Tag: March Madness 2022

Marquette caught a lopsided first-round loss in the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row

Detailing Marquette’s NCAA Tournament struggles.

It’s the opening round of the NCAA Tournament and Marquette is getting blown out. Does that sound familiar? Feeling a bit of deja vu?

The No. 9 Golden Eagles quickly put to bed any notion that they were ready to turn the page on their recent NCAA Tourney shortcomings and return to the prime Marquette basketball years. The North Carolina Tar Heels (-3) led Marquette by 28 at halftime and built its lead to 35 points before eventually handing the Big East squad a 95-63 beatdown — Marquette’s third-straight first-round loss of at least 19 points.

What did we expect would happen? Well, my college basketball knowledge (and slight Big East bias) told me that Marquette should be able to handle a solid UNC team coming from a down ACC. Or perhaps the memories of Shaka Smart and his 2011 Final Four VCU team that ran through my mind in the lead-up to this game, which made Marquette a fine pick.

But the reality was that the Golden Eagles more closely resembled their end-of-season selves (4-6 in their last 10 games) than the 15-6 team that they were to begin the year, beating teams like Villanova (twice) and Illinois.

We should have seen this coming.

Nevertheless, Marquette’s NCAA Tournament woes continue while first-year head coach Hubert Davis gets his first NCAA Tournament win and the Tar Heels move on to the second for a date with the defending champion Baylor Bears.

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No. 12 Richmond shocks red-hot No. 5 Iowa for first major upset of March Madness

Down goes one Cinderalla, in comes another.

Historically, 12-seeds in the Men’s NCAA tournament fare well against their 5-seed counterparts. It’s one of the more popular upset picks in brackets for diehard tournament fans and casual observers alike.

But when No. 5 Iowa (-9.5) took the court against No. 12 Richmond in Buffalo on Thursday afternoon, most expected the Hawkeyes to take care of business. Unlike many of their past predecessors, they would run roughshod on the Spiders. How could they not?

Iowa had won 12 of its last 14 games, including the Big Ten conference tournament title. The Hawkeyes had the potential National Player of the Year in Keegan Murray and one of the country’s top sharpshooters in Jordan Bohannon. Many — including this misguided writer — had them going to the Final Four as a dark horse.

None of that resume mattered to Richmond, who upset the Hawkeyes 67-63, and became the first bonafide Cinderella of this tournament. The Spiders effectively flipped many brackets, as far as bettors with Tipico Sportsbook were concerned. Sixty percent of the people who bet the spread on this game had Iowa covering that -9.5. A whopping 86 percent of moneyline bets came in on the Hawkeyes. In other words, not many saw this coming!

What was jarring about the Spiders’ victory over one of the hottest teams in the country was their complete control. Iowa never seriously threatened Richmond, at least in a way where they couldn’t recover quickly. That’s thanks to the steady leadership of senior Jacob Gilyard, who pitched in 24 points and dagger after dagger through the black and gold’s heart.

And it was a pass from Gilyard to fellow senior Nathan Cayo on a late and-one dunk that made the rest of the game a free throw contest.

A contest Richmond would not lose.

The Spiders advance to the Second Round of the tournament for the first time since the early days of the Barack Obama administration, back in 2011. If they can take down a hot squad Iowa, you’d probably do well to bet on their chances moving forward against Providence (-2.5).

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Why isn’t top NBA draft prospect Shaedon Sharpe playing for Kentucky?

It feels counterintuitive, but sometimes, the best thing a player can do for his draft stock is literally nothing at all.

One of the top-rated NBA draft prospects is Kentucky freshman Shaedon Sharpe. But he has never played a second of college basketball.

The 18-year-old guard currently ranks No. 8 overall on my latest big board. Although he is healthy, don’t expect him to ever see the floor when the John Calipari-led Wildcats play in March Madness. His team, the No. 2 seed in the East, faces off against Saint Peter’s at 7:10 p.m. Thursday on CBS.

Sharpe, who is from Canada, was ranked as the top overall recruit in the class of 2022. However, he opted to graduate early from high school and enroll in Kentucky for the spring semester. When that high-impact decision was made, the reporting at the time suggested that Sharpe (unlike Emoni Bates) would actually become eligible for the 2022 NBA draft.

