the technical info into as few words as possible and make it as straightforward to understand as we can.

To properly explain EDTV vs HDTV, we need to step back a bit. Traditional TV has 525 lines of video which are interlaced. Interlacing just means that every frame of video is split into two fields and each field is shown alternately. Although there are 525 lines in the signal, only 480 lines contain video, so it is sometimes referred to as 480i (480 lines interlaced). This is known as Standard Definition TV, or SDTV. While this has worked well enough for fifty years, as TV sets have got bigger and projectors more popular, the quality deficiencies have become increasingly apparent.

The ultimate answer to improving the quality of the image displayed on your TV is HDTV, however, as a step on the road to HDTV, the industry came up with Enhanced Definition TV, or EDTV. This system contains the same 480 lines as SDTV, but they are progressive scan. Hence EDTV is also known as 480p. Progressive scanning just means that instead of splitting the signal into two fields and showing half the lines at a time, all 480 lines of video are shown at once. This results in a noticeable improvement in the quality of video.

The bad news in relation to EDTV vs HDTV is that you need a completely new TV or projector to display both EDTV and HDTV. Most DVD players on the market today are progressive scan, meaning they output EDTV signals, however, in order to view the progressive scan picture in all its glory, you need a TV or projector capable of displaying it and that, unfortunately, means getting a new TV.

In terms of content, there is very limited TV content available in HDTV format, and there is still wrangling about the standard for HD DVDs. However, every DVD disc on the market can be displayed in EDTV right now.

Bottom line? Pretty much every HDTV projector or TV on the market today will display EDTV as well. So while there may not seem like a great deal of point in getting a new display for the limited HDTV content that is available today, it is worth it to watch your DVD collection in EDTV, the difference between SDTV and EDTV really is that big.

About The Author

Kenny Hemphill is the editor and publisher of The HDTV Tuner (http://www.the-hdtv-tuner.com).

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Here’s a breakdown of some key games on the Week 7 schedule:

Dallas at Seattle (-3)
Last year, Dallas rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes to win a memorable 43-39 Monday Night shootout in Seattle. However, the Seahawks have won twice in three games against the Cowboys since Mike Holmgren has been at the helm.

The big story this week for the Seahawks was the loss of safety Ken Hamlin, who got viciously beaten Sunday night outside a nightclub after Seattle’s 42-10 victory over Houston. Marquand Manuel (five starts in four years) will take Hamlin’s place, and will likely be tested by Drew Bledsoe and the No. 6 ranked offense in the league. Seattle won’t mind a shootout though, since they posses the NFL’s top offense (407 yards and 28 points per contest). The Seahawks are tough at home, but are only 3-8 against the spread in their last 11 games at Qwest Field.

Julius Jones and Day Nguyen should return for the Cowboys this Sunday, but the Boys lost starting left tackle Flozell Adams for the season. Torrin Tucker will be Adams’ replacement. Also, Patrick Crayton is sidelined for 6-8 weeks, and Peerless Price will get a chance to resurrect his career. The Dallas defense has dominated two of the NFL’s best offenses the last two weeks, holding Philly and New York to a combined 23 points, 80 rushing yards, and 3-for-23 on third down.

Cincinnati (-1) at Pittsburgh
This is a crucial clash in the AFC North, and a Bengals win will leave them 2.5 games up on the Steelers. However, Pittsburgh is 8-2 against Cincy recently.

The rumor is that Ben Roethlisberger is going to suit up for Pittsburgh. His absence was obvious last week as Tommy Maddox doubled the team’s season turnover total - managing four himself after Pitt had just two all year. Former Bengals coach Dick LeBeau, now the Steelers DC, has beaten his old team three consecutive times since 2003. Pittsburgh is 6-2-1 ATS in its last nine road games.

The Bengals have faced the Steelers 28 times since 1990, and this is only the third time that Cincy enters a meeting with a better record. They are 1-1 in those games. I’m going to jinx Carson Palmer by mentioning that he hasn’t throw an interception in 148 passes. Cincinnati is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games, and 5-0 straight up in its last five contests after scoring 30 points.

