There is no replacement for actually watching the games. My name is Matty D. I am a college basketball junkie. And, although I respect big data stat gurus like kenpom.com, this website is the antithesis of that. Talk hoops with me and tell me what you've actually seen. What players step up in clutch situations? Which coaches make the right adjustments? Who disappears when the lights get bright? The "college basketball eye test" is a chat dedicated to storylines bubbling below the surface before they become national trends. Check the first-ever article I wrote on this website. I listed UCONN as one of 5 underdogs I could see winning the NCAA title. They did. Last season Darren Rovell tweeted visual proof of how I predicted upset victories for UAB and Georgia State together. Watch the games and join the conversation. Tweet @CBBEyeTest and have your observations added to the mix!
If you’re a fan of 1990s NBA basketball, you’re old. Another annual reminder is this newest crop of former NBA players who are now playing in college basketball.
And David Robinson’s son is still on a college basketball roster. He is 23-years-old.
2019-2020 Roster
North Carolina’s Cole Anthony is the son of former New York Knick Greg Anthony
Duke’s Justin Robinson is the son of Hall-of-Fame center, David Robinson
Vanderbilt’s Scotty Pippen Jr. is the son of Chicago Bulls 6-time Champion Scotty Pippen
College Basketball Futures Best Values
BY MATT DE SARLE
Like you, I am always curious to know the future odds for teams winning a national championship. My curiosity spikes right before the season begins. That’s when I am convinced that past performance dictates future results. And, as the disclaimers at the end of financial services commercials say, that cause-effect is never guaranteed.
However, the past performance from these 5 teams has me intrigued. If you’re reading this blog for the first time, welcome to the College Basketball Eye Test. As always, I am going to discuss characteristics that I see. A team’s personality dictates its winning potential. Yes, KenPom.com is outstanding at tracking metrics. Here, we track warning signs that are visible. You can see when a team is selfish, timid, lacking leadership, soft. On the contrary, it’s so enjoyable to watch a team that navigates adversity well, shows aggression, and doesn’t flinch when pushed. Here are my five times to consider putting a small wager on for a huge payout.
South Florida Bulls Basketball
5. Odds 750/1 in Preseason
The Bulls return nearly everyone from the 2018-2019 campaign. Alexis Yetna was on a lot of people’s radar as a possible breakout star. But he suffered a season ending injury as this season begun. As devastating of news as that is, the Bulls still have a lot of potential. And now they have a cause to rally around, and Yetna is still a young player with a bright future.
This team popped on my radar as it ran Memphis out of its gym last season. The Bulls got off to a 20 point lead by ripping the ball away, running the fast break, and banging threes with no conscience. Coach Brian Gregory has an impressive resume that includes leading a competitive George Tech team in the ACC and serving as an assistant to Tom Izzo at Michigan State. This team has the talent, identity, and leadership necessary to still make the tournament without Yetna. If they make the tournament and you have a 750-to-1 ticket (a $5 bet would pay $3,750) in your pocket, be sure to hedge your bet by taking its opponent as well. You will likely have a dangerous team heading into the field of 32.
Headlined by brothers Kaleb and Andre Wesson, this team is very interesting under the leadership of coach Chris Holtmann. Holtmann had immediate success at Ohio State, after also ushering a transitional era after Brad Stevens departure from Butler. There is a solid core here with a lot of guards who will compete for playing time and relevance. Holtmann should be trusted to pull the strings successfully. In a conference that hasn’t won a championship since 2000, and that program in Michigan State prepped to get all the attention, Ohio State may just slip under the radar until a Sweet 16 berth.
Give me Gregg Marshall and 400-to-1 odds any year.
Colorado Buffs Basketball futures
2. Odds 250/1 in the preseason
Tad Boyle is one of college basketball’s most under-appreciated coaches. Boyle has made 7 of 8 postseasons in his Colorado tenure. He has also supported the development of future pros, sending rotation-ready guys like Spencer Dinwiddie into the league. Last year was the first time in Boyle’s tenure that Colorado did not make the CBI, NIT, or NCAA tournament. However, a roster laced with underclassmen developed, and you could see it during the PAC-12 tournament. They advanced to the semifinals and gave #1 seed Washington a run for their money. Tyler Bey is a Shawn Marion in the making. The Colorado Buffs can run the floor, clog you up, and play any discipline they want. They’ve been surging in the PAC-12 while their peers like Arizona, UCLA and USC are amidst major changes (even some identity crisis). This is a conference where it was recently Utah’s turn for a tournament bid, Arizona State’s turn, and now it’s the Buffs turn. When the Buffs come to eat in the tourney, they’re arriving hungry.
Seton Hall Basketball Futures Odds
50/1 in the preseason
Seton Hall might be the sexiest of all sexy picks, so I won’t dwell too much. The bottom line is that Myles Powell may be the nation’s player of the year. If he does that, it should be in the fashion of a Jimmer Fredette or a Buddy Hield. He is a score-first guard but can distribute well. Sophomore wing Jared Rhoden showed flashes last year as a freshmen. If he and Myles Cale can be the complimentary swingmen they’re capable of, this roster has no shortage of dogs who can defend and rebound down low. Head coach Kevin Willard was rumored to take on jobs like UCLA and Virginia Tech this offseason, but doubled down on his pirates by declaring himself disinterested in those (perhaps) higher profile jobs. Willard will serve a two game suspension to start this season for transfer tampering. All in all, I am shocked that this team is a nebulous 50-1 wager headed into the season.
Here are 4 of my top 10 high value college basketball futures heading into the 2019-20 season! pic.twitter.com/Wq99w29LcW
The college basketball eye test is a blog that generates a few thousand page views every year. We are looking to expand this year with contributions from around the country. We are asking for contributors who are able to write and Skype for our team. We will mimic the tournament bracket with one contributor from every region: South, East, Midwest and West. This opportunity is voluntary. The benefits include cross-promotion on social media and hyperlinks on our website, in addition to great experience.
Preference will be given to people who will be in attendance during marquee games. The tentative list of teams we are interested in for contributions from each region include Ohio State in the Midwest, Colorado in the West, Seton Hall in the East, and Kentucky in the South. We are not married to these teams, but think they’ll be a center of action for the 2019-20 season.
Please e-mail a resume or just tell us about your interest level by e-mailing mattydmedia@gmail.com.
The so-called NBA prospects that rank highly in early February are not always the ones to rock the baseball cap in the first hour of the NBA Draft.
No, stocks rise and fall. And the whole sports nation watches March Madness.
Modern History Lesson: College Players Whose Stock Rose on NBA Draft Boards Because of March Madness
In 2006, LSU forward Tyrus Thomas was on no one’s radar as a top 10 pick. After his sensational play led the Tigers to the Final Four alongside Glen “Big Baby Davis,” Thomas found himself drafted #4 overall. That was moments before the likes of Rudy Gay, Randy Foye and Brandon Roy that year. A similar scenario happened with Joakim Noah during that era.
Hey, even the great Steph Curry wasn’t really on people’s radars until his Cinderella run with #10 seed Davidson. He was even deemed a risky pick at #7 overall in 2009.
Stock Up for these 5 NBA Prospects Come March 2019
Here are some players who currently don’t rank on the top 10 on the fashionable draft boards, but you’ll be hearing about spring of next year on an NBA roster.
Eric Paschall’s NBA Draft Stock
Eric Paschall – Villanova G/F
If LeBron James takes to social media to compare you to current NBA pro Paul Millsap, there really isn’t much else to say. I will say this for the people not familiar with Millsap’s game. At first glance, you might make the mistake of thinking he is undersized. Paschall is a tenacious rebounder, scorer, defender, there isn’t an act on the basketball court that this guy does half-ass.
However, currently, he is listed as a second round draft pick by top Google search result, NBA Draft.net. Those experts have him going 33rd overall to the Orlando Magic as this article premieres on February 3, 2018.
Do you know of an NBA team not looking for a “power 4” who can stretch the floor with 3PT-abilities. Johnson has the perfect measurables at 6-8 and 215, and was torching the nets at 47% from 3PT in early February. His teammate Nassir Little ranks in the top 10 on draft boards, but two Tar Heels could soon occupy the top 10. NBA Mock Draft.net currently has him listed at #42 overall.
Rui Hachimura’s NBA Draft Stock
3. Rui Hachimura – Gonzaga F
In early February, Sports Illustrated updated its mock draft board to reflect the “skyrocketing” prospects. Somehow they fell asleep and didn’t include Rui Hachimura in the top 10. This dude will be a top 7 pick, and has the ceiling of being a top 3 pick. He is one of college basketball’s best mid-range jump shooters. Hachimura is a tough cover, as a slippery 6-8 for bigger guys and a large load to handle for the smaller guys. Rui averages 20 points and 6 rebounds a game, on a loaded roster. We get it, this Gonzaga swingman was listed 11th overall by SI.com at the time. However, when this Gonzaga squad gets it rolling in March, look for #Rui trending on a Twitter timeline near you. And he’s just a junior.
If Deandre Ayten can go #1 overall, Fernado is a lock for top 10. He is not the full court sprinter as much as Ayten, but might compensate with a little more nastiness on the defensive end. Fernado is becoming more agile as a new age NBA center type. Ayten is the comparison worth considering.
