2008 College Basketball Article Archive
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Below is a listing of articles appearing on Doc’s site sorted by date.
Big Ten Basketball Betting: Weekly Notebook
by Matt Severance - 12/29/2008
Surprising Minnesota is the lone remaining unbeaten team in the Big Ten as conference play opens this week, but the Gophers will be challenged right out of the gate by hosting two other ranked conference foes in the span of four days.
Read more about Big Ten Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Atlantic 10 Report
by Christopher G. Shepard - 12/29/2008
The holiday sandwich, the time between end of exams and the beginning of conference play, was especially brutal for the Atlantic 10 in a week that only featured five games of which teams were 2-3 straight up and 0-4 against the spread.
Read more about Atlantic 10 Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Atlantic 10 Report
by Christopher G. Shepard - 12/24/2008
Led by Dayton, UMASS, Richmond and Rhode Island, Atlantic 10 teams went 8-8-1 against the spread and 14-9 straight up this week. St. Bonaventure managed to win their fourth game in a row, covering at Eastern Michigan, and that was good enough for their first four-game winning streak since the 2000-01 season.
Read more about Atlantic 10 Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Cheat Sheet
by Trevor Whenham - 12/20/2008
A quick hit look at college basketball news and notes from the week that should interest sports bettors:
Read more about College Basketball Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Atlantic 10 Report
by Christopher G. Shepard - 12/16/2008
Xavier, UMASS, and Temple led the Atlantic 10 in a banner week for sports investors as A-10 teams went 12-2 against the number and 13-6 SU with UMASS winning outright at No. 23 Kansas and Temple upsetting No. 8 Tennessee. Xavier, UMASS and Temple combined for a 5-0 ATS and SU record last week.
Read more about Atlantic 10 Betting.
Big Ten Basketball Betting: Weekly Notebook
by Matt Severance - 12/10/2008
The Iowa Hawkeyes (8-2) will be without their leading scorer for an indefinite period after freshman guard Anthony Tucker was suspended by Coach Todd Lickliter earlier this week in an alcohol-related incident.
Read more about Big Ten Betting.
Tuesday NCAA Basketball: Why Texas Will Beat Villanova
by Matt Severance - 12/09/2008
What appears to be the game of the week in college basketball tips off Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, where No. 6 Texas and No. 15 Villanova meet in the Jimmy V Classic, with UT a 3-point favorite on BetUS.
Read more about Texas-Villanova.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Atlantic 10 Report
by Christopher G. Shepard - 12/09/2008
Head Coach Sean Miller got his 100th win in the Xavier Musketeers seven-point victory against the Auburn Tigers behind senior BJ Raymond's seven treys in his 32-point scoring explosion. The Xavier Minutemen moved up to No. 10 in the latest AP poll and ninth in the ESPN/USA Today polls released on Dec. 8.
Read more about Atlantic 10 Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Cheat Sheet
by Trevor Whenham - 12/05/2008
If anyone had any lingering doubt about the Tar Heels, and I will admit that I did, they shouldn't after this week. The started the week by beating North Carolina - Asheville by 68 points, but they only get minimal respect for that given the opponent.
Read more about College Basketball Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Is Louisville Doomed?
by Trevor Whenham - 12/04/2008
What the heck was that? Louisville was the No. 3-ranked team in the country, and a popular early choice to be a No. 1 seed in March. They have four established guards, a near-certain lottery pick in forward in Earl Clark, and last year's High School Player of the Year at center. On Sunday night they played the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, a team best known for being the alma mater of the notorious Clem Haskins. The Cardinals were favored by 19.5 in the game, which was played in Nashville.
Read more about Louisville Cardinals.
College Basketball Betting: Conference Futures
by Trevor Whenham - 12/03/2008
Conference play is still about a month away in college basketball. We have already been able to get a good sense of where teams are at if we have been watching closely, though. That makes this a perfect time to look for value in conference championship futures.
Read more about College Basketball Conference Futures Betting.
SEC Conference Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 12/03/2008
If anyone tells you that they have any idea who is going to win the SEC this year they are lying to you.
Read more about SEC Predictions.
Oddsmakers Struggle Early on Lesser-Known Teams
by Nicholas Tolomeo - 12/03/2008
Maybe it's no coincidence that Black Friday coincides with Feast Week and an abundance of college basketball around the country. After all, smart bettors take this time to hunt for bargains throughout the college hoops landscape. And just like the door busters from a week ago, there are plenty of solid values right now and they might not last long.
