Fade the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in their first game in more than a month on Thursday?
It seemed logical. The Rebels would be rusty, it seemed, and their opponent, Colorado State had seen conference play. In fact, the line moved from Colorado State -8.5 to -9.5 to -10.5 just before tipoff. Somebody was fading the Rebels.
Problem was, no one told coach T.J. Otzelberger’s squad. The Runnin’ Rebels came out firing and led at halftime, 35-34. They scored the first eight points in the second half and extended their lead.
Money line bettors on UNLV, holding tickets as high as +390, might have been entertaining fanciful notions of cashing those tickets at the window as the Runnin’ Rebels led 59-46 with a little less than nine minutes left.
But the Rams went on a run and closed strong. Two key free throws from Colorado State’s Isaiah Stevens with seven seconds left sealed the win and gave the Rams a 74-71 victory.
Still, side bettors cashed winning tickets on both the first half and the game. The total came in just under 146.5.
But if you missed that game, you had another chance. With the rejiggered Mountain West schedule, the Runnin’ Rebels again played at Colorado State on Saturday. Oddsmakers must have seen some action on UNLV because the line for this game moved to Colorado State -7.
But the result was largely the same: Colorado State 83, UNLV 80. Although this time the total easily went over 146. The Rams had a season high 16 3-pointers, including six from Stevens, in the win.
“They’re a good 3-point shooting team, but we had something to do with that, too,” Otzelberger told reporters after the game. “I think at times defensively when we’re off the ball we get caught ball-watching a little bit, and we’re late to close-outs.”
UNLV may be 1-6 on the season, but it was their fourth straight cover. They host the St. Katherine (San Marcos, California) Firebirds on Tuesday.
Elsewhere:
— A weekend packed with NFL Wild Card games started Saturday when the Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts, 27-24, but failed to cover -6.5. The total in that game pushed at 51. It ended late Sunday when the Cleveland Browns at -5.5 beat the Pittsburgh Steelers outright, 48-37, in a wild affair that sent the total over 47 in the third quarter and rewarded money line Browns bettors who cashed at about +205.
There were four other games sandwiched in between, including Tampa Bay’s 31-23 win over Washington. In that game, Tampa Bay paid early bettors who laid 7.5, burned late bettors who bet -10 and pushed at -8 on many other tickets. Yes, it can be that close.
The Kansas City Chiefs are the biggest favorite in next weekend’s division playoffs at -10 vs. the Browns. The total is 56.
— A late line movement has pushed Alabama to -8 vs. Ohio State in the NCAA Championship Game at 5 p.m. Monday. The total is 75.
— After a four-month hiatus, the Vegas Golden Knights return to action on Thursday. Las Vegas is -220 vs. the Anaheim Ducks, with the total at 5.5.
— One of the laughers of the week in college hoops came Saturday when Rhode Island, +6 vs. Virginia Commonwealth, won outright, 83-68. Counting the six points they were getting, the Rams covered by 21 points over a team whose mascot is also the Rams.
— If you were watching NBA action on a random day, say last Tuesday, you may have seen a trend. There were five games and the underdog covered or won outright in all of them. Outright wins came from the Brooklyn Nets, +4.5, who beat the Utah Jazz 130-96; the Chicago Bulls, +9.5, who defeated the Portland Trail Blazers, 111-108; and the San Antonio Spurs, +7.5, who beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 116-113. The ‘dogs who covered were the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
No wonder the wags say NBA translates to “no betting allowed.”