On Sports Betting: UNLV Sports Gave Bettors Nasty Case of Holiday Indigestion
By Dan Behringer for LVSportsBiz.com
It was Thanksgiving Eve, and the table was set for UNLV basketball.
The Runnin’ Rebels were hosting Montana State and the action was on the home team. A casual investor found Montana State at +11.5 a few hours before tipoff. But by game time, the number had moved to +12.5 in many books. The money line on the visiting Bobcats was as high as +700.
It took only the first 20 minutes for bettors to see that the Bobcats were going to carve up of the Runnin’ Rebels. They led at halftime, 49-31.
To their credit, UNLV made an effort at a comeback in the second half, outscoring Montana State, 47-42. But by then, the outcome was clear even to the rows of cardboard cutouts of fans scattered throughout an otherwise empty Thomas & Mack Center.
The final score was Montana State 91, UNLV 78. The total easily blew through the posted line of 144.5.
Montana State made mincemeat of the betting line, covering by 25.5 points, and second-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger was left to pick at the bones.
“Our effort, energy and competitive spirit wasn’t where it needed to be,” he said after the game.
Bryce Hamilton did manage 27 points and eight rebounds for the Runnin’ Rebels.
It doesn’t get any easier for UNLV. North Carolina plays the Runnin’ Rebels in Asheville, NC Monday. The Tar Heels are -12.5. The total is 155.5.
Bettors on UNLV football didn’t fare any better during the week. UNLV was at home at Allegiant Stadium on Friday vs. Wyoming. The line moved all the way to Rebels +17 in many books, but it wasn’t enough.
The Cowboys led 17-7 at halftime but scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. Wyoming scored one more time in the fourth quarter. UNLV scored a late touchdown to push the total over 53.
The final from fan-free 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium: Wyoming 45, UNLV 14.
Wyoming accumulated 399 rushing yards, nearly a quarter of a mile, in the win. The Rebels could only manage 290 yards of total offense, one interception and one fumble.
“Wyoming came in and did what they wanted to, and you can’t have that happen,” first-year coach Marcus Arroyo told reporters after the game.
The loss left UNLV 0-5 and, notably, 0-4-1 ATS. They are +27 vs. Boise State on Friday with the total at 61.5.
Elsewhere:
— The Las Vegas Raiders, -3.5 vs. the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL on Sunday, were a popular pick among some handicappers. The Raiders, however, committed five turnovers, four by quarterback Derek Carr, in a performance that ESPN referred to as “bumbling.”
The final score was Atlanta 43 Las Vegas 6 . ESPN also noted it was the Raiders’ worst loss in head coach Jon Gruden’s last three seasons.
The Falcons paid bettors +165 on the money line.
“I apologize to the Raider nation and really compliment the Falcons,” Gruden said after the game. “They played a hell of a football game, and we did not.”
The Raiders (6-5) now face the winless New York Jets next Sunday. The Raiders are -7.5 with the total at 47.
— UFC luminary Conor McGregor faces former lightweight interim champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 257 on Jan. 23. The line on McGregor has moved from -175 to as high as -230, according to Vegas Insider. Poirier is now +195. Over 1.5 rounds is -200, and under is +175.
— No Saban, no problem. No. 1-ranked Alabama took care of business on Saturday in college football despite the absence of head coach Nick Saban because of COVID-19 concerns. The Crimson Tide rolled over Auburn, 42-13, covering -24.5. The first-half line of Alabama -14.5 paid once again. (You’re welcome.) There is no line yet on Alabama’s game Saturday vs. Arkansas.
— There’s Tuesday Night Football this week. The Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers game, originally scheduled as the late game on Thanksgiving Day, has been moved to Tuesday after COVID-19 issues. The Steelers are -10 with the total at 40.5.
