College Basketball Handicapping Articles

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 1/13/2018
by Alan Matthews - 1/12/2018

In my first 3-Point Play story of the year for Tuesday's games, one that I previewed was Georgetown at St. John's - the Hoyas were 8-point underdogs, and I recommended taking the points. GU won 69-66 in Patrick Ewing's return to Madison Square Garden. One key St. John's player missed that game and hadn't played since Nov. 27: sophomore guard Marcus LoVett, the Red Storm's second-leading scorer at 14.9 ppg. Now he won't play again this season as the team made the decision to shut him down and focus on rehab. Just one more reason to fade the Johnnies, who are the only team without a Big East win.

College Basketball Expert Handicapping: Duke Blue Devils
by Trevor Whenham - 1/11/2018

As seems to be the case often in recent years, Duke is a tough team to judge right now in college basketball. They entered the season ranked first overall by a solid margin, and they are still the co-favorites alongside Michigan State to win the NCAA title at +500 according to BetOnline. But they have lost twice and have slid all the way to seventh in the latest poll. They have ridiculous amounts of talent - they should have four first-rounders in next year's NBA Draft - and they obviously couldn't be any better coached.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 1/9/2018
by Alan Matthews - 1/8/2018

Don't know about you, but I really started getting into college basketball when the Big East was in its heyday, and by that I mean in the mid-1980s when superstars like Georgetown's Patrick Ewing and St. John's Chris Mullin were facing off. Ewing is on a short list of greatest NCAA players ever, and Mullin is easily the best player in St. John's history and probably only behind Ewing among the top Big East players. That was back when guys stayed in school all four years. Ewing and Mullin were also on the legendary 1992 USA Olympic Dream Team. The two Hall of Famers face off as coaches for the first time Tuesday night.

College Basketball National Championship Expert Betting Predictions with Odds
by Trevor Whenham - 1/5/2018

College football is one game away from coming to an end, which means that a lot of bettor attention will shift towards college basketball next week - and a whole lot more will in a month when the NFL season ends. It's a good time , then, to take a look for any potential futures betting value before more public eyes turn this way. Here's a look at some of the top contenders to cut down the nets at the Final Four (odds to win the NCAA Championship are from BetOnline)

Expert College Basketball Betting Advice: Vulnerable Top Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 12/15/2017

As we head into conference play in college basketball, there are generally a team or a small group of teams in most conferences that are viewed as the clear favorites to win the conference. And the betting public is often pretty good at finding these winners. To keep things interesting, though, our goal here is to look at some of those top conference contenders to see which ones could be vulnerable and don't therefore offer as much value for bettors as some people might think. Here are four such giants that could hit a rough patch and be caught and passed by a conference rival. (Posted odds are odds to win the national title)

College Basketball Betting Help: Teams that Could Surprise in Conference Play
by Trevor Whenham - 12/15/2017

Conference play has started with a trickle so far in college basketball, but after Christmas it will start in earnest. In almost every conference there is one team, or a small group of teams, that are likely to win the regular-season conference crown. That doesn't interest us at this point. What is more interesting, though, is to find teams at fatter odds that could potentially disrupt their conference races and deliver an upset win. We are looking for live long shots.

NCAA Basketball Betting Advice: Against the Spread Studs and Duds
by Trevor Whenham - 12/14/2017

We have made it through much of the nonconference season in college basketball, and some conference games have even been played. Before we get into the heart of conference play after Christmas, though, this is a good time to step back and take a look at the teams that are really treating bettors well and those that are burning cash in bulk. These are not the absolute best and worst betting teams in the country - just the ones that are high profile enough to get the attention of semi-casual sports bettors. Here, then, are the ATS studs and duds in college basketball to this point in the season:

NCAA Basketball Betting Advice: Differences Between Conference and Nonconference Wagering
by Trevor Whenham - 12/6/2017

December marks a very important shift in college basketball from the wild west world of the nonconference schedule to the crucial grind of conference play. And thanks to the quirks of schedule making, that shift is happening earlier than usual this year. It's a very significant shift for players and perhaps even more of a shift for bettors. If you bet conference play in the same way as nonconference play then you are going to struggle to see ideal profits.

Expert College Basketball Betting Advice: Mid-Majors to Watch
by Trevor Whenham - 11/21/2017

Mid-majors in college basketball are teams that typically only get paid any attention once about February rolls around. People first notice them when they might knock major conference teams out of the tournament, and then they really pay attention to them when they are filling out their brackets and looking for first-weekend upsets. In November and December, though, it's rare that a mid-major gets much attention unless they pull off a shocking upset.

