March Madness Handicapping: Potential Sweet 16 Surprises
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2013

If everything went according to expectations, the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament would be made up of the top four teams in each region. Of course, it almost never works out that way. Almost every year in the Sweet 16 we see some surprise teams. Some are only mild surprises — a No. 5 or No. 7 seed that plays well at the right time. But then there are the real longshots that just got hot at the right time. Last year we saw No. 10 Xavier, No. 11 North Carolina State, and No. 13 Ohio crash the party, and those were far from the only double-digit seeds we have seen on the second weekend in recent years.

2013 NIT Bracket Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2013

The top storyline of the NIT this year is that No. 1 overall seed, Kentucky, was the top seed in the NCAA Tournament last year and won it all. That’s not nearly as rare as it seems, though — Kentucky is actually the 20th defending champion not to make the Big Dance the next year. North Carolina was the last, in 2010. They were even worse than Kentucky — they were just a No. 4 seed in the NIT. They got hot at the right time, though, and made it all the way to final game before losing to Dayton.

2013 March Madness Predictions: Vulnerable Higher Seeds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2013

The NCAA Tournament can crush the souls of fans better than almost anything else on the planet. A team can play all season to secure a good seeding only to see their season evaporate in seconds thanks to a lucky shot, bad play, or an upstart Cinderella. The fans of these four teams should brace themselves for potential frustration earlier in this tournament than they are hoping for.

2013 NCAA Tournament Predictions: Dangerous Lower Seeds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2013

There are about a million different things that make the NCAA tournament so ridiculously great. Right near the top of that list is the crazy upsets that can happen. Sometimes they come from absolutely nowhere — like Lehigh over Duke last year. More often, though, the upsets at least make a little bit of sense for people who have done their homework.

2013 March Madness Bracket Trends: Handicapping No. 1 Seeds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2013

There were a lot of teams that could have been named a No. 1 seed this year in the NCAA Tournament — at least seven. There was only room for four, though. Here’s a look at each of the lucky four that got what is at least theoretically the easiest path through their regions:

2013 March Madness Brackets Advice and Tips
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2013

The bracket is set, and you are probably already getting the invitations to fill out brackets and enter pools. Of course, you want to win. To help give you the best possible chance to fill out a winning bracket, here is some prime March Madness bracket advice and tips for 2013:

NCAA Tournament Championship Game Predictions - Betting the Total Line
by David Schwab - 4/2/2012

Tonight at the Superdome in New Orleans, the Midwest Region’s No.2-seed Kansas Jayhawks clash with the South Region’s No.1-seed Kentucky Wildcats for this season’s men’s college basketball’s national title. The Wildcats have been opened as healthy six-point favorites, but the more interesting play could actually be on this game’s total line, which is set at 137.5.

NCAA Tournament Final Four Props Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/29/2012

Even though there is only a single No. 1 seed in the Final Four, it’s a pretty chalk group with Kentucky (the lone top seed), Ohio State, Kansas and Louisville. It’s a far cry from last year when we had No. 8 Butler and No. 11 VCU crash the Final Four party.

NCAA Final Four: Handicapping the Coaches
by T.O. Whenham - 3/29/2012

There isn’t a whole lot to complain about with the Final Four this year. We have strong teams with great players and the best rivalry storyline we have seen at this point in years. If you were looking to be critical, though, one thing you absolutely couldn’t knock is the caliber of the coaching. This group of four head coaches is so strong that Thad Matta looks like the outsider of the group in terms of accomplishments, and all he’s done is win tournament games with three teams, make the tournament in 10 of 12 years as a coach, and take Ohio State to the championship game in 2007.

Final Four Predictions: Futures Odds for NCAA Tournament
by T.O. Whenham - 3/28/2012

Kentucky is an overwhelming favorite to win the NCAA Championship this year. Bovada has them pegged at -150 to win the tournament. Ohio State is a distant second at +300 with Kansas at +500 and Louisville a longshot at +900.

