In an odd statistic, Saturday’s Final Four nightcap in New Orleans between Ohio State and Kansas, neither of which even won its conference tournament, is only the second game between No. 2 seeds in the national semifinals since seeding began in 1979. The Buckeyes are 2.5-point favorites on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds and there will be live play-by-play betting available.
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Ohio State (31-7), the +290 second-favorite to cut down the nets on Monday night, enters having won eight of nine games, with the only loss a close one to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament final. The Buckeyes have been tested here and there in this NCAA Tournament but were never really in serious jeopardy of a loss at the end. In their 77-70 Elite Eight win over top-seeded Syracuse, OSU led by eight points with 59 seconds to play and held on after the Orange cut it to three. It’s the first Final Four for Ohio State since the 2007 team lost to Florida in the national title game.
Kansas (31-6) has won 14 of its past 15 games, with the only defeat coming at the hands of Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. Unlike OSU, Kansas has been seriously threatened twice in this tournament. In the Round of 16, the Jayhawks beat Purdue 63-60 but only thanks to a layup with just over 23 seconds left when KU was down 60-59. And in the Sweet 16, Kansas held off No. 11 seed NC State 60-57. The Jayhawks handled top-seed North Carolina 80-67 in the Elite Eight but that score was misleading as KU was only up one point before closing on a 12-0 run and holding UNC without a basket over the final 5:46. This is KU’s first final four since the Jayhawks won the 2008 national title over Memphis.
This game features a matchup of All-American big men Thomas Robinson of Kansas, the Big 12 Player of the Year, and Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger. Robinson has set a school-record with 26 double-doubles this season and leads Kansas in NCAA Tournament games with 15.8 ppg and 12.5 rpg. Sullinger, one of four sophomore starters for OSU, is averaging nearly a double-double with 17.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this season. It’s possible that KU coach Bill Self chooses to go with 7-foot center Jeff Withey on Sullinger at times defensively. Withey has blocked 20 shots in this tournament, including 10 against NC State. The point guard matchup of OSU’s Aaron Craft and KU’s Tyshawn Taylor also can’t be missed. Taylor torched North Carolina, which was without Kendall Marshall. But Craft is arguably the nation’s top defender among guards.
Ohio State and Kansas met for the first time in 11 years back on Dec. 10 in Lawrence. Kansas won 78-67 victory, but Sullinger was unavailable that afternoon due to a back injury. Evan Ravenel, Sullinger's replacement, recorded nine points and five rebounds. Robinson had 21 points and seven boards for KU and Taylor had a career-high 13 assists despite playing on a bad knee.
The battle for bragging rights in the Commonwealth of Kentucky usually only happens once a year, with a heated annual regular-season matchup between the University of Kentucky and Louisville. But on Saturday night in New Orleans in the opening game of the 2012 Final Four, the rivalry goes to a whole new level and the entire commonwealth is in hysteria over it. UK is an 8.5-point favorite to advance to the national title game on Bovada’s NCAA basketball odds and there will be live play-by-play betting available.
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This will be the first time that UK and U of L ever have met this deep in the NCAA Tournament and it’s the first time they have faced off in the Big Dance since 1983. And of course one big storyline is the rivalry between coaches Rick Pitino and John Calipari.
Pitino brought Kentucky out of NCAA sanctions in the mid-1990s and won a championship in 1996. And Pitino got Calipari his first head coaching job at UMass – Kentucky beat UMass in the 1996 Final Four. The two used to be friends but now the relationship is frosty at best. Pitino is 4-7 all-time against Kentucky as the Louisville coach and 0-3 against Calipari. At Kentucky, Pitino was 6-3 against Louisville. But he is also 4-0 all-time against Coach Cal in postseason tournament games.
These two schools, separated by 75 miles, met on New Year’s Eve at Rupp Arena. The Cats won 69-62 behind freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist’s career game of 24 points and 19 boards. Fellow frosh Anthony Davis, the national player of the year, had 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks. Kentucky (36-2), the -140 overall favorite to cut down the nets on Monday and the only top seed left in this tournament, has won its first four NCAA Tournament games by double digits, the first team to do that in three years.
