Monday, March 14, 2005
sports book is not normally as quiet as a library, but Sunday was a strangely silent night at the Stardust after opening lines were posted on the NCAA Tournament.
Stardust sports book director Bob Scucci put up numbers on 32 games just after 6 p.m. Instead of the initial flurry of activity that occurs every year, most bettors studied the lines and exercised patience.
Only seven games moved as much as one point, which was a surprise to Scucci.
"It's not typical. Usually, we get a lot more action and a lot more movement," Scucci said. "I don't know why everybody is so tentative."
The calm will surely turn into a wagering storm later in the week when the casinos fill up with tourists in anticipation of the 48 basketball games that will be played Thursday through Sunday.
Scucci offered a theory on why action was slow on the opening numbers. He said some big bettors might not want to tip their hand if they see a soft line and will hit more places today after all the Las Vegas and offshore books post lines.
The Stardust was among only a few books in Las Vegas to hang lines Sunday after the brackets were announced late in the afternoon.
"Generally, the only people who bet this early are the big players," Scucci said. "Maybe they're waiting to see what else is out there."
The seven lines that moved at least one point were all in the direction of favored teams -- Illinois, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Gonzaga, Louisville, Florida and Kansas.
The biggest initial move was on Louisville, which opened as an 11-point favorite over Louisiana-Lafayette. The number jumped to 12 1/2 before settling at 12.
The Cardinals (29-4), coached by Rick Pitino, won the Conference USA Tournament behind the strong guard play of Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean and Larry O'Bannon.
Top-ranked Illinois (32-1) opened as a 26-point favorite over Fairleigh Dickinson, and the line moved to 27.
Cincinnati was a 2 1/2-point favorite over Iowa before money on the Bearcats pushed it to 3 1/2.
Gonzaga, on a 12-game winning streak, opened as a 12-point favorite over Winthrop, and the line went to 13.
Florida, which beat Kentucky on Sunday to win the Southeastern Conference Tournament, is a 10 1/2-point favorite over Ohio after opening at 9 1/2.
The Wildcats opened as 17-point favorites over Eastern Kentucky, and the line jumped to 18.
Kansas has lost five of its last eight games, but that did not deter bettors. The Jayhawks opened as 15-point favorites over Bucknell, and the line was bet to 16.
The Stardust posted odds to win the tournament and made North Carolina the 2-1 favorite, followed by Illinois (5-2), Duke (9-2) and Wake Forest (6-1).
Scucci said he doesn't expect to see the Tar Heels and Fighting Illini in the championship game.
"I have a hard time when people are picking two teams like North Carolina and Illinois. It's never that easy," he said.
In one of the most interesting first-round matchups, UNR is a 2 1/2-point underdog to Texas on Thursday in Indianapolis.
