McClure's last-second layup sends Duke plast Clemson

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

01/26/2007 - Durham, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David McClure dropped in a layup just before time expired, as No. 10 Duke edged past 19th-ranked Clemson, 68-66, in a thrilling Atlantic Coast Conference matchup at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue Devils (17-3, 4-2 ACC) led by 11 heading into the second half, but had to escape a late miscue to down Clemson (18-3, 4-3) for the 20th straight time.

A pair of free throws by Gerald Henderson put the Blue Devils ahead 66-61 with 12.7 seconds left in the game. Having already missed a pair of three-pointers leading up to Henderson's free throws, the Tigers elected to go for two as Duke allowed Vernon Hamilton to drive the lane for an easy basket.

Miscommunication by the Duke players caused Josh McRoberts to throw the resulting inbound away, and the turnover went right to Hamilton, who drilled a three to even things at 66-66 with 4.4 ticks on the clock.

The Blue Devils had enough time on the clock as Jon Scheyer took the inbounds pass to center court before spotting a wide open McClure in the lane, who was able to get off his layup before time expired.

McRoberts ended with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who won their fourth straight since suffering a road setback to Georgia Tech on January 10.

Greg Paulus and DeMarcus Nelson both ended with 13 points. Nelson also had eight rebounds. Scheyer had 12 points in the win, while McClure had eight, none more important than his final two.

Hamilton led Clemson with 21 points and five boards, while James Mays donated 13 points. C.K. Rivers chipped in with 12 points as the Tigers have lost three of four since winning their first 17 games to start the season.

Duke led by a healthy nine points midway through the second half, as a three- pointer by Paulus made it 53-44 with 10:08 remaining.

Clemson refused to quit and whittled their deficit down to 55-52 after a Hamilton layup with 6:53 left. Duke later upped its lead back to eight, 60-52, but eight straight by the Tigers evened the game with 3:31 on the clock.

The Blue Devils shot a healthy 48.4 percent from the floor in the first half and outrebounded Clemson 20-10 en route to taking a 36-25 lead at the half.

Down by one at 23-22, Henderson put Duke in front on a three-pointer with 4:56 left on the clock. Later, McRoberts rebounded his own miss and drained a jumper to extend the Blue Devils' lead to 29-23 with just over three minutes remaining.

Cliff Hammonds then knocked down a pair from the line with 2:38 to go, but those were the last points the Tigers would see in the half as Duke netted the final seven points.

Game Notes

Clemson ended the game at 45.5 percent from the floor and an impressive 90.9 percent (10-of-11) from the free throw line. Duke shot 41.4 percent overall from the field and ended 15-of-18 from the charity stripe...Duke held the rebounding edge at 40-24...In addition to now 20 straight losses overall to the Blue Devils, Clemson has now lost 10 in a row at Duke. The Tigers' last win against Duke came on January 7, 1997 and their last victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium was in 1995.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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