Category: NCAA Men’s Basketball

7 better things to buy for $97,000 instead of these awful seats for Indiana-Purdue

We have options for you. Just don’t spend that much on those tickets.

There is no doubt that a ticket to Saturday night’s matchup between the No. 17 Indiana Hoosiers and the No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers is in high demand.

Not only is it a ranked-ranked men’s Big Ten basketball game that will allow Purdue to lock up at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title, the game also has huge implications as it relates to conference and NCAA tournament seeding. It’s also the first ranked-ranked matchup between these two schools to take place in Purdue since January 16, 1999 (which was the Bob Knight era).

Oh, and these teams don’t particularly love each other a ton. It’s definitely a hot ticket, but it is absolutely not worth the asking price of $48,500 per ticket for a pair that is inexplicably on StubHub:

Screenshot of a pair of tickets available for Indiana-Purdue for $48,500 apiece.
StubHub screenshot

Sure, you can get in the arena for about $300, but why pay that when you can [checks notes] spend nearly $100k for a really bad view?

That got us thinking about what you could buy for $97,000 that is better than those terrible seats.

  1. 48,500 Taco Bell bean burritos
  2. 3,592 copies of Top Gun: Maverick on Blu Ray 4k
  3. 2,771 Zach Edey shirseys as part of his NIL deal (nearly enough to buy one for each student in the student section of 2,800)
  4. This beach house in Delaware
  5. A 2022 Land Rover Range Rover
  6. Three nights in the Presidential Suite at the Park Hyatt in New York City
  7. Approximately 7,700 Drew Brees First Choice Breakfasts at Triple XXX Family Restaurant in West Lafayette, Indiana

A tearful Tom Izzo shared a touching moment with Michigan State’s AD after first home win since shooting

Emotions were still heavy for Michigan State’s game against Indiana.

The Michigan State men’s basketball team hosted Indiana on Tuesday in what was an heavy game for many Spartans as their first at home since a deadly campus shooting.

Three students were killed and five others wounded last Monday when a 43-year-old man opened fire on the East Lansing campus. Though the Michigan State women played at home Saturday, holding a pregame ceremony to honor the victims, emotions were still raw for the men’s game.

Almost everyone in attendance wore “Spartan Strong” shirts, including the coaching staff, and a moment of silence was held before tip-off. After securing the 80-65 win, all a teary-eyed Tom Izzo could do was bury his head in his hands.

As Izzo walked off the court, he was embraced by Michigan State athletic director Alan Haller.

The two shared a long hug before Izzo walked further into the hallway where he was greeted by head football coach Mel Tucker.

There’s nothing a basketball game could do to bring back the people who lost their lives in a senseless act of violence. But the feeling of community and togetherness present at Breslin Center seemed to be a short respite for everyone effected.

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Shaka Smart literally jumping for joy after a big Marquette win was so pure

Smart can REALLY jump.

Marquette men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart showed some massive ups on Tuesday night as he celebrated a key victory for his Golden Eagles.

No. 10 Marquette topped No. 19 Creighton 73-71, which gives Smart’s squad a nice résumé boost ahead of the NCAA Tournament. As the final horn sounded, Smart jubilantly leaped into the air as his team secured the victory. He quickly readjusted for the postgame handshakes, which was pretty impressive when considering how hyped up he was for the win.

Marquette could be a problem for teams in March if they keep up this level of play, which could inspire plenty of more Smart celebrations.

Now that’s an impressive jump for joy. Smart has built a career as one of the most tournament-ready coaches of his generation, and Marquette should be his next team to get a chance for spring glory.

Until then, he’ll hopefully put his energy into more sideline celebrations.

ESPN’s Rece Davis hilariously delivered a line about community bacon after a missed free throw

Winning free bacon is really that special.

There was more on the line than an important ACC conference game between the men of Miami and Virginia Tech on Tuesday night. As the second half of a tight battle winded down, a usual Virginia Tech promotion from the company Smithfield came into focus.

