Big 12 brawl pits Missouri against Oklahoma
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
02/06/2012 - Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Missouri Tigers set their sights on continued success as they head to the Lloyd Noble Center for a Big 12 Conference battle with the Oklahoma Sooners this evening.
This will be the 209th meeting in the all-time series. Although Oklahoma holds a 112-96 series lead, Missouri has won eight of the last 12 meetings, including an 87-49 victory earlier this season in Columbia.
Head coach Frank Haith saw his team's record reach 21-2 overall after it outlasted rival Kansas to pick up a 74-71 decision on Saturday. The Tigers were excellent on the offensive end in the contest, as they shot 52.1 percent from the field and made 10-of-22 from three-point range to push past the Jayhawks. The superb offensive performance was not much of a surprise however, as Missouri leads the Big 12 in scoring at 80.9 ppg. The Tigers are also a very solid team defensively, as they have held conference opponents to 67.1 ppg. Oklahoma is one of three teams that Missouri held to 51 points or less.
Marcus Denmon has the starring role in Missouri's lineup this season. The senior guard is third in the conference in scoring with an average of 17.7 ppg after his spectacular 29-point and nine-rebound performance in the win over Kansas. Denmon showed his ability to hurt defenses from anywhere against the Jayhawks, as he poured in 6-of-9 from long range. Senior forward Ricardo Ratliffe is a very efficient big man as he leads the nation in field goal percentage (74.7) and the team in rebounding (6.6). Kim English and Michael Dixon have also shown the ability to light up the scoreboard, while Phil Pressey leads the conference with 5.9 assists per contest.
Head coach Lon Kruger has lead Oklahoma to a 13-9 record so far this season. The Sooners were handed their second loss in a row and fourth in five games by Iowa State on Saturday as they dropped a 77-70 decision to the Cyclones. Oklahoma held a 36-26 advantage in the rebounding battle versus Iowa State, but could not slow down the Cyclones as they hit 15-of-30 from three-point range to best the Sooners. The loss put the Sooners in a tie for second to last place in the Big 12 standings. Oklahoma is ranked last in scoring defense as it is allowing opponents to net 68.5 ppg. The Sooners are averaging 71.9 ppg on the offensive end.
Steven Pledger is pacing the Sooners with an average of 17.6 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 44.9 percent shooting from long range. Pledger's 2.7 makes from beyond the arc is leading the Big 12, while his scoring average is fourth. Sam Grooms is ranked 10th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.0) and third in the conference in assists (5.7). Andrew Fitzgerald has scored in double figures in 16 of the last 17 games to average 14.9 ppg during that span. Romero Osby is a solid contributor with 12.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per outing.
Rosemont, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming off a humbling loss, the Marquette Golden Eagles will try to bounce back tonight against the DePaul Blue Demons in a Big East Conference battle at Allstate Arena. This will be the 111th meeting in the a
<< Cirstea advances in Thailand
Pattaya City, Thailand (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Romanian Sorana Cirstea was an easy
first-round winner Monday at the $220,000 Pattaya Open tennis tournament.
The seventh-seeded Cirstea blew past Japanese Erika Sema 6-2, 6-2 on the
hardcourt
<< Farrington expected to become VMI's defensive coordinator
Lexington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - VMI is expected to name Jeff Farrington as
the new defensive coordinator of its football program later this month.
Farrington became Mercer University's defensive coordinator last July as it
builds a program
<< I'll Have Another - The Overlay of the Century
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - How many times does a gambler like a horse and wish the
odds could have been much higher than they were? It does not happen that often
but when the unforeseen takes place, it's best to take the money and ask
questio
<< FCS Giants bask in Super Bowl triumph
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They're Super beyond the FCS level.
A contingent of former FCS players are reveling in the New York Giants' 21-17
win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI Sunday night.
The Giants' roster inc
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to post a third straight shutout when they host the surging Edmonton Oilers in an interconference clash tonight at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs have received terrific goaltending from
Cousins leads Kings into New Orleans >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - DeMarcus Cousins hopes to build on one of his best games as
a professional when the Sacramento Kings shoot for a season-high third
straight victory tonight in the Big Easy against the New Orleans Hornets.
Cousins h
Giddy up: Spurs begin Rodeo Road Trip in Memphis >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Antonio opens up its annual Rodeo Road Trip tonight in
Memphis against the Grizzlies.
Since 2003, the Spurs have been forced on an extended trek for much of
February since the AT&T Center hosts the ann
Nuggets target a win vs. visiting Rockets >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The suddenly shaky Denver Nuggets will try to avoid a
season-high third straight loss tonight when they welcome the Houston Rockets
to Pepsi Center.
The Nuggets, who are opening up a three-game homestand, have dro
Thunder invade Portland's Rose Garden >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The West's best faces a tough test tonight as Oklahoma City
resumes a five-game road trip against a Portland team that has been dominant
in Rip City.
The Thunder are an NBA-best 18-5 despite losing the opener of their
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.