Nothing like starting your Sunday morning fresh with a hot cup of coffee, and the latest NCAA Basketball betting report. Let’s begin, shall we?
NCAA Basketball Betting News Report
Duke power forward Harry Giles is well on the way to recovery. He was ranked #2 in the 2016 recruiting class by 247 Sports’ Composite Rankings, but he tore an ACL back near the beginning of November. Duke took the #2 class overall as well, and Giles was a big part of it. Here’s what Harry posted on Twitter:
Surgery went great. Thanking God & everyone who prayed for me. These tough times make me a Monster I’ll be back‼️ pic.twitter.com/v6LIEWPaw3
— Harry Giles (@TheReal_HG3) November 24, 2015
When LSU met Marquette at Barclays Center on November 24, two of the most exciting freshmen in the NCAA squared off. LSU’s Ben Simmons and Marquette’s Henry Ellenson have been two of the biggest stories on the young season. Marquette won, 81-80, with Jajuan Johnson knocking down two key free throws with just 10 seconds remaining to seal the win. After Marquette had been upset by Belmont in the first game and had been routed by Iowa, this was the sort of win that could right the ship for their season. Marquette is likely to be a bubble team in March, and a win over a ranked team will come in handy. The real spectacle, though, was watching Simmons and Ellenson: Simmons had been the top-ranked player in the ESPN 100 recruits and had been getting a lot of publicity.
Elleson had been #5 on that same list. So far, Simmons is scoring 19.3 points per game and grabbing 14.5 rebounds while dishing out 5.3 assists. Ellenson has fewer points (14.5) and assists (2.3) but more rebounds (9.5). Simmons scored 21 points and grabbed 20 boards in this matchup, dishing out 7 helpers. He is strong at the rim (as he should be at 6’10”), but he also has handling skills that are unbelievable at his size. The fact that he can bring the ball up after a rebound gives LSU flexibility in transition. He can use his dribble to break down his defender, giving him a road to the lane, where he can either kick the ball out or take a high-percentage shot.
His passing skills rival that of the nation’s top point guards. He is much more patient than the typical freshman. Ellenson scored 16 points and went 2-for-2 behind the three point arc, grabbing 11 rebounds. He is also 6’10”, but he doesn’t have the ball-handling skills that Simmons does. He does have a refined shooting touch that allows him to step back and drain three-pointers. He fouled out of this game, showing that he has a bit more growing to do in the area of making decisions.
At Kansas, head coach Bill Self is still upset about the way the NCAA is dealing with Cheick Diallo, the Jayhawks’ five-star recruit who is still not eligible. The NCAA did allow Diallo to go to Hawaii with the rest of the team for the Maui Invitational — but still is not going to allow him to play…yet.