San Diego at Philadelphia (-3.5)
Since Andy Reid took over in 1999, Philly is 9-0 in games following a bye week (6-0 in the regular season and 3-0 in the playoffs). Donovan McNabb has had two weeks to recover from his myriad of injuries (chest, leg, sports hernia).

The Eagles have thrown the ball on 72 percent of their offensive plays thus far, so they’re looking for more balance. Since 2002, the Eagles are 36-9 versus the NFC but just 8-7 against the AFC. However, they’ve already squeezed out wins over two AFC West teams in 2005 - Oakland (23-20) and Kansas City (37-31). The Eagles are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games.

San Diego is an outstanding 15-3-2 ATS in its last 20 games, but just 9-10 SU in road games since the start of the 2003 season. The Chargers have the NFL’s No. 2 scoring offense (29.3 ppg) but are just 3-7 OU in their last 10 road games.

Denver at N.Y. Giants (-2)
The last time these two clubs met was on Sept. 10, 2001 - the night before 9/11.

The Giants are averaging 37.7 points a game in the Meadowlands, and are 4-1 ATS in their last five at home. New York needs to find some touches for Tiki Barber, who already has had three games with less than 15 carries. He had only two such games in 2004. The Giants are 6-1-1 ATS in their last eight, and 4-2-1 SU in their last seven meetings with Denver.

Denver is riding a five-game winning streak. They carried a 13-game winning streak into the Meadowlands the last time they visited New York, but were downed 20-16. Tatum Bell is leading the league’s third-best rushing attack with his 6.8 yards per carry average. Despite their gaudy record, Denver’s defense is just 22nd in the league.

Without further ado, here are my Week 7 Power Rankings:

1) Indianapolis (6-0) - For all that’s been made of their offensive “struggles” this season, they’re sixth in the NFL in scoring with 25.2 points per game.

2) Denver (5-1) - The Broncos small corners and 26th-rated pass defense could have a long day against Eli and the G-Men.

3) Cincinnati (5-1) - I think their front seven is soft. They have a chance to prove me wrong by holding up against Pitt’s running game.

4) Jacksonville (4-2) - I’d be concerned about that 25th-rated offense. But then I’d feel better about that No. 4 defense.

5) Tampa Bay (5-1) - Tim Rattay was a real nice pickup for this club. They’re going to need him sooner rather than later.

6) Pittsburgh (3-2) - I hope Big Ben isn’t coming back too quickly.

7) Atlanta (4-2) - I didn’t think Edge Hartwell had done much for the Falcons this season, but in the two games since he’s been gone they’ve surrendered 352 rush yards.

Philadelphia (3-2) - From the week after their bye to the end of the season, the Eagles are 41-10 under Reid. They went 9-3 in 2004 following the off week.

9) Carolina (4-2) - Their offense is ranked just 23rd and the defense is committing 10 penalties a game. Sloppy.

10) New England (3-3) - Since Rodney Harrison went down the Pats are 1-2, have yielded 1,263 yards (421 per game), and have been outscored 97-68.

