One college tourney is on everyone’s mind; most TV sets are focused on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Final Four are about to become a reality. This year’s Elite Eight had few surprises as it was composed of one through three seeds.
I’ve got this fascination with Big East basketball this year. Part of it has to do with the up and coming Syracuse Orange, another part has to do with the Luke Harangody-led Fighting Irish of Notre Dame and another part has to do with unpredictable clubs like the Providence Friars. But overall, the Big East has my full attention because five of the top-10 spots in the AP poll are occupied by Big East clubs.
Here’s the way it looks as of today: (more…)
I’ve had some important dates in my life and here are a few calendar items you’ll want to note in your date book, Blackberry or computer. At least, I think you will.
As NCAA basketball starts conference play, this is a good time to look at the top teams in the nation. They’ve played non-conference clubs primarily. Many, but not all, of those games were cupcakes as some of the best in some of the toughest conferences met weaker teams in weaker leagues. Now the battles begin to determine league dominance and national prominence. Each team has about 16 regular-season contests left to go. Here’s a thumbnail sketch of the five top-ranked clubs in the nation.
So, the question is, “How much football can you watch?” The answer is, “A lot.” But if the gridiron scene is starting get a bit old like this week’s Christmas turkey leftovers, here are a few events that are certainly worth a look if not a watch.
The 2009 National Champions will be North Carolina. They clinched the title today.
That is, of course, a ridiculous statement, and I am sort of kidding, but it will be hard to pick a team that has a better chance for them after what happened today. All three of their top underclassmen who had declared for the NBA draft – Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green – hadn’t signed with agents, so all could and did withdraw from the draft at today’s deadline. That means that North Carolina, which was already favored last season, returns their six top players from last year, including national player of the year Tyler Hansbrough. On top of that, they add a top five recruiting class that includes five star freaks Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller. Outside of a notable injury problem with Lawson this was a team that had few holes last year, and that is even more true this year as the top six are more mature and hungrier than ever. The three who entered the draft learned what it will take to make the lottery, and all could potentially do it. Hansbrough has to be the happiest guy on the planet right now, and if he’s not it’s only because Roy Williams is even happier. Of course, for bettors it means that value on the Tar Heels is a distant memory.
I know I am supposed to be leaving college basketball behind and focus on baseball or the NBA or the NHL or something, but I just can’t let it go quite yet. As I was taking one last look at things before moving on I came across the odds for the 2009 National Championship. Now, there are a lot of ridiculously bad bets out there, but none are any worse than these. They are full of sucker bets. Here are some of the more laughable:
The betting-related sports news that is catching my eye in five different sports
Baseball – Pitcher Johnny Cueto of Cincinnati struck out ten in seven innings and only allowed one hit and one earned run to lead his team past Arizona. This guy is ridiculously good, and he should present decent value until the public starts to figure that out.
