Villanova visits West Virginia in Big East showdown
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/08/2010 - Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off their first Big East Conference loss of the season, the Villanova Wildcats will attempt to get back on track in Morgantown against the West Virginia Mountaineers this evening.
Villanova dropped a 103-90 decision at Georgetown on Saturday in a game that was never really close. That setback halted an 11-game win streak for the Wildcats, who are now 20-2 overall and 9-1 in league action. They had recorded four consecutive double-digit triumphs prior to Saturday's loss.
As for West Virginia, it has quietly put together a six-game win streak to move to 19-3 overall and 8-2 in conference. The club has posted back-to-back 19-point victories, including Saturday's 79-60 decision over St. John's. Expect the Mountaineers to play with a wealth of confidence this evening, as they are 9-1 at home this season.
Although Villanova holds a 20-18 edge over WVU in the all-time series, the Mountaineers have won four of the last five meetings.
Villanova trailed Georgetown by 19 points at intermission on Saturday after allowing the Hoyas to shoot 55.6 percent from the floor in the first half, including 8-of-13 from three-point range. Rather than make adjustments and improve in the second half, the Wildcats permitted an even higher shooting percentage over the final 20 minutes. Villanova turned the ball over 18 times in the tilt and was outscored 39-17 from the foul line. Both Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher scored 24 points in defeat, and Corey Stokes added 10 points. Through 22 games, Reynolds is averaging 18.7 ppg on the strength of his 40.5 percent efficiency from three-point range. Fisher checks in with 13.7 ppg, and Antonio Pena adds 11.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg. The Wildcats are generating 85.2 ppg while limiting opponents to 72.0 ppg on 40.5 percent shooting.
There are four double-digit scorers in the fold for West Virginia, and Da'Sean Butler leads the pack with 17.3 ppg. More than just a scorer, Butler also brings 6.2 rpg and 74 assists to the lineup. Kevin Jones provides 14.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg for WVU, which is getting 11.1 ppg and 8.7 rpg from Devin Ebanks. Darryl Bryant rounds out the foursome with 10.3 ppg and 76 assists for a Mountaineer squad that is netting 73.8 ppg while holding opponents to 61.5 ppg. Rebounding has clearly been a strength for the team, as it is ripping down 8.0 rpg more than foes. Butler was sensational against St. John's over the weekend, as he exploded for 33 points on the strength of a 7-of-7 effort from three-point range. The Mountaineers connected on only 25 percent of their total shots in the first half and trailed by 11 points at intermission. Fortunately, the team shot 65.5 percent in the second half, including 8-of-8 from behind the arc, and made good on all 11 free throws to claim the win.
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Panthers take a break from their Big East Conference schedule this evening to battle the Robert Morris Colonials of the Northeast Conference at the Petersen Events Center in the Steel City. R
<< Spurs resume road trip against Lakers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs face the toughest test of their
annual Rodeo Road Trip when they face the defending NBA champion Los Angeles
Lakers at Staples Center tonight.
Each year around this time the Spurs hit the road
<< Mavs kick off road trip in Oakland vs. Warriors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Southwest Division-leading Dallas Mavericks will hit
the road for three games starting with Monday's contest against the Golden
State Warriors at ORACLE Arena.
Dallas will also visit Denver and Oklahoma City on the roa
<< Magic, Hornets collide in Orlando
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic hope to carry the momentum from their big
win at Boston into tonight's home tilt versus the New Orleans Hornets at Amway
Arena.
Orlando posted a 96-89 triumph over the Celtics on Sunday at TD Garden, as
<< Missed opportunities cost Colts
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peyton Manning was one quarter away from
capturing his second Super Bowl title in four years, but the four-time league
MVP didn't get enough support from his teammates, and in the end a costly
interce
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
Ramblers try to cool off red-hot Bulldogs >>
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
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 >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche will try to forge a tie atop the
Northwest Division standings tonight, when they welcome the St. Louis Blues
for a battle at Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche have 70 points and are two behind idle Vancouv
Devils, Flyers ready to renew rivalry >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk will seek his first goal in a New Jersey
Devils uniform when his new team visits the rival Philadelphia Flyers tonight
at Wachovia Center for the opener of a home-and-home series between Atlantic
Division foes.
FOOTBALL BETTING LINES
NFL Football Sports BettingTwo playoff teams from 2007 take center stage on the NFL Network Sunday night in a Week 2 NFL betting match-up when the (0-1) New England Patriots betting head south to Florida for a contest with the (1-0) Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New England HC Bill Belichick couldn’t care less about the way his team plays in the preseason. With a chance to tie last week’s game with the Baltimore Ravens betting, He elected to go for the two-point conversion and outright victory. The conversion failed, and the Pats ended up falling to the Ravens by a 16-15 final count.
New England rolled off twelve unanswered points to give it a chance at securing the victory, but it never threatened to cover the 3.5-point spread. NFL bettors saw this one coming, as they bet the Ravens down from +6 to +3.5 as the week progressed. QB Tom Brady didn’t take part in the Patriots first preseason clash, but could see action this weekend.
His three replacements all put up embarrassing numbers. They went a combined 17 for 33, and threw three interceptions and no touchdowns. The New England defense was encouraging, as they held the Ravens to 2/12 third down conversions and surrendered just ten first downs. That ‘D’ should be bolstered with the addition of former Bucs and Denver Broncos betting safety John Lynch, who could make his Patriots debut on Sunday against his former mates.
HC Jon Gruden had to be impressed with the way his Bucs played on both sides of the ball in their dominating 17-6 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1’s NFL pre-season betting action. Bucs bettors were quite happy with the effort, as they made a mockery of the fact that they were underdogs in the game.
The logjam at the quarterback position didn’t get any easier to separate for Gruden, as all four of his QBs had positive experiences in the first exhibition of 2008. The four combined to complete 28 of their 40 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown, and that was without starting QB Jeff Garcia in the lineup.
RB Michael Bennett had 19 carries and four receptions, totaling 90 yards and a touchdown. Expect to see more of Bennett, Kenneth Darby, and Earnest Graham, as they all compete for playing time with Warrick Dunn in the backfield this season. Defensively, the Bucs recorded four sacks and held the Fins offense in check all day.
First round draft pick Aqib Talib was impressive in the secondary, recording a tackle and two pass defenses in his debut. Don’t be surprised to see Talib in the starting lineup opposite Ronde Barber for the Bucs in ’08.
The betting trends suggest that NFL bettors should be backing the Bucs in this intra-conference exhibition.
These two teams hooked up last year in Tampa Bay, with the Bucs winning that game 13-10. The Buccaneers have only lost one preseason game at home dating back to the beginning of the ’05 preseason. The Patriots have had a mixed bag of results in their recent exhibitions. They have gone 2-2 ATS and SU each of the last three years.
New England currently sits as modest 1-point favorites in this preseason showdown with the ‘total’ now sitting at 34.5.
You can find these lines and all of the NFL betting lines , so be sure to login and get your wagers down before kickoff!
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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