There isn’t a clear favorite to win the Big Dance in 2022, which is when the NCAA Tournament will take place.

Although there will be first-round surprises during March Madness, picking No. 1 is still your greatest chance of winning a bracket. The No. 1 seeds have dominated the tournament since the NCAA tournament’s field was increased to 64 teams in 1984–85.

The March Madness tournament is the wildest time of the year for sports bettors. 68 Division 1 men’s collegiate basketball teams compete to make their mark on the NCAA basketball landscape, similar to the Super Bowl.

Unskilled bracket pickers may commit the biggest error by failing to comprehend how the scoring system in your bracket pool should affect selection strategy. Understanding the rules is the first step to winning your NCAA Tournament bracket pool this year 2023.

Now let’s check out the 5 tips to increase the chances of March Madness betting:

TIP #1: Select the top-seeded team

The higher-seeded club is considered to be the superior squad by the NCAA Tournament selection committee. The better off you are, the lower the seed. It’s like a better, twisted version of golf.

Really, it’s a fresh idea. You can start your journey to become a junior bracketologist if you can understand it. Jerry Palm could even be willing to mentor you, but only if you agree to sleep for a total of about 12 hours during the whole March Madness season.

TIP #2: Stick to the No. 1 seeds, they are always a wise choice

Despite being the most obvious tip thus far, this one is worth mentioning since it can be used as an addition to tip number one. Since the NCAA Tournament field was expanded in 1985, 20 of the 34 champions have come from No. 1 seeds.

Take, for instance, Duke in 2010, Kentucky in 2012, Louisville in 2013, Duke in 2015, UNC in 2017, and Villanova in 2018 were all the top seeds. According to NCAA records, 32 of the 68 teams that have competed in the championship game since 1985 were 1 seeds.

TIP #3: Rely on talent, after all the first four team will proceed

We all know that the NCAA Tournament’s circumstances seem to be repeating themselves. A team from the First Four has made it past the first round of the 64-team bracket every year since the field was increased to 68 to allow for the “First Four” to be contested. Take one piece of advice, throw a dice and select at least one of those four teams to win several games.

TIP #4: Avoid selecting a No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1

Yes, there was that one time when No. 16 seed UMBC shocked No. 1 overall seed Virginia. However, don’t be deceived by history. The likelihood of a No. 16 beating a No. 1 is really slim. Move on and go chalk. You will have many more chances to be brave elsewhere.

According to a professional view, it is quite impossible for a No. 16 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed. Like, extremely unlikely—only it’s ever happened once.

TIP #5: To defeat a No. 5 seed, choose at least one No. 12 seed

Another piece of advice is to select at least one 12-over-5 upset if you really want to seem stylish at work.

Over the years, the No. 12 seeds have done exceptionally well in the competition. According to the NCAA, No. 12 seeds have amassed a 47-89 record in the last 34 years when winning at least one game in the first round.

Actually, the only years that didn’t occur were 1988, 2000, 2007, 2015, and 2018. There is a good chance of an upset in a first-round game between two 12-5 teams.

The post NCAA Tournament Bracket: 5 Tips to Increase the Chance of Winning a Bet appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

We’re entering the final stretch of February, which only means one thing: March Madness is just around the corner, with the best teams in the nation squaring off for the most exciting and unpredictable tournament in collegiate sports.

Needless to say, this paves the way for some epic performances and heartwarming stories. The David vs. Goliath and all the countless stories we’ve witnessed go down in this tourney throughout the years.

And as we all know by now, no basketball team can find success without its floor general pulling the strings of the offense. That’s why today, we’ll talk about the top 5 point guards to watch in this upcoming tournament.

Terquavion Smith – NC State

Trequavion Smith is already projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, which speaks volumes about his talent. He could be a top-20 pick despite not being as young as some other prospects, and all of that has to do with his ability to knock down shots from all three levels.

Smith is a bit of a tweener, and he needs to bulk up to find success at the pros. He’s an elite shooter from beyond the arc and a perennial threat in passing lanes to pick up steals. Smith isn’t a solid on-ball defender, but he’s got the offensive skills to turn heads night in and night out.

Isaiah Wong – Miami

While mostly used as a shooting guard, Isiah Wong’s size ?— or lack thereof ?— makes multiple NBA scouts think that he’d be better suited to play at the one if he decides to go pro. He’s got elite handles and is a very smart and creative player, as well as one of the most underrated playmakers in his class.

Wong has a nice bag of moves to create separation and get to the rim, especially his quick first step. Also, he became bigger and stronger this season, which helped him avoid settling for long-range jumpers, which are far from his expertise.

Jaden Bradley – Alabama

One thing’s for sure: Jaden Bradley will make it to the NBA. Whether it’s in the 2023 or 2024 NBA Draft has yet to be decided, but he’s too good not to make it to the big league. Considered a five-star recruit, he’s orchestrated Alabama’s Crimson Tide’s offense, leading them to the first spot in the AP rankings.

Bradley is a privileged athlete with elite quickness and bounce. He’s a bit of a tweener at just 6’2’’, which could hurt his prospect as an NBA starter, but he makes up for that with top-notch strength and hustle on both ends of the floor.

LJ Cryer – Baylor

The Baylor Bears have been quite solid this season and according to Iowa basketball betting odds are one of the favorites for the NCAA tournament. Plenty of that has had to do with LJ Cryer’s offensive outbursts. He’s box-office and one of the streakiest shooters in the nation, a guy with unlimited range and the green light to take as many shots as he wants to when he gets hot.

He’s a solid athlete and underrated defender, and a guy who will find ways to get to the scoreboard even when his shot isn’t falling. He’s not the average pass-first kind of guard and can be overly aggressive at times, but he’s impossible to stop when he gets into the zone.