Read more about Oddsmaker Struggles.
UNC/Michigan State Basketball Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 12/03/2008
The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team is a soulless killing machine.
Read more about UNC/MSU Preview.
Big Ten Basketball Betting: Weekly Notebook
by Matt Severance - 12/02/2008
Tuesday and Wednesday nights should show us whether the depth of the Big Ten can match up with that of the perceived No. 2 basketball conference in the land, the ACC.
Read more about Big Ten Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Atlantic 10 Report
by Christopher G. Shepard - 12/02/2008
Dayton upset No. 15 Marquette, and with Xavier, remains undefeated in non-conference play. However, last week the Atlantic 10 as a conference went a woeful 2-14-2 against the spread. The conference managed to win only five games. Charlotte led the bankroll burners at 0-2 SU and ATS over the same time period as they extended their ATS loss streak to three games and a conference worst 2-5 record ATS.
Read more about Atlantic 10 Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Cheat Sheet
by Trevor Whenham - 11/29/2008
The first in a series of weekly looks at the college basketball news and stats that bettors need to know:
Read more about College Basketball Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Freshmen With Impact
by Trevor Whenham - 11/27/2008
It seems like freshmen are playing a bigger and bigger role in college basketball every year. The last few years, freshmen have been leading their teams deep into the tournament, and they haven't been looking very much like freshmen. Knowing those freshmen - Rose, Oden, Durant, Mayo and so on - has been very important for bettors wanting to make a few bucks.
Read more about Freshmen.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Atlantic 10 Report
by Christopher G. Shepard - 11/26/2008
The first week of the college basketball season was not without its surprises as Atlantic 10 teams managed to make some noise in the various tournaments with Xavier, Dayton, and Duquesne remaining undefeated. However, Temple was the only team to notch a 3-0 record against the spread.
Read more about Atlantic 10 Betting.
Big Ten Basketball Betting: Weekly Notebook
by Matt Severance - 11/25/2008
We should get to see how good the Michigan State Spartans can be over the next week as Tom Izzo's club heads to the Old Spice Classic in Orlando.
Read more about Big Ten Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Weekly Atlantic 10 Report
by Christopher G. Shepard - 11/19/2008
The Temple Owls will look to defend their A-10 Championship behind Dionte Christmas this year but will be challenged by Xavier, which has managed to win 20-plus games in 12 of their last 13 seasons. However, as seasoned gamblers know, winning seasons don't always mean covering the spread from November to March.
Read more about Atlantic 10 Betting.
College Basketball Betting: Teams That Could Disappoint
by Trevor Whenham - 11/18/2008
Now that the college basketball season is finally and mercifully underway, it's time for us to determine expectations for how teams will perform. That will help us spot value early in the season, and will give us a sign when teams are doing significantly better or worse than they should be. As I have been doing that there have been several top 25 teams that have given me real concerns when it comes to their ability to meet the expectations that are set for them. Here are four:
Read more about Disappointing College Basketball Teams.
2008-2009 College Basketball Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 11/13/2008
The college basketball season is slowly but surely get underway. It will be a while before people start paying a lot of attention, but it's never too soon to start making some college basketball predictions. College basketball culminates in the single best spectacle in sports, but there is a lot of excitement and intrigue between now and the madness of March. As things get fired up, here is my random collection of college basketball predictions to get you thinking about the season ahead of us.
Read more about College Basketball Predictions.
College Basketball Betting: Early Season Tournaments
by Trevor Whenham - 11/13/2008
College basketball has arrived. Preseason tournaments are already underway, and they start in earnest soon. This isn't a high profile time of the year in college basketball, but it can still provide some great early season action. Here's a look at the five best preseason tournaments from a betting perspective:
Read more about College Basketball Tournaments.
ACC Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 11/10/2008
I feel I should start my 2008-09 ACC men's basketball preview with an admission: I despise the ACC.
Read more about ACC Predictions.
Big 12 Conference Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 11/10/2008
In this country we obviously have elections in a four-year cycle. And apparently the Big 12 decides to dominate college basketball in a five-year cycle.
Read more about Big 12 Predictions.
Pac-10 Conference Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 11/10/2008
It's simply amazing to me how perfectly in sync the Pac-10 Conference is this year in terms of football and basketball.
Read more about Pac-10 Predictions.