The 6-foot-6 guard was enrolled at Dream City Christian in Arizona before Kentucky. Sharpe will turn 19 years old on May 30, and the draft is on June 23, which means he will be one year out of high school and meet the age eligibility requirements to apply for draft eligibility.

However, coach Calipari has since confirmed that Sharpe would not play this season and that he is instead “prepared to lead” Kentucky next season. He is not hurt and his absence is not injury-related; Calipari is on the record saying “there has never been a plan” to play Sharpe.

In the meanwhile, he is practicing and working out with the team.

While we can take Calipari at his word, last month, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz wrote an excellent outline detailing why Sharpe may still opt to turn pro:

“Talking to NBA teams, they are all preparing for Sharpe ultimately being in the draft, and say they’ll be surprised if he isn’t. Historically speaking, 99.9% of players in his situation (projected lottery picks, likely top-10 picks) end up declaring, because there’s simply too much risk in going back to school, risking poor play or injury, and seeing their stock fall.”

Sharpe averaged 22.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 36.1% on 3-pointers on the Nike EYBL circuit in 2021, per Cerebro Sports.

He added 18.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game when competing in The Grind Session. Sharpe was also an excellent contributor for Canada when he participated in FIBA youth tournaments.

In the most recent showings we have seen from Sharpe, he was dominant. If he came out of the gates slow (e.g. see: Jaden Hardy, Patrick Baldwin Jr., or any number of would-be top NBA draft picks whose on-court performance hampered their draft stock), he could risk that firm place he has as a projected lottery pick.

It feels counterintuitive, but sometimes, the best thing a player can do for his draft stock is literally nothing at all; his mystique could potentially entice an NBA team.

Calipari has an incentive for him to sit, too, so they can have him for a full season next year. They could maximize his potential with an actual offseason to prepare him for action rather than having him just ramp up in the middle of a season that was already halfway done.

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The hardcore college basketball fan’s guide to watching March Madness

Follow these tips to have the best March Madness experience.

With the First Four games complete and the bracket fully set, the best weekend of the year is upon us. For the next five days, we have wall-to-wall NCAA Tournament action with men’s games starting Thursday at lunchtime and women’s games ending Monday night.

For some, this can be overwhelming. There are a lot of games with a lot of storylines and betting options and excitement.

That’s where I come in.

As a seasoned basketball watcher, here are my tips and tricks to set yourselves up for NCAA viewing success. So set those away messages, place that food order and get ready for all that sweet, sweet basketball.

There’s nothing like cheering against Duke in the men’s NCAA tournament

Everyone loves rooting against Duke. But this year is special.

This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.

Welcome to two of the greatest days in sports – the opening round of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament.

There’s really nothing like these two days – games from basically noon ET until you fall asleep on the couch and wake up to see there’s still a game out west being played on a random channel that you only watch a few times a year.

There’s upsets and buzzer-beaters and gambling, oh my!

But there’s something else that happens that seems to bring just about everyone together – cheering against Duke.

If you’ve ever logged on to Twitter then you’ve probably noticed that everybody disagrees about everything and are pretty passionate about all the topics, no matter how little they might know about any of the subjects.

But that all changes once Duke gets in a close tournament game. Everyone starts becoming friends and rooting for the common good – for Duke to lose and to look sad while walking off the court after being upset and sent packing for the year.

It’s wild, really. Strangers on social media agreeing on things and being supportive of each other and then celebrating together once it’s over before going back to attacking each other over mostly stupid things.

This year will be even more intense/special as it’s Mike Krzyzewski’s final run as head coach of the Blue Devils. While Duke fans and alums are hoping for one last championship run for their legendary coach, all the other college fans want to see Coach K lose as early as possible, because that will only make things even sweeter than just your normal Duke tournament loss.

What’s with all the hate towards Duke? Well, Coach K has been really successful over the years, winning five national titles and seemingly always being in contention. You know how it is in sports – the more success you have the more hate is going to come your way. It’s just the way it is. Jealousy is a hell of a drug. Also, their fans can be annoying, which makes other fans so happy when they get to see sad Duke fans after losses.

Duke is a No. 2 seed in the West this year and don’t play until it faces Cal State Fullerton  tomorrow at 7:10 p.m. ET. The Blue Devils should win that game but if they don’t then the internet will likely break. If they do win the game then there’s a good chance they’ll face Michigan State in the second round, which would be a juicy matchup between two legendary coaches – Coach K and Tom Izzo – who have battled against each other in the tournament before.