Braden Smith – Purdue

Braden Smith is the true definition of a floor general. He’s an extension of the coach in the hardwood, a guy that’s already elite at picking apart rival defenses in real-time and breaking down their sets right before their eyes. He’s got the basketball IQ to become a pro, although the size may not help him.

Smith is an outstanding, pass-first kind of point guard. He’s a master at setting his teammates up and giving them the ball where they need it to thrive, and a guy that often makes the right play at the right time. This Boilermakers team could make plenty of noise, so don’t sleep on them in March.

The post 5 Point Guards To Watch During March Madness 2023 appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Coach Orlando Vandross is in his seventh season with the University of Virginia’s basketball program. The first three seasons were spent as the Director of Player Development before he moved to an assistant coaching position under veteran head coach Tony Bennett. It has been a long journey that saw the men’s team rise through the ranks in the NCAA. Vandross is proud of his work, and rightfully so. He’s being heralded as the next biggest coach in the world for his work on the court and off the court.

Before he went to the UVA, Coach Vandross spent five seasons as an assistant coach for Charlotte. It was a productive stint wherein the team won the 2013 Great Alaska Shootout and the 2014 Puerto Rico Tip-Off. They even qualified for the 2013 NIT. The team registered back-to-back winning campaigns, including victories against Top 15 programs. Everything he learned in Charlotte, as well as his previous jobs, enabled him to help UVA reach its lofty goals.

Coach Orlando Vandross initially had reservations about the move. The position being offered seemed like a step back from his previous role. Fortunately, Coach Tony Bennett convinced him that it was an excellent opportunity. Their discussions left him intrigued and excited about how he could contribute towards the development of a championship-caliber program. His openness to pursue an unconventional path led him to a more fulfilling career with even greater accomplishments.

As the Director for Player Development, Coach Vandross could not coach on the floor as he was used to. He didn’t have to go around different schools to talk to recruits. Instead, he was tasked to focus on the players who were already there. He had to get to know each of them and find ways to make them better. Progress didn’t happen overnight, but it came eventually thanks to patience and hard work. UVA won the ACC Tournament despite being in their rebuilding phase. The team also won its first NCAA Championship in 2019 by beating Texas Tech in overtime.

It was one of the best moments in his coaching career that spans more than two decades. However, the game continues to evolve and the team is in a constant state of flux. Players come and go, so the coaching staff never runs out of challenges. After they won the national title, momentum was on their side for the 2020 season and they were having a good run until the tournament was cancelled — just like everything else — because of the pandemic.

Now UVA is a different team with a new roster and a new identity and their success on the court is due to amazing coaches like Coach O’s work behind the scenes. It’s an ongoing process of development for everyone involved. Coach Tony Bennett is known for his intense defensive patterns that choke the opponent’s offense. Coach Vandross is keen on helping the new players adapt to this style of basketball. Of course, they still need to shoot to win, and for that they want to run efficient offense with smart plays. It’s a winning formula, but it requires excellent execution to work.

Coach Orlando Vandross is excited to work with players in the gym on the court. He has been part of rebuilding teams in the past and produced superb results that defied expectations. He is keen on identifying players who can step up during crunch time to support their core. He wants to empower individuals to take on bigger roles. For Coach Vandross, improvement is gradual work with a lot of trial and error. They tend to stop often during practices to provide immediate feedback. By trusting the process and staying patient, their time will surely come.

The post Coach Orlando Vandross: The Strategic Transformation Of A Top Tier NCAA Team appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Everyone is talking about Duke these days. Not only because Duke has made the Final Four for the 13th time in Coach K’s illustrious career, not only because they are vying for the 6th National Championship of Coach K’s career, but mainly because all of this is being done in what is Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last season as a basketball coach heading into retirement.

Could there be anything more dramatic or emotional in College Sports than what Duke has done already to get to this point in the name of the beloved Coach K. Well Betway.com recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Christian Laettner, 2x National Champion from the Coach K era, to talk about what it all means to him and to Duke.

To give you a flavor of how good this interview is in the context of what is going on right now in College Basketball and the 2022 National Championship Tournament:

What would qualify as a good ending to Coach K’s career?

I hope they do really well in the tournament because they didn’t end the regular season with a victory against Carolina at home, and they didn’t end with an ACC championship.

A good ending, I think, would be at least making it to the Final Four. Hopefully then every Duke fan would be content that they sent Coach K off on kind of a winning note. Obviously winning it all would be the greatest gift for him, but they would have to play really, really good basketball six games in a row.

Do you have a favorite memory from your time with Coach K?

I can’t pick out one thing. All I can say is that every day of the four-and-a-half years I was around him and having him coach me, it was just the greatest time.

I loved everything he did. I loved when he was hard on us, I loved when he took us in the locker room and yelled at every one of us, I loved when he invited us over to his house for dinner and his wife made chocolate chip cookies. Even if we didn’t win two championships or go to four Final Fours when I was there, I still would have loved every second of it.

But the interview doesn’t stop there. Head over to check out the Q&A as Laettner goes on to discuss how he was recruited, how he thinks Duke will fare in the post Coach K era, and more CBB topics, such as the Fab Five!

But we want to hear what your thoughts are on Duke. Do you think they can pull it off now that they are in the Final Four? UNC has looked good so far and although they are the lowest seed still left in the tourament, they certainly don’t appear to be a true 8 seed. While Duke is a 2 seed in the tournament, we can’t forget that as the only 1 seed left, Kansas has been looking like they could walk right through the final four.

Can the inspiration and emotion of trying to ‘do it for Coach K’ get this Duke squad to play like a the favorite for just two more games to get that CHIP?

The post Can Duke win it for Coach K? Christian Laettner weighs in appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Any basketball fan understands the incredible array of talent that is on show in the College Basketball leagues. College basketball is a sport that has become extremely popular over the years.

