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By Dan Behringer, LVSportsBiz.com Sports Betting Writer
While you were leafing through the novel-length list of Super Bowl 57 props, you may have overlooked a bet. Or two. Possibly three.
Yes, it involves the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, still dwelling in the bottom half of the Mountain West Conference standings.
After an abysmal 76-63 road loss to Fresno State on Jan. 21, they have now won and covered their last three games.
Their latest victory came Tuesday when they dispatched the Colorado State Rams, 83-71. They were 3.5-point underdogs, which made it a cover by 15.5 points. The total also went over 144.5.
With the win, the Runnin’ Rebels improved to 15-7 and 4-6 in conference play. UNLV shot 47.5 percent from the field but 40.7 percent from three-point range in the win. However, they only shot 63.6 percent from the free-throw line.
“We have a little more confidence in the locker room right now. We had a tough two-week stretch, and now we have had a good week-and-a-half stretch,” coach Kevin Kruger told the team’s official website. “Guys are feeling good, and we know we are a good team. We are going to make good things happen and right now they are having fun doing it.”
Ironically, Fresno State is next up. UNLV is a 9.5-point favorite vs. the Bulldogs with the total at 131.5 on Friday night at the Thomas & Mack. Tipoff is at 8 p.m.
Elsewhere:
— Super Bowl Lines: The line for Super Bowl 57 has settled at the Eagles -1.5 for now with the total nudged up to 50.5.
Of course, even before kickoff at 3:30 p.m., there will be the National Anthem and an opportunity bet over/under the length it will take country music star Chris Stapleton to belt out “The Star Spangled Banner.”
A few online sports books have the over/under on the length of the anthem anywhere from 121.5 seconds to as high as 125.
Obviously, there are many, many more exotic prop bets out there.
— Break for the Knights: The Vegas Golden Knights are getting a break for the NHL All-Star Game Weekend on Friday and Saturday and will next visit the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
But after a hot start, Foley’s Finest now find themselves in third place of the Pacific Division, looking up at the upstart Seattle Kraken and the Los Angeles Kings after losing their last four games before the break. Suddenly, playoff status is again an issue as it was last season.
“The break will do us some good to get some rest, get away for sure,” coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters after a 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders before the break. “And if we can bottle these type of efforts like tonight and bring it forward, I think our game will be in good shape.”
After opening at around +1400 to win the Stanley Cup, the VGK are now anywhere from +900 to +1400 again, according to Covers.com.
— Fight Night: Derrick Lewis (26-10-0) meets Sergey Spivak (15-3) on Saturday in the featured heavyweight main event for UFC Fight Night at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Spivak is generally around -225 with Lewis +190 on the buyback for the bout that is considered a rematch of their canceled November event.
— Easy pickin’s? Can you bet the No. 1 men’s college basketball team in the country and cash tickets? On Sunday, No. 1 Purdue, -8 vs. Michigan State, won, 77-61. On Wednesday, the Boilermakers were -10 vs. Penn State. They won and covered again, 80-60. Of course, as financial advisers say, past performance is not an indicator of future results. The hot-running Boilers, who own a 13.7-point differential in their wins, according to ESPN, are at No. 21 Indiana on Saturday.
— Play of the Week (10-10): We couldn’t have scripted it better. After a hot start and a dismal performance down the stretch, we ended the football season at a beautifully symmetrical 10-10 mark. As in, dead-even. That leaves us only the Super Bowl to decide whether we end the season on the right or the wrong side of the ledger. We’ll take the Eagles -1.5 for the final game of the season.