I had a reader reach out recently inquiring whether or not their bet should have paid out.
The scenario he gave was a game that went to overtime and finished in a tie. The current NCAA rules require teams to participate in a shootout even if said shootouts have no impact in non-league games.
When shootout were implemented a number of years back, leagues at first were not consistent about using them to break a tie for league standings. A couple of years later, the NCAA mandated that all conferences use them to break ties in league contests, where three points are available for every game and awarded for a regulation win. When a team wins in overtime or wins a shootout, they are awarded only two standings points while the team on the other end gets one.
In non-conference play, the shootout means nothing. Each team receives a tie for purposes of their overall records and the PairWise. So at first, the NCAA allowed shootouts in those games to be optional. But in a recent change, all games now use a shootout when there is a tie.
That made things easier for bookmakers, and some have expanded their offerings to have a three-way outcome offering. For example, on DraftKings, you can now bet a 60-minute line, which has the option for Team A win, Team B win and draw. The odds for each are different and each bet is graded on what the score is at the end of regulation.
For this, bettors don’t have to worry about what happens in an overtime.
If, however, a bettor chooses to bet the two-win line, the bet includes overtime and, if necessary a shootout. So if you bet a game that goes to overtime and ends in a “tie”, the winner of the shootout is graded as the winner. Keep that in mind when making your wagers.
Here’s a look at a few lines where you may have an edge:
Under of 5.5 goals – Cornell at Quinnipiac: We don’t typically talk much about over/under but this seems like a good opportunity to highlight a game using past trends. Quinnipiac and Cornell typically play extremely low-scoring games. If fact, the last seven times these two teams played, all seven games went under 5.5 goals. The last time the two teams scored more than five goals was November 16, 2018, a 4-2 Quinnipiac win where the sixth goal was scored into an empty net.
Denver (-270) vs. Omaha: I get it. A -270 line isn’t very attractive but this feels like a game where Denver should come away victorious. The Pioneers are 2-0-1 at home and have won five or its last seven against Omaha. Is there anything that worries me here? Maybe – Omaha beat Denver at Magness in the first of a two-game series last season, 3-0. So if you’re feeling daring, a +200 bet on Omaha is a justifiable gamble.
Games to avoid this week: Wisconsin (-120) at Michigan State (-110)
Best bet: Cornell/Quinnipiac under 5.5 goals (-140)
