CBB With Danny Z: UConn Delivers Brutal Bad Beat, Cooper Flagg Posterizes Pitt Defender, And More

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Many of the great writers at OutKick have their own weekly columns in their area of expertise. And, rather than allow them to just have all the glory, I decided to dip my toe in the water and try to steal some of their thunder.

Just kidding. Really, I just LOVE college basketball. I cannot stand the NBA, so my only basketball outlet in the winter comes in the form of college hoops. I’m not an expert, per se, just a big fan. I find March Madness to be one of the best postseasons in all of sports. 

And I think that’s what OutKick readers enjoy about the site. Most of the time, we’re just nerdy sports fans like everyone else. I want to write about college basketball, so I’m going to do it. There’s also a freedom that comes with working at OutKick that’s unlike other media outlets. 

All that being said, let’s dive into the first edition of “CBB With Danny Z.” 

Dick Vitale gets an incredible health update

There’s just no way to start a brand-new college basketball weekly column without talking about the legendary Dick Vitale. I had the privilege of working with Dicky V a couple of times during my tenure at ESPN. 

As good a guy as he comes across on TV, he’s even better off camera. Truly one of the best people I met at the Worldwide Leader, even though I didn’t get to work with him much. 

So, when I saw his latest health update this week, I was truly overcome with joy. Dick Vitale is everything that’s right with college basketball and I can’t wait to hear him back on the sidelines this season. 

UConn delivers brutal bad beat for bettors against Villanova

On Wednesday night, UConn traveled to Villanova for a classic Big East showdown. The Wildcats entered the game as slight favorites over the Huskies (Villanova -1.5) and, reportedly, the public was ALL OVER UConn as an underdog. 

And, why not? UConn entered the game as a Top 10 team that had won eight -traight games, including two over Top 15 opponents. 

So, perhaps Vegas intervened as the heavy-public underdog appeared poised to win the game outright? Just kidding. Kind of. The game went back-and-forth throughout the night and Nova eventually led by one point with 18 seconds left and UConn had possession. 

With three seconds left, Villanova fouled Alex Karaban, an 83% career free-throw shooter, with the Wildcats leading by one. All Karaban had to do was hit one foul shot to tie and two to take the lead. 

But Karaban missed. Both. 

That’s OK, though, because UConn still trailed by one point, which meant they could still cover the +1.5. But they didn’t. Villanova got the rebound and called timeout. Following the timeout, UConn fouled (which was their 10th foul, meaning the double-bonus activated for the first time in the second half), and Wooga Poplar made one of two from the line. 

That was all she wrote. If you bet UConn +1.5, the final 20 seconds of this game were pure nightmare fuel. 

Absolutely brutal. 

Duke Freshman Cooper Flagg posterizes Pitt defender, brings the Cameron Crazies to their feet. 

Cooper Flagg was the #1-rated prospect in last year’s class, and he chose to attend Duke. No surprise there. Sometimes it takes freshmen some time to adjust to the college game, but not Flagg. 

He’s been every bit as good as the hype, and then some. Flagg averages 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per night for the fourth-ranked Blue Devils. 

But the best highlight of his still very young career came on Tuesday night against the Pitt Panthers. Flagg threw down a vicious dunk over a Pitt defender. I would describe it, but I couldn’t possibly come up with the right words, so I’m just going to post the viral highlight video and move on. 

Roundball Roundup… 

Kentucky’s Otega Oweh delivered an ice-cold burn while standing at the free throw during the team’s loss to Georgia on Tuesday night. 

Not sure if that’s entirely accurate, but it’s a wicked burn nonetheless. Georgia is 13-2 after beating Kentucky and looks poised to join the Top 25 next week – especially if they can beat #17 Oklahoma on Saturday. 

Mick Cronin went OFF after UCLA lost to Michigan by 19 points at home. The target? His own players. 

Brice Williams hit an incredible buzzer-beater to send Nebraska to overtime against Iowa. Unfortunately, they lost anyway. 

I have no words for this one. 

Elliott Cadeau delivered the extremely rare game-winning FOUR-point play to lift North Carolina over Notre Dame. 

Well, that’s it for me this week. Want to see something included in next week’s “CBB With Danny Z”? Shoot me an email at dan.zaksheske@outkick.com or a tweet @RealDanZak.