The Basketball Tournament Picks & Predictions: Saturday (7/18)
The Basketball Tournament gets underway on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky between The Ville, which is University of Louisville alumni, facing La Familia, which is University of Kentucky alumni.
The bracket and rules are different this season. We have eight alumni teams facing each other in four best-of-three series. These teams will meet again on Monday at Freedom Hall in Louisville for Game 2 at 7:00 p.m. ET. We’ll also see alumni teams from Seton Hall and Syracuse, defending champ Wichita State and New Mexico, as well as Kansas and Kansas State. It’s a winner-take-all prize of $2 million this season, double what it was last season. There are eight non-alumni teams, and they’ll meet in a separate bracket in Las Vegas. The winner of the non-alumni bracket will travel to the winner of the alumni’s bracket’s home court for a championship game on Sunday, Aug. 2. Let’s build our bankroll with our best The Basketball Tournament picks and predictions for Saturday, July 18th.
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
Saturday’s Best The Basketball Tournament Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
The Ville (+104) at La Familia (-128) | O/U 150.5 (-112/-112)
The first game is one which is important, but it is also the first game. Pump the brakes, and don’t get too carried away. The tournament is different, it’s a matinee game, and we should see a little bit of a sluggish start until these teams get their respective sea legs.
For The Ville, the roster was pieced together by general manager and guard Russ Smith, who played with the Cardinals from 2010-14. The team also has former NBA standout Montrezl Harrell, as well as recent Cardinals David Johnson and Jae’Lyn Withers. Edgar Sosa was going to play, but he is out due to the birth of his child. In addition, Malik Williams will join the team once the NBA Summer League schedule comes to an end. He is currently on the roster of Chicago Bulls, and he had five points and eight rebounds with a steal in just 10 minutes off the bench in a consolation game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Las Vegas on Friday night.
For La Familia, there are a lot of familiar names, either for Big Blue fans, or those who follow the NBA. Willie Cauley-Stein might be the biggest name, although Archie Goodwin, Aaron Harrison and DeAndre Liggins are also notable players. Goodwin will be available to play in Game 2, while Quade Green and Reid Travis, previously believed to be part of the team, are not on the roster. Darryl Morsell, who played for the University of Maryland’s “Shell Shock” team, is one of a handful of non-UK players on the roster.
The Ville is 8-4 all-time in this tournament, so there is a proud history and tradition to uphold. For La Familia, it has participated in two previous tournaments, going 6-2 in the span. The Kentucky team was unable to secure a title with stars like Eric Bledsoe and Kerem Kanter. This team is a little deeper, but perhaps lacking the star power. It will only go as far as its perimeter shooting will take it.
The fact La Familia opens at historic Memorial Coliseum should give it a boost. The matchup to watch will be Cauley-Stein against Harrell, whenever those two are on the floor together. I like The Ville to get the job done on the road, snapping up a victory straight up at plus-money. And, we’ll go with the Under initially, and that’s probably a good rule of thumb in most Game 1s in this tournament until the teams settle in.
Picks: The Ville Moneyline (-110) & Under 150.5 Points (-112)