Villanova visits West Virginia in Big East showdown
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/08/2010 -
Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off their first Big East Conference
loss of the season, the Villanova Wildcats will attempt to get back on track
in Morgantown against the West Virginia Mountaineers this evening.
Villanova dropped a 103-90 decision at Georgetown on Saturday in a game that
was never really close. That setback halted an 11-game win streak for the
Wildcats, who are now 20-2 overall and 9-1 in league action. They had recorded
four consecutive double-digit triumphs prior to Saturday's loss.
As for West Virginia, it has quietly put together a six-game win streak to
move to 19-3 overall and 8-2 in conference. The club has posted back-to-back
19-point victories, including Saturday's 79-60 decision over St. John's.
Expect the Mountaineers to play with a wealth of confidence this evening, as
they are 9-1 at home this season.
Although Villanova holds a 20-18 edge over WVU in the all-time series, the
Mountaineers have won four of the last five meetings.
Villanova trailed Georgetown by 19 points at intermission on Saturday after
allowing the Hoyas to shoot 55.6 percent from the floor in the first half,
including 8-of-13 from three-point range. Rather than make adjustments and
improve in the second half, the Wildcats permitted an even higher shooting
percentage over the final 20 minutes. Villanova turned the ball over 18 times
in the tilt and was outscored 39-17 from the foul line. Both Scottie Reynolds
and Corey Fisher scored 24 points in defeat, and Corey Stokes added 10 points.
Through 22 games, Reynolds is averaging 18.7 ppg on the strength of his 40.5
percent efficiency from three-point range. Fisher checks in with 13.7 ppg, and
Antonio Pena adds 11.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg. The Wildcats are generating 85.2 ppg
while limiting opponents to 72.0 ppg on 40.5 percent shooting.
There are four double-digit scorers in the fold for West Virginia, and Da'Sean
Butler leads the pack with 17.3 ppg. More than just a scorer, Butler also
brings 6.2 rpg and 74 assists to the lineup. Kevin Jones provides 14.2 ppg and
7.6 rpg for WVU, which is getting 11.1 ppg and 8.7 rpg from Devin Ebanks.
Darryl Bryant rounds out the foursome with 10.3 ppg and 76 assists for a
Mountaineer squad that is netting 73.8 ppg while holding opponents to 61.5
ppg. Rebounding has clearly been a strength for the team, as it is ripping
down 8.0 rpg more than foes. Butler was sensational against St. John's over
the weekend, as he exploded for 33 points on the strength of a 7-of-7 effort
from three-point range. The Mountaineers connected on only 25 percent of their
total shots in the first half and trailed by 11 points at intermission.
Fortunately, the team shot 65.5 percent in the second half, including 8-of-8
from behind the arc, and made good on all 11 free throws to claim the win.
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Why Sports Betting is so much fun?
Betting Sports
The most popular sports to bet on are NFL and college football along with NBA and NCAA basketball. There are multiple betting opportunities within those sports, beginning with the basic wager on a game’s outcome (also called betting the side). College Football Point spreads are used in both football and basketball in an attempt to even the attractiveness of each team in a match-up. ( See our article detailing how and why point spreads are made)
But you could also simply bet on the money line, or straight-up winner of the game. Oddsmakers use the money line so that more money must be risked on the favorite or expected winner and less money on the underdog to balance the action on both sides. While money line gambling is an attractive option for football and basketball bettors who only care about picking a winner, it is the primary option for those bettors who enjoy wagering on MLB baseball and individual sports like boxing, tennis, golf and racing events such as NASCAR. ( More details on playing the Money Line)
Points (or Runs) Scored
Another bet across all major team sports including football, basketball, baseball, and hockey involves wagering on the amount of scoring in a game, called an Over/Under total. For example, the Over/Under total on Super Bowl XXXIX was 48, which means a bettor could wager whether there would be more or less than 48 points scored by both teams combined in the game.
The final score of Super Bowl XXXIX was 24-21; the scoring of both teams added up to 45, which means the game went Under . So Under bettors won, and Over bettors lost.
Future Bets
Sports gambling doesn’t end there. Betting sides and totals are the most common wagers available everywhere, but many sportsbooks also offer future bets on big upcoming events like who will win next year’s Super Bowl and what movie will win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
The main advantage of futures is that you can get appealing odds by betting far in advance. For example, with NFL futures you often can get much higher odds on a team by betting before the season even starts. A NFL future bet on a team to win the Super Bowl odds might be 20/1 in the preseason; but by midseason, their odds might decrease to 10/1 if they turn out to be legitimate championship contenders.
Proposition Bets (or Prop Bets)
Proposition bets , also known as prop bets, focus upon the more exotic aspects of a game and are generally reserved for events that are widely televised. Prop bets are extremely popular when it comes to wagering on the Super Bowl in Las Vegas. The Imperial Palace Casino’s sportsbook is well-known for the enormous number of prop bets offered. For example, you can bet on:
- What team will win the coin toss
- What player will score the game’s first touchdown
- What will be the exact margin of victory
Types of Bets
Straight Bet
Involves one individual wager, whether it be on your team to cover the point spread, to win the game straight-up on the money line, or to go over/under the total.
A parlay is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers and is dependent on all of those wagers winning together. The benefit of the parlay bet is much better odds than placing each individual bet separately since the difficulty of hitting it is much higher.
Standard payoffs on a two-team parlay are 13/5; while a three-teamer pays 6/1; and a four-teamer 10/1.
Parlay cards are also fairly common in sportsbooks and popular with bettors, as they are released early in the week with set odds that do not change in return for a slightly lower payoff.
Round Robin Betting
Adventurous bettors who enjoy betting parlays sometimes put together a series of parlays called a Round Robin . A three-team Round Robin consists of one three-team parlay and three two-team parlays. For example, Joe likes teams A,B,C – with a Round Robin he has a three-teamer with ABC, and two-teamers with AB, AC, and BC.
Similar to a parlay, a teaser bet is a single bet that links together two or more individual wagers, but is different in that the point spread is adjusted to your advantage on each individual wager. In exchange for the points, you get less of a return on your bet compared to a parlay. For example, a 6-point teaser would move the line on a 7-point favorite from -7 to -1, meaning the team would have to cover 6 less points. Each of the individual wagers must win or the bet is a loss.
These are the main types of sports bets available today. But as sports betting continues to grow, sportsbooks will continue to develop new and creative ways to bet. We’ll continue to track these changes to the sports gambling landscape, so check back often and we’ll tell you all about it!
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