Coach K - CLNS Media

Instead of getting Coach K’s last chance at a National Championship, we get the Roy Williams Bowl. The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Kansas Jayhawks are set to face off on Monday night for a chance at a championship.

Kansas took down Villanova on Saturday 81-65, and the game was never particularly close. Led by Ochai Agbaji and David McCormack, the Jayhawks shot out to an early 20-point first half lead and never looked back. They led wire-to-wire, and despite a, 8-0 run by Villanova early in the second half cutting the deficit to eight points – Kansas was in control the entire game on their way to the championship. Villanova guard Collin Gillespie led the way with 17 points in his last game for the Wildcats – but it wasn’t enough for the storied senior guard to prolong his career.

Saturday’s night cap was outstanding. Rivals Duke and North Carolina played an unbelievable back-and-forth game that included 18(!!) lead changes and dominant performances all over the court. UNC’s Armando Bacot had 21 rebounds, guard Caleb Love scored 28 points, and Brady Manek shot 50% from behind the arc to lead the Tar Heels to a victory. Paulo Banchero led the way, per usual, for Duke with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Trevor Keels put up an excellent 19-point performance, but it wasn’t enough for the Blue Devils. Coach K goes out with a loss to his all-time rival.

Prediction/Pick

People are forgetting that North Carolina is an eight-seed. They’ve certainly defied odds over the last month and showed that they belong, but I think that comes to an end on Monday night. The Kansas Jayhawks have marched their way through this tournament so far and I don’t see that stopping. It may be back and forth, but in the end Kansas will come out victorious.

Congratulations Jayhawks – you’re National Champions.

Prediction: Kansas 84 – UNC 74

Side: Kansas -4.5

Total: OVER 153

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @CLNSMedia for the latest up-to-date Boston Sports news!

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NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four – Duke vs. North Carolina – Betting Odds, Preview, and Prediction

Mike Kadlick — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 12:55:25 +0000

Check out all of my NCAA March Madness betting content from the tournament below, powered by our friends at BetOnline.ag.

Who Will Win Each Region of the NCAA Tournament?

March Madness – Betting Odds and Ends For the Round of 64

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Betting Odds Heading into the Sweet Sixteen

Sweet Sixteen West Region – Gonzaga vs. Arkansas and Texas Tech vs. Duke – Betting Predictions and Picks

Sweet Sixteen South Region – Michigan vs. Villanova and Arizona vs. Houston – Betting Predictions and Picks

Sweet Sixteen Midwest Region – Providence vs. Kansas and Iowa State vs. Miami – Betting Predictions and Picks

Sweet Sixteen East Region – St. Peter’s vs. Purdue and North Carolina vs. UCLA – Betting Predictions and Picks

NCAA Men’s Basketball Elite Eight Houston vs. Villanova and Arkansas vs. Duke – Betting Predictions and Picks

Updated NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Odds Heading into the Final Four

NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four – Villanova vs. Kansas – Betting Odds, Preview, and Prediction

Duke vs. North Carolina – 8:49pm

Odds

Spread: Duke -4

Total: 151.5

Moneyline: Duke -188/UNC +163

Storylines

This one’s the money game. Duke, North Carolina, and a chance to play in a National Championship. It doesn’t get any better than this. On top of this – and tell me if you’ve heard this before – it’s the first time Duke and UNC have ever faced off in the NCAA tournament. Somehow, some way, the biggest rivals in college basketball history have never faced off in the postseason.

Duke is riding high in Coach K’s final season, and it’s pretty much all thanks to Paulo Banchero. Banchero, a projected top five NBA draft pick, has been the anchor for the Blue Devils this season averaging 17.1 points per game. Duke is the current favorite to win the tournament at +145.

North Carolina meanwhile, wasn’t even supposed to be here. An 8-seed in the East region, the Tar Heels made it through Marquette, Baylor, and UCLA before taking down 15-seed Saint Peters 69-49 in the Elite Eight. Head coach Hubert Davis taking UNC to the championship in his first season in Chapel Hill.

Prediction/Pick

I’ve been hot and cold on the Blue Devils during the tournament, but it’s time to buy in. This just feels like a team of destiny in Coach K’s final season. Duke gets past their rival and makes it to their first national championship since 2015.

Prediction: Duke 81 – UNC 75

Side: Duke -4

Total: OVER 151.5

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @CLNSMedia for the latest up-to-date Boston Sports news!

Also, be sure to check out our new sports betting Twitter account @CLNSBetting for all the latest odds and content from CLNS Media.

Use code CLNS50 for 50% off your first deposit at Betonline.ag.

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Updated NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Odds Heading into the Final Four

Mike Kadlick — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 14:29:58 +0000

To be brutally honest, the Elite Eight was not the greatest showing of basketball. Outside of Houston vs. Villanova, each game was a relative blowout and there was not much excitement involved at all.

However, it brought us to this coming weekend, where we get four blue bloods matching up for a chance to win a National Championship.

Who Will Win Each Region of the NCAA Tournament?

