Reynolds leads Villanova past West Virginia in Big East showdown

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/08/2010 - Morgantown, WV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Scottie Reynolds scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half, as No. 4 Villanova handed fifth-ranked West Virginia an 82-75 defeat in a Big East showdown at WVU Coliseum.

The Wildcats (21-2, 10-1 Big East) rebounded from a 103-90 drubbing at Georgetown on Saturday -- their first setback in conference play -- by shooting 56.9 percent from the floor and 19-of-22 from the foul line.

Reynolds made all 10 of his free throw attempts and handed out five assists for Villanova, which received a 17-point effort from Corey Fisher.

Antonio Pena chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds in helping to snap West Virginia's (19-4, 8-3) six-game win streak.

Darryl Bryant netted 15 points, while Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks each scored 13 for the Mountaineers, though Butler had just one point in the second half.

Trailing by 11 past the midway point of the second half, the Mountaineers made it a one-possession game thanks to a 12-4 spurt, as Ebanks' uncontested dunk in transition capped the run for a 62-59 game with eight minutes left.

Stokes stopped the rally with a pair of free throws, and after trading buckets, Reynolds hit a deep, step-back jumper for a seven-point advantage.

It was still a seven-point difference before Reggie Redding's bucket gave 'Nova a 74-65 lead with under 2 1/2 minutes to play.

Casey Mitchell gave the hosts one last chance by converting a rare four-point play, but Stokes' driving basket and two Reynolds free throws on the next two possessions sealed the Wildcats' biggest road win of the year.

Fisher's three-pointer at the 15-minute mark of the first half started a 15-3 burst for the visitors that ended on a Maalik Wayns bucket for a 21-10 lead.

Villanova connected on 63.3 percent from the field in the first half, but West Virginia was able to get to the free throw line frequently, hitting 11-of-16 from the stripe in the opening 20 minutes to stay within 44-33 at the break.

The Wildcats came out of the locker room cold, failing to hit a field goal for the first six-plus minutes of the second stanza. Nevertheless, the Mountaineers only pulled as close as five, 45-40, during the stretch.

Reynolds snapped Villanova out of its shooting funk with a make from behind the arc and three-point play around a Kevin Jones putback, pushing the margin to 53-43 with a little over 12 minutes remaining in regulation.

Game Notes

West Virginia, which had won four of the previous five meeting against 'Nova, fell to is 9-2 at home this season...Mitchell had 12 points and Jones 11 and eight rebounds for the Mountaineers, who ended up making just 18-of-32 from the foul line...West Virginia is next in action on Friday against rival Pittsburgh, while Villanova hosts Providence on Saturday.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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