Longhorns and Bears meet in Big 12 Tournament

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

03/11/2010 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 21st-ranked Baylor Bears are seeded third in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, and they will begin action in the event tonight with a quarterfinal-round matchup against the sixth-seeded Texas Longhorns.

Up next for the winner is a date with either second-seeded Kansas State or seventh-seeded Oklahoma State.

Texas was defeated by Kansas in three straight Big 12 title games from 2006-2008. The Longhorns have never won this tournament and are 17-13 in the event all-time. They are 23-8 this season, but the campaign has clearly been a tale of two halves. After jumping out to a 17-0 start to earn the nation's top ranking, Texas lost eight of its next 14 games. Fortunately, the team was able to earn an 82-75 victory over Iowa State yesterday in the first round of this event.

Baylor has never won the Big 12 Conference Tournament and is 8-12 all-time at this event. Scott Drew has done a phenomenal job of resurrecting a program that was in peril when he arrived, and the 2009-10 Bears own a 24-6 overall record, including 11-5 in Big 12 play. They carry a four-game win streak into this tournament and are coming off a 15-point romp over these same Longhorns in the regular-season finale.

Baylor has beaten Texas twice this season, but the Longhorns still own a commanding 155-78 advantage in the all-time series.

Damion James exploded for 28 points and 16 rebounds to power his Longhorns to the seven-point victory over Iowa State yesterday. Gary Johnson racked up 15 points and 10 boards for Texas, Dexter Pittman helped the Longhorns with 16 points, and Avery Bradley added 10 points. Texas scored the first seven points of the game and owned a 31-28 lead at intermission. The contest was close in the second half until an 11-0 run enabled the Longhorns to pull away for good. Texas earned a 46-34 rebounding advantage in the showdown, a key to the victory. James is posting 18.0 ppg and 10.4 rpg this season, and the fact that he also has 52 steals and 38 blocks to his credit speaks to his tremendous versatility. Bradley checks in with 11.7 ppg for the 'Horns, who are getting 10.5 ppg from Pittman. Texas is racking up 81.7 ppg while holding foes to 69.2 ppg on 39.8 percent shooting.

There is no doubt that Baylor gets the job done at the offensive end of the floor, as it is netting 77.4 ppg on 48.6 percent shooting from the field, including 39.1 percent from three-point range. What is rarely mentioned however, is that the team excels at the defensive end as well, limiting opponents to 65.3 ppg on 38.2 percent shooting from the floor. The Bears are tremendous on the boards, ripping down 7.4 rpg more than the opposition. LaceDarius Dunn leads the club with 19.2 ppg on the strength of his 42.4 percent shooting from three-point range. Tweety Carter provides 15.8 ppg, and he has dished out 164 assists while committing a mere 67 turnovers. As for Ekpe Udoh, he adds 13.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg and 123 blocked shots. Udoh is second on the team in assists as well, proof of his tremendous versatility. Dunn scored 30 points in the regular-season finale against Texas, and Quincy Acy had 10 dunks en route to 24 points off the bench.

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SPORTS BETTING

NFL Football Betting Online

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.

Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.

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