March Madness – Betting Odds and Ends For the Round of 64

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Betting Odds Heading into the Sweet Sixteen

Sweet Sixteen West Region – Gonzaga vs. Arkansas and Texas Tech vs. Duke – Betting Predictions and Picks

Sweet Sixteen South Region – Michigan vs. Villanova and Arizona vs. Houston – Betting Predictions and Picks

Sweet Sixteen Midwest Region – Providence vs. Kansas and Iowa State vs. Miami – Betting Predictions and Picks

Sweet Sixteen East Region – St. Peter’s vs. Purdue and North Carolina vs. UCLA – Betting Predictions and Picks

NCAA Men’s Basketball Elite Eight Houston vs. Villanova and Arkansas vs. Duke – Betting Predictions and Picks

The four blue bloods are, of course, Duke, Kansas, Villanova, and North Carolina. Here are their odds to win the tournament heading into Saturday’s Final Four. As always, all odds and NCAA March Madness betting content is powered by our friends at BetOnline.ag:

Odds to Win the Tournament

Duke +140

Kansas +190

North Carolina +475

Villanova +500

There’s been a lot of talk about the coaches in this tournament. Saint Peter’s Shaheen Holloway made a name for himself with the Peacocks, Kansas’ Bill Self and Villanova’s Jay Wright are back in the Final Four, and – of course – it’s Coach K’s final season coaching the Duke Blue Devils.

However, it’s the players that make this whole thing happen. Here are BetOnline’s odds on who will win the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award:

Most Outstanding Player

Paulo Banchero +250

Ochai Agbaji +400

Collin Gillespie +900

Jermaine Samuels +900

Armando Bacot +1000

Remy Martin +1000

AJ Griffin +2000

Brady Manek +2000

Caleb Love +2000

Christian Braun +2000

Jeremy Roach +2500

Mark Williams +2500

Fabian White Jr. +4000

Caleb Daniels +5000

R.J. Davis +5000

Wendell Moore Jr. +5000

Duke’s Paulo Banchero (+250) is the best player still standing. If the Blue Devils win it all, he’s almost certain to win the award. However there are plenty of long shots on the board that can win MOP – so long as Duke doesn’t win.

Villanova’s Collin Gillespie (+900), Kansas’ Remy Martin (+1000), and UNC’s Brady Manek (+2000), are my favorite bets for the teams outside of Duke. These three players are all capable of having a monster weekend to lead their teams to a championship, and would be completely deserving of the Most Outstanding Player award.

Keep it here on CLNSMedia.com all week for betting previews and predictions for both Final Four games and Monday’s championship game.

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @CLNSMedia for the latest up-to-date Boston Sports news!

Also, be sure to check out our new sports betting Twitter account @CLNSBetting for all the latest odds and content from CLNS Media.

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Let the Madness Begin – My Top Five Picks to Win the NCAA Tournament

Mike Kadlick — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 15:36:10 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s officially March – and in what has been the weirdest two years in modern history, it finally feels like we are getting back to a little bit of normalcy as we’re just two weeks away from Selection Sunday.

The field is truly wide open, and you can bet on who will win it all using BetOnline.ag. Here’s a list of their top ten to win the NCAA Tournament:

NCAA Tourney Odds to Win

Gonzaga +400

Kentucky +650

Arizona +775

Duke +900

Kansas +1200

Baylor +1200

Purdue +1200

Auburn +1200

Villanova +1800

Texas Tech +2200

This past Saturday, the top SIX teams in the country lost. Like I said – wide open.

A historic day in college basketball

No. 1 Gonzaga LOST
No. 2 Arizona LOST
No. 3 Auburn LOST
No. 4 Purdue LOST
No. 5 Kansas LOST
No. 6 Kentucky LOST

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 27, 2022

A majority of the top 25 are your common blue blood power houses, but others (Saint Mary’s, Murray State, Arkansas) are a surprise.

With that being said, no one has really separated themselves as the elite talent in the field, and it may be a crapshoot right up until the end, Here are my top five favorite bets to tournament:

5. Providence (+6600)

Call me crazy, but Ed Cooley has something going down in Providence. They are the ninth ranked team in the country, and are coming off of a dominant home win against the Creighton Jays. Center Nate Watson has been an outstanding interior player for Providence, and is shooting 65% from the field in the team’s last four games.

They head to Villanova on Tuesday night to take on the 11th ranked Wildcats – a true test to see if Providence is for real in 2022. If they can get some momentum going heading into the Big East tournament, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the 24-3 Friars playing basketball into April.

4. Baylor (+1200)

Baylor shocked the world last season by beating down on the undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs in the NCAA tournament final, and have kept that domination going into this season. The Bears are 24-5 and are currently the third ranked team in the country.

As they proved last year, they can compete with anybody. If they get a good pull in the tournament, Baylor can easily make the Final Four again and set themselves up to repeat as National Champions.

3. Kentucky (+650)

Kentucky has actually been a bit of a surprise this season. Although they currently have the second highest odds at +650 to win the tournament, this wasn’t always the case for John Calipari’s Wildcats. They opened the year at +1400, and junior forward Oscar Tshiebwe, who is the heavy favorite to win this season’s Wooden Award (-400 according to BetOnline.ag), wasn’t even on their board when the season began.