11) Seattle (4-2) - Like Dallas, Houston employed a 3-4 defense and the Seahawks ran over it for 320 yards.
12) Dallas (4-2) - Adams had started 106 consecutive games for the Boys. A team losing its starting, Pro Bowl left tackle is not something to be taken lightly.
13) Kansas City (3-2) - This game is needed if the Chiefs want to make a run in the West. Their seventh-ranked rush offense will face the 13th-ranked rush defense.
14) San Diego (3-3) - When they meet Philly, the Chargers will have faced three teams in seven weeks that have had a bye the previous Sunday.
15) Washington (3-2) - Clinton Portis has a sore shin and hamstring, but will play. The Redskins are one of just two teams with a winning record and a negative turnover differential.
16) New York Giants (3-2) - Teams are converting an absurd 52% of third downs against the G-Men. However, their defense has forced 17 turnovers in just five games.
17) Buffalo (3-3) - The Bills have only 13 second-half points so far, but find themselves tied for first place in the East.
18) Baltimore (2-3) - This game in The Windy City is critical if the Ravens want to get back into the AFC North race. Baltimore is 4-1 in its last five against the NFC.
19) Chicago (2-3) - Teams have converted only one of 12 opportunities in the red zone into a touchdown against the Bears defense. Also, their D is holding teams to a 28.8% conversion rate on third down.
20) Tennessee (2-4) - The Titans are just 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games, and 2-4 ATS on the road.
21) Miami (2-3) - The Dolphins have won four in a row at home. In two career meetings, Miami has held Priest Holmes to 77 total rushing yards.”
22) Detroit (2-3) - Jeff Garcia split first-team reps with Joey Harrington this week and could earn start against Browns, the team he played for in 2004.
23) New York Jets (2-4) - Losing Kevin Mawae may have been the deathblow to their season.
24) Cleveland (2-3) - The Browns are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games. Who knew?
25) St. Louis (2-4) - You don’t really think that Jamie Martin pickup is going to save your fantasy team, do you?
26) New Orleans (2-4) - Now that the season is rapidly going downhill, the focus is starting to shift towards whether the Saints will stay in New Orleans. Could be another loss for The Big Easy.
27) Oakland (1-4) - The Raiders are the second-worst rushing team in the league with 71 yards per game.
28) Green Bay (1-4) - DC Jim Bates is doing a decent job with a terrible defense. They’re 10th in total defense and 14th in scoring defense. Not great, but an improvement from their 25 and 23 rankings, respectively, last year.
29) Arizona (1-4) - Despite a weak rushing attack, the Cards are No. 3 in the NFL in time of possession with 33 minutes per game.
30) Minnesota (1-4) - Remember, between 25 to 35 percent of the “experts” picked this team to win the NFC.
31) San Francisco (1-4) - The 49ers have won three straight outright in Washington, but haven’t played there since 1998.
32) Houston (0-5) - Average score of their games is 28-11.

Questions or comments for Robert? E-mail robert@docsports.com

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Your feet have 206 bones and over 100 muscles, ligaments and tendons so it’s important to take care of them by wearing the proper athletic shoes.

Choosing the right pair of sport shoes is important to the comfort of your feet. Unfortunately we often choose our shoes according to our fashion tastes instead of fitting them for the activity. I’m just as guilty as the next guy, after all I know what I like in fashion so it’s much easier to pick out a shoe that looks instead of finding what’s appropriate for my foot.

One common mistake I’ve made over the years is giving in to buying the cheap shoes. BIG MISTAKE! Particularly for athletics.

For example, let’s say you want to start running and buy a pair of cheap running shoes. First of all, cheap shoes are not made to form to your foot or absorb the impact of running and they are certainly not made to last. After a few miserable runs in your cheap shoes you might drop the sport pretty fast.

Typically, a good athletic shoe will cost between $70 - $90. Anything more and you are buying style. Anything less and you are probably getting shoes that have been on the shelf awhile where the glue can harden and dry out and the soles can dissipate.

Wear the shoe that fits the sport. If you’re walking, wear a shoe designed for walking. If running, wear a runners shoe and if weight training wear shoes that will support muscle activity. Each shoe is designed for the strength, cushion and stability in the areas that need it according to the type of sport you are involved in.

Buying a properly designed shoe will certainly add to your comfort and reduce injury as well. Shoes that have soles that bend at the ball of the foot also offer much better support than soles that bend under the arch.

The shoe’s material should be flexible and allow your foot to “breathe”. Shoes that have a mesh fabric are the best. A good sport shoe should be light and able to breathe.

You should also think about injury protection when buying your shoes. Don’t be fooled into thinking a shoe has to be heavy to offer good support. If you have calf or Achilles tendon pain then heavy canvas shoes have been known to make the pain worse.

If you take care to buy the right shoes you’ll get so much more out of your favorite sport by sticking with it, reducing injuring and of course, enjoying it so much more.

