The tale of two halfs.......

[Bennojd]

Is it me or does this scenario seem to be occurring more than usual in college hoops this season:

teams are jumping out to huge leads in the 1st half and then giving it right back in the 2nd half.
I don't get it!!........there can't be that many adjustments being made at halftime for this to happen.
I know in the old days (before shotclocks) this rarely happened because the team that had a big lead could kill the clock by holding the ball...........Ray Meyer (retired coach of the DePaul Blue Demons) was notorious for holding the ball after getting big leads.........imagine being at a game like that (I was at quite a few) when Depaul was good in the early eighties.........for an eleven year old such as myself........it seemed like they were holding the ball for an eternity.........BORING!
Of course........the shot clock changed all that.
But even with the shotclock.........there is no reason this should be happening so frequently. There has to be a plan in place to prevent falling apart like that!!

I can name four teams that had huge leads tonight (1-28-04) and almost lost the game or in Minnesota's case actually did lose: USC (vs. UCLA); Minnesota (vs. Michigan St.); Rice (vs. Hawaii) and Southern Illinois (vs. Witchita St.)

Funny though (not really) that it seems when I bet a team that jumps out to a huge lead they will allow a back door cover; however when the team I bet needs to come back after being way down they almost get there but not quite enough to cover......like Kansas St tonight when they made a run toward the the end and lost by eight........I lost on them at (+6).

Maybe I should consider betting halves on occasion??

Bennojd

[Bennojd]

Finally.........

a team takes a big lead early and holds it steady in the 2nd half!!!

1-29-04 (Thursday):
DENVER U. (-5) over S. Alabama

Denver 78
S. Alabama 59

This is how a college basketball team should handle a lead!!!!
http://sports.sunspot.net/default.as...al/P119854.htm

I don't know how many times this season I have lost on back door ****** after leading (and covering) for the first 38 minutes.
I've even had three or four go into OT and wind up losing that way..........SICKENING!!

Why can't more teams hold leads like Denver did tonight??

Bennojd

p.s.> I did not post this game on the forum because:
a) Poyboy (a terrific capper) was on S. Alabama and I am a little superstitious.
b) Also I have little if any following.......and that's why I try and contribute to the forum in other ways.

[Bennojd]

Sorry.........

Poboy!!

in my last post (in this thread) I referred to Poboy in my "P.S."
and by mistake I misspelled his name.

Bennojd

[Bennojd]

Another example...........

of what I am talking about:

1-29-04 (Thursday)

OREGON (-5) over California

Oregon 68
California 56

Luckily, I won this game but check it out:
http://sports.sunspot.net/default.as...ve/P119873.htm

Oregon has a big early lead and sustains it well into the second half but of course.........CAL gets within 6 points with three minutes to play..........I thought to myself: "HERE WE GO AGAIN."

Anyway, they held on for the cover but normally I have been losing games like this.

All I can say is "SUNNY BEACHES".......a swear word in disguise.

Bennojd

[Bennojd]

SICKENING!!!!!!

Yet another one:

2-4-04 (Wednesday)

Wake Forest (+2 1/2) over North Carolina St.

I had a small play on Wake Forest and it looked like a good call for awhile.........until another tale of two halves bit me in the ass!!!

Check it out:
http://sports.sunspot.net/default.as...ve/P120396.htm

Bennojd

[bgh2003]

You only see this in college hoops, which is a major reason I generally stay away from CBB. In the NBA, you never see a team up 15-20 at half give up the lead (that's the equivalent of a 10-15 point lead in college, since NBA shooting percentages are higher). When the team down at half starts to make its run, the 18-22 year old kids we foolishly wager our hard earned money on crap their pants. I can't count the number of times this season I have watched the college team I bet go scoreless for 5 minutes or more at a time (Idaho State and Air Force last Monday come to mind).

Many gamblers love college hoops, but I've never seen it. The talent level is so much lower than the pros, and the maturity of the players makes it that more unpredictable. Basketball is hard enough to handicap to begin with.

[MARGIN]

It's all a part of the big Gambling picture, and the end result of any particular season. I know that many bettors want/like to watch the games they've wagered on, however annoying they can be at times.
Personally, I'd rather get the finasl scores, do my math work, and hope that the winning % is there. Then it's the breakdown of box scores, pertinent game info, etc. and move on to the next day of work.

Sports Betting is like any other Business. If you put the required time and work into it, you will succeed. Good luck to you over the remainder of the season.

John

[The Optimist]

college vs pro hoops

i am sorry, but i think bgh2003 is crazy. college athletics are much more predictable than the pros. college kids are giving it 100 percent everytime out, and you never know with the pros. you do not know how many kines of coke they did the night before a game or how many lap dances they got at the strip club. college kids are vying for a spot in the pros while these guys already have contracts and are making million of dollars. they simply do not care as much as the college athletes. remember the NBA stands for no bankroll association. GLTA!

[bgh2003]

Optimist

I think basketball in general is tough to handicap, and I agree that the NBA is particularly frustrating. But I have had even less success with college hoops, and my losses have been agonizing. Nothing is more frustrating then watching a college team go scoreless for 5-10 minutes, putting a cover out of reach or ruining a total play. That happens frequently in college buckets.

Basketball in general sucks. I can't wait for baseball season.

[Bennojd]

bgh2003

I don't know much about handicapping baseball but I have heard a few forum members say just what you said.........that they can't wait till baseball season gets here.

That is exciting because I am normally on the sidelines in the spring and summer waiting for football to arrive.

Maybe this year can be different and the good baseball cappers like yourself..........I've read that Homer & GoldVike like baseball too.........if you can help guys like me (I never bet the sport before) that would be awesome!!

Bennojd

:cool:

[MikeSchmidt20]

Better Oregon example...

was on Saturday, when the Ducks took a 17-point lead early in the 2nd half over Stanford.

Oregon's goofs and Stanford's hustle erased that lead and the Cardinal remains undefeated.

[wayne1218]

Baseball is (IMO) Very profitable at times. And much easier to read!


Moneylines over spreads anyday!

[bgh2003]

Bennojd

You must try MLB this year. August and September, when the playoff races solidify and when teams really start winning the games they should, can build quite a football bankroll for you.

A few cardinal rules you can start to memorize as we approach spring training:

1) Never bet run lines (30 percent or something of baseball games are decided by a run--it's not worth the risk, especially if you're playing a team like the Dodgers that is perfectly content to win games 1-0 or 2-1).

2) Never lay -150 or greater with a team that has a shitty bullpen (example: the Phillies last year);

3) Don't be mesmerized by pitching; you can't win if you don't score runs (examples: Oakland and Los Angeles last year, both of whom were routinely favorites of -175 or greater because of their pitching, but who couldn't hit for shit);

4) Always bet the under in games at Dodger Stadium (at least until the lineup gets shaken up, or until the books start regularly posting a total of 6);

5) Watch the totals in games at Wrigley; if the number seems too high, it isn't (play the over); if the number seems too low, it isn't (play the under). The books know damn well which way the wind is blowing when they put up the number.

That's enough for now. Man, I could talk baseball wagering all day!

[Bennojd]

bgh2003

Thanks for the tips on wagering baseball.........I printed them out before this thread is lost.
I am looking forward to spring a little more now!
I will keep an eye out for any of your posts now and all the way through the summer.

Take care.

Bennojd

[bgh2003]

You take care too. Even if you are a Sox fan.