If Miami would miss consecutive free throws, everyone at Cassell Coliseum would go home with free bacon. It came down to the Hurricanes’ Jordan Miller with a little over 4:30 left, who missed a first free throw and set everything into motion.

As Miller stepped to the line for his second shot, ESPN’s Rece Davis — who was announcing the game — set the moment up. And when Miller missed the second shot, Davis had a hilarious reaction.

I don’t know whether “bacon for everybody!” or “sizzle ’em up” in the frying pan” makes me laugh more, but I’m happy Davis just allowed me to have that debate.

Miami would go on to win 76-70, but I think Virginia Tech fans and us, by extension, still got the essential bacon victory.

Alabama vs. Tennessee live stream, TV channel, time, odds, how to watch college basketball

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC college basketball showdown on Wednesday night.

The Alabama Crimson Tide will take on the Tennessee Volunteers in an SEC college basketball showdown on Wednesday night.

Alabama enters the game with a 22-3 record and the No. 1 team in the nation after knocking off Auburn in a 77-69 win. They also are ranking 13th in the nation in scoring, averaging 83.8 points per game. Meanwhile, Tennessee will be looking to bounce back after an 86-85 loss to Missouri at home. The Vols rank 8th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 60.4 points per game.

This will be a good one tonight in NCAA hoops, here is everything you need to know to watch or stream the action.

#1 Alabama vs. #10 Tennessee

  • When: Wednesday, February 15
  • Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
  • TV: ESPN2
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

NCAA Basketball Odds and Betting Lines

NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook. Odds last updated Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Alabama vs. Tennessee (-3.5)

O/U: 147.5

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What the heck happened to the men’s college basketball blue bloods?

UNC, Duke and Kentucky are down bad.

Men’s college hoops is a burning house right now, and I’m just Childish Gambino returning with leftover pizza from a Super Bowl party.

What in the world happened?

Last time I checked (not literally), North Carolina was the preseason No. 1 team in the AP rankings. Kentucky was No. 4 and Duke was No. 7. The so-called blue bloods of the sport were still expected to be good. Even Villanova was ranked 16th.

So, I did what any self-respecting writer of sports betting content would do and attached myself to some of those giants. Among my conference championship picks were UNC, Kentucky and Kansas, each boasting top-10 national title odds at the time. Duke did as well.

Today, only No. 5 Kansas even has top-20 title odds, let alone a top-25 AP ranking. UNC, my pick to win it all, lost Monday for the fourth time in its last five games to fall to 8-7 in the ACC (16-10 overall).

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College basketball has been flipped on its head. So much so that No. 23 NC State is the best team in North Carolina. Football powerhouse Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country for the first time in 20 years. Even Gonzaga, the preseason No. 2 team, matched its highest loss total since 2016-17 — with five games left in the regular season.

None of UNC, Duke (17-8, 8-6 ACC), Kentucky (16-9, 7-5 SEC) or Villanova (12-13, 6-8 Big East) even received a vote in the latest rankings, and nothing about it is a fluke. Villanova is objectively bad, and the other three don’t appear to be very good either. None have a KenPom rating better than 35.

We knew the retirements of coaching legends Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski and Jay Wright would usher in a new era of college basketball. I’m just not sure we knew it meant a potential changing of the guard. But is that actually what’s happening?

Maybe not. The “old” guard can certainly bounce back — even as early as this year. ESPN bracketology expert Joe Lunardi currently has Duke as a 9-seed in the NCAA tournament, North Carolina among the last four in and Kentucky in his first four out. Any of those teams would be considered dangerous in March just off sheer talent alone. They still recruit well.

But what’s happening to them this season is worth monitoring because it opens the door for other teams to make some noise. The schools with the top three betting odds to win this year’s title, according to DraftKings, are all programs that have never won it before: Houston (+700), Purdue (+900) and Alabama (+900).

The Jayhawks could also swoop in and go back-to-back, but there’s a decent enough chance we’ll have an unfamiliar champion by season’s end.

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Houston and South Carolina are currently favored to win the NCAA basketball tournaments

Now that football is over, let’s take a look at the current favorites to win the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.

