LAS VEGAS – It’s a once-in-a-lifetime time for Kentucky and trainer John Calipari. Losing this week’s Southeastern Conference tournament means Wildcats season is over.
It’s hard to top the drama of the college basketball tournament in March when surprises and inspiring runs from underdogs highlight the surprise party. Long-shot teams still have hope when an automatic conference offer for the NCAA tournament is up for grabs.
Kentucky is rarely in the doggy role, but the Wildcats (9-15) stumble into it as number 8 SEC tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. As the losses on Calipari piled up, his media cheerleaders looked for excuses.
Arkansas coach Eric Musselman doesn’t need excuses. The Razorbacks (21-5) drive an 11-game winning streak in the SEC game and enter the tournament as number 2.
« It’s definitely no secret now, but Arkansas is dangerous, » said William Bog- Sports betting director Nick Bogdanovich. « I think Musselman is as good as any coach in the country. »
Musselman lost four starters and 84 percent of the team’s goal production from last season. Two months ago, the Razorbacks were 2-4 in the league, surging from a 31-point loss in Alabama. The appearance of newbie Guardian Moses Moody fueled an Arkansas team that was pitched for number 3 in the NCAA field. Moody scored 24 points when the Hogs turned the tables with an 81-66 win on February 24th.
Kentucky would have to go through Alabama with the best seeds. Arkansas is in the other half of the bracket with the LSU with the third seed. Pass on the wildcats with the 16/1 odds offered at BetMGM.
Bet on hot teams and the best coaches in March. Musselman, a former NBA head coach at Golden State and Sacramento, is one of the best. He’s also extremely emotional and known for tearing his shirt off for a post game party, which he could do again this weekend.
ACC: Mike Krzyzewski was making excuses in early December when the Duke coach used to pause the season. The agony of losing at the end of the season will soon come for a team that is 11-11 and finished 10th in the conference tournament. BetMGM put Duke out at odds of 20/1 to win five games in five days (DraftKings is offering 80/1) but forget about that because the Blue Devils are going down.
« I’d keep an eye out Georgia Tech throw a high-level team, « said gold sheet handicapper Bruce Marshall.
Virginia with the best seeds is the 5/2 favorite, but the Cavaliers are vulnerable and in the same half of the bracket with Georgia Tech with the fourth seed and Clemson # 5, a couple of live long shots. The price is right with the yellow jackets, led by seniors Moses Wright and Jose Alvarado.
Big East: A knee injury against senior guard Collin Gillespie at the end of the season essentially removed Villanova from the NCAA cover picture and the Big East -Back open. BetMGM lists Creighton as the 2/1 favorite with the Wildcats at 3/1.
St. John’s (20/1) with the fourth seed is a long shot that should be seen in Villanova’s half of the bracket. On the flip side, third-placed Connecticut is a hot team – 6-1 in the last seven games – that is being sustained by the return of star guard James Bouknight (20.2 ppg).
« I think UConn should win the Big East now, especially if Gillespie fails for Villanova, « said Marshall. “The Great East is collapsing around UConn. Now that Bouknight is back, they can do business in big dance too. “
Big Ten: The late Michigan state resurgence likely means the conference will have nine teams in the NCAA area. The Spartans who upset Michigan on Sunday could face the Wolverines for the third time in nine days if the teams meet in the quarterfinals on Friday. Michigan could go to Indianapolis without Senior Guard Eli Brooks due to an ankle injury, and that would make the Wolverines fragile favorites at 175. Ohio State (10/1) is a hungry dog who lost four games, and Iowa (Iowa) 4/1) is capable with Senior Star Luka Garza. Illinois ended the league game 16: 4, with the hottest team that has played 11: 1 in the last 12 games and is led by NBA prospects Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn.
Big 12: Baylor, the Favorite with -145 odds, overcame a three-week COVID-19 layoff and finished the game 21-1. Half of the bears include Oklahoma State and West Virginia. The other half consists of Kansas, Texas, Texas Tech, and Oklahoma.
It’s not disrespectful to Baylor to say that six other teams could win this tournament in Kansas City. So play this based on the odds value. Red Raiders trainer Chris Beard tends to do well in tournament environments.
Pac-12: Oregon, which won the regular season title, has the best trainer in Dana Altman and the smoothest path to the title game with Colorado (Aug. / 2) and USC (225) in the other half of the bracket. Long strokes don’t look live at this tournament in Las Vegas. So play the favorite.
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