No. 4 Louisville (30-9) is on an eight-game winning streak after running to the Big East title – it is the third straight Big East Tournament champ to reach the Final Four (UConn won it all last year). The Cardinals have had two close calls in the Big Dance and were underdogs in the Sweet 16 against Michigan State and in the Elite Eight against Florida. The Cardinals have an adjusted defensive efficiency of 84 points allowed per 100 possessions, tops in college basketball, but they don’t really have a go-to scorer. In the first meeting with UK, Russ Smith had 30 points but no other player more than eight. This is the sixth Final Four trip for Pitino and first since 2005.
The Louisville Cardinals are big 8.5-point underdogs for their Final Four matchup against the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats in New Orleans on Saturday, and they're underdogs on the college basketball prop bets for the contest as well.
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Bettors who think Kentucky will get off to a fast start on Saturday can find them as the -140 favorite to score the first points in the contest, and at -190 to score the first 10 points and -220 to put up the first 20 points. They're also at -110 to score the first three-pointer.
Louisville sits back at EVEN to score first on Saturday night, and they're also at +145 to be the first team to 10 points and at +155 to first score 20 points. The Cardinals, however, are the -130 favorites to score the first three-pointer in the game.
High-flying Kentucky has put up scores of 81, 87, 102 and 82 points through their first four games of the NCAA Tournament, and bettors at Bovada can wager on their posted OVER/UNDER of 72.5 points for Saturday night's game.
Louisville scored 69, 59, 57, and 72 points against their first four March Madness opponents and their OVER/UNDER for this Final Four matchup is set at just 64 points.
As well, Kentucky sits at 10/1 odds to win by 1-2 points on Saturday, at 9/2 to win by 3-6 points, at 6/1 to win by 7-9 points and at 9/1 to win by 10-13 points. You can also get Kentucky at 9/2 odds to win by 21+ points on the night.
Louisville is set at 12/1 odds to win by 1-2 points, and that jumps to 9/1 odds to win by 3-6 points, and all the way up to 20/1 odds to win by 7-9 points on Saturday night.
On the player props board Kentucky's Anthony Davis (2/1) and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (5/1) currently lead the way on the odds to win the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award, with teammate Doron Lamb at 15/1. Louisville's Peyton Siva is listed at 18/1 odds.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are pegged as the three-point favorites on the March Madness betting lines for their Final Four matchup against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday night, but along with the basic spread there are also plenty of prop wagers available for the contest this weekend.
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Ohio State is listed as the -125 favorite to score the first points in the game, and they're also at -130 to score the first 10 points, and at -140 to score the first 20 points. As well, the Buckeyes are favored at -130 to score the first 3-pointer in the contest.
You can then get the Jayhawks as underdogs on each of those props – they're at -115 to score the first points, -110 to score the first 10 points, EVEN to score the first 20 points, and -110 to score the first 3-pointer on the night.
Totals bettors who want to focus on just one of the schools can wager on the OVER/UNDER for either Ohio State or Kansas on Saturday. For the Buckeyes, their OVER/UNDER for points is listed at 69.5 at Bovada; they've scored 78, 73, 81, and 77 points over their first four games of the NCAA Tournament.
Kansas' points OVER/UNDER for Saturday sits at 67.5 points, and they haven't been as prolific as Ohio State so far during March Madness – they've scored 65, 63, 60, and 80 points en route to the Final Four.
Buckeyes supporters can get 8/1 odds that their team will win by 1-2 points on Saturday, with 17/4 odds on 3-6 points and 7/1 odds on both 7-9 points and 10-13 points. The Jayhawks are at 8/1 to win by 1-2 points and at 5/1 to win by 3-6 points in the contest.
Finally, Ohio State star Jared Sullinger enters the Final Four at 6/1 odds to win the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award, with teammate DeShaun Thomas at 9/1. The highest Kansas player on that list is Thomas Robinson, who is pegged at 8/1 odds.
Louisville made them work, covering the +8.5 NCAA odds, but the Kentucky Wildcats are heading to the NCAA Championship game.