Tshiebwe has been the anchor for the Wildcats, averaging 16.9 points per game and 15.3 rebounds per game this season. He is the key to a successful Kentucky tournament run.

2. Duke (+900)

I’m always down on Duke when it comes to NCAA tournament time. They are constantly underperforming (according to their standards), and haven’t been to a Final Four since 2015.

That being said, this is Coach K’s last season in Durham, and he’s going to do everything in his power to go out on a high note. He has a program great in forward Paolo Banchero leading the way for his Blue Devils, and frankly it’ll be a bust if this team isn’t playing in the Final Four.

1. Gonzaga (+400)

Gonzaga will forever be dominant under Mark Few – but can they finally get the championship monkey off of their back in 2022? Projected number one overall pick Chet Holmgren has been a godsend for the Bulldogs, and senior Drew Timme continues to dominate down low.

Playing in the WCC may be this team’s only true downfall, and it’s something that they need to get over. They have the talent to play against the elite in college basketball, and I think this is the year they finally get their ring.

I am sitting on a Gonzaga future at +550, so here’s to hoping this is actually their year.

Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick, and follow @CLNSMedia for the latest up-to-date Boston sports news!

Also be sure to check out our new sports betting Twitter account @CLNSBetting for all the latest odds and content from CLNS Media.

Use code CLNS50 for 50% off your first deposit at Betonline.ag.

The post Let the Madness Begin – My Top Five Picks to Win the NCAA Tournament appeared first on CLNS Media.

Bobby Hurley & Sean Woods Relive 1992 Duke Kentucky Game on Ryan & Goodman Podcast

CLNS Media — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 09:30:39 +0000

Arguably the greatest college basketball ever played turned 28 this past Friday. Kentucky vs Duke in the Elite 8 matchup back in 1992.

This week on the Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman Podcast former Duke point guard Bobby Hurley and former Wildcat Sean Woods- two players and current head coaches – talked about the game.

Woods played among the “unforgettables” who stayed withe the Wildcats for four years despite two postseasons lost to NCAA sanctions. In their return, only Coach K’s Blue Devils stood in their way of the Final Four.

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Hurley remembered never being able to build a big enough lead. Woods and he had never talked about the game at length until now. Despite the devastating ending, Grant Hill’s full court bullet pass to Christian Laettner for the game-winner, Woods defended his coach.

“We never questioned Coach Pitino. To this day I still don’t question it. Because the chances of one guy catching a length-of-the-court pass over two defenders is not very great, but it happened on this night.”

Woods added praise for Laettner, who he needed to constantly berate and thought was a hard opponent to guard than Shaquille O’Neal. Woods’ trash talk bounced right off Laettner, which made it feel harder to guard him than a young Shaq, who was playing at LSU at the time.

“We didn’t want to foul,” Woods said of The Shot. “It was probably the easiest shot (Christian) had taken all night.”

Rick Pitino laid the groundwork at Kentucky, during which Coach Cal was beginning his work at UMass toward major college coaching after he took them to the Final Four later in the decade. Kentucky wasn’t on his radar before 1992, Woods said. That game made it Cal’s dream job.

“Duke became a juggernaut from a history standpoint and a program standpoint. I think it was fate,” he said. “It was fate for us, would we have been any more famous if we had won the national championship? … But the Kentucky program of today started March. 28, 1992.”

Cal joined Kentucky in 2009 coaching future NBA stars from John Wall and Demarcus Cousins to Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns. Kentucky doesn’t always win it all, but since the 1990s, they’ve gotten the best talent. Woods and company had to grit through the down years to reach the top.

Duke’s hosted the likes of Jayson Tatum, Brandon Ingram, Marvin Bagley and Jabari Parker in recent seasons. Christian Laettner became synonymous with the program and the vitriol it received nationally.

Hurley still remembers Woods’ shot that forced Laettner’s game-winner and the energy that he forced him to play with all night. “Hell of a shot.”

Later in the show, Hurley discussed the dynamic he and Laettner shared as teammates — Jeff trying to get their tensest moment out of them.

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Bobby Hurley & Sean Woods Relive 1992 Duke Kentucky Game on Ryan & Goodman Podcast

Bobby Manning — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 09:30:34 +0000

Arguably the greatest college basketball ever played turned 28 this past Friday. Kentucky vs Duke in the Elite 8 matchup back in 1992.

This week on the Bob Ryan and Jeff Goodman Podcast former Duke point guard Bobby Hurley and former Wildcat Sean Woods- two players and current head coaches – talked about the game.

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“We didn’t want to foul,” Woods said of The Shot. “It was probably the easiest shot (Christian) had taken all night.”

Hurley still remembers Woods’ shot that forced Laettner’s game-winner and the energy that he forced him to play with all night. “Hell of a shot.”

Later in the show, Hurley discussed the dynamic he and Laettner shared as teammates — Jeff trying to get their tensest moment out of them.

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