UConn dominates second half to topple Texas
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
01/23/2010 - Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jerome Dyson scored a career-high 32 points, and the Connecticut Huskies used a dominant second half to beat top-ranked Texas, 88-74, and deal the Longhorns their second straight defeat.
Dyson went 12-of-23 from the floor and drained four three-pointers for the Huskies (13-6), who improved to 2-0 under associate head coach George Blaney filling in while head coach Jim Calhoun is on medical leave.
Stanley Robinson added 17 points and 12 rebounds, while Kemba Walker had 19 points and 10 assists in the win, UConn's first over Texas since 2000.
Damion James had 23 points to lead the Longhorns (17-2), who are 0-2 in their second-ever week as the nation's top-ranked team. Texas suffered its first defeat on Monday at the hands of 10th-ranked Kansas State and before that needed overtime to beat Texas A&M at home last Saturday.
Avery Bradley contributed 15 points for Texas, which was outscored 54-32 in a lackluster second half. The Huskies held a significant edge in the free throw shooting department, making 26-of-37 compared to just 9-of-16 for the Longhorns.
The Huskies trailed, 52-45, after a Jordan Hamilton layup just over five minutes into the second half, but that's when the hosts took over.
A 26-6 run ensued, giving UConn the lead for good.
Dyson began the burst with a three-pointer, and Texas missed seven straight shots before a Dyson jumper gave the Huskies a 54-52 advantage with 12 1/2 minutes left.
Bradley's basket two minutes later kept the Longhorns within two points at 58-56, but a pair of Gavin Edwards free throws quickly put UConn's lead back to six.
The run ended with nine consecutive points, as Walker finished it with a layup and a three-pointer for an insurmountable 12-point advantage, 71-58, with 6 1/2 minutes remaining.
Texas didn't get closer than 11 the rest of the way, as UConn added 12 free throws in the last five minutes.
James' dunk gave the Longhorns a 14-9 lead after four minutes, and he drained a three two minutes later for a 20-11 advantage.
UConn responded with the next nine points, as a Dyson triple tied the game at 20, but a 7-0 burst by Texas a short time later made it 30-23 on a Hamilton three-pointer with just under seven minutes remaining.
The visitors held the lead for the remainder of the period and went into the break ahead, 42-34.
Game Notes
UConn leads the all-time series, 4-2, although Texas had won the two previous meetings...The Huskies had lost Calhoun's last three games before the leave...Texas fell to 3-2 on the road, while Connecticut improved to 12-1 at home...UConn shot 54.9 percent for the game, while the Longhorns converted at a 43.9 percent clip.
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What Is the Point Spread?
What are Sports Betting Point Spreads?
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.
How to Read Point Spreads
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:
- Philly wins the actual game by any amount of points
OR
- Philly loses the game by less than 7 points.
-
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.
For Those Who Like to Consider Things Mathematically
Not a must, but for some a mathematical approach is insightful. You can determine the ATS winner by either:
- Subtracting the point spread from the favorite’s score (thus the minus sign before the number) and then compare to the underdog’s score
OR
- Adding the point spread to the underdog’s score (thus the plus sign before the number) and then compare to the favorite’s score
Who Really “Won” the Super Bowl odds ?
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.
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.
With 30 or so games left in the regular season, Roy isn’t a lock for the award by any means. Other rookies are putting together some pretty impressive campaigns and a few could give Roy a run for the award with increased playing time. Heading the list is first pick, Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors. Even though he has started only two games all season, Bargnani is averaging 10.3 PPPG while shooting 35% from deep.
Randy Foye of the Minnesota Timberwolves could be set to give Roy the best competition NBA Rookie of the Year betting lines. With the benching of Mike James, Foye looks like he could be the starter in the T-Wolves backcourt for the rest of the season. So far, Foye has averaged 9 PPG and 2.4 assists in just under 21 minutes per game. With his new role of starter, Foye’s numbers will definitely increase. In his first game as the new starting guard this past Sunday, Foye had 10 points; five rebounds and 8 assists. More importantly, he logged 34 minutes of playing time; his third highest run of the season.
Adam Morrison, of the Charlotte Bobcats, was the favorite early on in the season after averaging 15+ PPG through the first month of the season. Ever since his torrid start, Morrison’s point production has declined each month. This really isn’t surprising, considering at 6’8” he only weighs 205 lbs. Obviously he will need to hit the weights big time during the off-season in order to keep from breaking down in the future.
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.