With the Super Bowl in the rearview mirror and the Kansas City Chiefs celebrating another title, it’s time to shift gears and focus on the next big event in sports: March Madness.

Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a casual viewer, it’s time to check in on the favorites to win both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments.

Houston is the favorite at BetMGM to take home the trophy this season at +600, but Purdue (+800) and Alabama (+900) are nipping on the Cougars’ heels. There are a handful of teams that have seemingly separated themselves from the pack this season, but no team looks untouchable.

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On the women’s side, No. 1 South Carolina is not only favored, they have nearly even odds at +100 at DraftKings. Stanford (+500), UConn (+600) and LSU (+800) are close behind.

Dawn Staley’s squad got a decisive and convincing victory over LSU on Super Bowl Sunday and already has wins over Stanford ad UConn this season.

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Tennessee embarrassingly lost on second buzzer-beater of week in stunning Missouri finish

Tennessee is DOWN BAD.

The Tennessee men’s basketball team needs to check to see if anyone on the squad has broken any mirrors lately.

The Volunteers have suffered outrageously bad luck lately, losing Saturday on their second buzzer-beater in a matter of days.

First, the Vanderbilt Commodores conjured some Memorial Magic as they hit a last-second shot on Wednesday to take down Tennessee and snap an 11-game losing streak to the Vols.

Tennessee didn’t find a better outcome against Missouri on Saturday in Knoxville.

As time was expiring in the SEC contest, Tennessee inexplicably got called for an offensive foul while attempting free throws (?!) before Missouri stunned the home crowd as Tigers grad student DeAndre Gholston hit the long 3-pointer for the 86-85 victory.

It’s tough to lose to lose one buzzer-beater during the week, much less two.

Tennessee coach Rick Barnes is going to want to work on situational basketball with his guys in practice this week if the Vols are to make waves in March.

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A broadcaster absolutely lost it as Portland State hit a stupefying buzzer-beater over Northern Arizona

You HAVE to hear the call on this incredible buzzer-beater.

The Portland State men’s basketball team won on one of the most spellbinding buzzer-beaters you’re likely to see this season on Saturday against Northern Arizona.

With just 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation, the Vikings inbounded the ball as they trailed the Lumberjacks 88-87.

Portland State sophomore forward Isaiah Johnson caught the long pass and inexplicably banked it immediately as time expired, giving the Vikings the improbable win.

Johnson’s game-winning bucket cleared the Portland State bench and inspired an absolutely delightful broadcast call.

With the Vikings the underdog on the moneyline (+120), Portland State bettors got a nice little boost with Johnson’s phenomenal shot.

Well, if that buzzer-beater doesn’t get you excited, we’re not sure what will.

Johnson will surely remember this game-winning bucket for a long time, and bettors might really want to keep an eye out on Portland State for the rest of the season if they’ve got this kind of luck.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Bettors suffer outrageously bad beats as controversial no-call forced Duke-Virginia overtime

Talk about some bad beats!

The Duke men’s basketball team landed one of the worst bad beats you’re likely to see anytime soon.

The Blue Devils’ 69-62 overtime loss to Virginia on Saturday cratered any hope for bettors that the team would hit on the moneyline (+215) and cover the spread (+6).

The overtime result also cashed the over (127.5), making anyone who bet on Duke or the under likely throw their phone at the wall. What’s even more maddening about the betting fiasco is how overtime came to be in the first place.

With the game tied at 58, Virginia’s Reece Beekman looked to have fouled Duke’s Kyle Filipowski as he was going up for a game-winning bucket with time expiring in regulation.

If the called foul would’ve stood, it would’ve sent Filipowski to the line for potential game-icing free throws.

However, because the referees reviewed the play and determined the foul actually happened after the buzzer, they overturned the call. That controversial decision put the game into overtime.

Wow, talk about a bad beat for the ages. The refs wiping away the foul gave Virginia a new lease on the game and put Duke betters in a bind.

While the Blue Devils still could’ve won in overtime, Duke fans would argue the game shouldn’t have gone there if Filipowski had hit at least one of his free throws. Such is life, and such is betting.

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