The NCAA tournament (also known as March Madness) is a yearly event where fans from around the country (and the world) tune into their favorite teams.

If you are new to the world of College Basketball then it can be hard to know where to start. In this article, we are going to give you a guide to the sport.

Season

Like the NBA, College Basketball has a pre-season, a regular season, and a post-season.

Pre-season

The pre-season consists of 4-5 warm-up games. These games don’t count towards any tournament but they give teams that rarely play each other a chance to battle it out.

Regular Season

Teams play around 30 games during the regular season, ? of these games count towards their conference and the others help them to qualify for post-season tournaments.

Doing well in your conference is a good way to qualify for the high-profile tournaments like March Madness.

Post-season

The post-season looks different for every team. Some states run internal tournaments in the post-season, while other teams travel to play in tournaments.

Most conferences have a conference tournament with a spot in March Madness up for grabs.

All the teams are aiming to qualify for the NCAA tournament – out of the hundreds of College Basketball teams in the USA, only 68 can qualify for the tournament.

Conferences In The NCAA

If you want to understand how College Basketball conferences are structured then you need to understand a little bit about how the NCAA works.

Each school has its own basketball team. Some schools have the same name for all their sports teams, while others have different team names. Some schools even have different names for the male and female teams.

Each school has its own mascot and colors. Schools often use these things to help them identify with one another.

Schools usually have nicknames for themselves. Some of the most famous ones are the Duke Blue Devils, Kentucky Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks, North Carolina Tar Heels, Villanova Wildcats, Wisconsin Badgers, etc.

Some schools have a high enough profile that they can get sponsorships for their uniforms and stadiums.

The NCAA

The NCAA (national collegiate athletic association) is the governing body that runs all collegiate sports in America. The majority of schools are part of this association. There is a small group of Ivy League schools (there are no independent basketball teams in this league) that chose to stay independent.

There are three NCAA divisions, and schools get to choose which one they play in when they join the NCAA. However, they have to play in the same division for every sport. This stops schools from picking and choosing which sports they invest in – they have to give equal treatment to all.

NCAA Conferences

There are 32 different conferences in the NCAAB league.

Each college is assigned to a conference when they join the NCAA. They then play the majority of their regular season games against other teams from their conference.

Some of the most famous Conferences include The Big 10, PAC 12, Conference USA, and the Ivy League.

At the end of the season, the team with the best win-loss ratio against other conference teams wins the conference.

The Draft

Like many other American and Canadian sports leagues – the NBA has a yearly Draft. In which it picks 60 eligible players to join the league.

The NBA’s Draft is much smaller than most other sports – partially because the squads for basketball are a lot smaller than sports like Football. The NBA Draft only has two rounds of selection, unlike the NFL which has 7 rounds.

Any college player can declare themselves eligible for the Draft. However, because so few players are picked, many are selective about when they declare. If there are two many Point Guards in the Draft then they are less likely to get picked.

The NCAA Tournament (March Madness)

The NCAA Tournament is the highlight of the post-season schedule. It is held once a year and the winners of the tournament are crowned national champions.

This tournament was started in 1939 and has been played every single year since. With the exception of 2020 when it was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

68 teams enter the tournament – they are then split into 4 groups of 16 teams. With 8 teams playing for the 16th Seed Spot – this is known as the First 4 Round.

The teams in each group are ranked from 1 to 16. They then play another team in the Round of 64. The Winners go through and play in the Round of 32.

Those winners make it through the Sweet 16, then the Elite 8, the Final Four, and then into the Final.

You can find the best March Madness betting odds on the Final Four here.

The winners of last year’s March Madness were Baylor, it was the first time they had won the tournament. UCLA holds the record for most title wins. Gonzaga is predicted by many to win this year.

The post A Beginners Guide To College Basketball appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

March brings the start of the NCAA championship, and there are plenty of stars in the running to get named the best basketball players during March Madness.

Who are some of the top players to keep an eye on?

Johnny Juzang – The UCLA Bruins

Johnny Juzang began his college basketball career with the Kentucky Wildcats before moving to the Bruins, where he enjoyed an excellent 2021 postseason and was awarded All-Tournament Team honors for helping Kentucky reach the Final Four, with an average of 22.8 points

Expect Juzang to light up the NBA before too long. He actually was ready to enter the draft for the league in 2021 but ended up going back to the college game for another year. His excellent shooting ability should help the Bruins put in another strong performance during March.

Drew Timme – The Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are among the favorites to win the NCAA championship this year in the college basketball lines by Bovada, and the presence of Drew Timme in their roster is a big reason for that. Timme took his career-high points record to 37 with a powerful performance against Texas in November, 2021 and could be the key to March Madness.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few suggested that Timme played like the best player in college basketball in grabbing those 37 points, and there are lots of people who would agree with him. The Bulldogs lost in the final of the 2021 championship to the Baylor Bears, and they are high among the favorites to win it this year.

Kofi Cockburn – Illinois Fighting Illini

A hot favorite to be the tournament’s biggest star, Kofi Cockburn moved from Jamaica to New York as a teenager and has become a big star in college football. Standing 7-foot tall, Cockburn is an imposing presence and the center chose to join Illinois as a four-star recruit.

Cockburn has also been close to joining the NBA draft on a couple of occasions in the past. If he turns in an eye-catching series of performances during March Madness, then we can expect him to make the move to a pro team in the NBA before too long.

Max Abmas – The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

A great NCAA tournament in 2021 brought Max Abmas to national attention. He had helped the Golden Eagles to reach March Madness when he was MVP when they won the Summit League Tournament.

His impressive performances continued into March, as he scored 25 or more in each of his first three games. We need to go back to Stephen Curry in 2008 to find another player who has achieved that return. It looked briefly like Abmas would join the NBA in the 2021 draft but he returned to the college scene and carried on where he had left off.

