Wildcats invade Lincoln to take on Cornhuskers

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/02/2010 - Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats head out to the road for two straight games, starting tonight in Lincoln, when they take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Big 12 action at the Devaney Center.

The Wildcats are coming off a near miss of another major victory on Saturday, falling 81-79 in overtime to now top-ranked Kansas. KSU had been a perfect 4-0 versus Top 25 teams, including an upset of No.1 Texas, prior to suffering its second loss in three games on Saturday. The Wildcats are still a healthy 17-4 overall, as they now begin a six-game stretch against teams located in the bottom half of the Big 12.

Speaking of the cellar, that is exactly where the Huskers reside with a 1-5 record in Big 12 action. Nebraska however, is coming off its first Big 12 win, a 63-46 thumping of Oklahoma on Saturday. The triumph ended a five-game slide and improved the Huskers to 13-8 overall and 11-2 at home.

As for the all-time series, KSU leads Nebraska 123-93 after the teams split a pair of meetings a season ago.

In a game that featured 20 lead changes and 14 ties, it was KSU that fell short against Kansas, 81-79, on Saturday. Jacob Pullen paced the Wildcats in defeat with 22 points and five assists, while Denis Clemente had 13 points. For the season, Pullen tops the roster in scoring at 19.3 ppg and he also dishes out 3.5 apg and shoots 41.8 percent from beyond the arc. Clemente has provided a nice complement to Pullen and he checks in with 14.6 ppg and a team-best 4.0 apg. Jamar Samuels adds 11.1 ppg and 4.9 rpg off the bench, and Curtis Kelly tacks on 11.1 ppg and a team-high 6.3 rpg for the Wildcats.

The Huskers notched their first Big 12 win behind stingy defense, as they forced 15 turnovers and held Oklahoma to a lackluster 34.9 percent shooting effort from the floor in a 63-46 decision on Saturday. Offensively, Brandon Richardson led the way with 16 points, while Ryan Anderson had 11. Anderson, the team's leading rebounder (5.0 rpg), is the lone player on the roster currently averaging in double figures, with 10.7 ppg. Richardson chips in with 8.9 ppg for the Huskers, who are limiting foes to 60.2 ppg for the season.

Wwwi-casino NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< Spartans and Badgers meet in Big Ten tussle
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Michigan State Spartans will attempt to remain perfect in Big Ten play when they pay a visit to the 16th- ranked Wisconsin Badgers, who are undefeated at home this season. Michigan State is rid

<< Rangers acquire Jokinen from Flames
Calgary, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Calgary Flames made their second big trade in less than two days, moving forwards Ollie Jokinen and Brandon Prust to the New York Rangers in exchange for forwards Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins

<< BC to play BU for Beanpot title
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston College will take on Boston University in the championship game of the 58th annual Beanpot tournament after both schools won semifinal contests on Monday. Boston College advanced to the title game with

<< Utes suspend Henderson
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Utah freshman guard Marshall Henderson was suspended for one game for elbowing a BYU player in a game on Saturday. During BYU's 82-69 win in Provo, Henderson was ejected from the game with 34 seconds

<< Alouettes re-sign Chiu to one-year deal
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Alouettes re-signed starting center Bryan Chiu to a one-year contract plus an option. Chiu started 16 games last year for the Grey Cup champions and was selected to the East Division All-Star

Rebels take on Wildcats in pivotal SEC battle >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels have the unenviable task of battling the now fourth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington this evening in a top-25 SEC tussle. Ole Miss carried a three-game win streak into Sun

Seton Hall seeks upset of Big East leader Villanova >>
Villanova, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big East Conference foes collide tonight, as the second-ranked Villanova Wildcats host the Seton Hall Pirates at The Pavilion. Seton Hall is a solid 12-7 overall, but that record is overshadowed a bit by a 3

Orange play host to Friars in Big East affair >>
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The third-ranked Syracuse Orange will try to continue their winning ways tonight, as they entertain the Providence Friars in a Big East clash at the Carrier Dome. After starting the season unranked, Syracuse h

Cougars set to pounce on Horned Frogs >>
Provo, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clinging to first place in the Mountain West Conference standings, the 12th-ranked BYU Cougars try to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the member schools as they host the TCU Horned Frogs tonight

Magic try to stay hot at home vs. Bucks >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic shoot for their sixth straight win at home tonight, when they play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at Amway Arena. Orlando will also entertain Washington on the short residency and owns a solid 18-4 reco

MySportsbook.com offers Blackjack contest and $10,000.00 in Free Prize money!

Every month MySportsbook.com's casino host, Jack Black, gives away $10,000.00 in free casino prize money. To Enter - All you have to do is play at least 10 hands (total) of Blackjack on one of the specified dates of the blackjack contest. The online casino host randomly hands out free bonuses ranging from $50 - $500, and one lucky player who will receive a free $2,500.00 bonus.

"We have been running this monthly free blackjack contest to our active mebers for 5 years now, and the players just love it," says Jack Black, online casino host at MySportsbook.com. "And why wouldn't they love a free chance to win some extra online blackjack cash."

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.

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.