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College Basketball Betting – Suspending Shot-Blocker Has Cost Washington Dearly

  • Updated: March 10, 2015
    • College Basketball Betting Suspending Shot Blocker Has Cost Washington Dearly

    By Charles Jay

    Things appeared to be looking great for the Washington Huskies after the first eleven games of the season, both in the PAC 12 and on a national level. They were undefeated, and they were making college basketball bettors happy by covering seven of their first 10 games. The opposition wasn’t bad either; Washington encountered a San Diego State team that eventually reached the nation’s top 25 and held them to 20% shooting and 36 points. They also scored a two-point victory over Oklahoma, which also became nationally-ranked. In those first eleven games, the Huskies held the opposition below 40% shooting. In general, they were considered one of the top defensive teams in the country, and this was reflected in a #11 national ranking.

    But as BetAnySports patrons know, things have gone south in a hurry. Not only had this team lost ten of its last 11 games going into the weekend, but they were not getting the job done on either end of the floor. People who watched them in the early part of the schedule could never imagine that they would go through a stretch where they would allow the opposition to shoot better than 50% in eight of nine games. Nor would they have forecast that they could also go through a period of six out of seven games where they shot below 40%.

    Well it has, and frankly, there is no coincidence to it. They had to get rid of their best player, or at least their most dominant one, and has made all the difference in the world.

    College Basketball Betting Suspending Shot Blocker Has Cost Washington Dearly

    On January 26, Robert Upshaw, a seven-foot center who was only in his sophomore season, was dismissed from the team for a “violation of team rules.” What is especially significant about this is that Upshaw was leading the nation in blocked shots, averaging 4.5 per game. He was also contributing something on the offensive end, shooting 59% from the floor.

    BetAnySports customers who follow college basketball betting closely are aware that this is now the second program Upshaw has been tossed out of. He had previously been at Fresno State, but was also let go as a freshman, after reportedly testing positive for drugs. One might assume there have been similar violations in Seattle.

    Upshaw had called himself “a completely different person” from his days in Fresno. He said he considered himself mature and a lot more coachable that he was before. But everyone knows that Lorenzo Romar, the long-time coach of the Huskies, would not have made this kind of a decision about such a critical player if the violations had been serious. And of the tailspin with U-Dub is actually enough that Romar’s job might be in a bit of jeopardy.

    With a .500 record going into the Pac 12 tournament, any hopes of going to the Big Dance are over, unless this team can really catch lightning in a bottle in the conference tourney. But that is not likely. College basketball bettors have lost faith in them as well, considering that they failed to cover the pointspread in nine of 11 games.

    BetAnySports patrons sense that the best hope for this team is to do something surprising in the Pac 12 Tournament and perhaps get an invitation to the NIT. Otherwise, they might not even qualify for tournament like the College Basketball Invitational.

    What is interesting now is, what will the future of Upshaw be? Clearly he will have a difficult time catching on with another college program, but the likelihood is high that he would declare for the NBA Draft, and let’s face it, there are not too many seven-footers around who can block shots with abandon. Hassan Whiteside, who led the nation in blocks in his one and only college season and Marshall, was said to have off-court issues and banged around a bit before finally finding himself with the Miami Heat and flourishing. Maybe the same thing can happen for Upshaw.

    March Madness abounds at BetAnySports, where you can get more betting options on college basketball than anywhere else. Open up your account with your Visa card or with Bitcoin and enjoy reduced juice wagering!

    Summary
    College Basketball Betting Suspending Shot Blocker Has Cost Washington Dearly
    Article Name
    College Basketball Betting - Washington Huskies Falling
    Description
    A discussion about the chances of the Washington Huskies basketball team without shot-blocker Robert Upshaw, who has been dismissed from the squad.
    Author