Paolo Banchero – The Duke Blue Devils

A five-star recruit for the Blue Devils, Paolo Banchero has proven to be one of the best players around right now. He immediately settled into the team to become one of their key players. The 6”10 forward is an excellent all-round player who started with 22 points on his debut.

Will Duke win the NCAA Tournament this year? They are certainly among the top-rated college teams and Banchero could be their difference-maker in the tighter games. After March Madness comes to an end, it’s believed that Banchero will be one of the top picks in the NBA draft that will see new talent added to the league.

Trevion Williams – The Purdue Boilermakers

Fans of the Boilermakers will be hoping to see them win their first-ever NCAA Championship in 2022. They’ve managed to get to the Final Four on just a couple of occasions in the past, and much of their hopes this time around rest on Trevion Williams’ shoulders. The 6 foot 10 center moved from the Henry Ford Academy to Purdue and hasn’t looked back.

Williams took over a third of Purdue’s shots in the last season and was one of the top five in the league in terms of rebounds. In fact, his importance to the team can be seen in the fact that he is the first Purdue player in several decades to get 35 points or more and 20 rebounds in a single outing.

Jabari Smith – The Auburn Tigers

If the Auburn Tigers are to bounce back from last year’s controversial, self-imposed ban then expect Jabari Smith to be at the heart of many of the good things they do. Smith was one of five top-class recruits that have helped to make Auburn one of the teams we believe could go all the way this year.

This five-star recruit is another college star who should soon be plying their trade in the NBA. In fact, experts are split between Smith, Banchero, and Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga when trying to work out who will be the number one pick this time around.

The post Who Are the Best NCAA Stars Right Now? appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Dick Vitale has been battling cancer since October and facing his own mortality over the last couple months. But this week when Baylor found out he would be in the building calling their game against Villanova, they took the opportunity to put together a great tribute video about Vitale and his career. When Vitale found out he’d be in the building for the game he was so excited he released this statement:

“I’m jumping for joy knowing I’ll be sitting next to Jon Sciambi and talking hoops instead of chemotherapy and blood counts,” Vitale said.

Then the video played…

Thank you, @DickieV. A true legend to the game of college basketball ??#SicEm | #CultureofJOY ? pic.twitter.com/vcpWVRxyTq

— Baylor Men’s Basketball (@BaylorMBB) December 13, 2021

And he couldn’t contain his emotions, looking back at his career and so thankful for the gesture from Baylor…

.@DickieV was brought to tears hearing the Baylor-Villanova crowd cheer him on ?? pic.twitter.com/HsZb4pQvx0

— ESPN (@espn) December 13, 2021

Everyone here at THD is pulling for Dick and hoping he gives the big C a big slamma jamma dunkaroo!

The post Dick Vitale Moved To Tears By Baylor Tribute Video Of His Career appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

It is more likely that you will be struck by a lightning bolt, have quintuplets, and even win the lottery, than picking a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket.

Millions upon millions of people fill out their NCAA Tournament brackets every year; each of those brackets being busted without fail.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a casual fan or you are a true enthusiast who spends months researching the potential championships; there are pretty high chances that you will never come close to a perfect March Madness Bracket.

Just like betting in sports, trying to nail the bracket is now a huge part of enjoying the tournament.
When you look at the odds of correctly predicting all the 63 games, it will become apparent to you why no one has ever succeeded, and why nobody ever will.

If you are to correctly pick all 63 randomly, it means overcoming the odds of one in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808. This is 9.2 quintillion. To shed a little light on this, 9.2 quintillion seconds is the same as 292 billion years.
People never fill out their brackets entirely randomly. If, however, they were to do that, their chances of getting it right would be significantly lower, than if they had some knowledge of college basketball.

In 2020, data from the Bracket Challenge Game revealed that an average player had a one in 120.2 billion chance of being successful in picking a perfect bracket.

An easy way to contextualize this probability, is to compare it with certain occurrences that also have extreme probabilities, but which are more likely to happen compared to one nailing a perfect bracket.

First, let’s start with becoming a professional basketball player.

Out of the nearly 540,000 players who take part in men’s high school basketball, less than one in 35 will proceed to play basketball in college, and less than one in 75 will go on to get drafted into the NBA.

This implies that a high school basketball player has a one in 3,300 chance of making it to the NBA. But even with that, it is 36 million times more likely than nailing a perfect bracket.

Secondly, let us look at being dealt a royal flush in a game of poker. This is normally the rarest hand, and it has a chance of one in 854,315. Surprisingly, this is 185,000 more likely to happen than you getting a perfect bracket.
Now, think about the odds of being struck by lightning. There is a one in a million chance of this happening. And, this is 120,000 times less likely to happen than you nailing a perfect bracket.

If you think of being hit by a meteorite from space, then you have to be the hugely unlucky one out of a pack of 1.6million people. This is laughably improbable, but it is still 75,000 times more likely to happen than you nailing the perfect bracket.

If you think about winning the Lotto Max Jackpot, you have a one in 33.3 million chance, and if you consider the odds birthing quintuplets, then you have just one chance out of every 55 million natural births. The former is 3610 times and the latter is 2185 times more likely to happen than you correctly predicting all the outcomes of the 63 matches in the NCAA tournament.

The hunt for the perfect bracket is still on, and millions of people this year will be motivated by the progress of Gregg Nigl who came closer than anyone else before him, in 2019.

He managed to correctly predict 49 of 49 right from the start of the tournament. His luck, however, ran out when Purdue beat Tennessee in the Sweet Sixteen.

This was a super-impressive run, considering that there is a 17,000 to one chance of picking just the first few games correctly, back-to-back.

