Wiggins Signing Sends Kansas March Madness Betting Odds Soaring
Andrew Wiggins was a big deal in high school basketball and will be a big deal in the NBA.
As it turns out, he’s such a big deal in college basketball that his decision to play in Kansas completely changed the betting odds for the 2013-14 season.
One sportsbook even declined to post March Madness 2014 future odds until Wiggins signed. When he did sign this week, they opened the Jayhawks as the second betting choice just behind Kentucky (at 5-1).
Another had Kansas at 30-1 last week on the heels of losing all four of last season’s starters, but that same shop had Kansas at 10-1 this morning.
“We were waiting on him to sign before opening these odds up,” said Kevin Bradley of Bovada sportsbook.
“He is the biggest impact player we have seen in a long time and he is an immediate difference maker on college basketball future odds.”
The Toronto-born Wiggins played basketball at a Huntington, West Va school this year. He was the 2013 Naismith Prep Player of the Year and the 2013 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
Wiggins, the son of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, was believed to be headed to Florida State—where his father played. His brother Nick plays at Wichita State and Kansas could now be headed to the Final Four just like WSU did this past March.
Bovada also made him the early favorite to be picked No. 1 in the 2014 NBA draft. He was sitting at -300 this morning. Bookies also posted odds on how many points per game he will average as a Jayhawk.
“To go to 10-1 from 30-1 on one teenager signing is not something you see every day,” said Mark Presley of OddsShark.com. “It’s good for business when the marquee schools are threats to win it all and when those schools enjoy the marquee talent.”
Defending national champions Louisville was the third betting choice while perennial Final Four threat Michigan State was fourth.
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March Madness 2013: Predicting Performances for Title Game’s Best Players
Michigan and Louisville are set for their NCAA tournament title game showdown. The star-studded teams will be looking for big performances from their reliable players in order to win the tournament and bring home a championship to their school.
The game features strong guard play for both teams. While both rely on contributions from their big men, this matchup will surely be decided based on the guards.
Here are predictions for the best players on each team.
Louisville
Peyton Siva
For the tournament, Peyton Siva is shooting just 16-of-45 from the floor including going 1-of-5 in the Sweet 16 and 1-of-9 in the Final Four. The 35.6 percent shooting is way down from Siva’s season average of 40.4 percent. The Cardinals need Siva to score the basketball and to do so efficiently.
While he’s had issues with his shot, Siva hasn’t struggled to play ferocious defense. His incredible on-ball pressure has made it ridiculously difficult on opposing point guards to get into their sets and operate the offense. That’s shown up in the box score over the last eight games as Siva as averaged three steals per outing.
Siva should get some opportunities to hit open shots, but his biggest impact will be on the defensive end. It may not show up in the stat sheet as much, but his presence will be felt.
Prediction: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, 2 turnovers
Russ Smith
The other half of Louisville’s strong guard duo, Russ Smith has no problem doing the scoring. He’s dominated competition during the NCAA tournament and torched defenses for 25 points per game. Most importantly for Louisville, Smith is shooting a stunning 50 percent from the floor.
Smith will have his hands full with an active Michigan team, but he should still get plenty of looks. If he can get hot like he has all tournament, it’s hard to imagine any being able to put up enough points to beat Louisville. With its main scorers in shooting slumps, Michigan will have to match Smith’s production.
Smith has the type of game that makes him one of the favorites to steal the show and light it up.
Prediction: Smith 26 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Michigan
Trey Burke
Despite shooting terribly, Trey Burke has done a great job to lead his team into the championship game. He’s stayed within the offense and allowed his teammates to do the scoring. Throughout the tournament, Burke is shooting 32.4 percent, but has struggled with 2-of-12 and 1-of-8 shooting performances.
The big question mark for Burke will be how well he handles Louisville’s pressure. Burke had seven turnovers against VCU’s pressure, but the talent disparity allowed Michigan to run away with the game. Burke can’t afford to be that loose with the basketball because the Cardinals will make them pay more than VCU did.
Burke won’t be able to handle the press with ease and Louisville will make him pay.
Prediction: 14 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals, 6 turnovers
Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Michigan guard has done enough in the tournament, but outside the round of 64, Tim Hardaway Jr. just hasn’t done enough consistently. His shooting has cooled dramatically throughout the tournament and he’s 11-of-40 in the last three games including 5-of-18 from downtown.
For Michigan to win the game, it needs Hardaway to knock down shots and make Louisville pay for pressing. Depending on how well Burke handles the pressure, Hardaway should get open looks. If he knocks them down, the Wolverines have a chance.
