College Basketball Handicapping Articles

College Basketball Handicapping: Conference USA Tournament Preview
by Matt Severance - 3/8/2010

Thanks to John Calipari leaving Memphis for Kentucky, this year’s Conference USA Tournament actually might have some drama. Under Coach Cal, Memphis was completely dominant in CUSA and had won the previous four conference tournaments. This year’s Tigers may need to make it five in a row if they want to return to the Big Dance as they are squarely on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament.

College Basketball Handicapping: Purdue Without Hummel
by T.O. Whenham - 3/4/2010

Ten days ago my NCAA Tournament projections had Purdue as a No. 1 seed, and there was a very good chance that I was going to have them going very deep in my March Madness bracket. Now, thanks to one bad step by junior forward Robbie Hummel, they are the biggest college basketball handicapping puzzle in the whole tournament.

College Basketball Handicapping: High-Profile Bubble Teams
by T.O. Whenham - 3/4/2010

The NCAA Tournament is now just around the corner. That means that for a lot of teams the next week or two are absolutely crucial - the difference between going to the dance and having to settle for a lesser tournament that no one cares about. There are some big-name programs fighting for their lives right now - and perhaps fighting a losing battle. Here's a look at five high-profile bubble teams:

NCAA Hoops Betting: Under the Radar
by Christopher G. Shepard - 3/3/2010

A glance at the calendar tells me that it’s already March. However, there is still a significant amount of NCAA hoops to help the sports investor to build his or her bankroll in this final week of the regular season before the uber-lucrative conference tournaments begin. In this edition of the equally uber-lucrative Under-the-Radar column at Doc’s Sports I have three teams that have been doing their best to avoid the highlight reels, yet they keep on cashing at the betting window. Come witness the insanity.

Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 3/1/2010

Time for a little Arch Madness. For the 20th straight year the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament tips off Thursday in St. Louis with everyone chasing top-seeded and 25th-ranked Northern Iowa. Unfortunately for Northern Iowa, the Missouri Valley tournament has been fairly predictable. And the No. 1 seed hasn’t had as much luck as you would think.

College Basketball Handicapping: Mid-Major Conference Tournaments
by Robert Ferringo - 3/1/2010

These small, regional teams aren’t playing for banners as much as they are playing for pride and bragging rights. Sure, everyone wants a trip to the Big Dance. But as you wander through the smaller conferences you’re going to find that the intensity level in these tournament games is maxed out. I mean, no one out of the Sun Belt is going to be playing for the national title. But for four days in Arkansas those 13 teams are going to toe the line and go all-out in order to earn their own regional championship.

College Basketball Betting: Weekday Primer
by Matt Severance - 3/1/2010

At one point, the Georgetown Hoyas looked like they might be worthy of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament but now GU is probably just going to sneak into the Big Dance. Since starting 13-2, the Hoyas are just 6-6 (and ATS) and have lost three of their past four. Saturday’s 14-point home loss to Notre Dame is unacceptable, especially with the Irish not having star Luke Harangody.

College Basketball Handicapping: Villanova at Syracuse Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 2/26/2010

No. 8 Villanova will trek to Upstate New York to take on No. 4 Syracuse at 9 p.m. Saturday. This game will determine the Big East regular season title and should go a long way to establishing which one of these two upper echelon teams will be granted a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. These are the two best teams in the nation’s deepest and most talented conference, and one or both of these teams will be penciled into the Final Four on about 95 percent of the March Madness brackets in the country in about two weeks.

College Basketball Handicapping: New Mexico at BYU Preview
by Matt Severance - 2/26/2010

There’s a much-anticipated college basketball game on Saturday between two highly ranked teams that are a combined 52-6 and are battling for the regular-season conference title and a likely high seed in the NCAA Tournament. Did I mention it’s also being played in one of the hardest places for any opponent to win in the country?

College Basketball Handicapping: Conference Races
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 2/26/2010

Just about any team in college basketball has the ability to play itself into the NCAA Tournament no matter how bad it played in the regular season, just as long as it wins its conference tournament. Earning the top seeds in those conference tournaments usually helps a lot and more so in the smaller conferences than anywhere else.