Big Ten Conference Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 11/03/2008
Every year when I'm making my college basketball predictions I always make a point to trash the Big Ten. It's nothing personal. I just think that when it comes to college basketball (and college football, for that matter) this is the most overrated conference in the country at the betting window.
Read more about Big 10 Predictions.
Western Athletic Conference Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Josh Nagel - 10/29/2008
Here is a team-by-team look at men's college basketball in the Western Athletic Conference in their predicted order of finish:
Read more about WAC Predictions.
Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Josh Nagel - 10/29/2008
Here is a team-by-team look at men's college basketball in the Missouri Valley Conference in their predicted order of finish:
Read more about MVC Predictions.
Mountain West Conference Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Josh Nagel - 10/28/2008
Here is a team-by-team look at men's college basketball in the Mountain West Conference in their predicted order of finish:
Read more about MWC Predictions.
West Coast Conference Basketball Predictions and Betting Preview
by Josh Nagel - 10/28/2008
Here is a team-by-team look at men's college basketball in the West Coast Conference in their predicted order of finish:
Read more about WCC Predictions.
College Basketball Scoring Threats and ATS Profitability
by Trevor Whenham - 03/05/2008
Back in January I took a look at how the number of scorers an NBA team had affected the ATS success of that team. There were some interesting conclusions to be drawn, but it all boiled down to the same basic conclusions - an NBA team was better off ATS when it had a more balanced scoring threat. Given that conclusion, it only seems logical to now look at college basketball to see what trends emerge.
Read more about College Basketball Scoring Threats.
Mid-Major Tourneys Prove As Exciting As Big Ones
by Strike Point Sports - 02/28/2008
March is upon us, and before the Big Dance comes the conference tournaments. Certainly most think of the Big East in Madison Square Garden, the Pac-10 in the Staples Center or even the ACC with a great shot at seeing a third showdown between North Carolina and Duke. But there is much more to this two-week stretch, and the mid-major conference tournaments hold a bit more under-the-radar luster, mainly because if the favorite goes down, any team can get hot and steal a bid during a three- or four-game stretch. Here are some of my thoughts on several of these tournaments:
Read more about Mid-Major Tournaments.
Bubble Watch: Florida and Ohio State
by Max Powers, Senior Handicapper - 02/27/2008
It was less then a year ago that these two teams were battling for the NCAA Championship in Atlanta. Florida dominated most of the game as their veteran leadership proved to be too much for the young upstart Buckeyes, led by two freshmen, Greg Oden and Mike Conley. The Gators won the game by nine points and thus completed back-to-back NCAA Championships for the first time since Duke did it in the early 90s. A team that reaches the championship can pretty much be assured a place in next year's NCAA Tournament field, but that is not the case with these two squads, as both sit clearly on the bubble. The following will examine their resumes and compare and contrast the likelihood that either could reach the Final Four yet again.
Read more about Bubble Watch.
Tennessee Vols Earning Potential No. 1 Seed
by Trevor Whenham - 02/27/2008
Tennessee had the perfect situation on Saturday night - a nationally televised game against a hated in-state rival with the No. 1 ranking in the country on the line. They took advantage of it as well as they possibly could have. Memphis, the home team, and undefeated No. 1 team to boot, was favored by six points or more, but Tennessee was able to keep it close in the first half and pull away late as the Tigers went ice cold with their shooting. With the win, the Volunteers became, like Memphis before them, the unanimous top team in the country. There is little question that they deserve that position. The question is how well that ranking sets them up down the stretch of the season, into the SEC tournament, and, by far most importantly, into the NCAA Tournament.
Read more about Tennessee Vols.
Bracket Buster Handicapping
by Robert Ferringo - 02/22/2008
Thursday was an off day from selections, but there's no rest for the weary. I spent most of my day analyzing the Bracket Buster matchups on Saturday's card and I have several juicy situations circled. But before we get to this year's hyper-inflated version of the annual mid-major hoops orgy, we should take a look backwards to see if we can glean any useful information from past Bracket Buster weekends.
Read more about Bracket Buster Handicapping.
Best Sports Book to Watch March Madness
by Trevor Whenham - 02/22/2008
March Madness is the best time of the year, and a sports book in Las Vegas is the best place (outside of a host arena) to watch it. On tournament days the books fill up early, and they are absolutely buzzing with passion, tension, and raw excitement. Just think of everything that the tournament makes you feel and then multiply it by the hundreds of people who are there and you have the ingredients for a perfect day. I don't get to Vegas as often as I wish I did, but when I do I definitely have some favorite sports books that I have to visit. This, in no particular order, is my list of the best sports books to watch March Madness, or anything else for that matter:
Read more about Best Sports Book to Watch March Madness.