NCAA Basketball Betting Advice: Top Teams that are Hard to Handicap
by Trevor Whenham - 11/17/2017

The college basketball season has only just begun. We have had a couple of high-profile games, but for the most part it has been mismatches and glorified scrimmages. It will be a while until we really know anything about any teams. Still, some high-profile teams are easier to get a sense of right now than others. In particular, there are five teams in the Top 25 - Top 15, actually - that are particularly tough to figure out in my eyes.

College Basketball Betting Advice: Underrated NCAA Hoops Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 11/17/2017

The college basketball season is underway, but we are still quite a while away from the time when the casual betting public will pay real attention to the sport. It's a good time, then, for us to take stock of teams and conferences to see where they are at. What we want to focus on today are five teams that aren't going to be picked by anyone to contend in their conferences but which have the potential to be much better than expected. Here are five underrated, under-the-radar college basketball teams:

College Basketball Expert Handicapping: Louisville after Pitino
by Trevor Whenham - 11/17/2017

It was not the offseason that the Louisville Cardinals dreamed of. Or really the last 18 months or so. Scandal has piled upon scandal, so instead of being one of the elite basketball programs in the country getting ready for a new season, they are dealing with change, conflict and uncertainty. Obviously, the firing of Coach Rick Pitino and AD Tom Jurich leaves bettors with all sorts of questions. Is this team going to be able to live up to their potential?

College Basketball Handicapping: Biggest Games on the November Schedule
by Trevor Whenham - 11/16/2017

The first truly great college basketball game of the season occurred on Tuesday when No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Michigan State met for an early determination of NHL supremacy. Showdowns like that, while ultimately not that significant in terms of the determination of a national champion, are part of what makes the nonconference season often so compelling and exciting. That game has really whet the appetite for big games. Here is a look at 10 of the most interesting and significant games between now and the end of November:

Expert College Basketball Betting Advice: How to Bet Early-Season Games
by Trevor Whenham - 11/10/2017

College basketball season is here. Finally. Starting Friday and stretching into April we will have an incredible number of games every week. I love it - as a fan and especially as a bettor. There are so many games where you can find betting opportunities no matter what you like. Big games? Check. Way, way off-the-radar conferences? Check. High-profile stars? Sure. Solid role players? Lots of them. The college basketball season is like one of those massive buffets in Vegas - it has everything anyone could want, and it doesn't matter if you want different things than most others.

2017 SEC College Basketball Predictions with Conference Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 11/1/2017

For the past two seasons SEC brass have been touting their schools' coaching hires and pushing the narrative that the league is on the rise. The results have been mixed. Last season the SEC finished the year as the No. 5-rated league in the country just one season after finishing No. 6. The SEC hasn't been in the Top 4 since 2012, with a low point in 2013 when they finished the year rated No. 7, behind the Pac-12 and the Mountain West.

2017 Pac-12 College Basketball Predictions with Conference Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 10/31/2017

While this Pac-12 basketball season will serve as a rebuilding season for most of the top programs in the league, there is one that will be experiencing a Renaissance. USC has been under renovation for several seasons, and now Andy Enfield is ready to watch the Trojan wreck shop along the West Coast and challenge Arizona for league supremacy.

2017 Big Ten College Basketball Predictions with Conference Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 10/30/2017

Big Ten basketball is usually one of the most popular arenas for college basketball bettors to ply their trades each season. The combination of well-known programs, nationally-televised games, and ample line value has made this conference, after the ACC, one of the most wagered on leagues in the country each winter.

2017 Big 12 College Basketball Predictions with Conference Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 10/30/2017

Gravity. The sun rising in the east. Kansas winning the Big 12 Championship. It is nice that in a chaotic world there is still some semblance of certainty. And Kansas provides that by continually dominating one of the best conferences in college basketball. This isn't Kentucky owning the feeble SEC or Gonzaga crushing the comical WCC. Kansas is playing in a league that routinely sends at least half of its members to the NCAA Tournament, and the Jayhawks often leave little doubt as to who is the dominating force in Midwest hoops.

2017 Big East College Basketball Predictions with Conference Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 10/27/2017

In terms of college basketball handicapping, the Big East Conference is one of the most difficult in the sport to make picks and predictions for. And the reason is simple: these teams are all really, really good. Much like the Big 12, the smaller size of the Big East (10 teams) compared to leagues like the ACC (15), Big Ten (14) and SEC (14) means that there are fewer "tiers", less bottom feeders and easy wins, and thus more parity throughout the league.

2017 ACC College Basketball Predictions with Conference Odds and Betting Picks
by Robert Ferringo - 10/27/2017

There's a dark cloud hanging over ACC basketball this season. The FBI's investigation into college athletics and illegal bribery has already claimed a Hall of Fame coach and threatens to expand beyond the two programs, Louisville and Miami, that it has already engulfed. Add in the controversy surrounding the North Carolina program and there is a lot of lingering cynicism around this league as we head into the season.