Jayhawks and Wildcats mix it up in Manhattan

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/13/2012 - Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sunflower State rivals square off in Manhattan this evening, as the Kansas Jayhawks pay a visit to the Kansas State Wildcats in an important Big 12 Conference clash.

After a December 19 loss to Davidson, Kansas reeled off a 10-game win streak to reassert itself as one of the top teams in the country. The Jayhawks experienced a bit of a setback by losing two of three to Iowa State and nationally-ranked Missouri -- both on the road -- but have bounced back with impressive wins last week against Baylor and Oklahoma State. They are 10-2 in Big 12 play, tying them with Missouri for first place in the conference standings.

Kansas State started the season red-hot, winning 11 of its first 12 games, but after losing to Kansas in the first meeting of the season back on January 4, things began to unravel. The Wildcats have lost five of their last 11 games, including a 75-64 final to Texas on Saturday. Their 6-6 conference record is respectable, but disappointing considering the early success they enjoyed in being considered among the nationally-ranked at one point.

Kansas has doubled up Kansas State in the all-time series, 182-91. The Jayhawks have been especially dominant over their in-state rival the past few decades, winning 43 of the last 46 meetings, including a 67-49 triumph in Lawrence a little more than five weeks ago.

Kansas has excelled at both ends of the floor this season, ranking second in the Big 12 in scoring (75.3 ppg) and points allowed (61.2 ppg), and its +14.2 scoring margin is bested only by Missouri's +16.2. Bill Self's squad continued to be highly efficient in Saturday's win over Oklahoma State by connecting on 30-of-62 field goal attempts, while holding the Cowboys to just 32.7 percent shooting from the floor. The Jayhawks were led by a pair of monster efforts from Thomas Robinson (24 points, 14 rebounds) and Jeff Withey (18 points, career-high 20 boards). Robinson has been arguably the most dominant player in the Big 12 this year, ranking second in both scoring (18.1 ppg) and field goal percentage (.549) while leading the conference in rebounds (12.1 rpg) and collecting 18 double-doubles on the campaign. Tyshawn Taylor is a great playmaker from the outside, netting 16.8 ppg, dishing out 5.1 apg, and draining 42.7 percent of his three-point attempts. Withey adds 9.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and a conference-best 3.2 blocks per game to the mix.

Kansas State's defensive effort has been impressive this season, ranking third in both points allowed per game (63.2) and field goal percentage defense (.397), but while the team averages a solid 72.4 ppg, it ranks in the bottom- third of the league in field goal percentage (.439), three-point field goal percentage (.333), and free-throw percentage (.661). The shooting attack has been lackluster in recent weeks as the Wildcats have scored 70 points or fewer in seven straight games, culminating in a 41.4 percent effort from the field in Saturday's loss to Texas. Angel Rodriguez led the team with 15 points, but also turned the ball over six times. Rodney McGruder ranks sixth in the Big 12 in scoring with 14.6 ppg, while also contributing 5.2 rpg, 1.2 spg, and 1.4 three-pointers per contest. Will Spradling (10.4 ppg, 2.6 apg) and Jamar Samuels (9.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg) have also been effective contributors on a nightly basis. K-State generally takes pretty good care of the basketball, ranking second in the conference with a +1.62 turnover margin.

Wtheglobe NCAA Basketball Betting News

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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.

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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."

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