On Sports Betting: Bettors Playing Vegas Golden Knights Have Little To Cheer About
By Daniel Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
Maybe they should fire the coach.
Nevermind, the Vegas Golden Knights have already tried that.
Regardless, bettors holding tickets on the VGK in their game Tuesday at the Boston Bruins suffered a fate identical to that of the outcome of six of seven previous games. That is, their tickets, priced at about +125, were worthless, after the Bruins beat the Knights, 3-2.
“There was some good tonight, but we weren’t good enough overall to come in to a place like this and win,” coach Peter DeBoer told The Associated Press after the game. “Boston’s a team where you have to do everything right.”
Regardless, so much for the betting slip. You can shred it, tear it up into tiny pieces or burn it. It really doesn’t matter.
The VGK are now 1-1-1 under new coach DeBoer. He replaced Gerard Gallant, who was fired Jan. 15.
However, no coaching changes are imminent for the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels since they are in the first year of their new coach, T.J. Otzelberger.
The local team, which was 11-9, traveled to the Lawlor Events Center in Reno to play the UNR Wolf Pack on Wednesday. Oddsmakers made UNR -4.5 and set the total at around 147 or 148.
It looked like UNR was the right side in the game and a “senior analyst” at CBS SportsLine in fact touted the Wolf Pack. We didn’t disagree with that but saw a lower-scoring game and played the total under 148. With only 60 points scored in the first half, we liked our bet.
But the Wolf Pack got rolling in the second half and notched a convincing 86-72 victory. It ended the Runnin’ Rebels’ win streak at three. It also unceremoniously doomed our under play.
Otzelberger to a local newspaper after the game: “We needed to be more aggressive on the closeouts with our hands. It was certainly a point of emphasis and something I know our guys have done before that you need to do when you’re playing guards that can shoot the way Reno’s can.”
We were out and about over the weekend but couldn’t get excited about the hockey shoot-a-thon known as the NHL All-Star weekend. Hopeful bettors could have jumped on over 12 in the Metropolitan at the Atlantic game as the Atlantic routed the Metropolitan, 9-5. Or perhaps over 13 in the Pacific at the Central with the Pacific winning, 10-5. Though the Atlantic at Pacific game came in under 13 with the Pacific winning the final, 5-4.
Instead, we invested in a much more predictable outcome — over 145 in a college hoops game with two decent-shooting teams, the Dayton Flyers at the Richmond Spiders. Dayton defeated Richmond, 87-79. (The Flyers also covered -6.5)
Nor we were particularly enthused about the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday. The AFC defeated the NFC 38-33, sending the total over 55.5.
However, the Sunday college hoops contest between the undefeated San Diego Aztecs at the Runnin’ Rebels did make our radar. We had a slight lean toward San Diego -4 in the first half and at -7 for the game but decided to just watch it play out.
The Aztecs prevailed, 71-67, but Bryce Hamilton was the hero for UNLV bettors. He nailed a 3-point shot as time expired to give Runnin’ Rebels bettors a winning ticket. The Aztecs covered for first-half bettors, with a 34-28 lead at the break.
Otzelberger after the game: “We knew we were gonna have to play our absolute best to win today. I thought our fight was there. I thought our competitive spirit was there. There was a few key plays, certain moments we didn’t finish plays on the glass or get the stop that we needed. Had we done that, probably would have been a different story there at the end of the game.”
Yeah, but how about that trey.
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What’s next:
— The Golden Knights return from the All-Star break with a game at the Carolina Panthers on Friday.
— The Runnin’ Rebels visit Colorado State on Saturday.
— The weekend concludes with the biggest and arguably best party of all, Super Bowl LIV on Sunday. The Kansas City Chiefs are still -1, and the total is hovering at 53. There’s a stapled list of prop bets thick enough to impress an IRS bureaucrat available at all race and sportsbooks. Kickoff is around 3:30 p.m., right after the National Anthem, which has an over/under of about 2 minutes.
— The XFL begins its season Feb. 8.