About the Author: Elizabeth McGee offers a directory of America’s Finest Online Shoe Stores with every day low prices on Brand Name Shoes for men, women and children. Visit her site at: http://www.famous-brand-shoes.com

Source: www.isnare.com

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As the 2006 soccer world cup approaches there are may that believe Brazil will once again emerge winnners and collect their record breaking sixth world cup. But can anyone challenge the samba stars of Brazil? Let’s have a look at some possible contenders for the 2006 world cup.

Germany

The host nataion always tend to perform well as witnessed by the famous French victory in 1998 and the amazing South Korean team reaching the semi finals in 2002.

It is also noted that England triumphed for the only time in 1966 as they played every game at their famous Wembley stadium.

But are the Germany world cup squad good enough to lift the 2006 world cup? I seriously doubt it, indeed they have a pretty tough group with Poland, Costa Rica and Ecuador.

The Germans always start world cups at a slow pace and tend to improve as the tournament progresses but I think they will have to be at their very best to win this group.

In the past the Germans had a great selection of world class players but for the 2006 world cup you could probably list just one class player, their captian Michael Ballack who has been linked with a big money move to Chelsea. Their other world class player, goalkeeper Oliver Kahn is out of favour with manager Jurgen Klinsmann.

Despite the advantage of home soil I predict the Germans will probably reach the quarter final at the very best.

Argentina

Argentina have some real quality players and must be a real threat to their rivals Brazil. Class players include Veron, Messi, Crespo, Sorin, Ayala and the class of Villa real star Juan Roman Riquelme.

Since the glorious days of Diego Maradona the Argentina squad have failed to make much of an impact at the World Cup but they must be regarded as possible contenders if their team can gel together and keep their discipline.

England

England are always one of the fancied teams in the world cup but often fail to deliver when it comes to the crunch . However, they do have some real quality players including Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, John Terry and the strikeforce of Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.

But there is some question marks against their defence, Rio Ferdinand and Sol Campbell have had their problems this year and I am not convinced about their goalkeeper Paul Robinson. However they do have the strong John Terry at the heart of their defence.

I expect England to reach at least the semi finals and if Wayne Rooney plays to the best of his ability he could be the player of the tournament.

Holland

The Dutch always have some talented players but are guilty of under achieving and are often at the centre of in-house fighting within a squad with lots of large egos!

This may be the last chance for many of their start players to lift a world cup and I expect them to do well if they can win a tough group which includes Argentina.

With quality players such as Ruud van Nistelrooy( Man Utd ) and Robben ( Chelsea ) the Dutch team must be respected but will do well to reach the semi finals.

France

1998 World Cup winners France will hope to improve on their terrible 2002 world cup but with many players now coming to the end of their career it was no surprise that the French struggled to win a pretty poor qualifying group.

However, the French do have one of the best players in the World and Tierry Henry can win any game for the French with one moment of class. Other star players include Vierra and the brilliant Zidane.

The majority of the French team have achived world cup fame and may not have the desire to repeat that achievement but should reach the quarter finals at least. If Henry turns on the skill they could even be potentail winners again if they avoid the big guns until the later stages.

Brazil

Everybody loves the Brazilians with their brand of pure football and they are strongly tipped to win the 2006 world cup.

The Brazilians have the best player in the world in Ronaldinho and can also call upon world class stars such as Cafu, Ronaldo, Adriano, Carlos, Kaka and Robinho.

Brazil won the 1958 world cup when it was hosted in Europe and it would be no surprise if they won the 2006 world cup in Germany.

Italy

The Italians are always expected to do well and breezed through qualification although they did have a very easy draw. Italian football is well know for it’s defensive strength and once again the Italians will be very hard to beat, especially with one of the finest goalkeepers in the world.

The Italians are strong in defence and attack with Francesco Totti and Luca Toni the star men but they are not as strong in midfield and this may be their downfall when they face teams with a strong midfield such as England, Argentina or France.

Italy will expect to reach at least the semi finals and don’t be surprised to see them involved in a few penalty shoot outs.

