Expert March Madness Handicapping: Ranking the Sweet 16 Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 3/20/2018

And then there were 16. More than three-quarters of the teams that had ambitions of winning it all and cutting down the nets in San Antonio in a couple of weeks have been eliminated. The teams that are still standing are an odd bunch - like usual, yet except maybe a little more so than most years. We have blue bloods and we have outsiders. We have teams overachieving and a couple that have underachieved but still survived.

Sweet 16 March Madness Betting Advice: Don't Fall in Love with Underdogs
by Trevor Whenham - 3/20/2018

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament can often get crazy, and this weekend has been crazier than usual. Of course, the capper of it all was UMBC's stunning dismantling of top-seeded Virginia, marking the first time a No. 16 has won and the first time in years they have even come close. But Buffalo manhandling Arizona, Texas A&M destroying North Carolina in Charlotte, Loyola and Syracuse winning twice as No. 11 seeds, Nevada going on a 32-8 run and taking their only lead at the end of the game over a very good Cincinnati team, and Florida State coming back late to beat Xavier, all qualify as shocking upsets as well.

Free Sweet 16 Picks for March Madness: Expert Underdog Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/19/2018

Most people have already seen their brackets shredded, so interest shifts more than ever to the betting side of things when it comes to the Sweet 16. The NCAA Tournament has always been about underdogs - and that has especially been the case in this bizarre year - so it only makes sense that we would focus our betting attention on the underdogs in action this coming Thursday and Friday.

Expert Sweet 16 Betting Picks: Best and Worst Wagers
by Trevor Whenham - 3/19/2018

Your bracket is dead, so you might as well focus on betting for the Sweet 16 and beyond. And while the matchups on offer on Thursday and Friday aren't what most people expected, there is a lot of interesting games to bet on and a few juicy opportunities. In fact, I've broken down the games into the three best and three worst betting games, and all three in the best category are very playable from where I sit. Comfortably playable. Here is a look at the March Madness best and worst Sweet 16 wagers (odds are from BetOnline):

Sweet 16 Bracket Picks for the 2018 NCAA Tournament
by Trevor Whenham - 3/19/2018

The opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament was interesting. Not great for the accuracy of a lot of brackets, but interesting. There was a whole lot of chaos, and the NCAA Tournament is the one place where chaos is both expected and is a very good thing. My bracket is probably in better shape than some - mostly because I really hated the heart of this Michigan State team and was skeptical about the universal love for Virginia (though I obviously didn't see them losing like they did) so I didn't have either team in my Elite Eight when many people had them going much further.

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Betting Advice: Differences from First Weekend
by Trevor Whenham - 3/19/2018

There is absolutely no way that you can complain about the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament this year. Unless you are a Virginia fan, I guess. Or a fan of basketball in the city of Cincinnati. Or a believer in Michigan State. Or you bleed Tar Heel blue. Or Tennessee orange. Or are from Tucson. But, those biases aside, it was a great opening weekend of a great sporting event. And it promises to be great going forward.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 3/16/2018
by Alan Matthews - 3/15/2018

OK, with the NCAA Tournament's first round coming to a close, it's time for my Final Four picks along with each school's BetOnline odds to win its region. In the West, which I think is the weakest of the four because Xavier is the worst top seed, let's go with No. 4 Gonzaga (+300) to reach a second straight Final Four. In the South, which faces the West in the Final Four, I like No. 2 Cincinnati (+300). In the East, it's No. 1 Villanova (+125), which appears to have the clearest past to the Final Four. And in the really tough Midwest, it's No. 2 Duke (+200). I'll wait to see how teams look before choosing an overall winner.

2018 March Madness Bracket Predictions: South Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/14/2018

I know that this has a great chance to come back to bite me, but I'm just going to come right out and say it: I don't trust Virginia. The Virginia Cavaliers are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament this year. They dominated their way to ACC regular-season and tournament titles, and at 31-2 they have the best mark of any team in the country. Virginia is in the Top 25 in both offensive and defensive efficiency, and they really don't have a weakness on either end of the court.

Expert March Madness Bracket Predictions: East Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/14/2018

The plight of the Villanova Wildcats is a pretty perfect avatar of this year's NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats went 30-4 and won the Big East Tournament title last week. They are easily one of the two or three best teams in the country and one of the favorites to win the national title this season.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 3/15/2018
by Alan Matthews - 3/14/2018

One of my favorite props every NCAA Tournament is wagering which conference the winner will come from. The ACC is usually favored, and with a tournament-high nine schools in this year's Big Dance it is again at +200 at BetOnline. Makes complete sense as it would surprise no one if Virginia, Duke or North Carolina cut down the nets on the first Monday of April. Don't see any other school with a chance. The Big Ten hasn't had a champion since 2000 but is a +350 second-favorite despite zero No. 1 seeds. Purdue and Michigan are good, but only Michigan State can win it all.

