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The NCAA Tournament may be winding down, but additional basketball opportunities are available. What random bet has the attention of The Gaming Juice's Brad Evans? He has one favorite play in the brand-new Crown Basketball Crown.
Washington State (19-14) vs. Georgetown (17-15)
Date: Monday, March 31
Time: 11 p.m. ET
TV: FS1
The pick — Washington State vs. Georgetown UNDER 159.5 (-110, BetMGM)
In theory, the College Basketball Crown, a tournament that debuts Monday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, is a novel concept for a sport in economic transition.
The Crown pits representatives from the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East — three powerhouse leagues loaded with talent and proven track records — in a single-elimination format with the winner collecting $300,000 in NIL earnings.
Again, the idea is a welcomed one. It provides the gaming community more opportunities on a nationally televised stage (FS1). Also, this bettor always embraces more chances to lose money.
However, trying to handicap the neutral-court action is an exercise equivalent to walking your rascally terrier without a proper leash or waste bag. (You should never ever stroll your craptastic pup sans poop sacks — never.)
Why?
Combined with the transfer portal’s opening — over 1,500 players have already entered it — the event’s timing greatly complicates matters. Sure, money does provide a suitable motivation, but almost every roster in the CBC has been impacted by departures. It’s anyone’s best guess how teams will coalesce, especially considering it has been weeks since participants played their last game.
In an attempt to predict the unpredictable, placing action on the above UNDER feels like a wise investment.
For starters, Washington State’s second- and sixth-leading scorers, Nate Calmese (15.2 points per game) and Isaiah Watts (11.0), have gone portaling. Georgetown, meanwhile, will be without former starting center Drew Fielder (7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game), who also decided to make the jump.
Yes, the pace should resemble a 100-meter dash. In their last seven games, the Cougars and Hoyas each rank inside the top 80 nationally in adjusted tempo. And given their plus offenses and beatable defenses — both rank No. 275 or higher in eFG% D since mid-February — it’s understandable why the implied total has the game in the low 80s.
Still, as BartTorvik (157 projected total), KenPom (152), Haslametrics (156) and EvanMiya (155) all suggest, the number seems too high. And the aforementioned absences should be impactful.
In Sin City, this often fallacious forecaster is rolling the dice that points won’t pile up. Give me the UNDER.
Season record: 33-32, -0.48 units