Even with that amount of consistent success, the perfect bracket was still out of reach. In order for him to correctly predict the final 15 games from the Sweet Sixteen, he needed to overcome odds of one in 32, 786.
Maybe it is time to finally throw in the towel and admit that no one is ever going to nail the perfect NCAA Tournament bracket. This March, millions of hopefuls are going to scrutinize the stats, and the seeding.

Unfortunately, they will watch in dismay as their bracket is busted within the very first few games of the tournament.

That said, it takes just one winner to shake this trend. It could be you!

The post The Staggering Odds of Nailing a Perfect March Madness Bracket appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

College football has continued with few pandemic interruptions, which is why it should surprise nobody that the National Collegiate Athletic Association is ready to start the 2020-2021 College Basketball Season next month. November 25, the day before Thanksgiving, is the proposed start date.

Although some might scoff at the idea, universities in the United States lean on sports to run various other programs. College football will always remain the king. The top four profitable college football programs, Alabama, Michigan, Georgia, and Texas, gained at least $111 million in profit in 2017. Texas, first on the list, profited an incredible $143 million.

There will never come a time when college basketball exceeds college football in revenue. College hoops do, though, provide massive overall revenue. When the NCAA decided to cancel the 2020 Men’s College Basketball Tournament, college sports’ governing body missed out on $933 million in ad revenue. The NCAA planned to distribute at least $600 million of the $933 million to 1,200 schools across all divisions.

Las Vegas sportsbooks also took a massive hit. Per the Nevada Gaming Control Board, in March 2019, sportsbooks attracted $349 million in basketball wagering action. Michael Lawton, a Nevada Gaming Control Board analyst, estimated that 70% of that action was on the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament.

For many, not just college basketball fans, November 25 can’t come soon enough. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the early preseason Top 5. The coronavirus pandemic affected upcoming player participation for many of the top teams. Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, and Kentucky, perennial preseason Top 5 teams, aren’t ranked higher than 7th before this season’s first game.

2020-2021 College Basketball Preseason Top 5

1. Gonzaga – The Bulldogs are so confident that they’ve scheduled Baylor and Iowa, a couple of other Top 5 ranked teams, early in the season. The roster includes player of the year candidate Corey Krispert and 7’ 0” sophomore Pavel Zakharov. Like Krispert, Joel Ayayi is a junior who could dominate. Coach Mark Few also added four Top-100 prospects.

2. Baylor – The Bears spent plenty of weeks ranked number one last season. Baylor returns their three top scorers, including Jared Butler, who averaged over 16 points per. Mark Vital is one of the top defensive players in the nation.

3. Villanova – Coach Jay Wright lost the best player on Villanova’s 2020 team, Sadiq Bey. Sadiq could be a Top 10 NBA Draft pick, though. So, it’s hard to knock his decision, especially given that they canceled the 2020 NCAA Tournament. Everyone else on Nova’s squad returns, making Wright’s team one of the best in college basketball. Also, anyone who follows college hoops’ knows how awesome Jay is at recruiting players to fit Villanova’s system. He doesn’t get the highest-rated players. Wright recruits players that help the Wildcats win championships.

4. Virginia – The Cavaliers are poised to overtake Duke and North Carolina as the perennial top team from the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. Coach Tony Bennett gets to see what Sam Hauser can do. The former Marquette player had to sit out the 2020 season due to eligibility requirements. As a Golden Eagle, Hauser averaged 14.9 points and 7.2 boards. Once again, Bennett should send the most defensive efficient team in college hoops to the court.

5. Iowa – The Hawkeyes have the Naismith Player of the Year Award front runner in Luka Garza. The 6’ 11” junior power forward averaged 23.9 points, 9.8 boards, and 1.2 assists last season. Garza probably would have been a Top 5 pick in the draft if he had chosen to go to the NBA. Why he didn’t is anybody’s guess. Iowa coach Fran McCaffrey isn’t complaining.

Odd should be out in the next few weeks on which one of these squads has the best shot of winning the 2021 Men’s NCAA College Basketball Tournament. Gonzaga had dominated the 2020 regular season. They figure to offer odds close to even money. Anybody who wishes to wager on Gonzaga to win the National Championship has options.

They can either go through a Vegas sportsbook, a local bookie, or an online sportsbook. If they decide to wager via the local bookie route, they can rest assured that most bookmakers now offer free betting software. Bookie software allows bookmakers to become pay per head sportsbook agents. By doing so, bookies can offer whatever odds they wish. That means players who want to wager on a team like Gonzaga can ask for better odds than what an online sportsbook or Vegas book offers.

The NBA said that their upcoming season wouldn’t start before Christmas. Professional basketball hoop fans can warm-up for the Lakers, Heat, Clippers, Celtics, and the rest by supporting college basketball’s new season starting on November 25.

The post College Hoops Returns Next Month on November 25 appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Duke’s Zion Williamson has declared for the 2019 NBA Draft

Williamson, long believed to be the first-overall pick in June, made the announcement on Instagram on Monday.

View this post on Instagram

?Thank you Duke?#thebrotherhood

A post shared by Zion Williamson (@zionlw10) on Apr 15, 2019 at 2:43pm PDT

The 6’7″, 285-pound freshman took college basketball by storm this season with a number of sensational performances, winning National College Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, and he was named a consensus first-team All-American.

Williamson is widely expected to go first overall.

He averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 33 appearances with the Blue Devils.

The post Zion Williamson Declares for NBA Draft appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

While everyone expects Duke freshman sensation Zion Williamson to declare for June’s NBA draft, he is not yet ready to make it official.

“I mean, it’s obviously a high chance that I’m obviously going to enter the draft,” Williamson said after Duke’s loss to Michigan State on Sunday. “I’m not going to make it official because it’s something I have to talk to my parents about.”