How NCAA Tournament Seeds Compare to Bookie National Championship Odds
by Chris Vasile - 3/14/2018

I'm sure by now we've all heard about how putting together a perfect bracket is likely never to happen in our life time. We at Doc's Sports fully understand that, and we are doing what it takes to help you come up with solid methods on how to put together the best possible bracket for your office tournaments. It won't be perfect, but the tips should help contend for first place.

Betting Odds & Free Picks for NCAA Tournament Team Props
by Ricky Dimon - 3/14/2018

Fasten your seatbelts, folks. The best time of the year to be a sports fan is here. I'm talking, of course, about March-March Madness. The NCAA Tournament starts tomorrow (not counting those nonsense play-in games; just put 64 in the tournament, please, and leave out bad teams like Syracuse who have no chance of winning it all and let every 16 seed get a shot at the big boys instead of being forced to eliminate each other before the real event begins).

March Madness Seeds vs. National Championship Futures Odds
by Ricky Dimon - 3/14/2018

Putting together a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket is unlikely to happen in our lifetime-or in anyone else's lifetime. It's just not going to happen. But a very good bracket is possible, and we at Doc's Sports are doing what it takes to help you come up with solid methods on how to put together the best possible bracket for your office pools. It won't be perfect, but the tips should help you contend for the top prize and unlimited bragging rights.

Expert March Madness Bracket Predictions: Midwest Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/13/2018

Heading into the 2017-18 college basketball season the top three teams in the USA Today's Coaches Poll were, in order, Duke, Michigan State and Kansas. Those three schools were also in the top four of the preseason Associated Press Top 25, with Arizona sneaking in ahead of Kansas and pushing the Jayhawks to fourth.

2018 March Madness Bracket Predictions: West Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/13/2018

Every year there is one region that is so brutally loaded with potential Final Four participants that it is dubbed "The Region of Death". Well, this year the West Region is whatever the opposite of "The Region of Death" is. This section of the bracket is kind of a mess, with a host of flawed contenders all attempting to avoid enough upsets to back their way into the Final Four.

Free 2018 March Madness Picks: Best Value Bets
by Trevor Whenham - 3/13/2018

The brackets get all the focus when it comes to the NCAA Tournament. Remember, though, that this is always a great time for bettors. Teams are going to play as hard as they can - there is no reason to hold anything back - so we are going to see as close to best on best as we get during a season. There are a lot of games to choose from but few enough that things are reasonably manageable for handicappers. As I have looked over the 32 first-round games there are six - three on each day - that stand out as having some interesting potential value for bettors. (Odds are from BetOnline):

Help Filling Out NCAA Tournament Brackets: Sweet 16 Surprises
by Trevor Whenham - 3/13/2018

If everything went as it should with the NCAA Tournament then there wouldn't be a team higher than a No. 4 seed in the Sweet 16. Things, of course, don't turn out that way. Last year only one of the four regions turned out as expected, and four teams that weren't expected made the final 16. One, No. 7 South Carolina, went all the way to the Final Four. Another, No. 11 Xavier, catapulted themselves from the Elite Eight last year to a No. 1 seed this year. In 2016 it was six outsiders, including No. 10 Syracuse, who invaded the Final Four.

NCAA Basketball Championship Futures Betting Odds and Expert Picks
by Trevor Whenham - 3/13/2018

We always look at the brackets when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, so we are focused on which teams are going to reach the Final Four or beyond. But too often we ignore another way to leverage the opinions we have when filling out our brackets - futures odds. We have been paying attention to those futures odds all year, checking in for teams that are attractive, so why stop now? We can bet on which teams will win their region or which teams will win it all. And there can be value in both if they fit your opinion of how things are going to turn out in the tournament. Here are five futures from BetOnline that have some interest as I see it:

2018 March Madness Bracket Picks: Vulnerable High Seeds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/13/2018

Any team that is seeded in the top four in their bracket should, logically, be expected to make the Sweet 16. And the top two should make the Elite Eight, with the No. 1 going to the Final Four. So, when a team with one of those seedings doesn't make it at least that far then it qualifies as an upset - and frustrates many bettors and bracket pool players. What we are on the lookout for here, then, are simply teams that have a decent chance of being a frustrating disappointment. Here are six that have that potential:

NCAA Tournament Bracket Strategy and Advice: Dangerous Low Seeds
by Chris Vasile - 3/13/2018

With Selection Sunday in the rear-view mirror and the field of 68 set for the 2017 NCAA Tournament , the public is now in a race against time to handicap all four play-in games and 32 first-round games that will be contested over the next five days. Most bettors have a routine when handicapping games, but not even that stops them from debating (complaining) about the teams that got terrible draws. Whether it was seeding or the region they got sent to, there is always some sort of backlash from the public towards the selection committee regarding the bracket.