By Daniel Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
The local basketball team bounced off a disappointing road trip with a 72-58 over Abilene Christian on Monday night. And yes, they covered -10.5.
The win left the Runnin’ Rebels at 2-3 for the season. Official attendance was 6,906 — roughly 38 percent of attendance for the Vegas Golden Knights’ game. Estimates of actual crowds have been lower.
Said first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger after the game to a local newspaper: “Our guys know the value of stops, and that’s what we were talking about in the huddle.”
Also, as some have noticed, they had gone under the total four out of five times. The one exception came in an overtime loss to the Cal Golden Bears.
Attendance for the VGK the following evening was announced at 18,292 — a figure that remains remarkably resilient. The Knights didn’t disappoint their passionate fan base, downing the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-2. The game featured a dramatic glove save by Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury that preserved a 3-2 lead.
It was also a return to payday for Knights bettors willing to lay -160 or the more opportunistic bettor who grabbed around +150 on the puck line. Under 6.5 goals turned out to the correct play on the total.
But the chatter on afternoon sports radio, however, was on the Tampa Bay Lightning at the St. Louis Blues. Three — count ’em, three — handicappers agreed the Lightning as a short favorite was a solid play. And the final score? Blues 3, Lightning 1.
The Runnin’ Rebels were back in action on Wednesday evening. And this probably wasn’t the team either the fans or Otzelberger wanted to see.
Laying four points against the Texas State Bobcats and suffering through major shooting droughts, the Rebels came up on the short end of a 64-57 score.
“I think there were some things out there tonight that I feel like were in our control that we’ve got to seize,” Otzelberger said to a local newspaper, “But we didn’t.”
UNLV finished at 34.7 percent shooting for the game. The total, which was 131, again came in under.
If you were among the opportune bettors playing Runnin’ Rebels totals under, you can definitely buy lunch next time we see you in the book. One of those fat, juicy Reuben sandwiches would hit the spot.
“I don’t know,” Amauri Hardy told a local news when asked what made it difficult to finish against Texas State. “You’ve got good days, you’ve got bad days.”
Indeed. Certainly, UNLV officials and Runnin’ Rebels loyalists and bettors are certainly hoping for more good days than bad.
On Thursday, the VGK put their two-game winning streak on the line vs. the San Jose Sharks. The betting line moved from Knights -170 to as high as -200 in some spots. It looked like a prime spot for the Golden Knights to record their third straight win, and a handicapper on afternoon radio signaled his support.
He advised splitting the money between the Knights on the money line and the puck line. Not a bad wagering strategy. The only problem was the outcome. The Sharks beat the Knights, 2-1, in overtime.
UNLV football and basketball were in the spotlight on Saturday. The football Rebels in their final game at Sam Boyd Stadium hosted the San Jose Spartans, and money on the visitors drove the betting line. The line opened at San Jose State -5.5 but moved to -7 by kickoff. The Rebels answered with a wild 38-35 victory with four lead changes in the final 15 minutes that sent the total over 65.5.
Later in the day, the Runnin’ Rebels hosted the SMU Mustangs. SMU was -1 to -1.5 at tipoff and rode hot shooting to a 38-28 halftime lead. But the local team came back and narrowed the lead to as little as two in the second half. With seconds remaining, SMU led, 72-68. A three-pointer from UNLV briefly drove a stake into the heart of SMU bettors, particularly those laying 1.5, but officials ruled the shot had come after the buzzer. But a total finally went over.
The loss left UNLV at 2-5.
Otzelberger after the game: “We didn’t play winning basketball when it came time to win. That’s on me. We’re going to get it right. I don’t care if I don’t sleep in the process. That’s not good enough. It’s going to get better here, fast.”
Now, that might be the team local hoops fans would like to see.
Meanwhile, down Las Vegas Boulevard at T-Mobile Arena, the Golden Knights again left bettors cold. Laying -180, the VGK lost 4-2 to the Edmonton Oilers. If you held a ticket on Edmonton on the reverse puck line, our congratulations. Maybe a round the next time we see you in the book.
Finally, we were out and about and witnessed the usual rowdy crowds out for NFL Sunday. The five most popular picks in the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest were the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets and the Dallas Cowboys. With the Ravens on tap Monday night, the other four plays were 3-1 with only the Packers not winning or covering.
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What’s next?
— The Baltimore Ravens are -3.5 vs. the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. The total is 47.
— The Vegas Golden Knights travel to play the Dallas Stars on Monday. The VGK are currently +100 (even money) with the total at 5.5.
— UNLV Runnin’ Rebels will host Jackson State on Tuesday.
— The annual battle for the Fremont Cannon takes place Saturday with the UNLV-UNR game in Reno. The Wolf Pack is -7.5, and the total is 52.5.
And finally, our pick on the New England Patriots at -6.5 fizzled as the Patriots won, 13-9, but failed to cover. That leaves us at 1-1.