College Basketball Handicapping Articles

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Help: Expert Handicapping
by Trevor Whenham - 3/6/2018

For most people, conference tournaments are just a distraction while we wait for what really matters - the setting of the brackets and the start of March Madness. Smart bettors know, though, that watching conference tournaments can yield all sorts of valuable information about how ready teams are to shine in the main event. The big storylines in conference tournaments are obvious - top seeds, star players, and so on. Here, though, are three somewhat more under-the-radar storylines worth keeping an eye on this year:

NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Expert Betting Advice: Vulnerable Top Seeds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/6/2018

The first major conference tournament of 2018, which happened a week before the rest, was a sound reminder of what can happen in these events. Michigan went into the tournament as the fifth seed and almost blew it with an overtime win in their opener against an underwhelming Iowa team. But then they shifted into another gear and beat up on the first- and third-seeded teams in the tournament, Michigan State and Purdue, en route to a conference title.

2018 ACC Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 3/5/2018

This year's Atlantic Coast Conference could become just the third league in history to send 10 teams to the NCAA Tournament. That could happen despite the fact that, by my estimation, the ACC is no better than the third-best conference in the country. (Take your pick between the Big 12, SEC and Big East for better leagues.)

2018 Atlantic 10 Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 3/5/2018

It has been a rough year for the Atlantic 10. This league is currently ranked No. 11 in the country, its lowest rating in over a decade and the first time since 2007 in which they weren't in the Top 10 conference in the country. And if form holds this could be the first season since 2007 in which fewer than three teams from the A-10 make the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 3/6/2018
by Alan Matthews - 3/5/2018

Some very interesting results in conference tournaments over the weekend. Michigan upset Michigan State and Purdue to repeat as Big Ten champion - the Wolverines now probably wish the Big Ten Tournament wasn't a week earlier this season so they could carry that momentum immediately into the Big Dance. Lipscomb upset Florida Gulf Coast in the Atlantic Sun final to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

2018 NCAA Tournament Projections and Expert Bracketology
by Robert Ferringo - 3/1/2018

I know that speculating about who will make the field is seemingly part of the fun of college basketball. But, frankly, it drives me nuts. Snake-oil salesmen like Joe Lunardi, whom I've exposed as a loser time and time again, have tried to add a veneer of credibility to projecting the NCAA Tournament field. However, guys like Lunardi are nothing more than common trolls who use their invented positions as college basketball soothsayers to sway the national discussion about (and in turn have a real impact on) the NCAA Tournament.

2018 West Coast Conference Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 3/1/2018

The only thing interesting about the West Coast Conference Tournament is the prospect of a rubber match between its two best teams, Gonzaga and St. Mary's. But then again, since Gonzaga is 4-0 against the Gaels in their last four league tournament meetings, can we even say that matchup would be all that interesting?

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 3/2/2018
by Alan Matthews - 3/1/2018

Very interesting news Wednesday night from South Bend as Notre Dame star forward Bonzie Colson returned on Senior Night in the Irish's easy win over Pittsburgh after missing 15 games due to a left foot fracture. The Irish are now 12-3 with Colson, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, in the lineup but are squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. How much might the NCAA Tournament selection committee take the Irish's record with and without Colson into its decision-making? Notre Dame, currently listed among the "Next Four Out" on ESPN, could now be very dangerous Saturday to close the regular season at No. 1 Virginia on Saturday as well as in next week's ACC Tournament.

Missouri Valley Tournament Arch Madness Expert Betting Picks and Preview
by Tony George - 3/1/2018

My specialty conference is the Mo Valley along with the Big 12, and as March Madness fast approaches with conference Tourneys, with the Big 10 and many Mid-Majors this week and weekend, a quick breakdown of this tourney, which is played in St Louis every year, and "Arch Madness" from St Louis looks to be top heavy this season, with a massive amount of parity in between.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 3/1/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/28/2018

The Big Ten Tournament started Wednesday and is held for the first time at Madison Square Garden in New York as the league looks to expand its footprint. The only reason Rutgers is in the Big Ten was so it could have a New York/New Jersey presence. The Big Ten had to start the tourney a week earlier than normal because the Big East wasn't about to move its tournament dates, and it has an ironclad contract with the Garden.

