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01/27/2007 - Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys finish up a brief two-game homestand this weekend, as they play host to the Iowa State Cyclones in Big 12 action from the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater.
The Cowboys moved to 3-2 in league play and 17-3 overall with a 66-61 win over rival Oklahoma on Monday.
The Cyclones are a game behind OSU in the standings at 2-3 and the team brings a three-game losing streak into Stillwater. The team hasn't played since last weekend, when it fell at home to Kansas State, 69-60.
The Cowboys hold a 56-51 advantage in the all-time series. Oklahoma State has won seven of the last eight meetings with ISU and has a 32-13 edge in games played at home in this series.
The Cyclones struggled with their shot, especially in the first half and trailed by 10 points at the break against Kansas State last weekend. The team did a little better in the second half, but could not overcome the deficit, falling by nine in the end. Mike Taylor did his best to lead the way to victory, as he scored 21 points to pace all Cyclones. Jiri Hubalek had a solid game as well, registering a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards. On the season, Iowa State has struggled offensively for the most part, averaging just 67.1 ppg, on a modest .419 shooting. Taylor has been the most consistent performer, averaging 16.7 ppg. However, his .382 shooting from the floor could certainly use some improvement. Wesley Johnson is one of the top freshmen in the league, averaging a near double-double with 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Hubalek has been a force up front as well, with 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per outing.
The Cowboys remained perfect at home with a solid win over the Sooners this week. Oklahoma State shot just .419 from the floor in the game, but outscored the visiting Sooners, 27-13 at the free-throw line in the victory. Byron Eaton led the offensive charge with a season-high 17 points. Three others joined him in double figures, with Mario Boggan putting up 13 points, followed by JamesOn Curry and David Monds, at 12 and 11 ppg, respectively. This season, Oklahoma State is averaging a steady 81.8 ppg, on nearly 50 percent shooting (.492) There may not be a better one-two punch in the nation than Boggan and Curry, who combine for nearly 40 points per game. Boggan leads the team in both scoring (21.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg), while shooting .575 from the field. Curry is a perfect complement with his perimeter game, pouring in 18.8 ppg, while delivering on 43.3 percent from behind the arc (55-of-127). Terrel Harris provides another option offensively, at 10.8 ppg.
<< Jayhawks host Buffaloes in Big 12 clash
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two teams at opposite ends of the Big 12
standings meet this afternoon in Lawrence, as the eighth-ranked Kansas
Jayhawks host the Colorado Buffaloes in conference action from the Allen
Fieldho
<< High-powered Penguins skate into Phoenix
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Penguins continue their push towards a
possible playoff spot this evening, where the up-and-coming club visits the
Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena.
Pittsburgh has won four of its last five ga
<< Scorching Blues hope to end string of misfortune vs. Preds
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The resurgent St. Louis Blues hope to end a long winless
drought against the Nashville Predators when the two Central Division
opponents face off tonight at Scottrade Center.
Nashville boasts 13 consecutive
<< Panthers return from break to host dangerous Devils
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After starting up their current road trip with a victory,
the New Jersey Devils will shoot for a Sunshine State sweep when they head to
the BankAtlantic Center tonight to take on the Florida Panthers.
New Jersey contin
Top-25 battle pits Tar Heels against Wildcats >>
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A rare non-conference treat late in the season
takes place in the desert this afternoon, as the fourth-ranked North
Carolina Tar Heels come calling on the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats in
Tucson.
Sooners attempt to continue mastery of Aggies >>
College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sitting in a logjam atop the Big 12
standings, the sixth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies return home to the friendly
confines of Reed Arena, as they play host to the Oklahoma Sooners in
confere
Top-25 Pac-10 tilt features Oregon at Washington State >>
Pullman, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A top-25 battle in the Pac-10 takes place in
the Pacific Northwest this evening, as the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks
take on the 20th-ranked Washington State Cougars from Friel Court in
Pullman
Trojans attempt to slay Golden Bears in Berkeley >>
Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an attempt to salvage something from
their trip to the Bay Area, the 25th-ranked USC Trojans will take on the
California Golden Bears in Pac-10 play from Haas Pavilion this evening.
The Tro
In any football or basketball game (the main sports that use point spreads) there are two teams playing against each other.
