Latest news with #KezzaGiffa
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ole Miss Basketball Finalizes Roster With All-American Transfer
Ole Miss Basketball Finalizes Roster With All-American Transfer originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Head coach Chris Beard has been hard at work this offseason rebuilding the Ole Miss men's basketball team. Almost the entire roster from last year's Sweet 16 team graduated, and a handful more jumped into the transfer portal. Advertisement Big names like former Kansas forward AJ Storr and Kentucky guard Travis Perry are now Rebels, as are a handful of other power conference players like Louisville's James Scott and Koren Johnson, as well as LSU's Corey Chest. Beard has been putting in work on the high school recruiting trail as well, landing three top 100 recruits, including top-30 player Niko Bundalo. Ole Miss HC Chris BeardAndrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Rebels still have a handful of open spots on this year's roster, however, and on Wednesday, they added High Point guard Kezza Giffa. To finalize the 2025-26 roster, they signed wing Hobert Grayson on Friday, who was a Division II All-American last season at Ouachita Baptist Advertisement Grayson began his college career at the junior college ranks, much like coach Beard did. There, he was an All-Conference selection and worked his way up to Ouachita Baptist, where he was an All-Region and All-American honoree after averaging 21.8 points per game. The 6-foot-6, 195-pound wing also contributed 11.0 rebounds per game and dished out 68 assists while recording 52 steals as well. Grayson should have at least two more years of eligibility considering he has only played one season at the NCAA level. Beard continues to add tough players to the Ole Miss basketball program as he eyes an improvement from last year's 24-win squad. Grayson will have his hands full competing with Chest and Storr for playing time, but this Rebels roster is loaded with talent once again. Related: 5-Star LSU Wide Receiver Commit Sends Strong Ole Miss Message Related: Undrafted Ole Miss TE Signs with Broncos This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness 2025: Bettors are backing No. 13 High Point to pull an upset over No. 4 Purdue in the first round
High Point is bettors' preferred upset pick of the first round of the men's NCAA tournament. The No. 13 Panthers play No. 4 Purdue on Thursday afternoon in the first game of the Midwest region. High Point opened as a 9.5-point underdog to the Boilermakers at BetMGM and that number has already come down to 7.5 points as of Wednesday afternoon. That's because High Point is getting the most bets and money against the spread of any team in the NCAA tournament so far. Over 80% of bets and 88% of the handle bet on the game is on High Point to cover. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] High Point is +280 to win the game outright and is also getting the most moneyline action of any team. The total of 153.5 — down two points from an opening total of 155.5 — is also the most-bet total of any game. The Panthers went 29-5 in the regular season and won both the regular season and Big South conference tournament titles. The team ranks 19th in the country with over 82 points per game and is led by a rotation that features five seniors and a junior among the team's top seven scorers. Kezza Giffa leads the team with 14.8 points per game. Purdue is led by star guard Braden Smith and is hoping to avoid a second first-round upset in three seasons. The Boilermakers became just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 in 2023 when they fell to Fairleigh Dickinson. A season ago, Purdue bounced back and went to the national title game before losing to back-to-back national champion UConn. The only game getting more action at BetMGM than High Point and Purdue is Michigan's matchup against UC San Diego. And bettors are split on that one. UCSD is getting the second-most moneyline bets at +125, but Michigan is getting the second-most bets against the spread. The Wolverines are 2.5-point favorites as a No. 5 seed after beating Wisconsin for the Big Ten tournament title on Sunday.
NBC Sports
18-03-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
NCAA Tournament - High Point vs. Purdue Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats
No. 4 seed Purdue (22-11) takes the court Thursday against No. 13 High Point (29-5) in the first game of the day in the Midwest Region. High Point won the Big South Tournament while Purdue lost in the Quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tourney. The High Point Panthers have won 14 in a row. They have not lost since an 82-80 loss January 16 at Longwood. The Boilermakers of Purdue have been far less consistent having won just four of their last ten games. Kezza Giffa, a senior from Paris, leads the Panthers in scoring averaging 14.8 per game. 7'0' center Juslin Bodo Bodo, a sophomore from Cameroon is averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. Size or a lack of an interior presence has been an issue for Purdue this season. Point guard Braden Smith runs the show for the Boilermakers. He is second in the nation averaging 8.7 assists per game. The winner earns the right to play the winner of Clemson vs. McNeese State. Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Game details & how to watch High Point vs. Purdue Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025 Time: 12:40PM EST Site: The AMP City: Providence, RI Network/Streaming: truTV Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates. Game odds for High Point vs. Purdue The latest odds as of Tuesday courtesy of BetMGM: Odds: High Point Panthers (+290), Purdue Boilermakers (-375) Spread: Boilermakers -8.5 Total: 153.5 points Expert picks & predictions for High Point vs. Purdue Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule. Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today's Panthers & Boilermakers game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the High Point Panthers +8.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total OVER 153.5. High Point vs. Purdue: Top betting trends and recent stats Over the course of their current 14-game winning streak, High Point is 9-5 against the Spread The Panthers are 6-8 to the OVER in their last 14 games Purdue has lost 3 in a row and 6 of their last 8 The Boilermakers are 5-3 to the OVER in their last 8 games If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: · Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) · Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) · Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) · Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