While Burke will struggle with the press, Hardaway will also remain cool from downtown.
Prediction: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
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March Madness 2013: Fearless Predictions for National Championship Showdown
Sixty-six games have come and gone, and one final matchup remains to crown an NCAA tournament champion.
The path to Atlanta was littered with upsets, upstarts and exciting finishes, but one constant held true: Louisville is No. 1, and the Cardinals aren’t going down without a fight.
Rick Pitino’s squad traversed a minefield of uncertainty that has claimed 66 victims. The 67th will be determined in a colossal clash on Monday night.
The No. 4 Michigan Wolverines can’t be counted out, though.
With an offense that features the best player in the country, a freshman big man coming into his own and a bevy of talented perimeter scorers, Michigan won’t make the final championship obstacle an easy one.
Which team will be crowned national champion on April 8? We’ll break it down with some predictions of our own.
*All stats acquired from CBSSports.com. Betting lines acquired from VegasInsider.com.
Trey Burke Will Struggle With Turnovers
VCU’s “Havoc” defense certainly created plenty of it for Michigan’s backcourt. Despite thrashing the Rams by 25 points, sophomore guard Trey Burke struggled to take care of the basketball, turning it over seven times in that contest.
Louisville is an elite defensive team that loves to apply full-court pressure. Wichita State handled it extremely well, but it will take a lot of Michigan to duplicate those results. As talented as Burke is with the ball in his hands, he will struggle against the Cardinals’ pressure.
I still think Burke can have a good offensive night, but Louisville won’t make it easy getting to the half court. Turnovers will be plentiful.
Production prediction: 18 points, five assists, six turnovers
Russ Smith’s Road to Redemption
Louisville’s best scorer didn’t play like it in the Final Four.
Junior guard Russ Smith scored 21 points in Louisville’s win over Wichita State, but he did it on 6-of-17 shooting from the floor and 5-of-12 from the free-throw line. He’s been spectacular throughout the tournament, but his inefficiency almost cost the Cardinals the game on Saturday.
To take nothing away from the Shockers, Michigan isn’t going to be beaten with inefficient shooting like Smith displayed in the Final Four.
Still, Smith shot 50 percent or better from the floor in each of Louisville’s first four tournament games, and he’s experienced enough to know how to put games like that behind him. He has tendencies to make careless errors, but this is the national championship game.
Expect Smith to be focused and prepared.
Production prediction: 24 points, four assists, three turnovers, 8-of-15 from the field
Don’t Call it a Comeback
Michigan is primed to come out firing in this contest. After dispatching Syracuse’s stifling 2-3 zone in the Final Four, the Wolverines are going to be prepared for another great defense in Atlanta.
Like the first half against Wichita State, Louisville will start sluggish on Monday. Against a team as potent as Michigan, the Cardinals will have a hard time adjusting in the half court if the Wolverines can break full-court pressure without turning it over too often.
But like we’ve also seen several times in the tournament (particularly against Duke), Louisville can get very, very hot in a hurry. No lead will be safe, especially if Smith can keep his ugly misses to a minimum and Peyton Siva steps into his role as a complementary scorer.
Look for Michigan to take a sizeable lead into the locker room and see it dissipate in the first few minutes of the second half.
Halftime prediction: Michigan 37, Louisville 29
Get Your Scissors, Rick Pitino
As talented as the Wolverines are, there’s a reason Louisville is a four-point favorite in the championship. The Cardinals haven’t lost a game since February 9, and they won’t break that streak on Monday.
Michigan deserves a ton of credit for its incredible tournament run, but Louisville is just a team that has it all this year. The Cardinals’ defense is one of the best in the last decade, and their offense is extremely balanced with Smith, Siva and Gorgui Dieng playing an inside-out game that is a nightmare to defend.
And then there’s coaching.
John Beilein is an excellent coach, and his team’s presence in the championship game is proof of that. He just has to go head-to-head with one of the best coaches in all of basketball.
Rick Pitino earned a spot in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with a career that is unmatched by many college coaches. He’s a master of making adjustments, and the bond he shares with his players is evident with every game.
Pitino gets the edge in this coaching matchup and not because Beilein isn’t an exceptional coach.
Prediction: Louisville 76, Michigan 74
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March Madness: Biggest Moments from Final Four Action
The Final Four has been split in half and the 2013 NCAA tournament has reached the championship game. Bleacher Report has all of the best moments from the Final Four action in Atlanta.