College Basketball Totals Betting: It’s All About Pace
by Aaron Smith - 2/26/2010

In the world of college basketball betting, there is a little bit less public information to go off of than there is in the NBA. In pro basketball, we can review referee trends and see which referees will be calling each game, but in college basketball we don’t know who will comprise the referee crew before tipoff. While this may worry you, and make you feel as if college basketball totals are more difficult to beat. However, many find that this is not true at all.

NCAA Hoops Betting: Under the Radar
by Christopher G. Shepard - 2/25/2010

As the twilight of the 2009-10 NCAA hoops season approaches and the dawn of Conference Tournaments edges onto the horizon, keeping a steady diet of under-the-radar teams will keep you in good stead come March. Here are three teams that should increase your bankroll the last week of February.

College Basketball Handicapping: Big Ten vs. Big East
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 2/24/2010

The Big 12 and the SEC may have the top two teams in college basketball but when it comes to conference supremacy and getting the most teams in the NCAA Tournament the Big East and Big Ten have bragging rights. In this week’s rankings No. 3 Purdue, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 14 Michigan State and No. 17 Wisconsin are all ranked in the Top 20 from the Big Ten with No. 4 Syracuse, No. 7 Villanova, No. 8 West Virginia, No. 11 Georgetown and No. 12 Pitt all ranked in the Big East.

College Basketball Handicapping: Senior Night
by Robert Ferringo - 2/23/2010

Every college team celebrates a Senior Night, generally as the last home game of the season. It’s a chance for the guys playing in their final game in their own gym to say thanks to the fans, parade out their awkward parents, get a little love from the hoops community, and then go out and play with the abandon of someone who sees that The End is near. It’s a night of reflection, passion, fervor and enthusiasm and can provide the host team with just that little extra motivational edge to score a key win and cover a solid spread.

College Basketball Handicapping: Surprising Bubble Teams
by Robert Ferringo - 2/23/2010

Keeping your finger on the pulse of the college basketball betting landscape this time of year is a dizzying exercise. With all of the talk of bubbles, brackets, and Bob Knight it’s tough to keep track of who is streaking and peaking and who is crashing and not cashing.

College Basketball Betting: Weekday Primer
by Matt Severance - 2/22/2010

Hard as it is to believe this is the final week of February, which means that some of the small conference tournaments already will be tipping off next week. With that said, it means some bubble teams are running out of time to add to their resume. Here’s the most intriguing matchup each night this week (nothing worth watching on Friday). I’ll be back with a Game of the Day preview on Saturday.

College Basketball Handicapping: Biggest Home/Road Differentials
by Aaron Smith - 2/18/2010

In the world of college basketball betting, following the key trends and being able to stay ahead of the oddsmakers is absolutely crucial to profiting. Mental toughness is essential in basketball, and there are huge variations in the amount of mental toughness different teams have, especially when the players are only 20 years old, on average. In the NBA, it is typically difficult to find single teams that are far better against the spread at home or away, but that is definitely not the case in college basketball.

College Basketball Handicapping: Bracket Buster Betting Trends
by Robert Ferringo - 2/18/2010

I've analyzed the last five years of the mid-February mid-major hoops orgy known as Bracket Buster Weekend to see if I could establish any useful betting angles or trends. Instead of working over every single "official" Bracket Buster game I squared my focus on the ones that featuring the mid-major conferences that were routinely wagered upon.

NCAA Hoops Betting: Under the Radar
by Christopher G. Shepard - 2/18/2010

There is nothing better in college hoops than investing in an under-the-radar team that you have been locked onto when that team upsets a national power; this week Mizzou beat No. 12 Texas, 82-77, and Rutgers upset No. 8 Georgetown, 71-68. First you have to find theses teams that are flying under the radar. This week here are three teams that I think will bring positive income for NCAA hoops bettors.

College Basketball Betting: Weekday Primer
by Matt Severance - 2/15/2010

Coach Jim Calhoun’s return from a medical leave couldn’t stop UConn’s tailspin from continuing Saturday, as the Huskies lost for the fifth time in their past six games. At 14-11 and 4-8 in the Big East, that makes tonight’s game at Villanova almost a must-win for UConn to have a prayer of an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. Nova leads the Big East and has won two straight since its lone conference loss (to Georgetown).