Those teams, though, are rarely exactly evenly matched – meaning that typically one team has a better chance than the other to win the game. If bettors were allowed to bet on who was simply going to win the game, smart ones would obviously bet on the better team (likely winning more than 50% of the time in the process).
If winning were that easy the Las Vegas and online sportsbooks would stop taking any bets! This is where the point spread comes in: the basic function of the point spread is to balance the likelihood of each team “winning” by adjusting the final score by the point spread. After this adjustment is made you get the Against The Spread result (ATS result for short).
Let’s look at Super Bowl XXXIX, New England Patriots vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Most people believed the defending champ Patriots to be the better team – so if betting were simply based upon which team would win the game, an uneven majority of people would have wagered on New England. But, by using the point spread, the bookmakers adjusted the terms of the bet, evening the proposition so about half the people believed the Pats to be the smart bet, while the other half considered Philly to be the smart bet.
New England Patriots -7 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The better team, called the Favorite, is expected to win the game and must “give” or “lay” points to the weaker team. The favorite is listed with a minus sign and the number of points they are favored by (e.g., New England -7)
In the case of our example, New England must not only win the game, but they must win by more than 7 points for Pats bettors to have a winning ATS result. An Eagles bettor wins his bet either if:
There was also the possibility that the final score could land exactly on the spread number (for example, the Pats winning 28-21 when -7), which is called a “push” or “no action” and a refund is then issued to bettors of both teams.
The same game with the same point spread can be considered from the weaker team’s perspective: The Underdog (Philly in the case of our example) is not expected to win the game and online football betting thus receives or “gets” points given by the stronger team. When a game is stated from the underdog’s perspective the team is listed with a plus sign and the number of points they are underdogs by:
Philadelphia Eagles +7 vs. New England Patriots
Keep in mind that Philadelphia +7 and New England -7 is the same point spread on the same game, simply stated differently. The first is from the underdog’s perspective; the later is from the favorite’s.
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
Let’s look at the actual result of Super Bowl XXXIX: New England 24 Philadelphia 21
The favorite, New England, won the game but not by more than the point spread they were favored by (7), so the ATS result was a LOSS for Pats bettors.
Looking at it from the underdog’s perspective, Philly did not win the game, but they lost by less than the point spread (7), so the ATS result was a WIN for Eagle bettors.
Mathematically considered, 24 for the favorite Pats minus 7 equals 17, which is less than the 20 the Eagles scored, so the underdog Eagles win the ATS result (or you could figure 20 plus 7 equals 27 for the Eagles, which is more than 24 for the Pats).
Emily’s boyfriend understood the point spread and wagered $100 on the Eagles at +7. The Eagles may not have gotten a Super Bowl ring, but since they won the ATS result Emily’s boyfriend cashed his bet – giving him money to take her out to a nice dinner.
And now hopefully you understand how to read point spreads, putting you one step closer to joining the fun of sports betting.
To visit this internet sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting and World Series odds.
It's less than a month until the NHL hockey betting season opens at MySportsbook.com and preparations are underway for another battle in the race to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in 2007.
As cup crazy fans prepare to place their bets, one online sportsbook ,MySportsbook.com, is offering hockey betting lines on the 2007/2007 Stanley Cup , who will bring it home this upcoming season.
Despite a poor showing in last season's playoffs and the loss of Steve Yzerman to retirement, the Detroit Red Wings are early favourites at this online sportsbook with wagering odds of 6-1. The Wings will look to offensive powerhouse Pavel Datsyuk and newly appointed captain Nicklas Lidstrom to lead one of the league's most prominent franchises.
Always a threat are the Ottawa Senators, with newly acquired goaltender Martin Gerber from the Stanley Cup champion ,Carolina Hurricanes. The Sens are second best in the rankings at a 7-1 bet, and odds makers at this sportsbook are optimistic that the Ottawa squad will fare better than last season's Eastern Conference semi-final upset to the Buffalo Sabres.
Also worth noting are the defending Stanley Cup champs Carolina Hurricanes, a 10-1 bet to repeat. Behind the Canes are the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Anaheim Mighty Ducks all sit at 12-1. In the basement are the Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, and St. Louis Blues who all have 100-1 odds to win.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your hockey betting needs.
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