Which dunk rattled the rim the most? Who had the most impressive day on the floor? Which game had the best finish of all?
Check out the video to have all of these questions answered, and don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Bleacher Report will have around-the-clock coverage of the tournament as March Madness celebrates its 75th year of competition! Join us for exclusive game coverage, professional player comparisons and more.
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March Madness Social Media Highlight Video
March Madness isn’t just a basketball tournament; it’s one of America’s greatest traditions.
Every year the NCAA tournament is one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year for its unpredictability and pageantry. This year, it certainly lived up to the hype.
From improbable upsets and buzzer-beaters to jaw-dropping performances and bitter heartbreak, the 2013 tournament has had it all. And we sports fans have been glued to the TV watching every single minute.
The expansion of social media allows fans to react to the tournament more than ever and America has had plenty to say.
Individual legacies have been made. Players like Louisville’s Russ Smith, Michigan’s Trey Burke and Ole Miss’ Marshall Henderson etched their names in March lore. Players like Georgetown’s Otto Porter, Jr. and Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk felt the agony of defeat.
Whether it be the upset-filled opening rounds that saw teams like Harvard, La Salle and Ole Miss literally light some brackets on fire or the dominance of teams like Louisville and Syracuse, the Twittersphere had more than enough to react to.
From Florida Gulf Coast a.k.a. Dunk City becoming an overnight YouTube sensation on their way to an Elite Eight berth, to the outpour of support for Louisville’s Kevin Ware after his gruesome leg injury, fans interacted with the tournament like never before.
Check out the above video as we recap the tournament along with the fans who rejoiced, lashed out and burned their brackets to a tourney that certainly lived up to the March Madness moniker.
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March Madness 2013: Predicting Breakout Stars in Saturday’s Final Four Games
We’ve all heard ad-nauseam about Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams and Russ Smith—the three players with NBA futures who many think will dictate the result of Saturday’s Final Four matchups.
But what about their teammates? The four schools that made the trip to the great state of Georgia did not just send one player. If they did, well, that will be embarrassing for all involved.
While those aforementioned stars deserve attention, we know what they can do. They’ve ascended all March long, and it’s almost become expected that they will come through at this point. At a certain point, though, the superstar power balances itself out. That leads to closer games, better moments and, most importantly, great performances from players we didn’t expect.
As just hours remain before Saturday’s Final Four festivities kick off, the time to look at the matchups and identify those players before it happens is drawing to a close. Luckily, we’re here to help.
With that in mind, here is a breakdown of a few players who should come through with huge games on Saturday—perhaps even bigger than their abundantly covered teammates.
Nick Stauskas (G, Michigan)
Throughout the lead up to the Wolverines’ clash against Syracuse on Saturday, much has been made about the Orange’s suffocating defense. Jim Boeheim’s club allowed just 39 points to Marquette in the Elite Eight, which is the second time in four games the Orange have allowed fewer than 40 points. They are also the only team to allow such a minuscule output for opponents.
In the Round of 64, Syracuse simply out-talented 13th-seeded Montana. The Grizzlies were one of the most overrated teams in the field—even as a double-digit seed—and the notion they would be able to upset Syracuse was absurd. Against Marquette, Syracuse simply took advantage of the Golden Eagles’ noted inability to shoot from distance, cramped the paint like a New York City apartment and called it a day.
It’s been a virtuoso outing that has even seen Syracuse drop elite offenses like Indiana. Every time out, the Orange adjust their defense brilliantly—almost to the point that calling it a 2-3 zone is an injustice. Syracuse has athletes at every position, allowing on-the-fly adjustments that make the unit nearly amorphic.
Nevertheless, the Orange remain rooted in a zone set. As has been the case since man invented the zone defense, the key to defeating it has been shooting.
Though Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. remain Michigan’s highest-volume and most recognizable outside scorers, Stauskas remains the Wolverines’ most efficient. The freshman guard has knocked down a shade under 45 percent of his three-pointers this season, by far the best among the Wolverines’ regular rotation players. Despite shooting less frequently, Stauskas has actually knocked down more shots from beyond the arc than his more lauded teammates.
Stauskas‘ March coming out party happened in the Elite Eight. He knocked down seven of his eight shot attempts, including all six three-pointers, en route to scoring a game-high 22 points. With Syracuse’s zone undoubtedly looking to focus on Burke first, second and third, Stauskas will need to ascend.
If his performance a week ago is any indication, Stauskas should have no problem shining in Atlanta.