Purdue Surprising Atop the Big Ten
by Trevor Whenham - 02/19/2008
It's been a season of surprises in college basketball - the unlikely success of Drake, the toughness of Duke, the depth of the Pac-10, the emergence of St. Mary's. There isn't a story as impressive or surprising, though, as what Purdue has done. They came into the season with few expectations because of their incredibly young lineup - starting three freshmen and two sophomores. They didn't elevate those expectations with December losses to Wofford and Iowa State, two games in which the Boilermakers were heavily favored.
Read more about Purdue Basketball.
Down Year for MVC
by Max Powers - 02/19/2008
For the past couple of seasons the Missouri Valley Conference has been the media darling of the NCAA Tournament. They have become a major player in the college basketball landscape despite being a basketball only mid-major conference. Through creative scheduling MVC teams amass high RPI numbers that the selection committee can't help but notice and therefore they have received multiple at-large bids similar to those of major conferences. With their recent success it appeared that they would be in for another strong conference this year, but things have blown up and traditional powers have fallen flat on their face.
Read more about MVC.
How to Cap Struggling Teams Down the Stretch
by Trevor Whenham - 02/14/2008
For college basketball teams that are playing well this is an incredibly exciting time of year. The conference season is drawing to a close, so every single game couldn't possibly be more important. Teams at the top of their conferences are playing to improve their seeding in the NCAA Tournament, while those one step behind the elite are trying to get themselves a ticket to the dance. Passion and intensity are what make college basketball so great, and they both jump up a notch or two as we get into February. There are a lot of teams that don't enjoy this time of year very much, though.
Read more about College Basketball Teams Down the Stretch.
Worst 10 Major Conference Schools ATS
by Jason Owens - 02/11/2008
Some of these teams are riding the laurels of past performances. Some of them have suffered injuries or failed to live up to preseason hype. Some of them are just plain bad. Regardless of the reason, the following 10 teams have proven to be consistent losers against the spread and should be avoided. From the bottom up, here are the 10 major conference teams with the worst ATS records.
Read more about Worst 10 ATS.
Money Line Parlays in College Basketball
by Robert Ferringo - 02/08/2008
Conventional wisdom says that parlays and teasers are for suckers. However, conventional wisdom also used to be that a woman would never be president, that cigarettes are actually good for you, and that that melancholy could be cured by draining black bile out of one's head. Needless to say, conventional wisdom is not canon.
Read more about Money Line Parlays.
How Big is Home Court Advantage in College Hoops?
by Trevor Whenham - 02/08/2008
A couple of weeks ago I took a look at the home court advantage in the NBA, so it only makes sense that we do the same for college basketball. Unfortunately, this is a much more difficult task. There are so many teams and so many factors involved that analyzing the college home court advantage is an imprecise science at best.
Read more about College Basketball Home Court Advantage.
Ranked Teams On ATS Slide
by Trevor Whenham - 02/08/2008
Spending just a little bit of time analyzing stats and crunching numbers can sometimes turn up some valuable handicapping insights. More often, though, it can give you a dangerously incomplete picture that could lead you to lose some money if you followed through on it. For an example we need to look no further than an interesting situation that has cropped up regarding ranked teams in college basketball.
Read more about Ranked Teams On ATS Slide.
Tennessee to be Major Hurdle For Memphis
by Trevor Whenham - 02/08/2008
Can Memphis go undefeated? Absolutely. They only have nine games to go, including four against teams that they have already beaten, and they have wins over some pretty decent teams already. Will Memphis go undefeated? Well, that's an entirely different story. (Whether they should strive to go into the tournament undefeated is a different question entirely, and we will leave that for another time) Let's take a look:
Read more about Memphis Basketball.
Tar Heels Backers Have the Blues Lately
by Trevor Whenham - 02/08/2008
There's something rotten in the state of North Carolina. (Bonus points if you caught the Shakespeare reference.) Now, there's no need to panic - they are still 21-2, and at 15-5 ATS they are right near the top of the heap for betting success. It's just that the team that looked like they were virtually unstoppable at the beginning of the season suddenly looks mortal. They have lost twice in their last five games, and both times it was at home. They are just 3-3 ATS in their last six, and they needed overtime against Florida State to put away an opponent that had no business being even remotely close.