USA Today
17-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5 men's March Madness upsets to expect in the 1st round, including 1 each region
5 men's March Madness upsets to expect in the 1st round, including 1 each region When it comes to double-digit seeds pulling off first-round upsets in the NCAA men's tournament, none have done it more than 11-seeds over 6-seeds, contrary to those popular picks from 12-5 matchups. Even in 2024, three 11-seeds won to outdo the two wins by 12-seeds. I again expect 11-6 to be a source of upsets in the first round of 2025 March Madness, but this time around I think the 12-seeds come out on top after getting a head start from No. 12 Colorado State being favored over No. 5 Memphis. These are my favorite upset picks for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Odds via BetMGM SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness? South Region: 12 UC San Diego over 5 Michigan The Tritons have a top-15 offensive and defensive rating, a veteran-laden team and they shoot the lights out from three. There's a reason this spread is so small. East Region: 12 Liberty over 5 Oregon Liberty limits opponents to 63 points per game, 40 percent shooting from the field and 28% from three, while shooting a high clip from deep itself. If the Flames get hot, Oregon could have a hard time keeping up while trading twos. East Region: 11 VCU over 6 BYU VCU has incredible length across its lineup that contributes to a disruptive defense that could make things tough for a BYU team that already prefers to stand around the 3-point. Freshman Egor Demin will have a ton of pressure to create open shots for the Cougars. Midwest Region: 13 High Point over 8 Purdue What we have here is a high-powered High Point offense against an underwhelming Purdue defense. Between Kezza Giffa, Kimani Hamilton, D'maurian Williams and other scorers in that Panthers rotation, Matt Painter's squad is not going to have an easy time avoiding another early exit after losing to a 16-seed in 2023. West Region: 11 Drake over 6 Missouri At 19 points per game (and 39 minutes!), Bennett Stirtz is an absolute bucket for the Bulldogs. It's hard to feel good about Missouri coming up with a plan to stop him and Drake fresh off four losses in their last five games where they gave up an average of 95 points in the losses.
New York Times
09-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Men's NCAA Tournament automatic bids: Meet High Point and SIUE. Who can clinch next?
In the nine frantic days before the selection committee releases the 2025 men's NCAA Tournament bracket, 31 teams will punch their tickets into the field by winning their conference tournament. For many March Madness fans, championship week offers the first long look at the teams most likely to become this year's beloved Cinderella teams once the tournament gets underway. Advertisement Below, we'll track the automatic bids as they are claimed, complete with an early guide to each conference champ. Listed are the conferences and their championship times, along with the broadcast lineup (all times are EST). Check back through the conference tournaments to see who earns the bids to the NCAA Tournament: Big South: High Point High Point rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Winthrop for the Big South Conference tournament title on Sunday, pulling out an 81-69 victory. The Panthers, coached by Alan Huss in his second season, are led by Kezza Giffa, D'Maurian Williams and Kimani Hamilton, who all average in double figures in points. The Panthers will be making their first March Madness appearance. Sunday: ASUN, Missouri Valley, Summit League Monday: Sun Belt, Southern Tuesday: CAA, Northeast, Horizon League, West Coast Wednesday: Patriot League, Southland, Big Sky Saturday: America East, MEAC, Mountain West, Big 12, Big East, MAC, MAAC, Conference USA, ACC, SWAC, Big West, WAC March 16: Ivy League, SEC, Atlantic 10, American Athletic, Big Ten America East: 11 a.m., Saturday (ESPN2) American Athletic: 3:15 p.m., March 16 (ESPN) Atlantic 10: 1 p.m., March 16 (CBS) ACC: 8:30 p.m., Saturday (TBA) ASUN: 2 p.m., Sunday (ESPN2) Big 12: 6 p.m., Saturday (TBA) Big East: 6:30 p.m., Saturday (Fox) Big Sky: 11:30 p.m., Wednesday (ESPN2) Big South: High Point Big Ten: 3:30 p.m., March 16 (CBS) Big West: 9:40 p.m., Saturday (ESPN2) CAA: 7 p.m., Tuesday (CBSSN) Conference USA: 8:30 p.m., Saturday (CBSSN) Horizon League: 7 p.m., Tuesday (ESPN/ESPN2) Ivy League: Noon, March 16 (ESPN2) MAAC: 7:30 p.m., Saturday (ESPNU) MAC: 7:40 p.m., Saturday (ESPN2) MEAC: 1 p.m., Saturday (ESPN2) Missouri Valley: 2:10 p.m., Sunday (CBS) Advertisement Mountain West: 6 p.m., Saturday (CBS) Ohio Valley: Southern Illinois University Edwardsville The Cougars, coached by Brian Barone, will make the program's first trip to March Madness after beating Southeast Missouri 69-48 on Saturday night in the Ohio Valley (OVC) tournament championship game. Southeast Missouri was the top seed in the conference tournament, while SIUE (22-11) was the second seed and lost to Southeast Missouri twice during the regular season. Ray'Sean Taylor, the conference player of the year, is SIUE's leading scorer this season, averaging more than 19 points per game, and he is the program's all-time leading scorer. Brian Taylor II and Ring Malith also average in double figures. Northeast: 7 p.m., Tuesday (ESPN2) Patriot League: TBA, Wednesday (TBA) SEC: 1 p.m., March 16 (ESPN) Southern: 7 p.m., Monday (ESPN) Southland: 5 p.m., Wednesday (ESPN2) SWAC: 9:30 p.m., Saturday (ESPN-plus) Summit League: 9 p.m., Sunday (CBSSN) Sun Belt: 7 p.m., Monday (ESPN2) West Coast: 9 p.m., Tuesday (ESPN) WAC: 11:40 p.m., Saturday (ESPN2) (Photo of Ray'Sean Taylor (3): Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
