Why Do College Basketball Players Transfer Schools

May 16, 2012  
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Over the past decade, the college basketball betting online world, has experienced an epidemic, of players either jumping to the NBA after one college season, or transferring to another program after two seasons. According to the NCAA itself, roughly 40 percent of the men, who play college basketball in the United States, will transfer from one program to another. At first glance, it is quick to conclude, that a player at a small school may transfer to a Division I program, yet the 40 percent statistic includes players jumping from major school to major school as well. Today we will look at why there are so many transfers in sports betting college basketball.

At the end of the day, the end goal for the majority of college basketball players is to make it to the NBA. As a result, when a player transfers from one school to the next, the belief by many is that the players are putting themselves in a more marketable position. For instance, forward Alex Oriakhi played three seasons at Connecticut, for 2011 National Champions the Huskies, yet when he saw his role diminish, he was quick to transfer to the Missouri Tigers. In theory, Oriakhi was convinced to come to Missouri, because his role would be more prevalent. With this in mind, Oriakhi must feel that he has a chance to make the NBA with Missouri instead of Connecticut.

Another reason many players transfer is due to being home sick. Whether it be college basketball or college football, a lot of these players at major programs, are from other states. With this being the case, they do not go home as often to see family, as someone living in state. This may cause them to lose focus at their current school, and lead to a transfer to one in their home state.

How A New Head Coach Affects A College Basketball Program

May 2, 2012  
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We are a month into the college basketball offseason, and already sportsbook enthusiasts are seeing how coaching changes can affect the culture of the programs they are taking over. On paper, the two most important alterations a struggling program can make is to the roster and the coaching staff. Today, we will look at why the addition of a new coach is far more important then the addition of new recruits from National signing day. Here is a sports betting online guide to the affects of new coaches.

For all intents and purposes, a coaching change is usually what happens when a program struggles. In many cases, the change in philosophy can be the difference between having to rebuild the program from scratch, and sticking with the current roster but using a new strategy. For example, when the UCLA Bruins failed to live up to expectation and return to the March Madness tournament this season, many local media outlets believed it wasn’t the players that needed to be cut from the team, but rather head coach Ben Howland. While NBA writers couldn’t get their wish with a firing of Howland, they were able to see two of three top recruits sign with the program.

On the other hand, a coaching change as we mentioned can sometimes be a good thing for a number of reasons. For instance, sometimes the message just gets old, or the players take advantage of the coach’s good nature. As a result, they fail to live up to the hype. However, with a new coach, the players are put on notice that their past actions will not be tolerated. This stance wasn’t evident at any school, more so then Southern Methodist University, who hired former NBA head coach Larry Brown to take over a struggling program. Brown is known as a stabilizer coach, as he goes into college and professional programs, changes the message, then a new coach comes in and puts the team over the top. Brown’s task at SMU will be to stabilize a program that hasn’t made the March Madness tournament in nearly 19 years!

How Scandals Affect College Basketball Teams

April 18, 2012  
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Last season, Bodog handicappers were shocked at the amount of scandal revealed in both college football and college basketball. Two dominant programs in both sports were brought to the forefront, as Penn State’s football program was brought into question when former coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested for molesting young boys. Then, in college basketball, Syracuse basketball also came into question, when long time coach Bernie Mayer was also accused of molesting young boys. Today, we will look at how scandals affect the odds on college basketball teams.

It starts with the coaching staff. Say what you will about the talent a team has, but without a good Head Coach or assistants, to formulate a game plan, even the most talented teams can put up awful performances. When a scandal happens, it affects every member of the team, as most college sports teams act as a second or in some case first family for the members of the roster. As a result, the performance before and after the scandal is greatly measured by NBA bookies.

For example, many people we included, believed that the Syracuse Orange were the team to beat this season, as they started out of the gate winning the first 20 games of the season. Then the Bernie Mayer scandal happened, and while the Orange continued to win games and increase their rankings, you could tell the loss of Mayer to suspension was heavily felt. Add that to the suspension of Fab Mello directly before the Big East Tournament, and it seemed only a matter of time before the Orange once again dropped the ball and missed the Championship game. With both Mayer and Mello on the sidelines, Syracuse would lose the Big East tournament, and be the second top seed to be eliminated in the March Madness Tournament.

Betting March Madness Futures

April 4, 2012  
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It’s been two days since baseball betting enthusiasts were able to watch the Kentucky Wildcats finally live up to expectation, and win the National Championship. As the confetti and netting are each cleared away, fans, media and diehard handicappers, are already in search of great odds for next year’s champion. Today, we will be looking at several marquee teams expected to be in the mix next season. You can find the odds on each of these teams, right here.

Kentucky Wildcats – Starting with the Champions, they automatically enter next season as the team to beat, regardless of which members of the current roster turn pro and which stay in school. For all intents and purposes, Anthony Davis should be the third John Calipari coached player in the last three years to be the number one pick in the NBA draft. But after Davis, the Wildcats could lose sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb, and fellow freshman Marquis Teague. Calipari is used to turning young studs into professionals, and has already drafted a strong class to fill the void next season. Next year’s team will feature Ryan Harrow a transfer from NC State, along with big man Kyle Wiltjer as his two scoring options.

Michigan Wolverines – The youthful Wolverines put up a stinker in the first round of this year’s tournament, as the inexperience was put on full display. With a season under their belts, and Jared Sullinger and Draymond Green each expected to go to the draft, the Wolverines could end up as Big 10 Champions next season. Along with the current core of Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jon Horford, the Wolverines will add freshmen Glen Robinson III and Mitch McGary. Many scouts see McGary as a combination between Kevin Love and Tyler Hansbrough, as he has the size and IQ to be a force in the NCAA.

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