Zion: ‘There’s obviously a high chance that I’m going to enter the draft’ pic.twitter.com/UaSGRwOZRJ

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 31, 2019

If, or rather, when Williamson does declare for the draft, he’ll become the heavy favorite to go No. 1 overall. It’s also been assumed that Williamson’s freshman teammates, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish, will also declare for the draft, and it’s possible all three could go in the top five picks.

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According to head coach Buzz Williams Virginia Tech guard Ty Outlaw will be playing in the Sweet 16 matchup against Duke on Friday despite being charged with marijuana possession.

The charge against Outlaw was issued last week while he was with the Hokies playing in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament

The school hired an outside agency to administer a drug test on the 6-foot-6 senior, and the results returned negative. I wouldn’t be surprised if all those folks betting on March Madness outcomes had put their money on Ty Outlaw’s test coming back positive. Good for him though, and good for the team as they focus on taking on the first seeded Duke Blue Devils.

“The disturbance that led to the search warrant occurred while Ty and our team were in California last week,” Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said in the statement. “While Ty and our team were still in California, the authorities executed the search. Upon our return to Blacksburg on Monday evening, Ty became aware of the situation and was fully cooperative and transparent with local authorities and me.

“After gathering more information, we decided that an outside agency should perform a drug test on Ty prior to us departing campus on Wednesday and that test came back negative. After discussion with our director of athletics Whit Babcock and our athletics administration in accordance with our policies and procedures, we are following our departmental protocol involving misdemeanors.”

“With that information in mind we intend to play Ty on Friday evening. We will continue to let the process play out and that’s all I can say at this time. If information changes we will respond appropriately according to our policies.”

Outlaw, a graduate student, is averaging 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. He recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Hokies’ win over Liberty in the first round.

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After all of the emotions fade away, as simple fact remains. Number one seeded Duke, just barely survived by a hair to the number nine seeded UCF to move onto the Sweet 16. After a missed UCF jumper to win the game in the closing seconds, it was Aubrey Dawkins that came flying in for the offensive put back and had a clean look for the tip off the glass. The ball literally hung on the rim for seconds, looking to drop, but ultimately faded off the rim and out. It appeared to be a miracle for Duke, and unfortunately for UCF was a failure to make a miracle happen by closing out the favorite Duke Blue Devils and Zion Williamson.

No one could have seen that coming, not even the oddsmakers at BetEasy. You can however check odds at BetEasy for Dukes upcoming games in the tournament.

The head to head battle of Zion Williamson against Tacko Fall was everything we hoped it would be. Neither player wanted to give an edge to the other. Williamson was constantly met at the rim by Fall, who changed shots and forced him to kick out. Williamson wasn’t going to let that stop him from affecting the game though, as he moved the ball, got rebounds, and scored an And 1 in the last seconds of the game (although missed the free throw).

But it wasn’t all Williamson. It was also his teammate, the Canadian RJ Barrett that helped will the favorite Blue Devils to victory. After the missed freethrow by Williamson, Barrett grabbed the offensive board and scored to put Duke up by one point with 14 seconds left, setting up the dramatic finish for UCF.

BARRETT BOARD. BARRETT BUCKET! DUKE HAS THE LEAD. pic.twitter.com/wB6QgfgLCC

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 24, 2019

If there is one thing that makes Duke even more of a favorite moving into the Sweet 16 is that they showed resiliency in the face of a very stressful situation to close the game. They stepped up and showed the heart of champions.

Up next for Duke is Virginia Tech on March 29th in the Sweet 16. They got past the ninth seed UCF, let’s see how they fare with the fourth seeded VT.

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The NBA tends to be pretty predictable. The same teams rule the regular season, earn top seeds and cruise to the NBA Finals.

Golden State has been playing for a championship for each of the last four seasons and it’s doubtful that crazy run ends this year. As it stands, betting on the NBA Finals looks to be easy money if you back the Warriors.

Perhaps someone like the Rockets, Raptors, 76ers, Celtics or Bucks will prove me wrong. Personally, however, I’ll look to the 2019 NBA Draft for a little more excitement, seeing as nobody really ever knows what will happen beyond the top pick.

Zion Williamson presently looks like the locked-in pick at #1, regardless of who picks there. The New York Knicks lead the way for the moment, but The Lottery will dictate the precise order.

We can’t know that yet, but we already have a good idea about two things; which 14 teams will be vying for a top pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and which prospects they should want to select.

Using the current NBA records, let’s gauge where the top prospects could go later this summer:

1. New York Knicks – Zion Williamson, F, Duke

Williamson is the best player in college basketball right now. He can change games as a scorer, defender and with explosive plays. He’s truly sensational and potentially even a generational talent.

I’m not exactly sure how he fits in at the next level, but I also don’t think it matters. In a league that is increasingly position less, he has all of the attributes required to be elite at both ends of the floor.

The Knicks are tanking their way to Zion and he’ll be that first building block for their rebuild. Or they’ll package him in a trade to land Anthony Davis. Only time will tell.

2. Phoenix Suns – Ja Morant, PG, Murray State

Morant is averaging over 24 points and 10 dimes per game. That’s unheard of, yet nobody talks about the Murray State guard.

Perhaps that’s because he goes to Murray State and is technically the best point guard almost by default, but there’s still no denying how good he is as a prospect.

It is extremely rare that a player gives you everything that Morant promises. He has good size for the lead guard position, he can score at an elite rate, he is an exceptional passer and he’s also a terrific athlete.

That’s a lot of boxes being checked off, which may mean the only reason he doesn’t go after Zion is whatever team picks second doesn’t need a guard. Morant looks like a star, though, and right now the Suns (who need a point guard) figure to be the team ready to pluck him off of draft boards.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers – RJ Barrett, SG, Duke

Barrett could be argued as the number two player in the country. He’s just as good of a scorer as Morant (23 points per game), has flashed high level perimeter shooting and has put up numbers in the face of the best competition college basketball has to offer.

