11/18/2008 - Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Taj Gibson totaled 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 19 Southern California to a 73-60 victory over New Mexico State at Galen Center.
Dwight Lewis poured in 16 points for Southern California (2-0), which opened its 2008-09 season with a 78-55 win over UC-Irvine and will now face Seton Hall on Thursday. Daniel Hackett scored 10 points and DeMar DeRozan added seven points in the win.
Jahmar Young led the way for New Mexico State (1-1) with 16 points and seven rebounds. Troy Gillenwater chipped in 15 points for the Aggies, who will host Pepperdine on Friday. Jonathan Gibson added 11 points in the loss.
In the early going, following a three-pointer by Young that gave the Aggies an 8-7 lead, the Trojans went on an 11-0 run. Keith Wilkinson's layup started the spurt before six straight points by Gibson -- including a layup, a dunk and a jumper -- made it 15-8 before Lewis' layup capped the surge.
Two foul shots by Hackett with over seven minutes remaining gave the Trojans a 26-12 lead and a layup by DeRozan made it 31-14 with 4:25 to go.
New Mexico State closed the first half on a 10-3 run and drew within 10, 34-24, at the break. The late run was keyed by a three-pointer from Gillenwater and a layup by Young.
USC maintained its lead as the second half unfolded and Gibson's jumper with nearly three minutes gone put the Trojans ahead 42-29.
However, over the course of the following six minutes, the Aggies slowly crept back into the game and scored 16 of the next 25 points. When NMS's Gibson sank two free throws with 12:25 on the clock, the Aggies trailed 51-45.
The Trojans, though, were simply too much. They did not allow the Aggies to get any closer than six, and after DeRozan's thunderous dunk with seven minutes to go made it 59-51, USC leaned on its lead the rest of the way.
Game Notes
The Trojans shot 40.4 percent from the floor but were just 1-for-10 from beyond the arc...The Aggies finished 7-of-20 from three-point range...USC demolished the Aggies in the paint, 40-12...Both teams shot 72.2 percent from the foul line, with USC getting to the line 18 more times.
<< Collins, Jayhawks rout Florida Gulf Coast
Lawrence, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sherron Collins scored 25 points to lead the
24th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in an 85-45 rout of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles
at Allen Fieldhouse.
Cole Aldrich added 12 points for the Jayhawks (2-0), who w
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Memphis, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rudy Gay scored 22 points and grabbed eight
rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies routed the Sacramento Kings, 109-94.
Hakim Warrick scored 21 points and raked in 10 rebounds off the bench for the
Grizzlies,
<< Leur, Badgers handle Cougars
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Leuer scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting,
and 25th-ranked Wisconsin rolled to an easy 88-58 win over SIU-Edwardsville.
Marcus Landry had 15 points, five rebounds, and five blocked shots for the
Badger
<< Horton leads Panthers past Lightning in shootout
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nathan Horton was credited with the game-winning
tally in the shootout and the Florida Panthers edged instate rival Tampa Bay,
4-3, at St. Pete Times Forum.
Bryan McCabe scored twice and David Booth also tall
Kleiza leads Nuggets past Bucks >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linas Kleiza scored a season-high 25 points in a
reserve role, guiding Denver to a 114-105 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Carmelo Anthony had 17 points and Nene scored 13 for the Nuggets, who have won
three in
Leuer, Badgers handle Cougars >>
Madison, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jon Leuer scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting,
and 25th-ranked Wisconsin rolled to an easy 88-58 win over SIU-Edwardsville.
Marcus Landry had 15 points, five rebounds, and five blocked shots for the
Badger
Oklahoma fends off Curry, Davidson >>
Norman, OK (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blake Griffin scored 25 points and raked in a
career-high 21 rebounds, as 12th-ranked Oklahoma held off No. 21 Davidson,
82-78, in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off, despite a career-
high 44
Toews nets shootout winner as Blackhawks edge Coyotes >>
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp both lit the
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Toews was able to beat Ilya Bryzgalov through the legs in the shootout, and
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 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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