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Butler did it! Bulldogs down suddenly slumping XavierNCAA Basketball Betting Lines12/23/2008 - Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Howard had 19 points and 14 rebounds as the Butler Bulldogs upset the 14th-ranked Xavier Musketeers, 74-65, at Cintas Center. Gordon Hayward had 19 points and 10 rebounds while Willie Veasley added 12 points for the Bulldogs (10-1), who have won two straight. Derrick Brown had 17 points and eight boards while C.J. Anderson had 15 points for the Musketeers (9-2), who have dropped their last two games. Holding a lead to start the second half, Butler built on its advantage with six straight points and Shelvin Mack's jumper made it a 44-36 game. Trailing by seven points later in the second half, Xavier scored six straight points with Terrell Holloway getting the final three on a layup and free throw to make it a 53-52 game with a bit over eight minutes to play. Butler, though, answered with a three-pointer from Hayward followed a bit later with a free throw from Ronald Nored to make it a 57-52 contest with 6 1/2 minutes to play. Holloway was fouled as he put in a layup and he drained the free throw to cut the deficit to 61-57, but Nored followed with a layup to keep it a six-point game with a bit over four minutes to play. Brown, though, countered with a three-pointer, but Butler then hit five straight free throws and held a 68-60 lead on Hayward's two from the line with under three minutes to play. Two free throws from Anderson and a three-pointer by Brown made it a three- point game again with two minutes to play, but the Butler defense clamped down and didn't allow Xavier any more points as the Bulldogs held on for the win. Butler assumed early command of the game with an 8-0 run in the opening minutes of the contest. It stayed close for the next several minutes, but Xavier got a layup from Anderson followed by a three-pointer from Brad Redford for a 26-24 advantage with a little over two minutes left in the first half. The Bulldogs, though, countered with a three-ball from Nored and a jumper by Shawn Vanzant to take a 29-26 lead into the locker room. Game Notes Xavier hosts Robert Morris on New Year's Eve...Butler hosts UAB next Tuesday...Xavier leads the all-time series, 28-15.
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Sportsbooks to bet on footballRecently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it. He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games. "Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote. He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games. Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk. Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible. Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines. Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy. With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season. Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas). And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.) The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors. While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger. Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under. One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it. Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami. What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5. That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well. MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple. "The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money. "At the end of the day, we liked the home team." So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams. In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish. MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover. The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing. Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed. MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash. To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards. MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse betting . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees! To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football sportsbook needs. |
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