Gorgui Dieng (C, Louisville)
Speaking of players who had a coming out party in the Elite Eight, it’s almost a shame Russ Smith’s brilliance overshadowed Dieng‘s fantastic game.
The 6’11″ junior controlled the paint against Duke, embarrassing the Blue Devils’ drivers with a never-ending stream of blocks and shot alterations. Dieng finished the contest with 14 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks—his second straight game with that many swats. Add that to the fact that Dieng did all of his damage in a mere 25 minutes due to foul trouble, and Wichita State could be in a whole heap of trouble on Saturday.
The Shockers have a ton of things: ingenuity, strong guard play, an undying will to win—size is just not one of those things. Seven-footer Ehimen Orukpe is on the roster, and technically part of the rotation, but he’s combined for just 13 minutes over the past two games. That is over two minutes under his per-game average of 15.1 for the season.
Gregg Marshall doesn’t use Orukpe in big moments because he doesn’t trust him. He’s the token tall guy. Marshall’s trust and Orukpe‘s role are not going to change simply because Dieng is on the floor.
As such, Wichita State will likely be guarding the dominant big man with Carl Hall. The Shockers forward has the bulk, at 238 pounds, to handle Dieng down in the paint, but he’s at least three inches shorter and will be at a massive disadvantage against the Cardinals star’s length.
Rick Pitino doesn’t need Dieng to have 20 points and 15 rebounds. Smith will take care of the volume scoring just fine.
However, Dieng‘s length on the inside will undoubtedly alter just about everything the Shockers do offensively. Malcolm Armstead has become a tournament darling by slashing to the hoop for buckets in the paint. That won’t be so easy with Dieng lingering around, nor will anything Hall tries to do on the offensive end.
The box score may not initially indicate it when the clock strikes zero, but Dieng will be the most dominant force for any team in the Final Four.
James Southerland (F, Syracuse)
Excuse me if this is a spoiler, but Syracuse will not be able to hold Michigan to 39 points. The Wolverines have too many offensive weapons at every position on the court, and they are the nation’s most efficient offense for a reason (per Ken Pomeroy). The combination of Burke, Stauskas and Hardaway is a handful for even the Orange to handle, and Mitch McGary’s ascent in March makes things even more difficult.
To have even the slightest chance of winning on Saturday, Syracuse will have to do the one thing it has struggled to do all season: score from the outside. The Orange score only a quarter of their points from beyond the arc, ranking a cool 241st in the nation, per Ken Pomeroy.
That hasn’t come back to bite them yet in the Big Dance, but it will on Saturday if they don’t improve. The only player who has shown a consistent ability to knock down big shots for Boeheim’s club has been Southerland.
Left for dead at the end of the regular season, Southerland‘s nifty three-point efficiency helped spur Syracuse’s renaissance. The senior forward broke the Big East record for three-pointers made during the conference tournament with 19, helping inspire the confidence that has led Syracuse to the Final Four.
Southerland hasn’t been as great during the Big Dance, but the potential for a huge performance is there.
More than once the Wolverines have shown a propensity for lackadaisical defensive performances. A team doesn’t give up 84 points to a Penn State team that ranks 320th in effective field goal percentage without its fair share of problems. Michigan has been able to nip its laissez-faire attitude toward defense in the bud during the NCAA tournament, but the team that finished 6-6 is still lurking.
Southerland has to find it. If he doesn’t, Syracuse will be taking an earlier-than-desired trip away from Atlanta.
All advanced stats are via KenPom.com unless otherwise noted.
If you haven’t already filled out your bracket, be sure to lock in your picks with this Printable PDF. Also, don’t forget to follow all the action with B/R’s Live Bracket.
Follow all the exciting NCAA tournament action with March Madness Live.
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It’s Not Your Fault You Painted Your Chest: The Best Fan Bases of March Madnes
March Madness has taken us to the Final Four. All brackets have been busted and now only the best of the best are still standing.
As fans flock to Atlanta to see their teams play, there is no question that some teams feel right at home even at the neutral site location.
A supportive and loud group of fans can go a long way in helping a team win thousands of miles away from its campus.
So as a tribute to the teams that had the loudest fans in the tourney, here are the top 10 fans bases of March Madness 2013.
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March Madness 2013: Key Final Four Matchups to Watch
As the madness of March rolls over into April this year, only four teams remain as the 2013 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship heads into the final weekend.
The biggest surprise this year is No. 9 Wichita State making it all the way to the Final Four to take on the No. 1-seeded Louisville Cardinals.
