July 12th The Basketball Tournament (TBT) Semifinals Odds and Picks
- The Basketball Tournament (TBT) plays their semifinals from Columbus, Ohio on Sunday evening
- Golden Eagles will take on Red Scare, and Overseas Elite will face off against Sideline Cancer in the two matchups to advance to the $1 million winner-take-all final on Tuesday
- Read below for game odds, picks and a deeper look at the TBT semi-finals
The Basketball Tournament’s field of 24 teams has been narrowed down to just four. The semi-final matchups are set, with a pair of great Sunday evening games. The Golden Eagles will be taking on Red Scare on one side of the bracket, while Overseas Elite will face Sideline Cancer in the other game.
Overseas Elite was the favorite to win it all prior to the tournament, and now they’re just two games away from doing just that. They will, however, have to get through a few more really good basketball teams if they are to bring home a trophy on Tuesday night.
(2) Overseas Elite vs (22) Sideline Cancer Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overseas Elite | -7 (-115) | -380 | O 159.5 (-115) |
| Sideline Cancer | +7 (-115) | +270 | U 159.5 (-115) |
All odds taken Jul. 12th
Overseas Elite Living Up To Hype
The name says it all. Overseas Elite is undoubtedly the elite team of this year’s TBT. They won their quarterfinal game against Herd That by a 17-point margin, and they head into this game firing on all cylinders.
Leading the way for them is former NBA all-star forward Joe Johnson. “Iso Joe” may be the player of the tournament so far, as he’s leading his team in minutes per game (27.6), points (24.0), assists (4.5), and rebounds (6.0). In the matchup with Herd That, he posted 35 points on the way to that lopsided victory.
The headline-grabbing win for Sideline Cancer was a 65-48 victory on Saturday against Boeheim’s Army, a team made up of Syracuse alumni. They took a 48-34 lead into the fourth quarter and played pretty stifling defense for the entirety of the contest.
The Sideline Cancer squad doesn’t have the star power or single scorer that their Overseas Elite opponent does. Instead, they strike balance. Four players for Sideline Cancer are positing double-digit points per game, a group that includes Marcus Keene (19.3), Diamond Stone (19.0), Maurice Creek (16.0), and Remy Abell (15.3).
Both Overseas Elite and Sideline Cancer enter Sunday on a hot streak, but the edge here goes to the Elite. Sideline’s successful defense has been predicated on isolating opposing offenses and forcing them to create shots on their own, something that Johnson and company should be able to take advantage of.
The Pick: Overseas Elite -7 (-115)
(4) Golden Eagles vs (8) Red Scare Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Eagles | -3.5 (-120) | -166 | O 155.5 (-115) |
| Red Scare | +3.5 (-110) | +130 | U 155.5 (-115) |
Wide Open Semifinal #2
A year after falling six points shy of winning this tournament a year ago, the Golden Eagles are back with a chance to bring home a trophy and a million dollars in 2020. The team of Marquette alumni has cruised to this point, with wins over Team CP3 (76-67) and Brotherly Love (83-76) on their road to this point.
Dwight Buycks has been a contributor in many facets for this squad. He’s posting 15.5 points per game, as well as 3.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and a steal. Along with Darius Johnson-Odom’s 19.5 points per game, and Jamil Wilson’s 14.5, they’ve led the Golden Eagles here to the semi-final.
They’ll meet a Red Scare team that came into this tournament with just +1500 odds to win it all, making them the biggest underdog of the four remaining squads. They’ve gotten to Sunday with a pair of nice wins over House of ‘Paign (83-76) and Big X (77-68), and they want to keep that ball rolling against the Golden Eagles.
Much like the Sideline Cancer squad, Red Scare gets it done with a balanced group of scorers. They also have four player posting double-digits in points, with Ryan Mikesell (15.0), Ryan McMahon (14.0), Trevor Thompson (13.5), and Trey Landers (13.0) all getting it done for this team of Dayton alumni.
This matchup between the alumni of two great basketball schools will be exciting, but the edge goes to the Golden Eagles. The Marquette alumni post higher numbers in points, rebounds, and blocks, and their defense has held teams to a lower point output than the Dayton group as well.
The Pick: Golden Eagles -3.5 (-120)
With four years as radio host with The Ticket Sports Network and various written contributions to publications such as Fansided, Southbound and Down, and Last Word on Sports, Jake Mitchell comes to SBD with NFL, NBA, NCAAM, NCAAF and MMA know-how you can count on.
