Many sports betting enthusiasts will be focused on the NFL and college football action on Thanksgiving Day, but this holiday also marks the opening round of the Phil Knight Invitational, a college hoops tournament in Portland that celebrates the Nike founder. The eight-team field includes North Carolina, Portland, Iowa State, Villanova, Connecticut, Oregon, Alabama and Michigan State. Let’s take a look at the matchups that make for the most wagering potential.
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Iowa State Cyclones vs Villanova Wildcats (3:30 pm ET, ESPN2)
Iowa State has come out of the gate winning three in a row before heading to Portland, winning each by at least 15. However, their competition has been IUPUI, North Carolina A&T, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The Cyclones beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee by 15 on Sunday, jumping on the visitors from the start. Iowa State forced five turnovers in the game’s first two minutes, and Jaren Holmes knocked down a three-ball to put Iowa State up, 11-4, when the first media timeout came. Osun Osunniyi dominated the paint, and Caleb Grill and Jaz Kunc made some early threes. The visitors started to come back, chipping the lead down to five in the last five minutes of the first half, but then the Cyclones went on a run to go up 11 at the break. Iowa State shot 43% from distance in the first half and then focused on offensive rebounds when shots weren’t falling as well after the intermission.
Next up is a much more difficult test, as Villanova looms in the opening round. The Wildcats have some work to do to get to their usual dominance, with a 2-2 record so far. They lost a shocker at Temple and also lost at Michigan State by two after mounting a furious rally against one of the nation’s early contenders. In the loss, Villanova trailed by seven with 1:58 remaining but then cut the deficit to one with 16 seconds left. Eric Dixon had made a clutch three to bring the deficit to four but missed a three-pointer to take the lead in the waning seconds. Dixon put up 24 points and nine rebounds on the day. Brandon Slater added 16 points, and Caleb Daniels had 13 points and three steals. These teams could potentially meet again in this weekend’s tournament, depending on how the bracket works out. Final Score Prediction: Villanova 72, Iowa State 64.
Connecticut Huskies vs Oregon Ducks (8:00 pm ET, ESPN2)
The Huskies bring an impressive 5-0 record west to this tournament, but those victories have so far come over the likes of Boston University (not BC), Buffalo, UNC-Wilmington, and Delaware State. The win over Delaware State came on Sunday in 95-60 fashion behind 26 points from Adama Sanogo. Donovan Clingan added 16 points and three blocks. Jordan Hawkins put up 11 points and nine rebounds, and Joe Calcaterra contributed 11 points, five rebounds and five assists. Alex Karaban joined the double-figures party with 10 points. Clingan, a freshman, has found double figures in three of the last four contests. The team is hopeful that they are ready for the tougher tests that the tournament will bring, but hanging 95 points on a win definitely shows offensive prowess.
The Ducks have started their season 2-2, losing at home to Houston on Sunday. The Ducks fell, 66-56, but got a nice night out of center N’Faly Dante, who led the way with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Will Richardson contributed 13 points, and Quincy Guerrier scored 10. Oregon shot just 38.8% from the floor on the night, and things were even worse from behind the arc, as the Ducks clanked 19 of 22 shots from distance. Junior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy had to leave in the first half with a left leg injury and remains questionable for Thursday’s game. The Colorado transfer had put up 10.7 points and 2.7 assists per game in the first three contests. The Ducks were only able to get ten turnovers from Houston, and they will need a more intense defensive effort with Connecticut looming. Final Score Prediction: Connecticut 77, Oregon 73.
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