AI vs. pro gambler's $1 million March Madness bet coming down to Duke and Houston
SAN ANTONIO — The $1 million March Madness wager between a pro gambler and an artificial-intelligence site will be decided by the winner of the Duke-Houston game in the Final Four.
The Vegas bookies project the gambler, who picked 5 1/2-point favorite Duke, should win.
The AI platform 4C Predictions , which picked Houston, says that's why its smarter than them.
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Top 10 men's college basketball players with highest NIL valuations
Cooper Flagg has been one of the big winners of the name, image and likeness (NIL) era in college sports, reportedly earning a staggering amount of money during his one year at Duke. However, top recruits and NBA Draft prospects aren't the only winners in the NIL era. At least 50 early-entry candidates withdrew their names from the 2025 NBA Draft ahead of the late May deadline with plans to return to school and cash in on NIL opportunities. "This year's draft class, more than any ever, has been affected by the NIL and the new pay-for-play," Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens told NBC Sports Boston in May. "The money can be higher in some of these schools than the bottom of the 20s in the draft. Good for them." The former Butler coach's assertion seems to be correct when you look at On3's most valuable college athletes entering the 2025-26 academic year. Let's take a look at the 10 most valuable players in men's college basketball entering the 2025-26 season, via On3. 1. BYU F AJ Dybantsa ($4.1 million) Dybantsa is the highest-valued non-football college athlete entering the 2025-26 academic year, coming in at No. 4 on the overall list. The incoming BYU freshman, who is ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the 2025 college basketball recruiting class (via 247 Sports), already has reported deals with Nike and Red Bull. But the bulk of his potential college earnings might have come with the deal he struck with BYU's NIL collective, reportedly securing a deal worth around $7 million . That's just scratching the surface on Dybantsa's potential career earnings, though, as many prognosticators have him being one of the top few picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. 2. Texas Tech F JT Toppin ($2.8 million) Toppin had Texas Tech on the precipice of its second Final Four appearance, leading the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight in 2024-25. 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However, it wasn't reported if Smith agreed to a new deal with the collective when he announced his decision to remain in college for another year. Regardless, the Boilermakers will have the reigning Bob Cousy Award winner, Big Ten Player of the Year and one of the Naismith National Player of the Year finalists back on their roster for his senior season. That's something that was becoming a rarity in the pre-NIL era. Smith is ranked 28th in On3's most valuable college athletes list. 8. Cincinnati C Moustapha Thiam ($1.8 million) Another transfer, Thiam moved on from UCF to Cincinnati following his freshman season in 2024-25. Ranked 32nd in On3's most valuable college athletes list, Thiam doesn't have any reported deals with a brand, per On3. However, he inked a $2 million NIL deal to join Cincinnati, the Orlando Sentinel reported in April . Thiam averaged 10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game this past season. 9. 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