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Ebanks leads West Virginia past ProvidenceNCAA Basketball Betting Lines02/17/2010 - Providence, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Devin Ebanks posted 21 points and seven rebounds, leading the eighth-ranked Mountaineers to an 88-74 victory over Providence in Big East action. West Virginia (20-5, 9-4 Big East), which had dropped two in a row, including a triple-overtime decision vs. rival Pittsburgh last Friday, used a 23-0 run early on and quelled Providence's (12-14, 4-10) hot start to the second half to come away victorious. Wellington Smith and Da'Sean Butler each scored 16 points, with Smith also grabbing 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers, who won the battle in the paint, 50-20. Jamine Peterson carried the Friars with 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Brian McKenzie, Vincent Council and Marshon Brooks each netted 13 points in defeat. Sharaud Curry came in averaging 15.5 points but went 0-for-10 from the field and ended with eight points in the setback, Providence's sixth straight. The Friars shot 24.0 percent from the field in the first half and trailed by 18 at the break. However, they scored the first 10 points out of the locker room to get the Dunkin' Donuts Center crowd back in the game. Peterson and Duke Mondy each hit from behind the arc, and the former added a layup to cut the gap to 46-38 just two minutes in. The deficit was as low as six, 48-42, several possessions later, but West Virginia took over from the there, scoring nine consecutive points for some breathing room. Butler's jumper with just over 13 minutes remaining ended the run, which culminated in a 57-42 edge, and the margin was double digits the rest of the way. The visitors trailed by two early on before embarking on a seemingly back- breaking 23-0 flurry. Providence missed eight field goals and committed four turnovers during the seven-minute stretch, during which Butler converted a pair of three-point plays. Deniz Kilicli's layup near the 11-minute mark finished off the run for a commanding 25-4 cushion, and West Virginia cruised to a 46-28 halftime lead. Game Notes The Mountaineers have won the last six meetings vs. the Friars, who play their fourth straight top-10 foe next Tuesday when they host Syracuse...West Virginia next hosts Seton Hall on Saturday...West Virginia outrebounded Providence, 43-28...The Friars made 37.5 percent from the field overall...Darryl Bryant hit all 10 of his free throws en route to a 14-point effort for West Virginia.
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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. Brandon Roy Favorite to Win 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year Portland TrailBlazer’s guard, Brandon Roy, is MySportsbook.com’s overwhelming favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year odds. Despite missing 20 games due to an injury earlier this season, Roy has definitely put up the best numbers of his 1st year peers. In 32 games, Roy is averaging 15.3 PPG, 4.2 boards and 3.5 assists in over 33 minutes of play per game. While most rookies breakdown as the season progresses (see Morrison), Roy is only getting stronger as his playing time and scoring average has increased each month. Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to bet on the NBA. With the regular season about to hit the homestretch, it is important to point out that MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry. To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards. |
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