Mountaineers attempt to tame Tigers in East Regional matchup
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/21/2010 - Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers and the 10th-seeded Missouri Tigers will collide in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this afternoon.
The winner of this East Regional matchup will advance to the Sweet 16 to do battle with 11th-seeded Washington.
Missouri outplayed seventh-seeded Clemson in the second half of Friday's first-round game, and the result was an 86-78 victory. This marks the 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance for Missouri, which owns a 22-22 record at the event. Last season, the Tigers reached the Elite Eight, and the fact that they have returned to the Big Dance despite losing three 1,000-point scorers from that squad is a credit to head coach Mike Anderson and his staff. Overall, Missouri is 23-10 and finished 10-6 versus Big 12 Conference opposition during the regular season.
As for West Virginia, it overcame a slow start to crush 15th-seeded Morgan State by a 77-50 final. WVU is making its 23rd appearance in the Big Dance and third straight under head coach Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers, who are 28-6 overall, won the Big East Tournament title and had a resume' that was certainly worthy of No. 1 seed consideration, so Huggins didn't attempt to conceal the fact that he was disappointed with the No. 2 seed. The club finished sixth in the final regular-season poll, the best finish for the program since placing fifth in 1960. WVU is 21-22 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Missouri won its only previous meeting with West Virginia by an 89-78 final in 1992.
On Friday, Missouri played tremendous basketball in the victory over Clemson, as the team shot 51.9 percent from the floor and finished with 21 assists against only nine turnovers. Missouri also forced 20 turnovers and earned a 21-10 edge in points from the foul line, enabling the squad to overcome a 41-30 rebounding disadvantage. Both Keith Ramsey and Kim English tallied 20 points, while Laurence Bowers pitched in 15 points for the Tigers. J.T. Tiller added 10 points for Missouri, which is averaging 77.8 ppg while limiting opponents to 66.2 ppg. English continues to lead the team with 14.1 ppg, and that output would be better if not for his 39.5 percent shooting from the field. Marcus Denmon and Bowers are contributing 10.8 ppg and 10.3 ppg, respectively. The Tigers are holding opponents to 41 percent field goal efficiency, but the team has struggled on the boards.
West Virginia is generating 73.1 ppg while limiting opponents to 63.4 ppg on 42 percent shooting from the field. The Mountaineers are a dominant rebounding team, as they are ripping down 6.9 rpg more than the opposition. Da'Sean Butler, one of the top performers in the Big East Conference, brings 17.2 ppg to the floor for WVU. Kevin Jones checks in with 13.6 ppg and 7.1 rpg, and he is shooting 52.8 percent from the floor. As for Devin Ebanks, the third and final double-digit scorer on the roster, he brings 12.0 ppg and 8.4 rpg to the court. West Virginia held Morgan State to 29.5 percent shooting from the floor in the first round, including 3-of-19 from three-point range. A 49-38 rebounding advantage also helped the cause for the Mountaineers, who finished with 20 assists against nine turnovers. Jones scored 17 points in the clash, while Ebanks tallied 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 12th-seeded Cornell Big Red earned the first NCAA Tournament win in program history two days ago, and they will attempt to upset the fourth-seeded Wisconsin Badgers in the second round of the East Regiona
<< Second-round tilt features Aggies against Boilermakers
Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-Round action in the South Region of the
NCAA Tournament will take place at Spokane Memorial Arena when the fourth-
seeded Purdue Boilermakers take on the fifth-seeded Texas A&M Aggies.
The Aggies pus
<< Top-seeded Duke takes on California in South Regional play
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After breezing through their first-round
game, the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils will face more of a challenge this
evening when they battle the eighth-seeded California Golden Bears in second
round action in t
<< Terrapins tangle with Spartans in Midwest Regional action
Spokane, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The ACC meets the Big Ten in the second round
of the 2010 NCAA Tournament today, as the fifth-seeded Maryland Terrapins
battle the fourth-seeded Michigan State Spartans at Spokane Memorial Arena.
The winner of thi
<< Yellow Jackets and Buckeyes collide in second-round affair
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The second-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes and
10th-seeded Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets come together today in the second
round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The
winner of this Midwes
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One of only two active teams capable of making it to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year, the Xavier Musketeers must first get by the Pittsburgh Panthers in the second round of the 72nd annual NCAA Tourn
Top-seeded Syracuse and Gonzaga clash in West Region >>
Buffalo, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first-ever meeting between powers from
opposite coasts takes place this afternoon at HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York
as the Gonzaga Bulldogs clash with the Syracuse Orange in the second round of
the 72nd annua
Blazers make a stop in Phoenix >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Portland Trail Blazers are heating up at the right
moment and will try for their sixth straight win tonight, when they take a
trip to the desert to face the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center.
Portland is cur
Durant, Thunder visit Pacers in Indy >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - MVP candidate Kevin Durant will lead the Oklahoma City
Thunder into Indiana this afternoon for a showdown against the Pacers at
Conseco Fieldhouse in the finale of a three-game road trip.
Durant is second in th
Rockets begin trip at New York >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Rockets hope to get back on track when they
open a three-game road trip Sunday against the New York Knicks at historic
Madison Square Garden.
Houston will also visit the Bulls and Thunder, and is 15-17
SPORTS BETTING
NFL Football Betting OnlineIn terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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