IUPUI and Oakland collide for Summit League title
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/09/2010 -
Sioux Falls, SD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The IUPUI Jaguars and the Oakland Golden
Grizzlies will battle tonight in the championship game of the Summit League
Tournament. The prize for the winner is an automatic bid to the NCAA
Tournament.
IUPUI, the tournament's second seed, beat seventh-seeded Western Illinois in
the quarterfinal round and third-seeded Oral Roberts by a 69-65 final in
yesterday's semifinals. The Jaguars are now riding a six-game win streak, and
their only previous league title came back in 2003. They have lost in the
championship game twice since capturing the crown.
Top-seeded Oakland knocked off eighth-seeded UMKC on Saturday before besting
fifth-seeded IPFW, 71-58, yesterday. The Golden Grizzlies won their only
conference crown in 2005, and they have also lost two championship games since
tasting victory. Last season, they dropped a heart-breaking 66-64 decision to
North Dakota State in the final. Oakland is riding a 10-game win streak, even
more impressive than IUPUI's current run.
IUPUI and Oakland split a pair of meetings during the regular season, and the
Golden Grizzlies own a 19-14 advantage in the all-time series.
There is a tremendous trio of players on the IUPUI roster, and Robert Glenn
leads the group with 19.6 ppg behind 58.9 percent shooting from the floor. In
addition to his scoring ability, Glenn leads the team with 6.4 rpg and 45
blocks. Alex Young checks in with 18.4 ppg, and Leroy Nobles provides 13.3 ppg
on the strength of his 43.6 percent shooting from three-point range. The
Jaguars are scoring 75.0 ppg while allowing 67.0 ppg to opponents. In the
four-point win over Oral Roberts yesterday, Glenn tallied 18 points, Nobles
scored 17 and Young added 16, as all three players performed well under
pressure. IUPUI connected on 56.3 percent of its field goal attempts, the most
obvious key to victory.
There are four double-digit scorers in the fold for Oakland, but center Keith
Benson is clearly the best player on the roster. Benson is scoring 17.3 ppg on
54 percent shooting from the floor, and he is ripping down 10.3 rpg to go
along with a block total of 110. Johnathon Jones provides 12.7 ppg for the
Golden Grizzlies, and he has handed out a stellar total of 212 assists to
complement his 60 steals. Derrick Nelson (11.7 ppg) and Larry Wright (11.0
ppg) round out the group for Oakland, which is posting 76.8 ppg while holding
foes to 71.2 ppg. Blake Cushingberry came through with a huge performance for
the Golden Grizzlies against IPFW, as the starting guard finished with 23
points. Benson posted 17 points, 17 rebounds and six blocks in that tilt, and
Oakland held the Mastodons to 37.5 percent shooting from the floor.
<< Bulldogs battle Raiders for Horizon League crown
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the fifth straight season the 12th-
ranked Butler Bulldogs will take part in the Horizon League Tournament
Championship Game when they host the Wright State Raiders this evening at the
Hinkle Fieldhouse.
<< North Texas takes on Troy in Sun Belt title tilt
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top-seeded Troy Trojans and the second-
seeded North Texas Mean Green have advanced to the championship game of the
2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, and they will compete for an automatic
bid to the "B
<< Surging Bucks host Allen, Celtics
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweet-stroking veteran Ray Allen has already recorded his
20,000th career point and will add to that mark tonight, when the Boston
Celtics hit the road to Milwaukee for a showdown with the Bucks.
On Sunday, Allen hit a go-
<< Sixers, Pacers clash in Indy
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers finally got off the schneid with a
big win at Toronto this weekend, and hope that carries over into Tuesday's
road bout against the Indiana Pacers at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Philadelphia was able to snap
<< Streaking Magic hope to make Clippers disappear
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The acquisition of Vince Carter has paid off so far for
Eastern Conference power Orlando, which will shoot for its sixth straight win
tonight versus the Los Angeles Clippers in the second test of a three-game
homestand at Amw
Heat visit Bobcats in key Eastern Conference showdown >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwyane Wade is doing everything he can to keep the Miami
Heat in playoff contention. But, first he has to figure out a way to beat the
Charlotte Bobcats when the two teams collide Tuesday in the Tar Heel State.
The Bobcats
Bruins hope to bolster playoff chances vs. Maple Leafs >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Bruins will try to bolster their playoff hopes
when they visit the last-place Toronto Maple Leafs for tonight's clash between
Original Six clubs at Air Canada Centre.
The Bruins are currently holding onto the ei
2010 Big West Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 35th annual Big West Conference
Tournament will once again take place at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena
for a tenth straight season. The bottom four seeds of the eight-team field
will take part in fi
2010 Pac-10 Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nine team will converge on the Staples
Center in Los Angeles to compete for the Pac-10 Conference Tournament
championship beginning on Wednesday, March 10th.
The only member of the league that isn't compet
2010 Mountain West Conference Tournament Preview >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It is the usual suspects that are destined
to do the most damage in Las Vegas this week, as the members of the Mountain
West Conference descend on the Thomas & Mack Center for the 11th annual
conference t
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.
"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,' it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."
"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.
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.
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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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