What’s Driving Wednesday’s Most Important Line Moves?

Wednesday's betting market is loaded with interesting line moves, but don't be seduced into thinking that all should be blindly followed. When looking at today's board, some of the most fascinating line moves have nothing to with sharp action.

To help diagnose exactly what's driving Wednesday's key moves, I turned to the tools offered at The Action Network and determined multiple factors are responsible in both college basketball and NHL betting.

Georgia Tech at Virginia (-15.5)

7 p.m. ET

The line move: Virginia opened as a monster 21-point favorite but oddsmakers have been quick to adjust this line, which has now plummeted down to Cavaliers -15.5.

The reason: A move this large is huge, but our Bet Signals have not triggered any significant instances of sharp money getting down here. Instead, as Mark Gallant writes, it's consistent, one-sided money moving this number.

Stars at Ducks (-125)

7 p.m. ET

The line move: Anaheim opened -127 at Bookmaker.eu and has ticked down to -125, at the time of publication.

The reason: This is an example where it's imperative to not solely rely on opening and closing numbers, and to instead dig into the line history. After opening -127, early money was all over the Ducks, pushing the line up to -143. However, after news broke that starting goaltender John Gibson was doubtful due to a lower-body injury, the line has since tumbled back to -125.

Duquesne at St. Bonaventure (-9.5)

7 p.m. ET

The line move: St. Bonaventure opened as a 13-point home favorite, yet the action on this game has been all Duquesne, moving the line to 9.5 at Pinnacle.

The reason: Not every game has a clear sharp and public divide. In fact, sharp vs. public disagreement is quite rare. Contrary to popular belief, wiseguys and recreational bettors can actually agree on which side is the right side, and that's what's driven this line.

Fifty-eight percent of spread tickets and 61% of dollars wagered have taken the Dukes, making this the preferred side of recreational bettors. Sharp money agrees, highlighted by a Steam Move triggered at Pinnacle when this line was +12.

See, when the number is right, sharp and public bettors can play nice.

Top Photo: Duquesne Dukes guard Rene Castro-Caneddy

Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports