But Duke can't make the mistake it has made plenty all season long - assuming that things will be easy now. Texas Tech scores most of its points from the inside and it's hard to imagine without significant foul trouble from Mark Williams that they have an easy time doing so. But they're also 4-6 when allowing over 100, and Duke's been under 100 just twice all season. And that's the hesitation in this game - can Texas Tech score enough, especially if Duke is fully engaged on the defensive end, to pull the upset? Texas Tech is so good defensively that they've only lost one game all year when it didn't post an offensive efficiency over 100 - not a high bar to clear, but it's enough for that defense. If Texas Tech just had a touch more 3-point shooting, they'd be a national title favorite. Texas Tech does get called for a lot of fouls, which is good news for Duke, but there's not a whole lot else they do poorly on that end, blocking 12.2% of opponents' misses and allowing just 44% from inside the 3-point line, plus forcing turnovers on 23.5% of possessions. And that's good, because things will be tough against the Red Raiders and the nation's No. That was the equivalent of what Duke did against Michigan State, reminding itself that it can win games when things are tough. Our Take: When you're in a slump, sometimes you just need to see 1-2 go in to feel better. It'd be nice for Gonzaga to get him going. Meanwhile for Gonzaga, Chet Holmgren has only been in single digits scoring six times all season, but three have come in the last five games. Notae did have eight steals in Arkansas' Round of 32 win and averaged 17.5 points in the two games. Gonzaga's offense is elite, but its defense isn't too far behind. The Razorbacks must also manage to find some offense against Gonzaga's defense, and that will be the real issue here as scoring enough points to beat the Zags is easier said than done. When Arkansas won nine in a row earlier this season to save their postseason chances, they did it with defense, but that had slipped in recent weeks until New Mexico State. The Hogs do just about everything you could ask for well on defense except avoid fouling, and they'll need their defensive prowess. But they'll face an Arkansas team that also had to fend off upsets in the first two rounds, both against double-digit seeds. Their win over Georgia State was close at the half, and they had to rally to get past a talented 8-seed in Memphis. 1 seed, but they haven't exactly been dominant so far. It's difficult to estimate how much money bettors lost from the upsets because sportsbooks keep those numbers private.Our Take: Gonzaga might be the overall No. Roughly 45 million Americans are expected to place around $3.1 billion in bets during March Madness, according to the American Gaming Association. The Connecticut, Iowa and Kentucky upsets are noteworthy because they happened at a time when Americans are slated to place a record number of bets on the tournament due to the legalization of mobile sports betting in several large states. Fans who predict the winners using a bracket typically vie for cash prizes organized through an office pool from their employer or a friendly wager with family and friends. Some favor FanDuel or DraftKings sportsbooks for their bets while others complete a bracket using ESPN (the largest of the platforms), Yahoo or CBS Sports. "You can make it back, but for the people who are new to this and want to lay that kind of price down again, it's going to take time to win that back," he said.ĭays before the men's college basketball tournament begins, bettors place their wagers and complete brackets using more than a dozen different platforms. ESPN saw more than 17 million brackets completed for this year's March Madness, PlayUSA said, and about 8.8 million of them - or 52% -predicted Kentucky and Iowa would still be in the tournament. More than 101,000 brackets completed using ESPN are worthless now because they selected Iowa and Kentucky for the final championship game, according to data compiled by PlayUSA. Similarly, the University of Richmond beat the heavily favored University of Iowa, while New Mexico State University defeated the University of Connecticut, another elite school for basketball. Saint Peter's, however, shocked the Kentucky Wildcats in overtime 85-79. Most fans who completed a bracket picked the University of Kentucky - a high-achieving college hoops school - to defeat the lesser known Saint Peter's University of New Jersey. A trio of unexpected losses during the NCAA March Madness tournament this week have shattered more than half the brackets wagered and frustrated millions of college sports gamblers nationwide.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |