Bobcats knock off road-weary Warriors

Basketball Betting Lines

03/06/2010 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.J. Augustin scored 19 points off the bench, as the Charlotte Bobcats took down the Golden State Warriors, 101-90, at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Gerald Wallace added 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Bobcats, who have won the first two games of their three-game homsetand that ends Tuesday against the Heat.

Boris Diaw donated 14 points and 12 boards. Stephen Jackson and Theo Ratliff chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Charlotte, which shot 46 percent from the field.

Stephen Curry finished with 25 points for the Warriors, who fell to 0-4 on their five-game road trip that concludes Monday versus the Hornets. Corey Maggette added 19 points, while Anthony Morrow had 11 points for Golden State, which made 38.2 percent of its shots.

Ahead 86-85 midway through the fourth, the Bobcats went on a 15-2 run to claim victory.

After Chris Hunter's tip-in cut the gap to 94-87 for the Warriors, Jackson made a jumper and Augustin drained a three-pointer to extend Charlotte's lead to 99-87 with three minutes to play.

Diaw then capped the burst with a layup to put the Bobcats ahead 101-87 with a minute remaining.

The Bobcats scored the final six points of the first quarter to take a 24-19 lead after 12 minutes.

Golden State surged ahead in the second and led for a majority of the period before taking a 54-53 margin into the locker room.

The third was a closely contested frame that ended with Augustin's three-point play, giving Charlotte an 81-76 lead.

Game Notes

The Warriors have lost a season-high 10 straight road games...Charlotte outrebounded Golden State, 60-36...The Bobcats had 20 turnovers, leading to 23 Golden State points...Warriors leading scorer Monta Ellis (back) missed his fifth straight game, and center Andris Biedrins (groin) sat out his fourth consecutive contest.

Lasveggas Basketball Betting News

<< Cyclones shock Kansas State in Big 12 finale
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scott Christopherson scored 18 points and made two key foul shots with 3.2 seconds left in overtime, as the Iowa State Cyclones upended fifth-ranked Kansas State, 85-82, in the regular-season finale

<< Winthrop wins Big South
Conway, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mantoris Robinson finished with 14 points, as Winthrop defeated Coastal Carolina, 64-53, in the Big South Tournament final to earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Matt Morgan finished w

<< Summit League Tournament Recaps
Sioux Falls, SD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Larry Wright scored 16 points, and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies advanced to the semifinals of the Summit League Tournament with an 85-70 win over UMKC. Keith Benson and Derick Nelson each sco

<< Vokun stops 31 in win over Carolina
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tomas Vokoun's 31 saves set the tone for Florida's 4-1 victory to snap the Carolina Hurricanes' seven-game win streak at Bank Atlantic Center. Kamil Kreps scored twice, including an empty-net goal,

<< Theodore, Caps blank Rangers
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jose Theodore stopped all 30 shots he faced for his first shutout of the season, as Washington posted a defensive-oriented 2-0 victory over the New York Rangers at Verizon Center. Eric Fehr and Eric Belang

Kessel nets SO winner as Leafs nip Sens >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Kessel got the game-winner in the shootout to help the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place. After Jonas Gustavsson stoned Alex Kovalev on the first shot, Kes

No. 12 Butler reaches Horizon final >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Howard had 18 points to lead five players in double figures, as 12th-ranked Butler downed Milwaukee, 68-59, in a chippy Horizon League semifinal tilt at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Ronald Nored collected 1

Murray State captures OVC title with win over Morehead State >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Isaiah Canaan scored 16 points to lead a balanced Murray State attack, and the Racers clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament with a 62-51 win over Morehead State in the championship game of the Ohi

Stamkos nets 40th as Bolts jolt Thrashers >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Stamkos scored a pair of goals including his 40th of the season, and extended his franchise-record point streak to 16 games, as Tampa Bay downed Atlanta, 6-2, at St. Pete Times Forum. Martin St. Louis

Bryzgalov, Coyotes blank Ducks >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 32 shots for his seventh shutout of the season to help the Phoenix Coyotes take a 4-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Wojtek Wolski had a goal and an assist while Petr Prucha, Vern

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.