Ohio upends Akron in OT, gains MAC's automatic bid
NCAA Basketball Betting Lines
03/13/2010 -
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Armon Bassett poured in 25 points and made
the go-ahead jumper late in overtime, as the ninth-seeded Ohio University
Bobcats punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament with an 81-75 victory over
the third-seeded Akron Zips in the Mid-American Conference Tournament
championship game.
Bassett also pulled down six rebounds for the Bobcats (21-14), who claimed
their fifth MAC tournament title and their first since 2005. D.J. Cooper
donated 23 points, seven boards, and six assists for Ohio, which improved to
5-1 all-time in MAC title contests.
Jimmy Conyers finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Zips (24-10),
who were playing in the event's title game for the fourth consecutive season.
Akron defeated Buffalo in last year's conference final to secure its first-
ever MAC tournament championship.
Chris McKnight chipped in 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Steve McNees made
four three-pointers en route to 12 points in defeat.
McNees drilled a three-pointer with 1:42 left in overtime to deadlock the tilt
at 75, but Bassett responded with a jumper at the other end to put Ohio in
front by two.
Brett McKnight was then off mark with a trey, and Cooper made a pair of free
throws at the opposite end of the floor to make it 79-75 with 24.9 seconds
left.
McNees and Chris McKnight failed to make three-pointers for the Zips, sealing
their fate.
Trailing 57-56 with 7 1/2 minutes to play in regulation, Ohio went on a 9-2
spurt to go ahead by six. Asown Sayles tallied four points during the surge,
which Kenneth van Kempen ended with a pair of free throws to make it 65-59
with over 2 1/2 minutes to go.
Darryl Roberts stopped the bleeding by making a jumper and layup around a
Bassett free throw, cutting the gap to three, 66-63, with 1:42 left.
At the other end of the floor, DeVaughn Washington turned the ball over.
Roberts continued his strong play down the stretch by making a jumper from the
foul line to make it 66-65 with 53.8 seconds remaining.
Bassett lost his balance and the ball at the same time, allowing Akron to run
the other way with a chance to go in front. Chris McKnight's attempted layup
was blocked by Washington, but the Zips kept possession as the ball went out
of bounds with 19.4 ticks to go.
Akron nearly made a costly mistake when Brett McKnight threw away the inbound
pass, but the Bobcats followed suit and threw away their inbound pass.
The turnovers continued to pile up in the final seconds, as Bassett stole
Akron's inbound pass. Bassett made a pair of free throws to give Ohio a 68-65
lead with 13.5 seconds remaining.
McNees came up big for the Zips, though, draining a game-tying three-pointer
with 6.8 ticks left. Cooper missed a jumper as time expired in regulation.
Neither team led by more than five points in a tight first half that saw Ohio
take a 36-34 edge into the locker room.
The close battle carried over into the second half and into the final moments
of the game.
Game Notes
Ohio leads the all-time series with the Zips, 31-30, but Akron took both
regular-season matchups this season from the Bobcats....Akron was trying to
become the third program in MAC tourney history to win back-to-back
championships. Kent State did so in 2001 and 2002, and Ball State in 1989 and
1990...The Bobcats shot 46.7 percent from the field, while the Zips made 35.9
percent of their shots...The contest featured 13 ties and 24 lead changes.
<< Huskies edge Cal to take Pac-10 crown
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quincy Pondexter had 18 points to lead
Washington to a 79-75 win over California, as the Huskies won their second
Pac-10 Conference Tournament title.
Isaiah Thomas had 16 points and Venoy Overton
<< Kansas captures Big 12 title with third win over K-State
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Morris donated 18 points and nine
rebounds to lead No. 1 Kansas to its seventh Big 12 Tournament championship
behind a 72-64 victory over ninth-seeded Kansas State.
The Jayhawks (32-2) never
<< Sidney's Candy garners San Felipe Stakes
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney's Candy, winner of the San Vicente
Stakes, made it two straight Saturday by winning the $150,000 San Felipe
Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The colt covered the 1 1/16-miles in 1:42.30.
Ridden by
<< No. 2 Stanford handles Cal, on to Pac-10 final
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nnemkadi Ogwumike led all scorers with 18
points along with 10 rebounds as the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal handled the
California Golden Bears, 64-44 in the semifinals of the Pac-10 Conference
Tournam
<< NBA suspends Bulls' Hinrich one game, fines Suns coach Gentry
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA suspended Chicago Bulls guard Kirk
Hinrich for one game and fined Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry $25,000
for separate incidents from Friday.
Hinrich made contact with an official during
San Diego State handles UNLV in MWC title game >>
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kawhi Leonard scored 16 points and set a
Mountain West Conference Tournament record with 21 rebounds as San Diego State
punched its ticket to the Big Dance with a 55-45 win over UNLV on the Runnin'
Rebels'
Magic win eighth straight, top Wizards >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dwight Howard put up 28 points, grabbed 15
rebounds and even dished out five assists, as Orlando overcame a sluggish
start to upend lowly Washington, 109-95.
J.J. Redick netted 18 points, and fellow
Bryzgalov, Coyotes shut out Hurricanes >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Bryzgalov made 29 saves to record his NHL-
leading eighth shutout, and the Phoenix Coyotes won their fourth straight game
with a 4-0 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Lee Stempniak and Martin Hanzal each
Rafalski's OT tally lifts Detroit over Buffalo >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Rafalski's power-play goal 31 seconds
into overtime gave Detroit a 3-2 win over Buffalo at Joe Louis Arena.
Buffalo's Tyler Myers was called for delay of game late in regulation and the
penalty carr
Smith's 11 helpers paced Atlanta over Detroit >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Johnson finished with 26 points, as the
Atlanta Hawks used an efficient offensive performance to take a 112-99 victory
over the Detroit Pistons.
Josh Smith added 18 points and a career-high 11 assis
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.
|