15 Comments

If I were prone to gambling, I would take the under here. I think Cal’s defense will finally step up. Of course, all bets are off if Cornell gets super hot from three. The folks at the Cornell Ornithology Lab, which developed the awesome Merlin Bird ID app, are to be thanked for my ongoing fascination with bird life. I don’t know Cornell’s basketball roster well enough to say whether the squad includes any high flyers or inside threats for that matter. However, I suspect Dort and Sissoko can control the interior of the key.

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Cornell College? How can Cal be only an 8 point favorite against a Division III team that already has losses to Coe College and Central College (in Pella, Iowa)???

Or is this game against Cornell University from the Ivy League, and NOT Cornell College??

https://cornellrams.com/sports/mens-basketball

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Cornell University - Cornell college basketball not Cornell College basketball.

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Cornell University...Big Red Bear.

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Of course; just pointing out a an egregious mistake as Cornell College is a highly regarded small college in the mid west.

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Come on Bears, right the ship. Seeing that Missouri beat #1 Kansas tells us that we can play with the best in the country, we just need to tighten up our defense. I have to think Madsen can get these guys to play good team defense.

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We need to move and distribute the ball better. Good news that we have a lot of guys that can create their own shot; bas news is that they are not setting up each other's shots enough.

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I see and hear that, but in the end we are scoring 91 points. It really does seem to come down to a defense problem even more than offense.

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Fair point!

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Just because gambling has taken a seat at the table despite its regressive taxation of the ill-informed and addiction-prone, does Write for California really have to trumpet the news? Is that the sport now, odds? Or is it still the athletic contest? Pick a lane, I say, or are the almighty clicks, no matter the cost, more important?

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I don't gamble, but I'm always interested in the lines cause they can be really telling about where the experts see us and our competition. I think that's the spirit of WFC posting these. Nothing more.

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Fair enough, but this breathless account goes way beyond the line into wagering scenarios and all sorts of inducements. My guess is it’s verbatim from the sports book PR shop, no questions asked, possibly with remuneration. Tell me it ain’t so.

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No remuneration from any sportsbook or PR shop

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Glad to hear it, Rick. And sorry if I come off too strongly while you’re just doing your job. But do you see my point? Am

I missing something? Beyond the “expert line”, what’s the value? And do you consider the downsides of the wagering industry while you provide such robust and regular coverage?

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No, you should be critical of what you read, and I do hear your very valid concerns of sports betting and gambling.

I think betting stories have a place in a sports section or website beyond maximizing clicks or page views. The reported odds can help people understand how close a game might be or discuss whether we really are big underdogs as perceived by oddsmakers or the like. I also personally find the industry interesting (I bet a few hundred dollars every year for entertainment) to research and write about.

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