The NCAA basketball season is preparing to tip off with
their preseason invitational tournaments, which means college hoops betting
action on offshore
sportsbooks will be starting to heat up. Here is a look at the ten players
you should keep an eye on this season, and surprisingly, it is not loaded with
freshmen as recent history suggests.
Tyler
Hansbrough, North Carolina
After winning national Player of the Year last season,
the power forward could have easily jumped to the NBA. But he decided to come
back for his senior season, and the Tar Heels are now the NCAA basketball betting
favorite to win it all, even though he will probably miss the first few games
of the season with a shin injury.
Stephen
Curry, Davidson
The sharp-shooting junior guard will be playing more point-guard this season, which means the ball
will be in his hands more often as he prepares for the NBA. The Wildcats have
better college
basketball odds than ever before, and Curry, who is coming off a
26-point-per-game season, will be the one to lead them.
Luke
Harangody, Notre Dame
The junior forward was one of the few 20/10 guys in
college hoops last season, reaching double-digits in points in every 2007 game
except for one. The Fighting Irish have great Big
East basketball odds to win the conference after falling just short to
Georgetown last year, so bet on a big year from Harangody.
Blake
Griffin, Oklahoma
The sophomore power forward nearly averaged a
double-double in his freshman debut, and Griffin figures to be even better on
an Oklahoma squad with solid NCAA basketball odds
this year.
AJ
Price, Connecticut
The Huskies are ranked second in the preseason polls,
and the return of their senior point guard from a knee injury will be crucial
to UConn’s success. The Huskies were knocked out of the NCAA tournament in the
first round last year, but if Price, who makes the UConn offense tick, is
healthy, the Huskies will show they are the Big
East basketball betting favorites.
Darren
Collison, UCLA
The senior guard has improved each year on campus, and
is now the undisputed leader of a talented UCLA team that is one of the NCAA basketball betting
favorites this season. The Bruins will ask Collison to look for his own shot
more, and he could follow his teammate from last year, Russell Westbrook, as an
NBA lottery pick.
Damion
James, Texas
The Longhorns lost D.J. Augustin to the draft, and
James, a junior forward, will be counted on to pick up the slack. James put up
a double-double last season, and online sports betting
players looking to bet on Texas will expect much of the same.
DeMar
DeRozan, USC
The freshman wing player can only hope to have half of
the impact O.J. Mayo had at USC during his lone season, but DeRozan enters as
one of the most athletic players in the country. Once he figures out how to
play the college game, the Trojans should see their Pac-10
basketball odds rise.
Tyreke
Evans, Memphis
Evans is another freshman with big shoes to fill, as he
will try to soften the impact of Derrick Rose’s early exit as the top overall
pick in last year’s draft. Some say Evans is not always 100% into the game, but
he has the skills to take over when need be, and he should get plenty of
opportunities in Memphis’ uptempo game. The Tigers still have good college basketball odds,
but Evans needs to show why he was one of the most sought-after recruits in the
country.
Edgar
Sosa, Louisville
The junior guard had an indifferent campaign in his
second year at Louisville, failing to build on the promise of his freshman
year. The Cardinals are trying to avoid another disappointing season which saw
them begin at sixth in the preseason rankings, but they were out by Week 6.
When Sosa plays well, the Cardinals usually dominate, and a good showing from
the point guard will prove Louisville deserves their low NCAA basketball betting
odds.