Panthers hope to exorcise Blue Demons

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/21/2009 - Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fourth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers put their perfect home record on the line tonight, as the DePaul Blue Demons pull into the Steel City for a Big East Conference clash.

The Blue Demons can't be all that confident coming into this contest as they have yet to taste victory against a conference opponent, going 0-13 to this point. The team hasn't won a game since topping Alcorn State (90-67) back on December 28th, and nine of its 13 league losses have been by double digits. DePaul has been idle since last Sunday's 99-54 beating at Louisville, and the Blue Demons are just 1-8 in true road games this season.

Sporting an 11-2 mark against Big East foes, Pittsburgh is one of four teams with a legitimate chance of winning the league's regular-season title. The Panthers took on No. 1 Connecticut on Monday night in Hartford, scoring a 76-68 victory. With the win, Pitt ran its record to an impressive 24-2 and the team is a perfect 16-0 this season at the Petersen Events Center. Following this game, the Panthers have winnable dates against Providence and Seton Hall before closing out the regular season with a pair of home games against Marquette and UConn.

These two teams met in Rosemont, Illinois just two weeks ago with the Panthers taking a 92-69 decision to run their advantage in the all-time series to 4-1.

Despite 17 points from Dar Tucker and a double-double consisting of 12 points and 10 rebounds by Mac Koshwal, the Blue Demons were thoroughly beaten in last weekend's bout with Louisville, losing by 45 points. DePaul shot a mere 30.8 percent from the field while watching helplessly as the Cardinals converted nearly 60 percent of their total shots, including a whopping 18 three- pointers. Tucker has done his best to keep the Blue Demons competitive this season, netting 18.4 ppg while also grabbing 5.1 rpg. Koshwal is second on the team's scoring chart with 13.5 ppg and he is one of the few players in the country averaging a double-double as he pulls down 10.0 rpg as well. Will Walker adds 12.7 ppg to the mix, helping DePaul put up 64.7 ppg behind a lackluster .408 FG percentage. The three-point shot hasn't exactly been the Blue Demons' best friend this year, as only 27.2 percent of their perimeter shots find the bottom of the net, and they are just 61.8 percent accurate at the free-throw line as well.

Unlike their counterpart tonight, the Panthers have excelled at both ends of the floor this season, scoring 78.2 ppg while yielding just 62.3 ppg. Foes have found it particularly difficult to find open shots, converting a mere 40.4 percent of their field goal attempts. Pittsburgh, which boasts three double-digit scorers in the lineup, also owns favorable margins in rebounding (+10.1) and turnovers (+2.1). The frontcourt duo of Sam Young and DeJuan Blair are producing at an extremely high level for coach Jamie Dixon's squad, netting 18.2 and 15.7 ppg, respectively, with the latter heading the Panthers' rebounding effort with his 12.8 rpg. Guard Levance Fields is averaging 11.1 ppg and he is among the national leaders in assists with 196. Pittsburgh played inspired ball on Monday night, taking out the top-ranked Huskies on their own turf no less, as Young poured in 25 points and Blair had a monster game with 22 points and 23 rebounds. With Blair controlling just about every loose ball, the Panthers easily won the battle on the boards, 48-31.

Vasketball NCAA Basketball Betting News

<< State bragging rights on line as Hoosiers visit Boilermakers
West Lafayette, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Intrastate rivals collide in West Lafayette today, as the Indiana Hoosiers challenge the 19th-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in Big Ten Conference action. The Hoosiers are in the midst of one of their worst

<< Cardinals soar into Cincinnati to take on Bearcats
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time rivals, now members of the Big East Conference, meet in the Queen City today, as the seventh-ranked Louisville Cardinals come calling on the Cincinnati Bearcats. Rick Pitino has Louisville once aga

<< LSU hosts Auburn in pivotal SEC contest
Baton Rouge, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 23rd-ranked LSU Tigers are set to host SEC foe Auburn, which enters this contest riding a four-game win streak. The recent success has lifted Auburn to 17-9 overall and 6-5 in conference. Auburn knocked

<< Thunder pay a visit to Golden State
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder will try to stop a six-game road losing streak Saturday when they close out a short trek against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena. The Thunder opened the two-game road swing with a

<< Emotional Jazz welcome Hornets to town
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hearts will be heavy in Salt Lake City tonight, when the host Utah Jazz resume a five-game homestand versus the New Orleans Hornets at EnergySolutions Arena. On Friday, longtime Jazz owner Larry Miller succumbed to

Butler and Davidson square off in pivotal non-conference clash >>
Davidson, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The most anticipated Bracketbuster game on the docket takes place in the Tar Heel State this weekend, as the 21st-ranked Butler Bulldogs invade Belk Arena and attempt to get past the always dangerous Davidson Wil

A-10 rivals collide, as Flyers visit Billikens >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The top two defensive teams in the Atlantic 10 collide at Chaifetz Arena this evening, as the 25th-ranked Dayton Flyers come calling on the Saint Louis Billikens. Dayton has won two straight games and nine of

Tigers hope to claw way past Miners in C-USA action >>
El Paso, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fifth-ranked Memphis Tigers hit the road this weekend, as they invade the Don Haskins Center for a Conference-USA battle against the Texas-El Paso Miners. John Calipari's Tigers have run roughshod over the

Golden Eagles fly into D.C. to tangle with Hoyas >>
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Georgetown Hoyas begin a crucial two- game homestand today, as they entertain the 10th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles in a Big East tilt at the Verizon Center. The Hoyas were ranked in the Top 25 for a

11th-ranked Tigers in Boulder to take on Buffaloes >>
Boulder, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big 12 Conference foes collide in Boulder today, as the 11th-ranked Missouri Tigers pay a visit to the Colorado Buffaloes. This is the second meeting of the season between these two, and Missouri had very little t

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.