To pick on SI.com again, they had Fernando going #17th overall to the Brooklyn Nets.
DeAndre Ayten Bruno Fernando Comparison
Markus Howard’s NBA Draft Stock
5. Okay, this one actually pisses me off. In world where Trae Young is drafted #5 overall, how the hell is Markus Howard ranking #41 overall as we speak?
If you haven’t seen Howard, it may be because he doesn’t play on ESPN channels. And therefore, the hype machine hasn’t been pumping the way that machinery has been moving since Thanksgiving with Zion Willamson. You rarely see a Markus Howard highlight package on SportsCenter. But this guy is averaging an even 25 points a game, having dropped 45 points on 14th-ranked Buffalo, 53 on Creighton, and 45 on the K-State Wildcats (widely considered on of the nation’s best defenses).
Dude, come on now.
Watch the highlight package…
Related: Does it seem like less sons of NBA players are in the college game today? You’ll be blown away to see how many there were just three years ago! Click here.
If you feel like there family ties throughout college basketball, you’re right. It’s not just sons of NBA players who are smattering the college basketball landscape this year. It’s sons of pro players, brothers of pro players, brothers playing together, player coach son-father combos, and players with family members starring in other professional sports. Yes, college basketball is fun to begin with. But when you add the guessing game of, “why does that guy look familiar?,” or “I remember when his pops was…” it makes it enjoyable on a different level.
3 Brothers Playing Together For Vermont Basketball
Photo courtesy of the Burlington Free Press. See the link below for
Topping this list is the clearly the Duncan brothers. They take the cake. For the first time since the Plumlee brothers at Duke University, the three siblings are together on an NCAA roster. And they all get playing time. In fact, each younger brother beat out his predecessor in their Evansville high school record book. They’re only the fourth trio of brothers to ever play together in Division 1 college basketball.
Kaleb Wesson and Andre Wesson (both left) are one of several pairs of brothers in the NCAA game today. Photo: Ohio State Athletics
There is a very real chance that four pairs of brothers get playing time together during March Madness. In fact, it would not shock anyone watching closely if that’s the case for the Sweet Sixteen. Kansas, Nevada, Ohio State, and Marquette all have brothers who log minutes together. And all of those teams ranked top 40 on kenpom.com and on most bracketology projects in mid-February.
Andre and Kaleb Wesson grew up in Columbus, Ohio, and are now fulfilling a family dream of playing for the Buckeyes together.
K.J. and Dedric Lawson played two years for Memphis before bolting to Lawrence, Kansas to play for Bill Self and the crimson and blue.
Sons of NBA Players in College Basketball 2018-2019
Let’s get to the sons of NBA players on current college basketball rosters. There are many holdovers from last year: First, the son of NBA legend Julius Erving, Jules Erving, is just a sophomore at California. Justin Robinson, the son of Hall of Fame Center David Robinson, is still working his way in the Duke University rotation. Trey Mourning, another offspring of a 1990’s All Star Center (Alonzo Mourning), is now playing for coach Patrick Ewing at Georgetown Talk about a big man fraternity! B.J. Stith remains on an Old Dominion roster where his brother used to play and father (longtime Denver Nugget) Bryant Stith coaches. And Wyatt Lohaus, the son of former Milwaukee Bucks forward Brad Lohaus, plays on the UNI team. All of these players are holdovers from a stacked “sons of NBA players” 2017-18 roster.
Former NBA player (and Duke great) Johnny Dawkins is not only the proud papa of a current college basketball player. He is also the coach of Aubrey Dawkins at UCF.
Sons of NBA Players Coming Soon To College Hoops
If you are a college basketball fanatic like me, you remember Jamal Mashburn, Greg Anthony, and Kenyon Marton more so for their college basketball contributions. Well, their sons “have next.” Check out this unbelievable list of prodigy children of NBA stars set to play in college basketball 2019-2020 and beyond: Courtesy 247Sports.com.
Siblings of NBA Players in College Basketball
Now for the fun part. Can you name current NBA players who have little brothers in the college game?
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) March 8, 2018
13. Terrell Miller – Murray State Racers
Terrell Miller makes the NBA’s Nene look thin-haired.
Terrell Miller Jr. is congratulated by @MurrayStatePrez Bob Davies following the Racers' victory against Jacksonville State. Miller had 18 points and 18 rebounds in the game. pic.twitter.com/LrNMqLunPp
8. Collin Sexton – Alabama Tide
This freshman has entered the college game and surpassed his own teammates – like Dazon Ingram and John Petty – with the voluminousness.
Alabama ends the half on a 6-0 run to trail by four at the break.