Kentucky forward Anthony Davis, who was named the nation's top player before Saturday's contest, had 18 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, yelling out, "this is my stage" as they punched their ticket to the national title game with the 69-61 win. The Wildcats await the winner between Ohio State and Kansas.
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Despite all the stories of them hating each other, Louisville coach Rick Pitino said he conratulated John Calipari on his win and wished him luck in the national championship game.
"I just said John, `I'll be pulling for you, bring the trophy back home to Kentucky," Pitino said. "Sometimes there's a lot of talk about these guys fighting, dialysis, there's also really a lot of people that get along. ... For those that have brains, they root for each other."
"We like their basketball team; we hope they bring it home for the state."
Louisville outrebounded Kentucky 40-33, including a whopping 19-6 advantage on the offensive glass -- but they couldn't slow down the size and athleticism of Davis. His wingspan made every shot difficult around the basket, Louisville shot 35 percent from the field compared to Kentucky's 57 percent.
"I'm proud of this team. They're coming together," Calipari said. "They've taken on shots and runs like Louisville did today, and they've held their own, so I'm proud of them."
The Wildcats will likely be favored in the national championship game, however, the odds may be closer than bettors think. The Wildcats were out-hustled for stretches Saturday; an upset versus a team many bet on in NCAA futures is possible.
The Kansas Jayhawks made a late rally from a double-digit deficit, but just missed the +7 NCAA odds. Kentucky are the NCAA basketball national champions with a 67-59 win.
From the tip Monday night it was a track meet and the Jayhawks couldn’t keep up. The Wildcats jumped out to 10-plus lead early and led by as much as 18. And every time the Jayhawks made a run guard Doron Lamb would make a shot to take momentum back. The sophomore was 7 of 12 from the field and had a stretch where he dropped three 3 pointers from downtown in 38 seconds.
As for Naismith award winner Anthony Davis, the Wildcats forward finished with just six points on 1 of 10 shooting, but still dominated in other areas with 15 rebounds, six blocks and five assists. Davis’ six blocks are tied with former Florida Gator and current Chicago Bull Joakim Noah for most in the NCAA Championship Game.
The Jayhawks made a game of it late, getting the deficit down to five points with 1:11 remaining. But once the game was under a minute Kansas had to start fouling to stop the clock, building Kentucky's lead back up to eight.
Wildcats coach John Calipari earns the first NCAA title of his coaching career.
“We did it with defense, unbelievable defense in the first half,” Calipari said. “This is not about me it’s about these thirteen players; it’s about the Blue Nation.”
Cue “One Shining Moment” for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Some results for the NCAA Props in the Game:
Team to score first in the game - Winner: Kansas (-110)
Team to score the first 10 Points in the game - Winner: Kentucky (-155)
Team to score the first 20 Points in the game - Winner: Kentucky (-165)
Total Blocks: Kentucky Anthony Davis - Winner OVER 3.5 (-140)
Total Points, Rebounds and Blocks: Kentucky Anthony Davis - Winner OVER 29.5 (-120)
Total 3 Point Shots Made: Kentucky Doron Lamb - Winner OVER 1.5 (-150)
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The Kentucky Wildcats are listed as 6.5-point favorites against the Kansas Jayhawks on the college basketball betting lines for Monday's championship game, and they'll also be looking to pay off on the various game props set out for the contest.
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The Wildcats are favored at -130 to score the first points of Monday night's championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans, and they're also at -155 to score the first 10 points, and at -165 to score the first 20 points.
Looking for the Jayhawks to instead get the jump on the favorites on Monday? They're -110 underdogs to score first, and they're listed at +115 to put up the first 10 points and at +125 to toss in the first 20 points.
Kentucky is also at -175 to score the first 30 points, with Kansas at +135 on those odds.
Bettors that like to get their results early can also find Kentucky as the -135 favorite to hit the first three-pointer and at -130 to make the first foul shot. Kansas sits at -105 and -110, respectively, on those college basketball props for the title game.
The OVER/UNDER for the game is listed at 137 points at Bovada, but for the Wildcats alone you can get an OVER/UNDER of 72 points. Kentucky was held to just 69 points by Louisville in the Final Four, but they scored at least 81 points in their first four games of the tourney.
