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Omaha, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Doug McDermott scored a game-high 25 points and grabbed six rebounds, leading No, 25 Creighton to a 97-62 thrashing of Houston Baptist on Saturday night. Gregory Echenique netted 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to go with five blocks, while Ethan Wragge added 10 points and eight rebounds for the Bluejays (8-1), who bounced back from an 80-71 defeat at the hands of Saint Joseph's last Saturday.
Creighton began the game with a 10-0 run before a free throw by Hill got Houston Baptist on the board 4 1/2 minutes into the game.
The Bluejays scored 12 straight points early in the second half to go up 58-25, before Hill put in a layup.
Creighton never trailed in the game and led by as many as 39 points with 10:37 to go in regulation. The result was never in doubt for the Bluejays.
Game Notes
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jordan Henriquez paced Kansas State with 17 points and eight rebounds as the Wildcats took down No. 23 Alabama, 71-58, at the Sprint Center. Jamar Samuels added 14 points and Angel Rodriguez contributed 13 with seven assists for Kansas State (7-1), which has won two straight.
Alabama controlled the early action and held a 15-8 lead with a little over nine minutes left in the first half, but Kansas State scored 12 of the next 16 points to go ahead, 20-19, on Henriquez's layup with 2:39 left before the half.
The second half was not nearly as competitive, as Alabama made 42 percent of its shots but made just 1-of-11 attempts from beyond the arc, while Kansas State shot 63 percent from the floor, including a 2-for-3 mark from three- point range.
Alabama would not get any closer than eight for the rest of the regulation as Kansas State led by as much as 16 on two separate occasions down the final stretch.
Columbia, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 10th-ranked Missouri Tigers are off to a fantastic start, and they are obvious favorites in this afternoon's non- conference matchup with the William & Mary Tribe. A member of the Colonial Athletic Association, the Tribe is just 2-8 overall this season and 1-8 in league play. On Thursday, William & Mary did manage to halt a three-game slide with a 70-47 victory over Wesley College, but today's clash obviously presents a monumental leap in competition.
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.
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