The Basketball Tournament (TBT) continues Wednesday night. While DraftKings and FanDuel offered lines for only The Ville against La Familia, the battle between University of Louisville and University of Kentucky alumni, there are actually four total games.
At 6:00 p.m. ET on FS1, The Ville and La Familia battle in a winner-take-all Game 3, with the series tied 1-1. At 8:00 p.m. ET on FS2, Michael Beasley and Purple Reign, the K-State alumni team, take on JHX Hoops, the Kansas Alumni team, at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Red Rose War Ready and Hartford Elite, two non-alumni teams meet at the M Resort in Las Vegas at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube. Meanwhile, the Gotham City Bockers and Davis Steel meet at 8:00 p.m. ET. You’ll find our top The Basketball Tournament picks below.
As a reminder, the bracket and rules are different this season. We have eight alumni teams facing each other in four best-of-three series. It’s a winner-take-all prize of $2 million this season, double last season’s amount.
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 bracket’s home court for a championship game on Sunday, August 2nd. Let’s build our bankroll with our best TBT picks and predictions for Wednesday, July 22nd.
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Wednesday’s Best The Basketball Tournament Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
The Ville (-162) at La Familia (+136) | O/U 145.5 (-110/-110)
Easily the most anticipated game on the schedule, The Ville meet La Familia in Game 3 for the chance to advance to the second round.
On Saturday night at historic Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Kentucky, La Familia posted a 72-68 victory in Game 1. On Monday night at Freedom Hall, on Louisville’s campus, The Ville bounced back with an 82-62 cover of La Familia in Game 2. The Under cashed for the second time in as many outings in the series, too.
In Game 2, The Ville shot a scorching 50.0% from the field (31-of-62), while going 33.3% (9-of-27) from behind the arc. If the Louisville guys can improve upon anything from Game 2, it is the poor free-throw shooting, as it was just 64.7% (11-of-17). On the flip side, La Familia was 82.4% (14-of-17) from the charity stripe. However, it was also just 33.9% (20-of-59) from the field, and 32.0% (8-of-25) from the perimeter.
The Ville also outrebounded La Familia at a 43-to-30 clip, while La Familia was just plus-1 in turnover margin. The Ville dominated in the paint, too, doubling up La Familia at a 40-to-20 clip.
La Familia’s Chris Coffey was sharp, going 6-of-7 from the field, posting 14 points, and Andrew Harrison dropped 19 points, including four triples, while adding four assists and two blocks. If you were expecting Willie Cauley-Stein, the former NBA player, to be a big part, think again. He was limited to eight minutes off the bench, posting four rebounds with a block while failing to score or even take a shot.
The Ville’s former NBA player, Montrezl Harrell, looked like he could still play in The Association. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year put up 35 points on an efficient 14-of-16 from the field, while adding a game-best eight rebounds with two assists and a block. David Johnson and Alex Matthews were secondary with 14 points apiece, with Matthews dropping in three triples off the bench.
It’s hard to get away from The Ville. Harrell isn’t likely to be unconscious from the field like he was in Game 2, but he looks like a difference maker, and perhaps the best player in this tournament. Back The Ville to get it done, and let’s keep pounding the Under in this series finale.
Picks: The Ville -2.5 (-115) & Under 145.5 Points (-110)
