The sports betting world has taken more twists and turns over this past week, and here at Bankroll Sports, we’re taking some time to rant of the worst from the week that was in the gambling world.

Rap Sheet Picture of the Week
F DeMarcus Cousins and G John Wall, who wrapped up their collegiate careers by getting embarrassed in the dance by West Virginia on Saturday night.

Boy, can you totally stick it for that lousy performance you put up on Saturday, Kentucky Wildcats! After watching the mighty Jayhawks and Orange fall before you, how dare you come out so flat against a very dangerous West Virginia team with a berth in the Final Four on the line! You had crushed your previous three foes by an average of 25.7 points per game in this tournament, and everyone was still waiting for the best games out of F Patrick Patterson, G John Wall, and F DeMarcus Cousins.

Never happened. Oops. Now, HC John Calipari has to go back to the drawing board, as he is likely losing his four best players to the NBA Draft this year, and in spite of the fact that he has totally ruined a number of schools with recruiting violations over the years, he still doesn’t have any National Championships to boast about on his resume.

Speaking of teams that have been incredibly upsetting, what the heck happened to everyone in that so-called “powerful” Midwest Bracket? The #1 Kansas Jayhawks, #2 Ohio State Buckeyes, #3 Georgetown Hoyas, and #4 Maryland Terrapins have all long since been forgotten, and the two teams left standing in this region on Sunday were arguably the two that went through the most chaos all year long. Tennessee had to deal with the whole New Year’s Day fiasco that got G Tyler Smith kicked off the team. Michigan State had injury woes with G Kalin Lucas suffering a torn Achilles tendon in the second round of the tourney. Yet, experience has ruled the day once again, as HC Tom Izzo is laughing at his other “great coaches” out of this bracket, as he has the final laugh with his second straight trip to the Final Four.

Our attention is turned to the NBA betting world as well this week. Hey Denver Nuggets, what’s going on with you guys? You’ve got one of the best offenses in the NBA at 107.1 points per game, but over your L/2 weeks, you’ve only averaged 97.7 points per game. No wonder why you’re 0-6-1 ATS in those seven games! Now, the punishment is that you’re sitting in the #3 hole coming into tonight’s game with Dallas, and you could fall all the way down to #8 by the time this is said and done, as the Trail Blazers are only 3.5 games behind you with eight to play. Guess who else is on your slate this week as well on the road?

In and amongst all of the talk about the teams like the #10 St. Mary’s Gaels, the #9 Northern Iowa Panthers, and the #5 Butler Bulldogs, hidden in the East Bracket, there’s a team that has been kicking butt and taking no prisoners, and seemingly no one is talking about them.

Is that because they a… dare I say… favorite? Is it because they are a flashy team and they do have talent? Is it because you have heard of their superstars and their head coach? Or is it because they’re a #1 seed and are expected to march through to the Elite 8 without any difficulties?

Regardless of what the circumstance is, the #1 Kentucky Wildcats have mowed down all three of their opponents without any hassles, and it’s time to recognize that this is their NCAA Tournament to lose.

There aren’t many teams in the country that can absolutely win games when two of their best three players are essentially MIA. There are even fewer that can beat a Sweet 16 foe by 17 points, even if that opponent is “just” an Ivy League team.

On Thursday night, G John Wall only scored eight points, and his counterpart F DeMarcus Cousins tallied nine. That duo is averaging nearly 32 points per game this year.

It’s not like anyone else had a truly remarkable game, either. F Patrick Patterson’s 16 points was only a shade above his season average, and G Eric Bledsoe’s dozen was right on par with his normal night.

But HC John Calipari, in spite of the fact that he has never won a National Championship (or for that matter, had one vacated), knows that you’re going to have to find ways to look like you’re at your best, even when you’re not at your best in this tournament.

That’s exactly what the Cats have done so far in this tournament.

It’s amazing to think that none of Kentucky’s big three have gone off for more than 22 points in a game in the dance (and aside from Patterson’s 22 against #16 East Tennessee State, there hasn’t even been a 20 point game in the bunch either). Yet still, the 17 point margin of victory against the Big Red was easily the smallest of its three. The Wildcats have averaged beating their three March Madness competitors by an average of 25.3 points per game, easily the biggest average margin of victory in the dance.

Now, it’s true that the SEC champs haven’t run up against a foe that anyone really believed could win the whole enchilada yet, but it’s noteworthy to get this far in a tournament that has resembled trying to get through a minefield.

Ask #1 Syracuse or #1 Kansas or #2 Villanova or #3 Georgetown what it’s like running up against opponents that probably have no chance of winning the National Championship.

The #2 West Virginia Mountaineers will stand in the way of the mighty Wildcats on Saturday afternoon for the right to go to the Final Four.