College Basketball Tip-Off Tonight
Correction: Schedule change in NCCA hoops as the first game today tips off a 1:30 PM EST when #4 ranked Virginia plays Towson State.
College basketball is scheduled to tip-off on Wednesday at 1:30 pm EST, though most games will be played tonight. In fact, between men and women teams combined, there were 212 games originally scheduled for today!
This will be the first full night of games played in more than eight months. The 2019-20 season was rudely interrupted and then cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A few days ago, several teams announced an onslaught of cancellations due to positive COVID-19 tests. Some programs around the country postponed season openers, and in some cases, completely opted out of the season. It's hard to foresee how we'll get to anything resembling March Madness (2021) when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is currently advising people not to travel. With remote learning on college campuses, how will more than 100 college basketball programs be able to go through the ritual of playing games?
Fears haven't just impacted men's basketball. Women's teams and their seasons are threatened, as well. For instance, the legendary powerhouse UCONN women’s basketball program announced Monday that it is shutting down the start of its season after positive tests. Is it really a legitimate season if the best team gets sidelined?
These are questions with no answers. But a bigger question for sports gamblers – what do we make of these unusual circumstances?
We'll be addressing some of these questions in future articles here at POINTSPREADS.CA. However, as of the moment, the betting market looks chaotic. No one really knows how all these changes in preparation, atmosphere, and especially the lack of spectators might impact who wins and covers. Is there really any home-court advantage if teams play with no fans or arenas significantly curtailed in attendance?
But the betting world keeps on spinning. Right now, there are three co-favorites to win the college basketball championship – Gonzaga, Villanova, and Baylor.
Here's a look at the top-20 favourites based on current odds listed at SPREADS.CA:
Headline Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated Online