Read more about UNC Basketball.
Penn State Basketball: The Rise and Fall
by Max Powers, Senior Handicapper - 02/07/2008
The Penn State Nittany Lions have had a remarkable season that started off well and now they have fallen back to Earth a bit and are well on their way to a double-digit seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Doc's College Basketball selection service has been along for an amazing ride with this team, often using them as a selection for or against. The following will examine the highs and lows of the Penn State basketball season.
Read more about Penn State Basketball.
Drake no Fake - One of Most Profitable Teams in Nation
by Trevor Whenham - 02/07/2008
There have been some great stories and some big surprises in the college basketball season so far, but no story is better or more surprising than the success of Drake. They moved to 21-1 with their 20th consecutive victory on Tuesday night, and at 15-3 ATS they have been the most reliably profitable team in the country. I don't know any of your friends, but if you have any friends who say that they could have seen that coming then be careful, because they are huge liars. For much of the year this anonymous team from the Missouri Valley Conference has been flying under the radar, but they are starting to be noticed because they are becoming increasingly hard to ignore. If you don't know much about this team, you should. Here's the story in a nutshell to get you up to speed.
Read more about Drake Basketball.
Duke-UNC Betting Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 02/05/2008
Outside skill or inside will? Royal blue or baby blue? Home favorite with an individual vendetta or higher-ranked road underdog looking for team revenge? Lots of questions about the regional and national college basketball landscape are going to be answered on Wednesday night when Duke wanders down Tobacco Road to tussle with No. 3 North Carolina in the biggest rivalry game in college basketball.
Read more about Duke-UNC Preview.
Any Parallels Between College Stats and ATS Record?
by Trevor Whenham - 01/19/2008
Last week I looked at how some different offensive and defensive statistics in the NBA related to against the spread success for teams. The results were very interesting, and not always what was expected. For example, scoring a lot of points or winning the rebounding battle might seem like sure ways to success at the NBA betting window, but the truth is that the teams that score a lot of points and rebound well aren't necessarily the profitable ones at all. On the other hand, teams that play stingy defense appear to be a great bet, and teams with high field goal percentages are often worth a look, too.
Read more about College Stats/ATS.
Mountain West Conference - Top 4 Teams Critiqued
by Trevor Whenham - 01/18/2008
You probably didn't notice unless you were playing pretty close attention last year, but the Mountain West Conference played some pretty solid basketball. Leading the way were the Running Rebels of UNLV who returned to part of their past glory as they won two games in the tournament. BYU joined them in the dance, and covered and nearly won against a tough Xavier team that almost beat Ohio State. Air Force missed the NCAA Tournament due to a late season collapse, but made up for it by making a run to the semifinals of the NIT. San Diego State was good enough to make the NIT and win a game as well. That's not bad for a conference that gets little attention and even less respect.
Read more about Mountain West Conference Betting.
Five College Basketball Teams to Bet On
by Trevor Whenham - 01/17/2008
When it comes to teams with unimpressive records there are two basic types - those that are better than their record would indicate, and those that really aren't. Both can be interesting from a college basketball betting perspective - the bad teams can be good to bet against, and the teams that are better than they appear can present real betting value if you catch them before they start winning and the public figures out that they are better than they appear. Here are five teams that fit into the latter category - teams that are better than they seem and stand a good chance of proving it during conference play:
Read more about Value College Hoops Teams.
Kentucky Could Hold Value
by T.O Whenham - 01/09/2008
Kentucky basketball fans are known for many things, but patience and understanding are not two of them. It goes without saying, then, that the pathetic start by the Wildcats this year is not sitting well with their fans and backers. Things weren't supposed to go this way in Lexington. Tubby Smith had been blamed for all the recent woes, but he had been banished to a basketball wasteland, and the savior had arrived in the form of Billy Gillispie. All was supposed to be right with the world. Instead, the team is at 6-7, and a pitiful 2-7-1 ATS.
Read more about Betting Value on Kentucky.
College Basketball Handicapping: Conference Play
by Trevor Whenham - 01/09/2008
One of the big challenges of college basketball handicapping is that things are constantly changing. In the NFL, for example, every game during the regular season is a regular season game, and can be looked at in much the same way. In college basketball, though, the season goes through many distinct phases, and each must be handled differently: preseason games give way to early season tournaments, followed by non-conference action, then conference play, followed by the conference tournament and then whatever postseason action the team may qualify for.
Read more about College Basketball Handicapping.
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