Can a freshman lead his team to March Madness glory?
April 7, 2003. That day ushered in a new era in college basketball. Carmelo Anthony proved to the world that a freshman could lead a team to a national title (and then leave for the NBA, but that’s another story).
Anthony scored 20 points in leading Syracuse to the school’s first national title, an 81-78 win against Kansas.
Anthony, at the time, became the third freshman in NCAA Tournament history and the first since Louisville’s Pervis Ellison in 1986 to earn Most Outstanding Player honors.
So why is this important today?
Because of the NBA’s new age-eligibility rules, this year’s class of college basketball freshmen is arguably deeper than any in years. So these “diaper dandies,” to borrow a phrase from Dick Vitale, should have a huge impact on who wins this year’s NCAA crown.
This year’s class is comparable to the 1979-80 class when Ralph Sampson, Sam Bowie, James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins and Clark Kellogg, among others, entered college basketball.
Another top high school class this resembles is the 1995 high school senior class of Kevin Garnett (who, of course, skipped college), Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antawn Jamison, Paul Pierce and Chauncey Billups.
So is this the turning point, or a sign of things to come? Get all your NCAA basketball lines in the Bodog Sportsbook, and see if the Gators are ready to repeat – currently, Florida is listed at 7/2 to win the 2006/2007 NCAA Men’s Championship!
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NCAA Basketball Prediction: Look for Florida Gators to be strong again and dominate NCAA Basketball this season.
Tags: College Basketball Odds, March Madness, March Madness Bracket
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