A NEW GAME
New 3 on 3 NCAA Tournament has a chance to become a big deal
Joe George
Apr 1, 2018, 9:59 pm
SAN ANTONIO -- The hottest new trend in basketball has arrived, and it’s 3 on 3 basketball. In the last two years, we have seen the emergence of Ice Cube’s Big 3 Basketball League, the announcement of 3 on 3 coming to the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and over the weekend in San Antonio, the inaugural 3 on 3 National Championship debuted. The premise was simple for the first National Championship of its kind; each conference was represented by four-man rosters led by seniors who had zero eligibility left. Every game the team won, they won a thousand dollars with the National Championship team winning 50 grand. The inaugural champions came from the Big Ten being represented by Purdue, Minnesota, Indiana and Ohio State.
The games are played to 21 points in increments of 1’s and 2’s, and the game doesn’t stop after a score. After each basket, that team has to simply get behind the 3 point line, and they keep playing. The first to 21 points wins, and so the game doesn’t drag on and on, the games are played with a 12-second shot clock and a 10-minute game clock. The games are fast paced and can be a ton of fun to watch. The big question is if it will be a must-see event at future Final Four’s or if it will fizzle out.
“It’s really cool to play in the first one and I think this is something that has already gained some traction and can be around for awhile.”
That was the sentiment for Amanze Egekeze, a Senior from Belmont representing the Ohio Valley, and I tend to agree. It’s different, played in a small gym and watching kids throw a thousand dollars up in the air after a victory, is worth the price of admission alone. Coverage and participation will be the biggest challenge for this event. I was disappointed that Rob Gray wasn’t representing the American Team as he was eligible to and that is the biggest challenge that I see. These guys already played a long season and in theory, could walk away with zero dollars only getting a free trip to the site of the year’s Final Four. Money is great, but injury for potential pros is a huge red flag and from what I was told only a few NBA teams were represented by scouts anyway.
When it comes to coverage, they live streamed everything on Twitter and then ran the semifinals and finals on ESPN 2. I knew I was going to San Antonio, but until I saw a player tweet that he was playing, I had zero idea the event was happening. The crowd wasn’t massive, and neither was the media coverage. Getting the big name guys to compete will be what elevates the play, interest level of other players and overall media coverage.
I’ve grown to become a big fan of 3 on 3 basketball and believe this event could have some sustained success going forward. Overall, I would give it a B; the event was fun, competitive and entertaining. The only thing it really lacked was star power but handing out $105,000 over a three day period should surely go a long way.
Two first-place teams, identical records, and a weekend set with serious measuring-stick energy.
The Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs open a three-game series Friday night at Daikin Park, in what could quietly be one of the more telling matchups of the summer. Both teams enter at 48-33, each atop their respective divisions — but trending in slightly different directions.
The Astros have been red-hot, going 7-3 over their last 10 while outscoring opponents by 11 runs. They've done it behind one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, with a collective 3.41 ERA that ranks second in the American League. Houston has also been dominant at home, where they’ve compiled a 30-13 record — a stat that looms large heading into this weekend.
On the other side, the Cubs have held their ground in the NL Central but have shown some recent shakiness. They're 5-5 over their last 10 games and have given up 5.66 runs per game over that stretch. Still, the offense remains dangerous, ranking fifth in on-base percentage across the majors. Kyle Tucker leads the way with a .287 average, 16 homers, and 49 RBIs, while Michael Busch has been hot of late, collecting 12 hits in his last 37 at-bats.
Friday’s pitching matchup features Houston’s Brandon Walter (0-1, 3.80 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) and Chicago’s Cade Horton (3-1, 3.73 ERA, 1.29 WHIP), a promising young arm making one of his biggest starts of the season on the road. Horton will have his hands full with Isaac Paredes, who’s slugged 16 homers on the year, and Mauricio Dubón, who’s found a groove with four home runs over his last 10 games.
It’s the first meeting of the season between these two clubs — and if the trends continue, it may not be the last time they cross paths when it really counts.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Astros -112, Cubs -107; over/under is 8 1/2 runs
Here's a preview of Joe Espada's Game 1 lineup.
The first thing that stands out is rookie Cam Smith is hitting cleanup, followed by Jake Meyers. Victor Caratini is the DH and is hitting sixth. Christian Walker is all the way down at seventh, followed by Yainer Diaz, and Taylor Trammell who is playing left field.
How the mighty have fallen.
Pretty wild to see Walker and Diaz hitting this low in the lineup. However, it's justified, based on performance. Walker is hitting a pathetic .214 and Diaz is slightly better sporting a .238 batting average.
Screenshot via: MLB.com
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