Morning Brew: A short gambling lesson

Monday, February 9, 2009

Before continuing with this Morning Brew, please familiarize yourself with the following gambling terms:

Favorite: The team predicted to win.

Underdog: The team predicted to lose.

Line or Spread: The number set by a sports book. In order to win, the favorite must win by more than the number while the underdog must finish within the number.

Backdoor Cover: When a favorite leads down the stretch but allows the underdog to sneak within the spread without threatening to win. See: Saturday’s men’s basketball game.

I didn’t gamble a cent on Kansas’ 78-67 victory over Oklahoma State. Nor would I bet on any basketball game that I cover.

However, knowing the point spread of Saturday’s game turned an otherwise cathartic matinee into a thrilling drama that went down to the final shot.

The line set Kansas as 12-point favorites and the Jayhawks spent most of the second half above that number. Kansas bumped its lead to 20 with 8:47 left and it looked like coach Bill Self’s crew would easily cover the spread.

But the Jayhawks didn’t build on their advantage and the Cowboys slowly chipped away. They never put enough possessions together to threaten the Jayhawks, but they did cut the lead to 13 with 2:30 remaining.

The score stuck at 75-62 until only 40 seconds were left on the clock. Then, all gambling hell broke loose.

Oklahoma State’s Marshall Moses drove the lane while Kansas’ defenders — not wanting to commit a foul — stepped aside and watched him throw down a dunk. 75-64. Advantage: Underdog.

Oklahoma State called a timeout and tried to make a steal on the inbounds pass. Once that failed, it sat back and let Sherron Collins wind down the clock.

But the shot clock was five seconds lower than the game clock. Instead of holding the ball and waiting for a shot clock violation, Collins chucked up a three and drilled it. 78-64. Advantage: Favorite.

It could have ended there, but the roller coaster had one more hill to climb.

As the final five seconds ticked off the clock, Oklahoma State’s James Anderson sprinted to the right wing. Standing off-kilter in front of the Cowboy bench, Anderson snatched the ball and hurled it towards the basket.

Oklahoma State’s leading scorer was a miserable 1-of-8 behind the three-point line before that shot. And he was a miserable 2-of-9 after it swished through.

The shot didn’t make Anderson feel any better or Kansas any worse. In fact, it didn’t impact the players or coaches at all. It just swung the game for anyone gambling on it.

So let’s recap.

Final Score: Kansas 78, Oklahoma State 67.

Loser: Favorite Jayhawks, who actually won the game.

Winner: Underdog Cowboys, who actually lost the game.

Real Loser: Anyone who bet more than $10 on a regular season basketball game.

Real Winner: Any objective viewer who enjoyed the roller-coaster ride.

— — Edited by Realle Roth

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