The Jayhawks' OVER/UNDER for Monday night is pegged at just 66 points, and they scored only 64 points in their win over Ohio State in the Final Four. Kansas has gone UNDER 66 points in four of their five games so far in the NCAA Tournament.
After pouring in 18 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the Final Four against Louisville on Saturday night what is Kentucky Wildcats star Anthony Davis going to do for an encore on Monday night in the March Madness betting title game of the NCAA Tournament?
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Well, if he repeats those numbers at the Superdome on Monday against Kansas he'll pay off for OVER bettors on the college basketball props at Bovada. Davis' OVER/UNDER for points in the title game is listed at 14.5, and for rebounds it's at 10.5.
On the season Davis averaged 14.4 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Fellow Wildcat Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was held to nine points and four rebounds by the Cardinals on Saturday, but averaged 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this season. Kidd-Gilchrist's OVER/UNDER for points for Monday is 11.5, and for boards it's at 7.5.
Thomas Robinson was Kansas' leading scorer this season at 17.7 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game, and he was good for 19 points and eight boards in his team's Final Four victory over Ohio State on Saturday night.
Robinson has an OVER/UNDER of 17.5 points for Monday's championship game, with his rebounds OVER/UNDER listed at 11.5.
Kansas teammate Tyshawn Taylor has an OVER/UNDER of 14.5 points and 4.5 assists for Monday; he averaged 16.5 points and 4.8 assists per game this season, and he picked up 10 points and nine assists against the Buckeyes on Saturday.
Along with all the other player props available at Bovada for Monday night, you can wager on which player will score the most points in the contest. Robinson is the favorite at 9/2 odds, followed by Davis at 5/1 and Taylor at 11/2. Kidd-Gilchrist is at 17/2 on that list.
T.J. Taylor has enrolled at two Division I programs in two-plus years. He will not play a minute at either of them.
Taylor originally enrolled at Oklahoma in 2010, but he suffered a concussion just before the start of the season and left school at the semester break, opting instead to go to Paris Junior College in Texas. The 6-foot-3 guard signed with Marquette in November 2011 and enrolled a few weeks ago, but his stint with the Golden Eagles didn't even last through the summer.
Read More: T.J. Taylor leaves second program without playing for either of them | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Tyler Gaby not only helped King Baseball to its first postseason berth since transitioning from NAIA but also stood atop Division II in one of the sport's statistical categories.
The sophomore outfielder finished the 2011-12 season number one in triples-per-game in the country. Among all three divisions, Gaby ranked second in the same category.
Gaby, a native of Bristol, Tenn., belted nine triples in 40 games to average 0.23 triples per game during King's first season as a NCAA Division II member. His mark for triples per game led the nation in the category and was 0.05 more than the next nearest Division II player, Dan Fratus of Stonehill College (0.18).
Read More: Former East Patriot Tyler Gaby Ends Season as NCAA Statistic Champion
Before they departed for gigs at different universities after the season, three members of the Clemson basketball support staff had one last round of dinner and drinks together at the 2010 Final Four in Indianapolis.
They invited a handful of video coordinators, equipment managers and graduate assistants they knew who worked for other programs. They swapped stories, shared ideas and exchanged career advice. And by the end of the night, they realized the evening had been so entertaining and informative that it shouldn't be a one-time-only event.
Read More: Rising Coaches Conference helps groom next generation of coaches | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Minnesota coach Tubby Smith agreed to terms Monday on a contract extension with the university through the 2016-17 season by adding three more years to his original deal.
Talks first began between Smith's agent and school officials during the 2010-11 season. After roughly a year and a half, the two sides finally reached a point where they were comfortable with both the language and the timing of the contract.
Terms of the deal weren't immediately available. Smith's original contract was signed for seven years and about $1.8 million annually.
