UConn AD Hathaway to serve as Division I men's basketball chair
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
07/19/2010 - Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NCAA announced on Monday that Jeff Hathaway, director of athletics at the University of Connecticut, has been appointed chair of the Division I Men's Basketball Committee for the 2011-12 academic year.
Hathaway, whose term will begin in September 2011, will replace Gene Smith. He will serve as chair for the 2010-11 campaign.
Having just completed his seventh year as director of athletics at UConn, Hathaway will be just the fourth individual from the Big East Conference to serve on the Division I Men's Basketball Committee. The previous were commissioners Dave Gavitt and Mike Tranghese and former Syracuse AD Jake Crouthamel.
It's a big job for Hathaway, considering he'll start this position as the NCAA will be under a $10.8 billion television agreement with Turner Sports and CBS, and NCAA Tournament will expand to 68 teams.
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics placed outfielder Ryan Sweeney on the 15-day disabled list with right patella tendinitis on Monday. The move is retroactive to July 12. The 25-year-old is hitting a team-best .294 wi
<< Bulls officially sign Brewer
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bulls announced the signing of
free agent guard Ronnie Brewer on Monday.
Terms of the contract were not released, but it was earlier reported to be for
three years and $12.5 million.
The Bu
<< Jazz sign Bell
Salt Lake City, UT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz have signed guard Raja
Bell to a reported three-year contract worth $10 million.
This will be Bell's second stint with Utah after spending two seasons from
2003-05 with the club. He
<< Dushevina moves on in Slovenia
Portoroz, Slovenia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Russian Vera Dushevina was
a first-round winner Monday at the Slovenia Open.
Dushevina dropped the first set but rallied for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over
fellow countrywoman Anna Lapushch
<< Edwards, Keselowski feud showing no signs of letting up
Madison, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - "Boom boom boom, now. Boom boom boom, now. Boom
boom pow."
I generally don't like using song lyrics to describe a frantic episode in a
NASCAR race or any other motorsports event, but after last Saturday's night
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Bucks signed free agent point guard Keyon Dooling on Monday. Dooling is said to have inked a two-year deal and will slide in as the backup to Brandon Jennings after former Buck Luke Ridnour
Spieth shares lead at Junior Amateur >>
Ada, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending champion Jordan Spieth shot a five-under
67 on Monday to share the first-round lead at the U.S. Junior Amateur
Championship.
Stephen Behr and Davis Womble also posted rounds of 67, while Wyndh
Reds 3B Rolen remains sidelined >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen
missed his third straight game Monday due to a right hamstring injury.
Rolen received a cortisone shot in his hamstring and could go on the disabled
list in the
Report: Childress visits Favre in Hattiesburg >>
Hattiesburg, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Vikings head coach Brad Childress
reportedly met with Brett Favre on Monday as he tries to gauge if the star
quarterback will return for a 20th season in the NFL.
WDAM-TV in Hattiesburg repo
Twins' Morneau to see specialist >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin
Morneau will see a specialist Tuesday, as he continues to deal with symptoms
of a concussion he sustained before the All-Star break.
Morneau is on the disabled
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.
Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.
Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.
"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."
Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.