Tigers take on Eagles in Chestnut Hill

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/10/2009 - Chestnut Hill, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two ACC squads trying to get back in the win column hook up at the Conte Forum tonight, as the Boston College Eagles entertain the 12th-ranked Clemson Tigers in Chestnut Hill.

The Eagles were in play just this past Sunday, when they were handled, 93-76, by Wake Forest. The loss brought the team's five-game winning streak to an abrupt end and dropped it to a still solid 18-7 overall and 6-4 within the conference. BC now returns back to the Conte Forum, where it has gone a respectable 12-3 on the campaign.

As for the Tigers, they trounced Duke (74-47) last Wednesday to catch the eye of any doubters, but on Saturday, they suffered a major letdown and were nipped at home by then unranked Florida State, 65-61. The surprising loss ended a three-game win streak by Clemson, which fell to 19-3 overall and 5-3 in league play. Still, with a triumph tonight, the Tigers would reach the 20- win plateau for the third straight season, a feat the program has never accomplished before.

Clemson leads the all-time series with BC, 6-3, and has won the last two meetings. The Eagles however, are a perfect 3-0 when taking on the Tigers in Chestnut Hill.

The Tigers are forcing opponents into 17.7 turnovers per game and they have capitalized on those miscues, averaging a hardy 78.1 pg on the season. Trevor Booker is the team's leading scorer (14.9 ppg) as well as rebounder (8.8 rpg) and he also has 53 blocks to his name. KC. Rivers has provided a nice complement to him with 14.2 ppg and 6.2 rpg, while Terrence Oglesby checks in with 13.0 ppg on the strength of 39.4 percent shooting from long range. On Saturday, Clemson let a 19-point second-half lead get away, as FSU closed out the game with a 23-4 run for the 65-61 upset. It was a complete collapse by the Tigers, who went just 6-of-24 from long range and were guilty of 18 mishaps. Booker and Demontez Stitt both scored 11 points to pace Clemson in defeat, while Rivers and Raymond Sykes chipped in with 10 points apiece.

The Eagles have done a sound job at the offensive end of the court this season, as they are scoring 76.4 pg and shooting 44.8 percent from the field. Tyrese Rice is one of the more talented players in the ACC and he leads BC in scoring (18.0 ppg), assists (5.5 apg) and steals (39). Joe Trapani puts forth 13.9 ppg and a team-best 6.8 ppg and he has shown off his range by knocking down 37.3 percent of his attempts from three-point distance. Rakim Sanders adds 12.0 ppg and 4.2 rpg to the lineup, while Corey Raji contributes 10.8 ppg and 6.4 rpg. On Sunday, the Eagles committed 15 turnovers that resulted in 23 points for Wake Forest in a 93-76 setback. BC actually held a one-point edge at the break before allowing WF to shoot a blistering 65.5 percent from the floor in the second stanza. Trapani guided BC with 19 points, while Rice had 18 points and six boards.

Wnorthernlight NCAA Basketball Betting News

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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.

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