Entering his sixth season with the Gophers, Smith has yet to win an NCAA tournament game since leaving Kentucky and coming to Minnesota. But the Gophers rallied in March after another below-average performance in Big Ten play to reach the NIT championship game and finish with 23 victories. Smith was unavailable for comment, but in a statement distributed by the university, he said, ''I believe that we can get the job done here. The commitment from the university is there to continue to grow the program, and I am looking forward to being a part of that.''
Read More: Minnesota, Smith agree on contract extension - Yahoo! Sports
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the landmark moments in the integration of college basketball, Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis invited Mississippi State and Loyola to play a commemorative game in old Jenison Field House in East Lansing.
Neither the Bulldogs nor the Ramblers were willing to venture off campus to play at the site of their historic 1963 NCAA tournament matchup, so they found another way to commemorate that game.
Read More: Mississippi State and Loyola will commemorate 50th anniversary of Game of Change | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Unlike most of his peers who rush to the DMV to take their driving test soon after they turn 16, Zac Nuttall is in no hurry to get his license. The 17-year-old has spent so much time this summer playing basketball, working out with trainers or getting up shots at the gym that car rides with his parents to practices or games are the only time he has to rest. Nuttall napped much of the time the family spent in the car last week driving 120 miles a day to and from the Best of the Summer Tournament in Anaheim.
Read More: Make-or-break month: Rigorous schedule doesn?t give Zac Nuttall time to stress | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Link Jarrett, a two-time Assistant Coach of the Year award winner and offensive mastermind, has been named the second coach in UNCG baseball history, Director of Athletics Kim Record announced Wednesday.
Jarrett brings 13 years of coaching experience to the program, including stops at Flager, Mercer, Florida State, East Carolina and Auburn.
"We are thrilled to welcome Link Jarrett to UNCG and excited for the new direction of our baseball program," Record said. "He has a proven track record developing players and producing some of the top offensive numbers in the country.
Read More: UNCG Names Link Jarrett Head Baseball Coach | digtriad-com
As he reviewed the divorce settlement his ex-wife's lawyer handed him earlier this year, Michael noticed an inequity he hadn't anticipated.
His ex-wife requested custody of their son and daughter for four Jewish holidays and half their Christmas vacation. The only Catholic holiday he'd intended to ask for in the custody agreement besides Christmas was Easter.
"I'm thinking to myself, 'This is highly unbalanced,'" said Michael, who requested only his first name be printed in this story to protect his kids. "I'm not a very religious person, so I tried to think of culturally some other things that are important to me that I wanted to make sure I share with my kids."
Two of the three days Michael requested to have 7-year-old Julia and 5-year-old Liam were St. Patrick's Day and Super Bowl Sunday, nothing too out of the ordinary. His third request, however, was one neither his attorney nor his wife's had ever encountered before.
Michael asked for Julia and Liam to be with him on the day of the NCAA men's basketball title game if Syracuse is one of the two teams playing.
Read More: Syracuse fan makes unusual custody request in divorce settlement | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
In the short time since he learned that incoming recruit Michael Haynes had been shot and killed in Chicago on Thursday night, Iona coach Tim Cluess can't stop dwelling on one aspect of the tragedy.
Cluess wonders what would have happened if Haynes had been able to avoid trouble for a few more weeks and make it to Iona in time for the start of fall quarter on Aug. 28.
"That's the toughest part," Cluess said. "You know the kid's life would have turned out so differently and this never would have occurred. He had a bright future. He couldn't wait to get out here, get started on a new life and get away from a neighborhood he knew was really dangerous.
"He was so happy about the opportunity and so excited about the new start. When you talked to him, he wasn't a typical kid you recruit where you have to drag words out of him. You could hear the excitement in his voice."
Read More: Iona grieves over the tragic death of incoming recruit Michael Haynes | The Dagger: College Basketball Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Neil Reed, the former Indiana basketball player who coach Bob Knight was caught on tape choking in 1997, has died after collapsing in his Central California home. He was 36.
Pioneer Valley High School Principal Shanda Herrera said Reed died Thursday morning of heart complications in Nipomo, Calif.
In March 2000, Reed accused Knight of choking him during a practice in 1997.
When video of the practice surfaced backing Reed's claim, the Hall of Fame coach, who was known for his temper as well as his success, was put on a zero-tolerance policy by then-Indiana University President Dr. Myles Brand.