Barrett’s ability to step up during Zion Williamson’s injury absence suggests he will be ready for a huge workload from day one in the NBA. Cleveland would be the perfect landing spot, too, seeing as the Cavs don’t have much reliable scoring outside of Kevin Love.

Cleveland drafted guys like Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins in past years and the LeBron James era got them sent out of town. Barrett gives Cleveland a new face of the franchise prospect to start over with.

4. Chicago Bulls – Cameron Reddish, SF, Duke

To put it bluntly, Duke is loaded. There is a reason why the Blue Devils are favored to win the NCAA tournament and their three-headed dragon of NBA talent is the main reason why.

I’d actually argue Reddish may be the more useful player at the next level due to his versatility, but he’s yet to prove he’s the elite go-to scorer that Barrett is.

I see a lot of NBA mock drafts suggesting Rui Hachimura or other prospects here, but that’s getting a bit too cute.

The Bulls are in a weirdly comfortable position of not having one clear need. That has them taking the best player available and that is undoubtedly Reddish at this point.

5. Atlanta Hawks – Keldon Johnson, G/F, Kentucky

There is an admitted drop-off in must-have talent after the first four picks. Of the remaining options, though, I really like Keldon Johnson.

The Kentucky swingman hasn’t been relied on heavily as a scorer yet, but he’s still poured in over 13 points per game for a loaded Wildcats roster. He’s also been a marksman (39% from long range) and has the size/athleticism combo you look for in a starter on the perimeter in the NBA.

I’m seeing Johnson slide in other mock drafts, but I don’t get it. The talent and upside is there for Johnson to be a top-five pick and he also gets the Hawks a potential upgrade over a guy in Taurean Prince that they’ve already shopped in trade talks.

6. Atlanta Hawks (from Mavericks) – Bruno Fernando, C, Maryland

The Hawks have a lot of positions set up for the future, so after adding a nice perimeter scorer like Keldon Johnson, they can attack their one true need in getting a long-term option at the five spot.

Dewayne Dedmon could leave this summer and Alex Len isn’t the answer, so getting a big they can trust down low should be a priority. Bruno Fernando is a lot to deal with down low at both ends of the floor and can impact the game at every level.

I don’t know if Fernando is a sure star in the NBA, but if he can project as a Steven Adams type and polish his outside shot, he could be quite the asset. If the Hawks actually get back-to-back picks here, they should address center with the best big man in the draft.

7. Memphis Grizzlies – Nassir Little, SF, North Carolina

There are a lot of interesting prospects that could slide just because their college teams haven’t demanded they prove they can carry a full load. Little is one of them, as he’s not even averaging 10 points per game, but has fantastic size, athleticism and versatility.

Little has potential as an outside shooter and scorer, but he really offers value as a strong athlete that can get easy buckets and defend at the other end of the floor. Memphis loves guys that can defend, and they already have help at point guard and center.

Here’s to permanently erasing the free agency failures that are Chandler Parsons and Kyle Anderson.

8. Washington Wizards – Rui Hachimura, F, Gonzaga

From a sheer production perspective, Hachimura should probably have gone earlier. However, there are other guys with a little more upside that could cause him to slide a bit.

That shouldn’t take away from Rui’s potential as a pro, as the Zag star is highly versatile and has developed an elite outside jumper. There are definitely questions as to how Hachimura fits in at the next level, but the kid is a baller that can fill in at either forward spot.

With Washington losing Otto Porter and Markieff Morris this year and no lock to hold onto Jabari Parker beyond next season, addressing forward may be a wise choice.

9. New Orleans Pelicans – KZ Okpala, G/F, Stanford

The Pelicans just want to add talent to a roster that is sure to lose star big man Anthony Davis in the coming months. I bet they’d love for a talented big like Bruno Fernando to slide to them here, but I also don’t expect them to force things.

New Orleans actually has some solid talent on their roster and in due time they’ll be adding pieces through any prospective Anthony Davis trade.

We can’t know what those pieces will be, so for now the Pels should just grab the best player available. That is arguably Okpala, who has loads of upside as an extremely long and athletic scorer.

10. Charlotte Hornets – Coby White, G, North Carolina

Kemba Walker is possibly gone in free agency this summer, suddenly leaving the cupboard rather bare for the Hornets at point guard.

Tony Parker isn’t the answer and Malik Monk looks like a bust at the moment. Unless Charlotte is content handing the starting job off to one of these guys, searching for a better long-term fit has to be a priority.

There isn’t much to love in terms of lead guard prospects after Ja Morant, but White is a high-level scorer who could potentially be a fantastic point guard in the pros. This could be viewed as a mild reach but need trumps the “best available player” approach here.

11. Orlando Magic – Romeo Langford, SG, Indiana

The Magic are a team with an odd roster. Nikola Vucevic could jet in free agency, Markelle Fultz is (maybe?) their point guard of the future and it feels like the team has no clue how they feel about most of their roster.

Langford doesn’t check all of the boxes, but he’s a dream on offense. Scoring is not a problem for this kid and while he can stand to improve his perimeter efficiency, he could instantly jump in and take over Orlando’s offense.

The Magic really need to decide which players on their roster they’re committing to, but if they just want to go get a guy who can score at a high level, Langford is one of the best options they can luck their way into.

12. Los Angeles Lakers – De’Andre Hunter, F, Virginia

This pick is probably being packaged in whatever trades the Lake Show ends up doing, but for now I’ll mock it to the Lakers with the assumption they’ll make the pick.

Everyone knows this team is hurting on the outside, so landing some type of shooting presence is probably something they’ll want to consider.

