Football Betting

Monroe Doctrine: Hoyas dominate paint to reach Big East final

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Greg Monroe dominated the paint with 23 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, and 22nd-ranked Georgetown returned to the Big East Tournament final for the third time in four years with an 80-57 victory over Marquette.

Monroe, the talented 6-foot-11 center, even added a three-point basket for the eighth-seeded Hoyas (23-9), who will play either seventh-ranked West Virginia or Notre Dame in Saturday's final. Georgetown pulled away from the Golden Eagles in the final 10 minutes behind a dominant 14-1 run, which turned a five-point lead into a 70-52 rout with 5:32 to play.

Chris Wright and Jason Clark each scored 15 points for Georgetown, which avenged a 62-59 loss to Marquette on January 6 and snapped a three-game losing streak in the series. The teams have now split 10 all-time meetings after the Hoyas ruled the glass on Friday, outrebounding Marquette, 39-19.

Jimmy Butler scored 17 points to pace the fifth-seeded Eagles (22-11), who had beaten Villanova and St. John's en route to Friday's semifinal. Maurice Acker and Lazar Hayward posted 16 and 15 points, respectively, but nobody else on the team had more than four, as Marquette shot a dismal 37.7 percent from the field in the loss.

The Eagles registered just two field goals in the final 10-plus minutes, going 2-of-15 from the field during the stretch.

The Hoyas held three separate double-digit leads before the fourth finally proved to be too much for the Eagles to handle.

Leading by five with just under 11 minutes left, Georgetown poured in eight consecutive points, and a Monroe dunk made it a 64-51 game with seven minutes to go.

Monroe drained only his seventh three of the season on the following possession, and an Austin Freeman three-point play with 5 1/2 minutes remaining extended the margin to 18, effectively sealing the win.

The Hoyas opened the game on a 15-4 spurt, only to have the Eagles come roaring back. A Hayward three got Marquette back to within four at 15-11, and he later tied it with another triple for a 29-29 game with 5:50 remaining.

Georgetown managed to go into halftime holding a 37-34 advantage and began the second half on an 11-3 burst to take a 48-37 lead on a Clark three. The Eagles quickly answered with 10 points, with Hayward's three-point play cutting the deficit to one with 13 1/2 minutes to play.

Game Notes

Georgetown advanced to its 13th Big East Conference Tournament final, second only to Syracuse (14)...The Hoyas are 5-0 on a neutral court this season...Georgetown went a combined 0-2 against West Virginia and Notre Dame in the regular season...Marquette has never been in the final of this tournament in five tries since joining the Big East...Freeman finished with 12 points...The Hoyas own a record seven Big East Conference titles.


<< James returns, powers Cavs over Sixers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James ended with 23 points and Mo Williams chipped in 21, as Cleveland pulled out a tough 100-95 decision over the Philadelphia 76ers. James, who missed the previous two games due to a mildly sp

<< Holloway leads Xavier over Dayton in A-10 quarterfinals
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Terrell Holloway led all scorers with 22 points to lead the No. 24 Xavier Musketeers past the Dayton Flyers, 78-73, in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Ten Conference Tournament. Jordan Crawford added

<< Moore and Purdue down Northwestern in Big Ten quarters
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - E'Twaun Moore scored 28 points and JaJuan Johnson added 22 with eight rebounds, as sixth-ranked Purdue defeated Northwestern, 69-61, in the quarterfinals of the 2010 Big Ten Conference Tournam

<< Onuaku day-to-day with right quadriceps injury
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Syracuse forward Arinze Onuaku is day-to-day with a right quadriceps injury. Onuaku was hurt in Thursday's 91-84 loss to Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. He underwent an MRI on

<< Bobcats' Wallace leaves game with ankle injury
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace left Friday night's game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a sprained left ankle. With 1.5 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Wallace stole the ball fr

Lightning escape Verizon Center with win over Caps >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Walker had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning got a big win in a 3-2 decision over the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center. Vincent Lecavalier and Brandon Bochenski each had

Bobcats top Clippers; Wallace hurt ankle >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen Jackson poured in 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter while dishing out six assists, as the Charlotte Bobcats continued their stellar play at home with a 106-98 victory over the Los Angeles

Georgia Tech downs Maryland to reach ACC semis, boost resume >>
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Iman Shumpert scored 14 points and handed out four assists to help Georgia Tech fend off 19th-ranked Maryland, 69-64, in the quarterfinals of the 2010 ACC Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. The Yellow Ja

Kovalchuk, Devils clip Pens to tighten Atlantic race >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Kovalchuk posted a goal and two assists and Martin Brodeur stopped 34 shots as New Jersey clipped Pittsburgh, 3-1, at Prudential Center. Patrik Elias and Andy Greene also scored for the Devils, who hav

Collins, Kansas blow past Texas A&M in second half >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sherron Collins scored 26 points and dished out six assists, and top-ranked Kansas used a big run late in the second half to post a 79-66 victory over No. 23 Texas A&M in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tou

MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined

Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.

"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."

Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)

According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.

As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).

Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.

Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at

17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.

*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007

New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers

By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.

"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."

While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."

About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648

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