2. Jacob Evans – Cincinnati Bearcats
Coaches nationwide are looking for versatile players this time of year. Evans has displayed his range this season, showcasing earlier this season the short dreads, and now sporting something more reminiscent of the 1990s New York Knicks front court.
Each year, ESPN’s Champions Classic is promoted as the real tip-off to the college basketball season. It always features a rotation of match-ups among these powerhouses: Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Duke.
There are also reports that the Champions Classic may literally kick-off the NCAA season next year, with no games tipping off before it. This year, it featured a sloppy matchup of Kansas versus Kentucky (Jayhawks win 65-61) and a Duke victory over Michigan State that left the viewer asking, “was this really a matchup of number 1 and number 2?”
However, tonight when Florida plays Duke and Michigan State plays North Carolina, it will feel like the Champions Classic that would have been if the planners had the ability to pair the nation’s best four teams.
Kansas’s roster is thinner than recent years. Kentucky’s is even more immature than recent years. Meanwhile, top 10 ranked teams like (2) Arizona is struggling (losing three consecutive games) and (6) Wichita State is without its primary scoring wing, Markis McDuffie. Swapping-in defending champion UNC with an incumbent veteran roster of Gators would be the ideal substitute for a Champions Classic.
Luckily, for college basketball fans, they’ll get that final four after a full slate of football Sunday. It’s the semifinals of the PK80 Invitational!
(1) Duke versus (7) Florida TIP OFF 10:30 EST
Let’s start with Florida. The gators are returning an experienced team, highlighted by its gritty backcourt of KeVaughn Allen and Chris Chiozza. Add-in Russian-born guard Egor Koulechov, Kevarrius Hayes, and a load of talented underclassmen, and you have a national contender. The Florida Gators already accomplished a great resume-builder during this tournament. They beat the defacto hometown team, the Gonzaga Bulldogs (games in Portland). Meanwhile, Duke had an impressive win itself. They came storming back in the final stanzas against a Texas Longhorns team that looked like it could bring Havoc to teams down the line. It’s Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s youngest starting roster since 1982-83. The Blue Devils start senior Grayson Allen with 4 freshmen, headlined by forward Marvin Bagley III.
(4) Michigan State versus (9) North Carolina TIP OFF 8:30 EST
UNC is somehow overlooked at number 9. Yes, they have lost Justin Jackson and Tony Bradley to the NBA draft. However, they return importance piece of last year’s championship team. They include Joel Berry II, Luke Maye, Kenny Williams and Theo Pinson. Michigan State has the next coming of Vince Carter in Miles Bridges, along with a huge cast of sophomores who can grow into something special.
This blog has been keeping track of the impressive number of second generation NCAA players whose fathers played in the NBA for a number of years. Before we get into the list of sons of NBA stars in college basketball, here is a roster of them from recent years:
This year’s list of second generation basketball stars is headlined by freshmen Jules Erving, son of NBA legend Julius Erving, and top recruit Gary Trent, Jr., who is the son of former Dallas Maverick and Minnesota Timberwolves player, Gary Trent.
If you wager on college basketball, you know that it is a turbulent market. Normally, the blue bloods like Kentucky and Duke are always 12-to-1 or lower. However, in the 15-to-1 plus territory, there are normally always great values.
And, if you bet the tournament, holding stock of a great futures bet made in November can help you hedge as the Sweet 16 and beyond approach.
Here are our top 4 future values to win a championship at this point in the season.
Ironically, two of these teams have played each other.
Minnesota 80/1
Sitting at number one are the Gophers. As a veteran club with size and 2017 tournament experience, college basketball’s only Pitino coach could make a serious run in the spring.
2. Wichita State 16/1
The Shockers should be the favorite on this list to win a championship, and their value at this point is spot-on. As the season continues, pay close attention to Markis McDuffie. If Wichita State wants to win a title, he may need to bring his scoring to a new level.
3. Cincinnati 40/1
The Bearcats have a balanced roster and one of the nation’s best coaches. Justin Jennifer is the go-to point guard after sharing the role last year with Troy Caupain, who had the nation’s 6th best assist-to-turnover ratio. Senior Gary Clark will the the headlines as a versatile scorer, but keep an eye on senior Kyle Washington, an ambidextrous power forward who blended into the rotation nicely after transferring to Cincy.
4. Providence 125/1
Providence has one of the nation’s most underrated coaches, in Ed Cooley. Last year, the Friars recovered well after losing two NBA draft picks from its roster. They lost to USC in the tournament, ironically, by a close margin. Yet, USC is a sexy pick as a future (just 28/1) while Providence is not. Watch last year’s highlights and compare rosters:
College Basketball Eye Test 