What position Hunter ends up playing is still up in the air, but there’s no question he can shoot (47% from three in 2018-19) and he’s also a monster on defense.

The Lakers probably prefer to stockpile stars rather than build, but this two-way demon is probably the most attractive asset if they do use this pick.

13. Minnesota Timberwolves – Nickeil Alexander-Walker, SG, Virginia Tech

Is Andrew Wiggins really a long-term fit with Minnesota? Are guys like Derrick Rose and Jeff Teague sticking around beyond next season?

Nobody can know for sure, so Minnesota should probably continue to add solid scoring wings they can turn to. Karl-Anthony Towns and Dario Saric are probably locked in at the four and the five going forward, but the T’Wolves need more scoring elsewhere.

NAW has proven he can light it up from long range and is an effective all-around scorer. Minnesota gets a potential stud at the two and can figure out how he fits into their plans later on.

14. Boston Celtics (from Kings) – Sekou Doumbouya, F, France

I certainly want to give a shout to interesting prospects like Bol Bol, Darius Garland and Jarrett Culver – among others – but I don’t know how Sekou can slide out of the lottery.

This was a guy once in the conversation to go #1 overall and everyone knows how enamored the NBA continues to be with size, athleticism and sheer upside.

There is untapped talent and raw ability here, but Boston is jam-packed with useful bodies. Instead of trying to land an instant impact player, they take a stab at an overseas stud that people have soured on.

Summary

Initially when I started looking over this draft class earlier this year, I felt it was rock solid. In one sense, it really is. There are absolutely a lot of useful bodies entering the 2019 NBA Draft.

There just aren’t many elite prospects.

How many true difference-makers are going to go in round one? Which guys can be counted on to be stars at the next level? The answers are “not many” and “I don’t know”.

The top four slots are almost certainly destined to be filled by Williamson, Morant, Barrett and Reddish. In what exact order, nobody knows for sure, and what follows them is even less certain.

One thing is for certain, though. Simply cracking the lottery isn’t good enough this season.

Teams are running out of time to improve their chances to get a higher pick and that’s clearly something the bad NBA teams need to be striving for.

The post 2019 NBA Draft: Mocking the Lottery appeared first on The Hoop Doctors.

Sports-loving Americans are famous for forging strong emotional attachments to players, teams, and events–usually within the professional ranks of millionaire athletes and billionaire owners. Consider the annual pomp and circumstance surrounding the Super Bowl as exhibit A.

The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, aka March Madness, is a little different. For three weeks each spring, the nation’s premier college teams battle through seven rounds in an effort to be the last squad standing in the single-elimination tournament

While the tournament is huge business for the participating schools, broadcasters, and the NCAA–the college athletics regulation body earns about $800 million each year from March Madness–the stars driving the show receive zero financial compensation.

But they do get a tuned-in, fascinated audience brimming with adoration. And we, the Madness viewing public, get some rather peculiar benefits in return.

A Dose of Inspiration

March Madness represents the highest level of basketball played with amateur purity. Very few of the student-athletes competing in the NCAA tournament are household names. They are scrappy kids elevated to the national stage with the chance of becoming heroes, albeit for a brief time.

The tournament reflects a deep-running thread in American culture–the idea that the every man or woman can be plucked from obscurity and handed the keys to something greater.

Watching others achieve some kind of greatness inspires us in our own lives. It makes us consider our potential, reminds of us of our hopes and dreams, and tickles our sense of pride–it’s good for the feels, like a classic singalong song. Maybe we’re even more touched if the greatness unfolding before our eyes is accomplished by relative unknowns.

A Shot for the Underdogs

Similarly, we’re drawn to the classic story of the underdog unexpectedly defeating the heavy favorite. With a 67-game slate, there are at least a few David-overcoming-Goliath outcomes in March Madness every year where unlikely squads knock-out highly seeded ones.

These Cinderella teams may bust brackets, but their stories are pure gold. For example, Duke pulls into the tournament leading many 2019 March Madness predictions lists. For every fan who wants to see the Blue Devils enter their 13th Final Four under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, another would love to see the perennial powerhouse upset in the first round by a lower seed.

Improbability is a big part of what makes these types of stunning upsets so appealing. Only once in March Madness history has a region’s 16th seed defeated the top seed. It happened last year when UBMC shocked Virginia 74-54 in the first round.

Bracketology Promotes Social Belonging

The NCAA tournament is also an opportunity for people to commune over a shared experience, a stance bolstered by the ubiquity of office pools. Millions of Americans each year try their hands at bracketology, submitting their best-guessed outcomes of the tournament’s seeds, regions, and teams into competitions among work colleagues and friends.

More than 3 million U.S. workers will spend one to three hours watching March Madness games while on the clock, according to Psychology Today. An estimated two-thirds of all employees will follow the tournament in one way or another during working hours.

But the vast majority of office pool entrants aren’t college basketball experts. So why get invested in a contest where you’re likely out of your depth?

The answer appears to be the camaraderie and shared bonds surrounding college basketball’s biggest moment.
Experts indicate that employees who participate in office pools or discuss the NCAA tournament with co-workers often feel increased morale and a sense of teamwork.

Dr. Daniel Wann, a psychology professor at Murray State University, acknowledges the positive aspects of March Madness, “Being a fan gives us something to talk about, to share and bond with others. And for the vast majority of people, it’s psychologically healthier when you can increase social connections with others.”

Wann is an authority in the psychology of sports fandom with 200 stories on the subject under his belt. He finds a consistent trend in his research–people who self-identify as sports fans have higher self-esteem and lower depression rates than non-fans.

March Madness showcases the best in sports. And you don’t need to be a devoted college hoops fan to discover magic in the madness. You may find just casually following the NCAA tournament inspires you and provides and sense of community.

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