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01/27/2007 - Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In an attempt to salvage something from their trip to the Bay Area, the 25th-ranked USC Trojans will take on the California Golden Bears in Pac-10 play from Haas Pavilion this evening.
The Trojans joined the top-25 this past week and in their first defense of that national ranking, got routed by Stanford on Thursday, 65-50. The loss dropped USC to 15-6 overall and 5-3 in league play, two games out of first place.
The Golden Bears have lost two games in a row, including a 62-46 setback to third-ranked UCLA on Thursday. The loss dropped the Bears to an even 4-4 in Pac-10 play and 12-8 overall.
California holds a 124-113 edge in the all-time series with USC and registered a three-game sweep of the Trojans a season ago.
USC got abused by Stanford on Thursday, as the team got 19 shots blocked by the Cardinal in a 15-point loss. Nick Young led the charge offensively for the Trojans, finishing with 13 points. He was joined in double figures by Taj Gibson and Gabe Pruitt, who added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Poor shooting was the culprit in the loss, as USC shot a miserable .284 from the floor (19-of-67), including a .235 clip from behind the arc (4-of-17). This is not an offensive juggernaut by any stretch of the imagination, so when the team is struggling to find its range, bad things will happen. On the year, USC is netting just 70.8 ppg, but makes up for it by allowing a mere 60.8. Young has been the top option at the offensive end, throwing down 17.0 ppg, Lodrick Stewart is next with 13.4 ppg, while the freshman Gibson has proved to be one of the Pac-10's most exciting youngsters, averaging a near double-double with 12.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per outing.
California has its own freshman phenom in the form of 6-10 Ryan Anderson. The talented forward/center leads the Golden Bears in scoring (17.1 ppg) and rebounding (8.8 rpg) and is converting nearly 50 percent of his shots on the year (.496). Ayinde Ubaka is a viable second option offensively at 14.0 ppg, but injuries have cost the team valuable scoring depth beyond that. To make matters worse, the team is without the services of Eric Vierneisel, who has stepped up of late with a key injury to DeVon Hardin (10.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg). Vierneisel injured his ankle in practice on Wednesday and won't return until next week. In the loss to UCLA, Cal shot just .367 from the floor and lost the battle on the boards, 36-25. Theo Robertson led the team on the scoreboard with 16 points. Anderson was on the only one to join him in double figures, finishing with 13 points, on 6-of-13 shooting.
<< Sooners attempt to continue mastery of Aggies
College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sitting in a logjam atop the Big 12
standings, the sixth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies return home to the friendly
confines of Reed Arena, as they play host to the Oklahoma Sooners in
confere
<< Top-25 battle pits Tar Heels against Wildcats
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A rare non-conference treat late in the season
takes place in the desert this afternoon, as the fourth-ranked North
Carolina Tar Heels come calling on the 17th-ranked Arizona Wildcats in
Tucson.
<< Buckeyes and Spartans meet in key Big Ten bout
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trying to keep within striking distance of
the red-hot Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten, the fifth-ranked Ohio State
Buckeyes play host to the Michigan State Spartans in league play from Value
City Ar
<< Cowboys hope to lasso Cyclones
Stillwater, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 13th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys
finish up a brief two-game homestand this weekend, as they play host to the
Iowa State Cyclones in Big 12 action from the Gallagher-Iba Arena in
Stillwa
Butler hopes to continue winning ways in Motor City >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked Butler Bulldogs continue to be
the class of the Horizon League, and they hope to score yet another win in
today's meeting with the Detroit Titans.
On Thursday, Butler once again showed i
Big Ten foes meet in Bloomington >>
Bloomington, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time rivals will meet in Bloomington
this afternoon, as 23rd-ranked Indiana and Michigan collide in a Big Ten
Conference contest.
Michigan carried a two-game win streak into Wednesday
Memphis goes in search of ninth straight win >>
Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The premier team in Conference USA is the
11th-ranked Memphis Tigers, and they welcome the Southern Miss Golden
Eagles to town this afternoon.
With back-to-back wins, Southern Miss has improve
Red Storm seek upset in Steel City >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. John's Red Storm are coming off a
big-time win over a league opponent, and they will attempt to score a Big
East upset on the road today against the ninth-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers.
St.
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
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