Badgers' Butch out 4-to-6 weeks

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/27/2007 - Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wisconsin junior forward Brian Butch is expected to be out 4-to-6 weeks due to a dislocation with an associated fracture of his right elbow.

Butch suffered the injury in the first half of Sunday's 49-48 loss at Ohio State, but because of the recovery time Butch's season is likely over.

"I'd like to thank all the fans that have expressed their concern with my condition and let them know that I will work hard to get back on the court as soon as I can," Butch said. "I will continue to support my teammates and hope to contribute any way I can, whether as a cheerleader or a voice of experience on the bench. I have all the confidence that my teammates can continue the success that we have started."

Butch started 29 game for the Badgers this season, ranking third on the team in scoring at 8.8 points per game. He was also leading the team in rebounding at 5.9 per contest.

"We know how tough it will be for Brian to have to sit out but we also know the type of person he is and how hard he will work to get back," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "For Brian to average close to 10 points and six rebounds a game for the last two years is a good indication of how steady a contributor he has been to our program. We will miss his energy and enthusiasm on the court, but know he will still give us those things in the locker room and on the bench."

The Badgers were the top-ranked team going into last week before losses to Michigan State and the Buckeyes. Wisconsin is now 26-4 and ranked fourth in the latest Associated Press poll.

Yeoma NCAA Basketball Betting News

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.