Gonzaga is the No. 1 seed in the West and if Duke has to play the Zags then suddenly everyone is going to love the Zags. That’s just how it goes.

Enjoy these next two days and enjoy the rest of the tournament and enjoy rooting against Duke, because things are likely going to feel different for everyone next year when Coach K isn’t on the sidelines anymore. Ok, maybe not that different but probably a little different.

And start learning about the guys on that Fullerton team. They could be heroes Friday night. At least for one day.

Quick hits: 15 must-watch NBA prospects in NCAA tournament… Ranking all 68 teams by their mascots… College players who have seemingly been around forever… And more. 

(AP Photo/Young Kwak)

– Mike Sykes breaks down the 15 must-watch NBA prospects playing in the NCAA tournament, leading with Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren.

– My friend Charles Curtis ranked all 68 tournament teams by their mascots and the No. 1 mascot on this list is pretty amazing.

– Robert Zeglinski looks at 12 March Madness stars who feel like they have been playing college basketball for so long.

– Need some betting advice for the tournament? My friends at BetFTW have you covered with everything you’ll need to know to have some success.

– Need help with today’s Wordle? Charles Curtis has got you covered.

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The 15 must-watch NBA draft prospects you need to see in March Madness

If your team sucks like mine, you should probably read this list.

March Madness is finally upon us, folks. The tournament officially started this week and, soon, we will have yet another national champion.

A lot of us are here for this for different reasons. Some of us have a favorite team we’re rooting for. Some of us are just here riding for a particular team hoping our brackets don’t get busted. Others? They’re just rooting for the chaos. Bring us upsets, baby.

But, if you’re anything like me and your favorite NBA team stinks, you’re here for a completely different reason. And that reason is you need to figure out who your team is drafting this summer.

This tournament is filled with NBA prospects that are sure bets for the NBA’s draft lottery this year should they choose to come out.

Here are the top 15 you need to watch this March.

5 first-round matchups to scout future NBA draft prospects in the 2022 NCAA Tournament

Jalen Duren has a big test in the first round. Who else needs to make a good impression out of the gates?

If you are anything like me, one of the reasons why you love the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is to evaluate players before the NBA draft.

March Madness is an opportunity for prospects to raise their profile and to leave scouts with the best overall impression of their game before declaring for the NBA draft. Considering the power that recency bias tends to have in the evaluation process, it is important to make a good first impression.

There is no better time to make a lasting impact than right away, so once the NCAA selection committee finalized their decisions, scouts around the NBA started circling the games they were most excited to watch.

Based on conversations I’ve had with folks connected to NBA front offices, and factoring in my own intel and research I’ve collected throughout this past college basketball season, these are five of the most noteworthy match-ups to watch from an NBA scouting perspective.

Women’s March Madness 2022: Final Four picks, odds and storylines

Breaking down the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Welcome to the NCAA Tournament! This year’s women’s field is sure to make for another classic tournament, as was the case a season ago. Championship contenders are everywhere and lots of veteran teams return after making deep runs last season — ultimately making this competition up for grabs.

These brackets get harder and harder to predict at the top, so we’ll provide a bit of a guide to make things easier for you. We hit on which four teams will make it to the Final Four and who will win the championship, amongst other storylines regarding the tournament.

All odds via Tipico Sportsbook.

Clear Play: Your guide on how to bet on March Madness

One month, endless madness. Here’s all you need to know to cash in.

Bet For The Win’s editor and college basketball guru, Caroline Darney, breaks down exactly how she thinks you should bet on the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
All odds via Tipico.
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Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
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Best bets in the West Region of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Tournament

Who besides the Zags should you put your money on?

The West Region is largely thought to be top-seed Gonzaga’s to lose. The Bulldogs have been the best team in the country for most of the season, and after coming up short of a title so many times in the past, this year’s team led by Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren feels like the one that can get them over the hump.

Helping Gonzaga’s case is having maybe the least-regarded two-seed in the tournament in its bracket. Duke’s seeding shocked plenty who thought Tennessee should have gotten the nod, however the Blue Devils are still loaded with enough talent to give anyone trouble.

The real sneaky team to be aware of in this region is the Big 12 tourney runner-up Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are elite defensively and have a number of players they can go to for offense, led by Bryson Williams and Terrence Shannon.

Here’s a look at the best bets in the West Region, with odds via Tipico Sportsbook.