Hoops Fever!!!
The college basketball season started very quietly last night and I couldn’t be more excited. I could take or leave the NBA, but college basketball is any entirely different thing. The games are brilliant, the number of amazing players is mind boggling, and there is a ridiculous number of games. From early November to early April college basketball is endless drama and excitement.
It’s not just all about being a fan, though. From a betting perspective, college basketball is amazing. There are games pretty much every day, so you can find action all the time. With so many games and so many teams you can often find lines that provide great opportunities if you have done your homework. College basketball requires more study and attention to detail than a lot of sports, but if you are willing to make the commitment it can pay off handsomely. We’ll certainly be spending a lot of time on it here over the next few months.
With the season getting under way, here are five things that I am very excited about:
1. Freshmen. There is nothing more exciting every year than seeing if the young hyped players can live up to expectations. Kevin Durant blew all thoughts for him out of the water last year. This year there is a stellar cast of young players that could do the same again. O.J Mayo in USC has been the most hyped for years now, but he’s not alone. Kevin Love is a freak at UCLA, Jerryd Bayless could make magic with Chase Budinger at Arizona, and James Harden will open eyes at Arizona State. And that’s just the Pac-10. Derrick Rose at Memphis is probably the guy I am most excited about, and his debut last night did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. Michael Beasley at Kansas State, Eric Gordon at Indiana, Kyle Singler at Duke – the list goes on. Helped by the NBA’s ban on high school payers in the draft, this year’s class of newcomers is as good and as deep as we have seen in a while.
2. Memphis. North Carolina is getting all of the preseason attention this year, but my heart and my hopes will be on Memphis. They were a great team last year, all of their starters return and are a year older and more experienced, and they add Rose to the mix. I liked them last year, and they are better this year, so you can guess how excited I am.
3. The Big Ten. With the exception of a couple of teams at the top, the Big Ten hasn’t been a huge basketball power, and the ball isn’t always exciting. As a huge Big Ten fan, though, I have always been loyal. My loyalty should be rewarded this year with a fascinating conference season. Despite their preseason setback to Grand Valley State, Michigan State is loaded yet again and should be top ten material. Indiana will be right there with the Spartans with Eric Gordon joining an already impressive lineup. Ohio State obviously has to remake themselves without Oden and Conley, but it would be a mistake to count them out. Wisconsin loses several players, but will pllay stifling defense and will be tough. Illinois could also be tough. Purdue has a great group of freshmen coming in. I’d be happier if there were any decent veterans to join them, but they will improve as they mature and could have a tournament run in them. As exciting as all of that, though, is the new coaching blood that promises to make this conference much tougher in the future. Tubby Smith is in Minnesota, John Beilein is in Michigan, Todd Lickliter jumped from Butler to Iowa – those are all blue chip coaches who elevate and add depth to the conference. It should be great to watch this year, and it will only get better.
4. Michigan. I am a huge Michigan fan. I bleed blue. It hasn’t been a very fun decade on the basketball side. No one cares about the NIT, and I am sicking of pretending that it matters. I’m not expecting miracles, but the future is bright. Hiring John Beilein from West Virginia was a coup, and he will help to fix some of the problems that had held us down for years. We have been boring, disappointing and frustrating for way too long. That could end with a new staff, a new philosophy, and some solid young talent. I don’t expect a Final Four this year (though I’d take it), but something to cheer for in February would be a good start. I’m an optimist, and this season I don’t have to work nearly as hard to find reasons to be optimistic about my beloved Blue as I have had to in the recent past.
5. Louisville. I love Al Pacino. Oops, I mean Rick Pitino. (When was the last ime you saw those two in a room together – never. They are the same person.) This year one of the nation’s best coaches is as loaded as he has been in years. He doesn’t add any star freshman talent, but he doesn’t need it. He has a pile of returning starters, ridiculous depth almost everywhere, and a renewed commitment to defense. The Big East is a tough place to play, but I fully expect the Cardinals to be at the top of the heap at the end of the conference season. Of course, I thought much the same thing about Louisville football, and look how well that is turning out.
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