Texas A&M deals Nebraska first loss in Big 12 semis

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/13/2010 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Danielle Adams poured in 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds, as 11th-ranked Texas A&M spoiled third-ranked Nebraska's bid for a perfect season with an 80-70 victory in the semifinals of the Big 12 tourney.

Adaora Elonu added 18 points and nine rebounds for the Aggies (24-7), who are making their third straight trip to the conference title game, where they will play either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State.

Tyra White chipped in 13 points for Texas A&M, which made its fifth consecutive appearance in the Big 12 Championship semifinals.

Foul trouble limited Big 12 player of the year Kelsey Griffin to 15 points and seven rebounds for the Huskers (30-1), who saw their school-record winning streak come to a halt.

Dominique Kelley and Yvonne Turner donated 18 and 14 points, respectively, for Big 12 regular-season champion Nebraska, which was making its first Big 12 semifinal appearance since 2000.

The Aggies went on an 18-4 run in the middle stages of the first half to create some breathing room. Elonu's layup gave Texas A&M a 32-19 margin with less than seven minutes left. The Aggies held a 39-28 advantage at the half.

Texas A&M maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half to claim victory.

Online-wagering-casino NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< No. 4 Duke weathers Hurricanes to gain ACC final
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Singler paced a hard-fought win with 27 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists, as fourth-ranked Duke held off a pesky Miami-Florida squad, 77-74, to advance to the ACC Tournament final. Jo

<< Flyers rally to upend Chicago on Pronger's last-second score
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Pronger scored the game-winner with 2.1 seconds left in regulation as Philadelphia edged Chicago, 3-2, at Wachovia Center. With time winding down, Claude Giroux carried the puck down the right-w

<< Kentucky dominates Tennessee to reach SEC title game
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - DeMarcus Cousins posted 19 points and 15 rebounds, as second-ranked Kentucky produced a chippy 74-45 rout of No. 15 Tennessee to advance to the SEC Tournament final. Eric Bledsoe scored 17 points

<< Temple crushes Rhode Island in A-10 semis
Atlantic City, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Brooks scored 16 points as 17th- ranked Temple cruised past Rhode Island, 57-44, in an Atlantic 10 semifinal. Juan Fernandez added 14 points and dished out seven assists while Lavoy Allen had n

<< Qualifying at Sao Paulo postponed
Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Poor track conditions forced Indy Racing League officials to postpone qualifying for the IZOD IndyCar Series season- opener on the streets of Sao Paulo until Sunday morning. Officials made the decis

Bears capture second straight MEAC title >>
Winston-Salem, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Thompson paced the Bears with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Morgan State captured its second straight Mid- Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament title with a 68-61 win over South Carolin

Turner, Buckeyes drop Illini in 2-OT to reach Big Ten final >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Turner continues to steal the show in Big Ten Tournament, scoring 11 of his game-high 31 points in a pair of overtime sessions to lead No. 5 Ohio State to an exciting, 88-81, victory over Illinoi

Bengals sign S Williams >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals and safety Roy Williams have reportedly agreed to a one-year deal on Saturday. The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that the eight-year veteran will be coming back with t

Gilardino's brace carries Fiorentina past Napoli >>
Naples, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A pair of second-half goals from Alberto Gilardino handed Fiorentina a 3-1 win over Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo on Saturday. Ezequiel Lavezzi broke a scoreless deadlock early in the second half t

Lyon misses chance to join leaders >>
Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon missed out on a chance to join Bordeaux and Montpellier at the top of the Ligue 1 table on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by St Etienne. With the top two teams in the league both having draw

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.