 |
 Basketball Betting |
 |
||||
|
 |
||||
|
||||
Ramblers try to cool off red-hot BulldogsNCAA Basketball Betting Lines02/08/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The red-hot Butler Bulldogs continue their run at a perfect Horizon League campaign tonight, as they host the Loyola Chicago Ramblers at Hinkle Fieldhouse. The Bulldogs are enjoying another terrific season at 20-4 and on Saturday they continued their winning ways with a 74-62 besting of Wright State. The victory improved Butler to a school-record 13-0 in conference play and a win tonight would already guarantee the program at least a share of the HL title. The Bulldogs have also won 12 straight games overall, marking the fourth-longest streak in school history. Loyola meanwhile, suffered a narrow 59-56 defeat on Saturday to Cleveland State. It was the fifth loss in six games for the Ramblers, who are now just 4-9 in league play after going 9-1 against non-conference opponents. As for the all-time series, Butler leads Loyola 47-30 and that includes a close 48-47 decision in a meeting just last month. A late 15-2 run by Cleveland State sent Loyola to a narrow 59-56 loss on its home floor this past Saturday. It was a tough ending for the Ramblers, who had 13 turnovers that resulted in 17 points for the Vikings. Ben Averkamp and Terrance Hill each scored 12 points to pace the team in defeat, while Walt Gibler had 11 and eight boards. On the season, Hill is the squad's leading scorer with 11.6 ppg and he is also collecting 4.5 rpg. Gibler, who does his damage coming off the bench, follows with 11.2 ppg and he too is solid on the boards, grabbing 5.2 rpg. The Bulldogs shot an unconscious 67.5 percent from the floor and went 16-of-18 at the foul line, as they downed Wright State over the weekend. Leading the way was Willie Veasley, who tallied a career-high 19 points on a perfect 9- of-9 shooting from the floor. Matt Howard tacked on 12 points and five boards, while Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack had 11 and 10 points, respectively. On the season, Hayward tops the roster in both scoring (16.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg) and he also has 28 steals to his name. Mack adds 14.5 ppg and 3.2 apg to the mix, while Howard contributes 11.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Veasley rounds out the double-digit scorers, with 10.0 ppg.
<< Jayhawks and Longhorns duke it out in Austin
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of Big 12 heavyweights collide in Austin this evening, as the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks take on the ninth-ranked Texas Longhorns from the Frank Erwin Center. Bill Self's Jayhawks sit atop the Big 12 stan
<< Villanova visits West Virginia in Big East showdown
<< Colonials face tall task in clash with Panthers
<< Spurs resume road trip against Lakers
<< Mavs kick off road trip in Oakland vs. Warriors
Giguere seeks to continue hot streak as Leafs host Sharks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The new-look Toronto Maple Leafs will test themselves tonight against the top team in the Western Conference, as they host the San Jose Sharks at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs ended January on a six-game losing streak
Avs resume homestand with visit from Blues >>
Devils, Flyers ready to renew rivalry >>
Streaking Kings try to continue mastery of rival Ducks >>
Coyotes hope to rebound against visiting Oilers >>
Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture. Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet). For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot. The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win. TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures. Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash. Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.
How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later. While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better. For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory. 1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season. 2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped. How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number. Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules. Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically. How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games). Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition. Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. |
|
