Happy Veteran’s Day Bucketheads! First and foremost we want to thank those who have and continue to serve in our military. We appreciate all the sacrifices that have been made and express our gratitude to those whom enable us to enjoy and share our love for college hoops.
Now, let’s continue to our third and final set of picks to win it all this season. Neither of these teams are dramatic long shots, but neither are the most obvious picks either. Both have been getting some pre-season hype from the basketball pundits however, and one team holds a special place in this buckethead’s heart…
Illinois 15/1
(+1500)
Why this bet will come through:
It’s been a while since we’ve seen odds like this for the Illini, unless you were betting on a head coach getting fired.
Super-guard Ayo Dosunmu will shoot better than 29% from 3 and maintain his clutch-time heroics in the tournament. He should have plenty of space to operate as defenses will have to focus on a So. Kofi Cockburn. The big 7-footer has an old school post game that is simply too much for the modern college post defender. The Illini mix veteran leadership with the best freshman guard duo in the B1G in Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo. If this team can find a way to gel, they could cut down the nets in Indy.
Why you don’t want to bet the college fund:
Coach Brad Underwood and his team of overachievers will eventually wake up and realize they’re Illinois. This team can look pedestrian at times, as evidenced by a brutal home loss to Miami and the Bragging Rights game against Missouri. The Illini were ranked #310 in 3P% last season nationally. If the shooting continues the way of winter temperatures in Champaign, Illinois will be hard to trust.
Tennessee 28/1
(+2800)
Why this bet will come through:
Coach Barnes found himself in a rebuild year last season after Grant Williams and Jordan Bone left early for the NBA. To make matters worse, their best player and senior PG, Lamonte Turner was lost mid-season to a shoulder injury. That ended up being a boon for the Vols however, as it paved the way for Santiago Vescovi to enroll and start immediately. He and former 5-star recruit, Triple-J, Josiah-Jordan James should anchor the Tennessee backcourt. All-SEC PF John Fulkerson, human He-Man action figure Yves Pons, and some key newcomers including grad transfer E.J Anosike, Oregon transfer Victor Bailey Jr, and 5-star frosh Keon Johnson and Jaden Springer round out a flexible and talented lineup that has elite defensive potential.
Why you don’t want to bet the college fund:
While Barnes has notched over 700 wins as a D1 head coach and is widely regarded as one of college basketball’s best recruiters, his tournament resume has been relatively underwhelming (eh hem…’07 Kevin Durant). In spite of the incoming talent and media attention, this is still a 14-loss team from last season that only shot 31% from 3 and ranked #280 in TO%. There are still a LOT of pieces that have to fall into place for this team to make that sort of run.