That September, Knight, who became head coach at Indiana in 1971 and won three national championships, was fired after a student accused him of grabbing his arm.
''Believe it or not, I'm not happy that Indiana fired Coach Knight,'' Reed told ESPN The Magazine at the time. ''I don't have any feelings about it, mostly because I've had to stand alone for so long. In a way, I've been proven right, but that doesn't make my life any easier.''
Read More: Former Indiana basketball player Neil Reed dies - Yahoo! Sports
Duke's 104-103 overtime over Kentucky in the 1992 East regional championship game is still widely considered to be the greatest college basketball game of all-time. It didn't go down without controversy, however, as Wildcat fans are still irate that eventual hero Christian Laettner wasn't ejected for stomping on UK's Aminu Timberlake during the second half.
Read More: Anthony Davis Gets Revenge For Game Played Before He Was Born - From Our Editors - SBNation-com
The NCAA has handed Central Florida a one-year postseason ban in football and men’s basketball. ESPN-com’s Andy Katz first reported the news on Twitter.
UCF was punished by the NCAA due to the relationship between several of its coaches and sports agency representative Ken Caldwell, who acted as a middle man between recruits and agents while simultaneously acting as a representative of the university and pushing recruits towards UCF. In addition to having connections to professional agents, Caldwell is a twice-convicted criminal.
Central Florida's troubles began in August 2011 when a New York Times story brought to light many of the issues that ultimately led to these sanctions. The NCAA began its investigation last August, and UCF athletic director Keith Tribble resigned in November after being accused of providing misleading information.
In February, Central Florida notified the NCAA of several self-imposed penalties, none of which included postseason bans.
Read More: Central Florida Receives 1-Year Postseason Ban In Men's Basketball And Football - SBNation-com
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Ohio State (31-7), the +290 second-favorite to cut down the nets on Monday night, enters having won eight of nine games, with the only loss a close one to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament final. The Buckeyes have been tested here and there in this NCAA Tournament but were never really in serious jeopardy of a loss at the end. In their 77-70 Elite Eight win over top-seeded Syracuse, OSU led by eight points with 59 seconds to play and held on after the Orange cut it to three. It’s the first Final Four for Ohio State since the 2007 team lost to Florida in the national title game.
Kansas (31-6) has won 14 of its past 15 games, with the only defeat coming at the hands of Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament. Unlike OSU, Kansas has been seriously threatened twice in this tournament. In the Round of 16, the Jayhawks beat Purdue 63-60 but only thanks to a layup with just over 23 seconds left when KU was down 60-59. And in the Sweet 16, Kansas held off No. 11 seed NC State 60-57. The Jayhawks handled top-seed North Carolina 80-67 in the Elite Eight but that score was misleading as KU was only up one point before closing on a 12-0 run and holding UNC without a basket over the final 5:46. This is KU’s first final four since the Jayhawks won the 2008 national title over Memphis.
This game features a matchup of All-American big men Thomas Robinson of Kansas, the Big 12 Player of the Year, and Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger. Robinson has set a school-record with 26 double-doubles this season and leads Kansas in NCAA Tournament games with 15.8 ppg and 12.5 rpg. Sullinger, one of four sophomore starters for OSU, is averaging nearly a double-double with 17.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game this season. It’s possible that KU coach Bill Self chooses to go with 7-foot center Jeff Withey on Sullinger at times defensively. Withey has blocked 20 shots in this tournament, including 10 against NC State. The point guard matchup of OSU’s Aaron Craft and KU’s Tyshawn Taylor also can’t be missed. Taylor torched North Carolina, which was without Kendall Marshall. But Craft is arguably the nation’s top defender among guards.
Ohio State and Kansas met for the first time in 11 years back on Dec. 10 in Lawrence. Kansas won 78-67 victory, but Sullinger was unavailable that afternoon due to a back injury. Evan Ravenel, Sullinger's replacement, recorded nine points and five rebounds. Robinson had 21 points and seven boards for KU and Taylor had a career-high 13 assists despite playing on a bad knee.