2018 Big Ten Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 2/27/2018

The Big Ten has been a bit of an afterthought in college basketball this year. Michigan State fulfilled their preseason expectations by winning the regular-season title with powerhouse Purdue nipping at their tails. But beyond that the story of the league has been one of disappointment.

2018 Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 2/27/2018

Creighton is gone. Wichita State is gone. The Missouri Valley's shifting roster has created a power vacuum. And without Creighton and Wichita State in their way you can feel the hopefulness that the current crop of Valley programs have since their odds of winning the league's automatic bid have shot up.

2018 Southern Conference Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 2/27/2018

At the mid-major level, the conference tournaments are the one shot that teams have at earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. And for seniors, the conference tournament has the dual pressure of being potentially the end of players' careers. Combine those stakes, and every March you get some of the most emotional situations in college sports.

College Basketball March Madness Betting Primer: Flaws for Each Top 10 Team
by Trevor Whenham - 2/27/2018

As this college basketball season has progressed I keep waiting for clarity. Typically as the calendar turns to a new year and we get deep into conference play we get a sense of which teams are legitimate contenders and which ones will have to be more of surprising underdogs once tournament season rolls around. But this year each of the Top 10 teams - and well beyond that - have real strengths that make them impressive, but they also have glaring issues that make it tough to go all in with your support of them.

2018 MAAC Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 2/27/2018

The 2018 MAAC Tournament will be held from Thursday, March 1, to Monday, March 5, with the winner securing the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament will be played on Siena's home court, the Times-Union Center, in Albany, New York.

2018 Big Ten Tournament Betting Odds and College Hoops Preview
by Trevor Whenham - 2/26/2018

The Big Ten has done something dumb with their conference tournament. They have decided to move it a week earlier than all of the other major conference tournaments. They are also putting it in New York, even though there are no Big Ten teams in or particularly near New York (Rutgers is closest, but barely counts as being in the conference).

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/27/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/26/2018

I'm not sure what to even say about the shocking - yet not really surprising - revelations broken by Yahoo! and ESPN over the weekend regarding how corrupt college basketball truly is regarding payments to recruits and/or their families. Why does it feel like whichever school wins the national title will eventually have to vacate it like Louisville did for its 2013 championship? I don't see how Arizona can keep Sean Miller as head coach after it was reported FBI wiretaps had intercepted phone conversations between Miller and a runner for an agent during which they discussed paying $100,000 to ensure that Deandre Ayton, Arizona's star freshman center, would sign with the Wildcats.

College Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Conference Tournament Wagering
by Trevor Whenham - 2/26/2018

We are, as I write this, about to head into two weeks of very exciting college basketball conference tournament action, which sets the table for March Madness. The conference tournaments can provide rich and varied betting opportunities for those who are paying attention. Betting these tournaments is, though, quite different than both the regular season and the NCAA Tournament that follows. By understanding five of those biggest differences - along with one unique difference that is relevant to this year like never before - you give yourself the best possible chance of coming out ahead.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/22/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/21/2018

I pretty clearly remember watching Louisville beat Michigan in the 2013 NCAA title game at the old Georgia Dome, but according to the NCAA that actually didn't happen. That's because on Tuesday, the organization denied Louisville's appeal of some sanctions, meaning U of L will have to vacate its 2013 national championship and 2012 Final Four appearance. The Cardinals are the first Division I men's basketball program to vacate a national title during the Final Four era. I'm guessing they won't be the last - especially once this ongoing federal investigation shakes out.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/21/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/20/2018

A hugely disappointing season at Minnesota - which saw the Gophers start the season 13-3 and ranked in the Top 25 - likely won't be getting any better with the few remaining games left as sophomore small forward Amir Coffey has decided to have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. He had missed several games earlier with the problem. Coffey was averaging 14.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 31.6 minutes.