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Wizards try to conjure up a road win in CharlotteBasketball Betting Lines01/28/2012 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Eastern Conference's worst two teams square off for the second time this week Saturday when the Charlotte Bobcats play host to the Washington Wizards. The Bobcats are coming off an awful performance in Philadelphia on Friday. In fact, Charlotte coach Paul Silas wasn't even around in the end to see his team lose a season-high seventh straight game. Ejected during a timeout, Silas missed the last 2 1/2 quarters of another bleak loss. The 76ers easily handled the Bobcats, 89-72, leading wire-to-wire and by as many as 30 points. Silas was ejected as the game got out of hand, tossed after receiving two technical fouls during a timeout in the second quarter while his team trailed by 21. "I just kind of lost it out there," the coach said. "I said something I shouldn't have said and then kicked the ball. Everyone loses it every now and then, and I did." The Bobcats, who are now an NBA-worst 3-17, continue to deal not only with the frustration of losing, but also with injuries to some key contributors. Gerald Henderson was able to return Friday from a one-game absence because of a bruised lower back, scoring seven, but D.J. Augustin missed his third straight game with a toe injury and D.J. White sat with a left knee contusion. Shorthanded, the Bobcats lost their fourth straight game by at least 10 points after staying within single digits in their previous three losses. They also had a six-game losing streak earlier in the season, Rookie Kemba Walker paced Charlotte with 14 points and eight rebounds while Matt Carroll and Derrick Brown both had 11 off the bench. "This season's not going like we expected," said Henderson, "and the only way that it can go is up. So that's the kind of attitude that we got to have." The Bobcats haven't lost eight in a row since Feb. 24-March 10, 2007. Augustin, who is averaging 13.6 points and a team-high 6.6 assists, isn't expected back in the lineup until next Tuesday at the earliest. Washington has been just one-half game better than the Bobcats at this point (3-16) and suffered its latest blowout in Houston last night, 103-76. John Wall had 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists in that one for the Wizards, who turned the ball over 24 times and remained the only winless team on the road (0-8) this season. Nick Young finished with 15 points. "They turned up their pressure, we were trying to throw cross-court passes, and you can't even get away with that in high school," Washington interim head coach Randy Wittman said. "We want to be up-tempo, we're athletic, and we want to run, but you have to take care of the ball. Houston had something to do with that." The Wizards topped Charlotte in D.C. on Wednesday, 92-75, in Wittman's first game as interim coach after replacing the fired Flip Saunders. The Bobcats, however, have won five of the past six at home in the series.
<< Lakers begin tough stretch in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off halting a three-game skid, the Los Angeles Lakers will begin a tough stretch tonight in Milwaukee in which they will play eight of nine games on the road. Kobe Bryant netted 24 points to go with seven rebounds an
<< Grizzlies finish road trip in the desert vs. Suns
<< Jimmer returns to SLC when Kings visit Jazz
<< Knicks limp into Houston to face Rockets
<< Sixers resume lengthy homestand against struggling Pistons
Braves and Bluejays mix it up in MVC action >>
Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at opposite ends of the Missouri Valley Conference standings meet for the second time in three weeks tonight, as the Bradley Braves have made the trip to Omaha to challenge the 15th-ranked Creighton Blueja
Panthers come to Murray seeking upset of 11th-ranked Racers >>
Villanova plays host to No. 17 Marquette >>
Kansas heads to Ames for Big 12 clash with Iowa State >>
An SEC catfight pits Wildcats against Tigers >>
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 online football betting 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. |
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