Can Harangody lead Irish to Big East title?
Can Harangody lead Irish to Big East title?
Now that we know who is and who isn't returning to college hardwood floors for the 2009-10 run to the Final Four, we can start to analyze the futures with a keener eye. Notre Dame will have their big man Luke Harangody back to help the Irish make a run for the Big East title after a disappointing 2008-09. Down in Texas, the Longhorns are loaded to give Kansas a run for the Big 12 as well as next April in Indianapolis.
Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have won the 2009 NBA championship, the eyes of the basketball world turn to the 2009 NBA Draft, scheduled for June 25 at Madison Square Garden. We already know that Blake Griffin is leaving the Oklahoma Sooners to join (provided negotiations go smoothly) the Los Angeles Clippers. But the decision to leave school gets harder to make the farther you go down the draft list.
NBA draftniks were glued to the newswires on Monday, as college players without agents had until 5:00 p.m. Eastern to pull their names out of contention. But these draft decisions won’t make much of a dent on the 2010 NBA championship futures market. It’s at the college level where programs will sink or swim next year based on these decisions. And yet the futures market for college hoops remains pretty quiet. March Madness betting odds have only been posted at a few select sites, including TheGreek, National Sports Advisors and SportsBetting.com.
Irish eyes will be smiling for at least one more year after power forward Luke Harangody decided to stay on at Notre Dame (+2000) for his senior campaign. Harangody was the Big East Player of the Year in 2008 and performed even better in 2009 with 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. But it wasn’t enough to stop the Fighting Irish from jumping the tracks in January with seven straight losses SU and ATS. With Harangody back in the mix and joining Purdue transfer Scott Martin, Notre Dame has a chance to put in a serious bid for the Big East title and beyond. Fellow competitors Syracuse and Georgetown don’t have much more to offer despite their +1200 price tag.
The ACC stole much of the Big East’s thunder last year thanks to a very strong middle class that included the pesky Maryland Terrapins (+7500), who got some very good news Monday when point guard Greivis Vasquez made the call to stay another year with the Turtle. It’s all about location – Vasquez plays the same position as potential lottery picks Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday and Brandon Jennings, all with stronger credentials.
Vasquez is wisely going for another year of seasoning with a team that should make a strong push up the national rankings, starting with an appearance at the Maui Invitational in November. Comparable ACC teams like Clemson and Boston College (each +5000) are much less of a bargain. And from an ATS standpoint at least, the last-place Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (also +5000) have a lot more potential for growth now that forward Gani Lawal is returning for his junior season.
The Big 12 race got that much more interesting when Damion James announced his intention to play one more year with the Texas Longhorns (+1500). James is the top returning scorer on the Longhorns at 15.4 points per game, along with 9.2 rebounds as a wing player. Impressive, and part of an experienced rotation that will benefit from the arrival of two highly touted freshmen: shooting guard Avery Bradley and small forward Jordan Hamilton. The Longhorns can now look forward to challenging the Kansas Jayhawks (+500) for the national championship at three times the payout.
Monday’s NBA Draft deadline wasn’t nearly as kind to the Kentucky Wildcats (+500). They were expecting junior shooting guard Jodie Meeks to be part of new head coach John Calipari’s first attempt at a national championship in Lexington. Instead, Meeks decided to forgo his final year of eligibility. He was the leading scorer in the SEC last year with 23.7 points per game and the primary reason (aside from Coach Calipari) the Wildcats were strong candidates to be named the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. They should still be competitive with superfrosh guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe on the way, but Final Four candidates North Carolina, Duke and Louisville are just as titleworthy at a more lucrative +800.
The price gap in each of these situations is likely to shorten as people turn their attention to the market later this summer. As always, the early bird gets the worm. Make sure to do your line shopping and be willing to do business with multiple reputable bookmakers; the market is anything but set in stone at this point.
Now that we know who is and who isn't returning to college hardwood floors for the 2009-10 run to the Final Four, we can start to analyze the futures with a keener eye. Notre Dame will have their big man Luke Harangody back to help the Irish make a run for the Big East title after a disappointing 2008-09. Down in Texas, the Longhorns are loaded to give Kansas a run for the Big 12 as well as next April in Indianapolis.
Now that the Los Angeles Lakers have won the 2009 NBA championship, the eyes of the basketball world turn to the 2009 NBA Draft, scheduled for June 25 at Madison Square Garden. We already know that Blake Griffin is leaving the Oklahoma Sooners to join (provided negotiations go smoothly) the Los Angeles Clippers. But the decision to leave school gets harder to make the farther you go down the draft list.
NBA draftniks were glued to the newswires on Monday, as college players without agents had until 5:00 p.m. Eastern to pull their names out of contention. But these draft decisions won’t make much of a dent on the 2010 NBA championship futures market. It’s at the college level where programs will sink or swim next year based on these decisions. And yet the futures market for college hoops remains pretty quiet. March Madness betting odds have only been posted at a few select sites, including TheGreek, National Sports Advisors and SportsBetting.com.
Irish eyes will be smiling for at least one more year after power forward Luke Harangody decided to stay on at Notre Dame (+2000) for his senior campaign. Harangody was the Big East Player of the Year in 2008 and performed even better in 2009 with 23.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. But it wasn’t enough to stop the Fighting Irish from jumping the tracks in January with seven straight losses SU and ATS. With Harangody back in the mix and joining Purdue transfer Scott Martin, Notre Dame has a chance to put in a serious bid for the Big East title and beyond. Fellow competitors Syracuse and Georgetown don’t have much more to offer despite their +1200 price tag.
The ACC stole much of the Big East’s thunder last year thanks to a very strong middle class that included the pesky Maryland Terrapins (+7500), who got some very good news Monday when point guard Greivis Vasquez made the call to stay another year with the Turtle. It’s all about location – Vasquez plays the same position as potential lottery picks Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, Jrue Holiday and Brandon Jennings, all with stronger credentials.
Vasquez is wisely going for another year of seasoning with a team that should make a strong push up the national rankings, starting with an appearance at the Maui Invitational in November. Comparable ACC teams like Clemson and Boston College (each +5000) are much less of a bargain. And from an ATS standpoint at least, the last-place Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (also +5000) have a lot more potential for growth now that forward Gani Lawal is returning for his junior season.
The Big 12 race got that much more interesting when Damion James announced his intention to play one more year with the Texas Longhorns (+1500). James is the top returning scorer on the Longhorns at 15.4 points per game, along with 9.2 rebounds as a wing player. Impressive, and part of an experienced rotation that will benefit from the arrival of two highly touted freshmen: shooting guard Avery Bradley and small forward Jordan Hamilton. The Longhorns can now look forward to challenging the Kansas Jayhawks (+500) for the national championship at three times the payout.
Monday’s NBA Draft deadline wasn’t nearly as kind to the Kentucky Wildcats (+500). They were expecting junior shooting guard Jodie Meeks to be part of new head coach John Calipari’s first attempt at a national championship in Lexington. Instead, Meeks decided to forgo his final year of eligibility. He was the leading scorer in the SEC last year with 23.7 points per game and the primary reason (aside from Coach Calipari) the Wildcats were strong candidates to be named the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. They should still be competitive with superfrosh guards John Wall and Eric Bledsoe on the way, but Final Four candidates North Carolina, Duke and Louisville are just as titleworthy at a more lucrative +800.
The price gap in each of these situations is likely to shorten as people turn their attention to the market later this summer. As always, the early bird gets the worm. Make sure to do your line shopping and be willing to do business with multiple reputable bookmakers; the market is anything but set in stone at this point.
