Degen Madness Final Four
What a tournament this Degen Madness has been. As a guy who covers college basketball pretty much year round I was dealt a brutal blow when March Madness was cancelled. Luckily, we here at SGP created this awesome simulation. I was a skeptic coming into it but Degen Madness has really filled the void that is sports in this time of need. Now we get down to the Final Four teams in this tournament in what should be perhaps the best night yet of Degen Madness.
The overs are still hitting at a remarkable rate but the dogs have somewhat come back down to earth (SD St and Zona were favorites). As always, all betting (spreads, totals, odd/even, etc) on MyBookie.AG. Remember all games can be viewed on Twitch, YouTube, Twitter (@GamblingPodcast), Twitter (@theSGPNetwork), Facebook, and Instagram.
San Diego State @ Kansas
Line: Kansas -4.5
Total: 90
Friday 6pm PST
Kansas has yet to be tested this entire Degen Madness tournament but if there was ever going to be one team to perhaps test the Jayhawks it’s our gals from San Diego State. The Aztecs have been a team of destiny all year. They were the last Division 1 basketball team to lose a game. Starting off 28-0 before dropping a couple games. The Aztecs have filled America’s void as the mid major that could and they’re no gimmick, this team has earned its spot as one of the best teams of 2020.
If the Aztecs are going to pull off the upset they are going to need to do a couple things starting with tempo. The flaw of the Jayhawks team is they may not be the best team in transition. Kansas has big men all over the court and well that can slow things down. San Diego State should look to push things here. The one clear cut advantage to me in this game may just be Aztec guard Malachi Flynn and forward Matt Mitchell. They could be defensive mismatches for Kansas. If I were the Aztecs I’d consider playing small ball against the Jayhawks and try take their bigs out on the perimeter and make them really work on the defensive end. Aztec three point specialist KJ Feagin needs to be on from deep so Kansas is forced to come out and respect the Aztec longball.
If you are Kansas I guess you just want to continue with what has got you here. A heavy dose of Udoka Azubuike and great guard play from Devon Dotson. One thing we have yet to see in Degen Madness is Azubuike get in foul trouble. Perhaps that’s the secret to this Jayhawks team losing.
The Jayhawks have blown out both Michigan and Texas Tech and they seem to really feed off the crowd at home in Kansas. Kansas got a great game out of guard Ochai Agbaji in the Elite 8 against Texas Tech. If the Jayhawks get a third player in on the action like Agbaji they are pretty much unbeatable.
Prediction:
All the action should be leaning on Kansas -4.5 for tonight but there’s something magical about San Diego State. There’s a reason we at SGP call them “our gals” the Aztecs have been a money making machine for us over the years and well I’m not going to start fading them now. Give me the Aztecs plus the points as Malachi Flynn has his best tournament game yet.
Arizona @ Ohio State
Line: Arizona -1.5
Total: 94
Friday 7pm PST
The darlings of Degen Madness the Arizona Wildcats led by most likely the player of Degen Madness Nico “Fireball” Mannion hit the road yet again to Columbus, Ohio where the Wildcats will take on a very underrated Ohio State team.
The Buckeyes have been in my opinion the quietest team in the tournament. No sexy dunks and buzzer beaters but when you analyze what got them here it’s a blend of great in game adjustments by Christ Holtmann mixed with great timely play by the Wesson brothers Andre & Kaleb. Aside from that Duane Washington Jr. and DJ Carton have played absolutely huge down the stretch.
In the Elite 8 the Buckeyes got a absolutely huge game from forward E.J. Liddell. It’s as if everyone is playing their part and all 5 players of the starting five are playing their best ball at the right time of year but the real question is if they can do it two more times?
Arizona has been by far the craziest team of the tournament. They really should of lost in the opening round against Michigan State but they somehow survived a double overtime thriller. We’ve seen stories like this before though in March Madness. A team almost losses it’s first game but that close win somehow propels a team on a magical run that brings them home a national championship. Perhaps the Arizona Wildcats could be the next team to cling on to that stigma.
The Wildcats are led by Nico “Fireball” Mannion who has been absolutely lights out so far this tournament. If Ohio State can slow down Mannion they have a great shot of winning this game. When it’s not Mannion burying incredibly long three’s it’s Jemari Baker Jr. or UCI transfer Max Hazzard hitting big shots that keep Arizona in the game.
Prediction:
Look for Arizona and head coach Sean Miller to take a advantage of their west coast style of play and their tempo for they hold a clear cut advantage in that field against the Buckeyes. Ohio State will make great adjustments per usual but in the end Nico Mannion will be too much as the legend of Fireball Mannion continues with a couple huge shots late that propel Arizona to the National Championship game.
