Rebels draw interest from locals

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All of the groans heard around Las Vegas on Wednesday night as UNLV struggled to survive an overtime scare against Dixie State in an exhibition game might not have only been coming from fans nervous about the team’s readiness for the season.

The sound may have also come from bettors simultaneously expressing regret for rushing to the window to take a shot on a group of talented recruits and a solid core of returners, led by Mike Moser and Anthony Marshall, carrying the Rebels to a national championship.

UNLV, which opened at 60-1 odds and has been bet to 25-1, is among the most wagered-on teams to win the NCAA title at the LVH sports book, where futures numbers have been up since about a week after last season’s tournament ended in April.

“I think from what we’ve seen, it’s mostly locals that are enthralled with the players that are coming into the program,” LVH oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. “I’ve got some friends that when I go out to the bars they’ll ask me what we have UNLV at, and I say 25-1, and they’ll say, ‘Oh, man, that’s still too high. I want to bet them.’

“We’ve gotten a lot of that type of money. Basically, the Rebels’ ticket count is equivalent to North Carolina (30-1) and Duke (20-1), and a lot of that has been the fans around here supporting them.”

While those three teams have been drawing quite a bit of interest at the windows, they are in a group just behind the two trendiest picks among bettors. Defending champion Kentucky (12-1) is the most wagered-on team at the moment. The next most popular bet is a bit more surprising.

North Carolina State opened at 50-1, but the Wolfpack have been bet to 12-1.

Of course, when that number opened, most observers assumed C.J. Leslie would enter the NBA Draft. But Leslie is back, along with one of the top recruiting classes in the nation to make Mark Gottfried’s team the favorite in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The top team in the country, and on the betting board, also benefited from a star unexpectedly returning to school.

Indiana opened as a 10-1 choice but is now a 9-2 favorite. The Hoosiers open the season as the No. 1 team in the land with 7-foot Cody Zeller back to take a shot at winning the national title.

“We’ve seen considerable support on them,” Sherman said.

Most of those line moves make sense. One that may be a bit surprising is the money that has come in on UCLA, which is missing star freshman Shabazz Muhammad of Las Vegas during an NCAA investigation to determine his eligibility.

“We had opened them at 30-1 before Shabazz signed there, and they’re down to 15-1, and that’s all been on money that we’ve taken,” Sherman said. “He obviously still has to get clearance from the NCAA, and that’s all iffy right now, so 15-1 is pretty short considering what they are going through.”

A few other West Coast teams also have drawn interest. Arizona has been bet from 75-1 to 30-1. San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference opened at 100-1 but is now at 50-1.

There are still some teams with value on the board. Notre Dame and Florida State, major conference teams ranked near the bottom of both polls, are each 100-1.

Those looking for true Cinderellas can get midmajor darlings Davidson and Murray State at 200-1.

UNR supporters can still get the Wolf Pack at 500-1. Brigham Young is 200-1.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.