Nebraska remains unbeaten, wins Big 12 title with rout of Oklahoma
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/24/2010 - Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kelsey Griffin had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and third-ranked Nebraska remained undefeated and clinched the Big 12 title after defeating No. 11 Oklahoma, 80-64.
Cory Montgomery added a season-high 24 points for Nebraska (26-0, 13-0 Big 12), which won the regular season conference title for the first time in school history. Lindsey Moore contributed with 10 points in the lopsided win.
"There haven't been a lot of titles. Nebraska fans have really come behind us," Griffin said. "The whole state has just been super supportive through this run, through this season that we're having. It means a lot to people."
Abi Olajuwon scored 16 points and pulled down a career-best 14 rebounds to lead Oklahoma (19-8, 9-4), which has lost two of three -- to top-ranked UConn and Nebraska -- following a three-game win streak.
Amanda Thompson and Danielle Robinson both had 15 points for the Sooners in defeat.
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Boozer dominated the paint to the tune of 33 points and 16 rebounds, and the Utah Jazz continued their red- hot play with a 102-93 win over the road-weary Charlotte Bobcats. Boozer went 13-o
<< No. 21 Texas drops Oklahoma State in Big 12 tussle
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Damion James scored 19 points with seven
rebounds, as No. 21 Texas pulled away late for a 69-59 victory over Oklahoma
State in a pivotal contest at the Erwin Center.
Dexter Pittman added 16 points a
<< BYU stops SDSU; showdown with Lobos on tap
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jimmer Fredette scored a game-high 26 points,
grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists to help 13th-ranked BYU to an
82-68 win over the San Diego State Aztecs at the Marriott Center.
Jackson Emery f
<< Spurs top Thunder; Durant held under 25
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manu Ginobili poured in 26 points and had
nine rebounds off the bench, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a hard-fought
95-87 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, as Kevin Durant's incredible streak
of 25-p
<< Deng helps Bulls stay on the rise, down Pacers
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luol Deng poured in 31 points to go along with
nine rebounds and four blocks, as resurgent Chicago continued its late
February climb with a 120-110 victory over Indiana.
The Bulls, now winners in fiv
Waco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LaceDarius Dunn scored 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds, as No. 24 Baylor held off 22nd-ranked Texas A&M, 70-66, at the Ferrell Center. Josh Lomers added 10 points for the Bears (21-6, 8-5 Big 12),
Mavs hold off Lakers >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dirk Nowitzki dominated to the tune of 31 points
and nine rebounds as Dallas closed out the Lakers, 101-96.
Jason Terry poured in 30 points off the bench, while Jason Kidd added 14
points and 13 assists.
Reynolds, Villanova rout South Florida on senior night >>
Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scottie Reynolds scored a game-high 21 points
on senior night at the Pavilion, guiding No. 7 Villanova to a 74-49 victory
over South Florida in a Big East tilt.
Antonio Pena added 14 points and Corey Stok
Suns continue home dominance over Sixers >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Richardson poured in 24 points and
grabbed five rebounds, as the Phoenix Suns continued their dominance over the
Philadelphia 76ers in the desert with a 106-95 victory at US Airways Center.
Amare
No. 3 Purdue survives on Grant jumper; Hummel injured >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Keaton Grant hit the eventual game-winning
jumper with 7.7 seconds remaining in regulation, as No. 3 Purdue escaped
Williams Arena with an exciting 59-58 win over Minnesota despite playing the
second
What Is the Point Spread?
What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
How to Read Point Spreads
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
- Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
OR
- Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
-
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
- Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
OR
- Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score
Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.