Even with one of Rick Pitino’s better bench players being out, the Shockers are still going to have to worry about the famed full-court press that Louisville loves to run.
Here are some more matchups that can determine who will be playing for the national championship and who will be watching the game from their house.
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NBA Prospects: Why Have They Fallen Short During March Madness?
Ben McLemore is just a freshman. A rather old freshman at 21, but still a freshman nonetheless. However, as anyone who follows college basketball knows, McLemore isn’t simply another youngster maneuvering his way through his collegiate years.
Blessed with lightning-quick speed, explosive leaping ability only rivaled by the NBA’s elite and a silky smooth jump shot, McLemore has asserted himself as the probable first selection in June’s NBA draft.
Despite this, it was the fact that he was a merely a freshman that impeded his ability to lead his Kansas Jayhawks to the Elite Eight. Playing on a team filled with upperclassmen, McLemore consistently deferred to his elder teammates down the stretch in last Thursday’s loss to Michigan, barely factoring into the game during its waning minutes and overtime.
But McLemore was not the only top NBA prospect who failed to lead his team deep into the NCAA tournament. In fact, of the projected top 10 picks in the draft listed on NBAdraft.net, only one of them, Trey Burke of Michigan, is still playing basketball this late in March.
So why, in basketball—the one sport in which a single player can completely take over and dominate a game—have none of the most talented NBA prospects been successful in the NCAA tournament?
First—a conclusion that many will jump to—is that this is a fairly weak draft class and none of the top prospects are actually that good.
McLemore may have the talent to be an NBA superstar one day, but his game is still raw. Nerlens Noel, the projected No. 2 selection, is a defensive force but lacks the offensive skill set to be an impact player on that end. Marcus Smart might be the most polished of the projected top three, but he lacks a true position and it takes innovative strategies to get the most out of his talent.
However, as much as this theory makes practical sense, I find it hard to believe. While these players might not stack up favorably compared to stars of other draft classes, they are still the most outstanding players in the land.
Projected No. 9 selection Cody Zeller of Indiana might not ever be an NBA All-Star, but he is still a great collegiate player. Yet even with the help of Victor Oladipo, another likely top-10 selection, he couldn’t pull the Hoosiers past the Sweet 16.
The true reason this has happened is the vast difference between the NBA and the collegiate game and the stubbornness of NCAA coaches to adjust their systems to the players they have.
For example, several rules in the college game limit the ability one player has to take over the game. Without a defensive three-second violation as in the NBA, collegiate teams can sit their best shot-blocker in the middle of the paint and negate driving lanes for perimeter players. Also, with a shorter three-point line, the key becomes more crowded, shrinking the space players have to work one-on-one.
These two factors undoubtedly hurt an individual player’s ability to impact a game by himself, making the collegiate game far more of a full team competition than its professional counterpart.
Despite this, though, collegiate coaches have taken the team component too far, consistently taking the ball out of their best players’ hands and not allowing them to take over the game.
I went over the Kansas example earlier, but this is a constant theme across college basketball.
Ben Howland was enticing enough to convince premier recruit Shabazz Muhammad to attend his school, but then somehow forgot how good Muhammad was once he got there. Throughout the season, Howland never gave Muhammad enough touches, and in the end it led to UCLA’s first-round demise, Muhammad never reaching his potential at the collegiate level and Howland’s firing.
Victor Oladipo of Indiana, mentioned earlier along with Cody Zeller, is another example. He emerged this season as one of the most dynamic scorers in the country, yet Tom Crean never made a total effort to get him nearly the amount of opportunities a player of his talent deserves.
I understand that coaches like running a system they can replicate and use year after year, but great coaches build their systems around the players they have, too. If you’re going to recruit NBA-prototype scorers, it is then your duty as a coach to maximize their talent and help your team win.
None of the coaches described above did that, and therefore their teams will not be participating in this weekend’s Final Four. Next year, two of the most hyped NBA prospects in years, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, will enter the college basketball landscape, and for the sake of sport, I hope that their coaches don’t make the same mistake.
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Stuff Your Face: Hour by Hour Snacking Guide for March Madness
The NCAA tournament is finally here.
From the buzzer-beaters to the upsets, March Madness is sure to provide moments of excitement every day.
But, while the games are important, proper nutrition and hydration are equally as important. After all, not even March Madness is worth starving over.
So, what should an avid basketball fan look for when food is the question during March Madness?
Here’s a look at hour-by-hour snacking guides to get you through each day of the tournament.
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