The 2006 Soccer World Cup will no doubt have many shocks and surprises!

—————————————————

Get the best odds on the Soccer World Cup at
World Cup Soccer facts

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College basketball is now in the heart of conference action and
the next two months will determine which teams go dancing in
March. It is a large card in college basketball on Wednesday
night, including three nationally televised games.

N.C. State makes the short road trip to face in-state rival
Duke, while a pair of Big Ten battles take place between
Northwestern/Michigan and Wisconsin/Ohio State. Below is a look
at all three national TV matchups.

N.C. STATE at DUKE (-11, 144) (ESPN)

N.C. State will provide another tough challenge for the #1
ranked and undefeated Duke Blue Devils (16-0 SU). The Wolfpack
are 14-2 SU this season with their only two losses coming at
Iowa and at North Carolina. The Wolfpack have a strong defense
which allows just 38 percent from the field (versus opponents
that average 44 percent overall) and overall the Wolfpack is
permitting just 61 points per game (versus opponents that
average 71 ppg).

Duke is a long-term 63-47 ATS as a double-digit home favorite
under head coach Mike Krzyzewski and beat Maryland last
Wednesday 76-52 as a 13-point favorite. It appears the
oddsmakers are finally making the proper adjustments as Duke’s
most recent game on Saturday landed exactly on the closing
number as the Blue Devils won 87-77 at Clemson as a 10-point
favorite.

Duke has gone 3-1 SU/ATS in their past four meetings versus N.C.
State; however Duke only won once in those four games by more
than twelve points.

NORTHWESTERN at MICHIGAN (-10 , 122 ) (ESPN-U)

Michigan is coming off a hard fought 79-74 loss at Illinois last
Saturday. Michigan outshot the Illini 46-42 percent overall and
covered as a 10 -point road underdog. The Wolverines now return
home they stand 8-1 SU this season, but just 2-4 ATS.

Michigan defeated Northwestern at home, 71-61, last year as an 8
point favorite, but the Wolverines lost the other two meetings
away from home, dropping a 69-53 decision at Northwestern and
then losing 58-56 in the Big Ten tournament.

Northwestern qualifies as a double-digit defensive dog tonight
as the Wildcats are allowing just 57 points per game and 39
percent shooting overall. Also, winning underdogs (+10 or more)
off back-to-back SU losses are a solid 60-34 ATS the past few
seasons.

WISCONSIN at OHIO STATE (-4 , 139 ) (espn2)

The Big-10 Conference remains the most competitive and talented
in the nation this season as Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State,
Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan State and Michigan are all postseason
contenders.

Wisconsin lost four starters from last year’s Elite Eight squad,
but they are still off to an impressive 14-2 SU start. The
Badgers do have a tendency to play better at home and stand a
perfect 10-0 SU in Madison, but just 4-2 SU away, including 1-2
SU in true road games. Wisconsin lost earlier this season at
Wake Forest and Pittsburgh, before earning their first true road
victory at Minnesota last week.

My overall power ratings favor Ohio State by just 3 points
tonight and Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan is a solid 81-57 ATS in
all games as coach of the Badgers. However, his teams are just
13-23 ATS on the road after a double-digit SU win and Wisconsin
has allowed 46 percent shooting away from home this season.

Ohio State is coming off their first home loss this year as the
Buckeyes lost 62-59 as a 4 -point favorite versus Michigan
State on Sunday. Ohio State struggled on offense and shot a
season-low 33 percent overall. It was only the second time all
season that the Buckeyes shot below 46 percent. Ohio State still
stands 9-1 SU at home and has won by an average margin of +17
points per game and outshot their visiting opponents 50-43
percent from the floor.

These teams met three times last season and Wisconsin was a 3-0
SU and 2-1 ATS, with their only pointspread loss coming by a
single point. In fact, Wisconsin has dominated this head-to-head
series the past two seasons, going 5-0 SU (4-1 ATS).

STEVE MERRIL is a professional sports handicapper and a
documented member of The Professional Handicappers League. Get
his Premium plays here.

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