NCAA Final Four Predictions: Louisville vs. Kentucky Odds and Betting Picks
by Alan Matthews - 3/27/2012

How strong is this year’s Final Four? Louisville vs. Kentucky, which features too many incredible storylines to list them all, isn’t even the marquee prime-time game. The fourth-seeded Cardinals and top-overall seed Wildcats tip around 6:10 p.m. EST on Saturday night and the entire state of Kentucky, guaranteed, will be shut down to watch this matchup.

Free Final Four Picks: Ohio State vs. Kansas Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/27/2012

Saturday’s Final Four opener in New Orleans between Louisville and Kentucky will probably get the majority of the hype as those two intrastate rivals face off on college basketball’s biggest stage for the first time in their storied rivalry. It definitely makes for good press. But the late game between No. 2 seeds Ohio State and Kansas isn’t exactly chopped liver. And just like UK-U of L, it’s a rematch of a December showdown.

Final Four Betting Predictions for NCAA Totals
by David Schwab - 3/26/2012

There are just three more games left in this year’s NCAA Tournament before we crown a new NCAA National Champion. Hopefully you have been cleaning up on betting the sides for this year’s tournament games, but there is a tremendous opportunity to add to your overall return on investment with a few timely wagers the total line for this Saturday’s Final Four matchups.

March Madness Free Picks: Indiana vs. Kentucky, Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/21/2012

There is one regular-season rematch in the Sweet 16 and it comes in the second game Friday night in South Region at Atlanta as No. 1 Kentucky, the 11/5 overall favorite to win the NCAA title, faces No. 4 Indiana. The winner of that one gets the Xavier-Baylor victor on Sunday for a trip to the Final Four.

March Madness Sweet 16 Props Odds and Betting Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/21/2012

We are down to a Sweet 16 from 68, with the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend set to tip off on Thursday night in the East Region (Boston) and West Region (Phoenix). So it’s time to do a Bovada props reset from the opening of the Big Dance.

NCAA Tournament Handicapping: Hedging Your Bets in the Sweet 16
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 3/21/2012

If you still have a dog in the race that is March Madness, consider yourself lucky. Whether it is a bracket in a big-money pool still capable of winning or a future prop bet still standing, surviving the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament not only gives you something to look forward to during the Sweet 16 on Thursday and Friday, but it also gives you plenty of chances to hedge to ensure you are rewarded for making it this far unscathed.

Sweet 16 Free Picks: Louisville vs. Michigan State Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 3/20/2012

There is only one game in the Sweet 16 matching conference tournament champions, and it’s Thursday night’s West Region semifinal in Phoenix as fourth seed and Big East Tournament champion Louisville (28-9) faces Big Ten tourney king and top-seeded Michigan State (29-7). The winner gets the Florida-Marquette winner on Saturday for a trip to the Final Four.

NCAA Tournament Handicapping: The Sweet 16 Contenders
by Darin Zank - 3/20/2012

After one of the more entertaining opening weekends of the NCAA tournament that I can remember we're down to 16 teams. So as sportsbooks everywhere adjust their Big Dance betting odds, here's a quick look at who's left standing, ranked in order of what I think their chances are of cutting down the nets in New Orleans April 2. Without further ado, here are my Sweet 16 contenders:

2012 Sweet 16 Predictions and Betting Advice
by T.O. Whenham - 3/20/2012

Let’s not over-complicate this introduction. The Sweet 16 is about to get underway. Here are five things that I predict will happen in those eight hopefully great games: These Sweet 16 predictions can help with college basketball betting for this week’s games.

Sweet 16 Betting Odds: Underdog Value
by T.O. Whenham - 3/20/2012

And then there were 16. The field for Thursday and Friday’s Sweet 16 is set. For the first time ever it includes four representatives from one state — Ohio, in this case. It is also the first time in more than 60 years that there have been no teams in the pacific or mountain time zones. Sadly, my beloved Michigan Wolverines decided to play as badly as they can play in their opener and they aren’t included, either.