College Basketball Handicapping Articles

College Basketball Betting Advice: Weekly Schedule Spot Fade Picks
by Aaron Smith - 1/31/2017

Gonzaga became the fifth different No. 1- ranked team when this week's AP Top 25 came out. The Bulldogs are definitely deserving. Yes, they play in a weaker conference, but they beat some very good teams in their nonconference schedule, and Mark Few's team has been sharp every single game. Oddsmakers haven't been able to catch up to how good the Bulldogs are this season. Kentucky's home loss to Kansas this past Saturday was a big surprise. Also, UCLA has had a rough run of late, and they have fallen out of the Top 10.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 31 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/30/2017

I don't think it's particularly fair that a head coach get fired because injuries torpedoed his team, but I believe Indiana's Tom Crean is in some trouble with his Hoosiers certainly on the NCAA Tournament bubble and now having lost another key player. A couple of weeks ago, potential NBA lottery pick OG Anunoby was lost for the season to a knee injury, and now junior guard James Blackmon Jr., the team's leading scorer, is out indefinitely with a lower leg injury.

Expert College Basketball Predictions: Weekly MAC Betting Report and Picks
by Chris Vasile - 1/30/2017

Saturday was a crazy day in the MAC conference as underdog and "over" bettors were the beneficiaries. The undefeated Akron Zips almost succumbed to their first loss of the season but pulled out a 91-90 win over the reigning MAC champion Buffalo Bulls. The Zips needed two late free-throws with 2.3 seconds left to not only tie but take the lead and keep their double-digit win streak intact. Over at the Memorial A&C Center in Kent, Ohio, bettors were treated to a 200+ point game thanks to a 105-98 Central Michigan win over Kent State.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 28 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/27/2017

I'm sure it's not news to you that all of the good nonconference matchups in college basketball's regular season take place in November and December. Things like the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. However, to stand apart a bit, the SEC and Big 12 decided to move their one-day Challenge to the middle of the season last year. I think that's a great idea for a break from the monotony of conference play, and that returns this Saturday with 10 games -- there are only 10 Big 12 teams, so four SEC teams are out of luck. You can see all 10 on some form of ESPN, and one clearly stands above the rest. The Big 12 has won the previous three Challenges.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 26 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/25/2017

The weekly unveiling of the College Football Playoff Top 25 -- weekly starting around midseason -- has been a pretty big success both from a ratings perspective for ESPN and in terms of generating buzz for the sport. So in no surprise, the NCAA men's basketball committee will unveil its Top 16 overall seeds next month as they stand at the time. The Top 4 in each region will be shown on the March Madness Bracket Preview Show on CBS on Feb. 11 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

College Basketball Betting Advice: Weekly Schedule Spot Fade Picks
by Aaron Smith - 1/24/2017

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are always really good, but no one knew they were going to be this good. Gonzaga is a whopping 13-4 against the spread this year as the books struggle to rate them highly enough. Mark Few's team might be able to make that Final Four run this season. How about the mid-major darling from last year's NCAA Tournament? The MTSU Blue Raiders are 14-5 ATS so far this year.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 25 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/24/2017

It's a good news/bad news situation for Oregon star Dillon Brooks. He was forced to leave last Thursday's game against Cal and was feared to have suffered a season-ending broken foot. Brooks had missed the team's first four games of the season due to rehabilitation from surgery on the same foot. He originally declared for the NBA Draft before choosing to return to school, but he injured his foot during a workout soon after he was back on campus.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 24 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/23/2017

On Saturday's Opening Line Report story, I looked at the status of Arizona sophomore guard Allonzo Trier and how much better the already-good Wildcats could be if/when he returned from a PED suspension. I'd like to tell you that I had some inside knowledge that Trier was going to return on Saturday, but that would be a lie. Yet there he was, and what a difference it made. The Wildcats dominated No. 3 UCLA in the Bruins' gym, 96-85, for their 12th straight victory. The former touted recruit finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. I absolutely believe Arizona is good enough now to give the Pac-12 its first men's basketball national champion 1997 when Arizona won it. The Cats have are now down to +1400 to cut down the nets.

Expert College Basketball Predictions: Weekly MAC Betting Report and Picks
by Chris Vasile - 1/23/2017

Last Saturday's MAC action brought bettors a fairly mixed bag in terms of the closing point-spreads. Favorites covered the spread in just three games, while underdogs cashed in the other three. However, there was only one underdog that won outright, and that was Bowling Green, who defeated Ball State 79-74 as three-point dogs. The "over/under" results were just as split. Three games found their way "over" the total, while three games managed to stay "under" the number. I can assure you that you will not find another mid-major conference that offers up the parity and results that the MAC conference does.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 21 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/20/2017

This has not been a good week regarding the health of key players on potential Final Four teams. The latest injury has struck Indiana and sophomore forward OG Anunoby, who has been compared to former Hoosier Victor Oladipo for his athleticism. Anunoby went down at the end of the first half of Wednesday's win against Penn State with a knee injury, and it doesn't look good.

College Basketball National Championship Futures Odds and Expert Betting Predictions
by Trevor Whenham - 1/19/2017

In a couple of short weeks the football season will come to an end, and many casual bettors will suddenly discover that college basketball is being played. The season starts in November, but betting volumes increase dramatically as we draw nearer to March. Before all the bandwagon jumpers turn their attention to college basketball, and by extension to college basketball championship futures, this is a good time to check in on those futures to see what is interesting, and where there might be some value (odds to win the NCAA Championship are from BetOnline):

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 19 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/18/2017

On Wednesday's Opening Line Report, I mentioned that No. 7 Creighton was awaiting news on a potential serious ligament injury to excellent point guard Maurice Watson Jr. There was one report from the school that his ligaments were "sound," but that was wishful thinking as Watson has been diagnosed with a torn ACL that will end his collegiate career. The Bluejays are one of the nation's best offensive teams and Watson was the guy who made that unit go in averaging 12.9 points and 8.5 assists (No. 1 in the nation in that category). Too bad as this appeared to be one of the best Creighton teams in years and its 18-1 start is the best in school history.

College Basketball Betting Advice: Weekly Schedule Spot Fade Picks
by Aaron Smith - 1/18/2017

The Villanova Wildcats are back at the top spot of the college basketball rankings. Baylor's stay was short at the top after getting waxed by West Virginia. It definitely feels like a wide-open year in college basketball. I also believe there are more high-quality teams this year than there have been in previous years. That should mean some really exciting action in March.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 18 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/17/2017

Potentially devastating news for an excellent Creighton team on Monday as point guard Maurice Watson, who leads the nation in assists at 8.8 per game, had to be carried off the court in the first half after injuring his knee. It was actually the second time in the game he had to be helped off the court as he previously had collided with a Xavier player. Watson also averages 13.4 points and shoots an excellent 48.4 percent from 3-point range.

College Basketball Betting Advice: Creighton Bluejays one of Best Bets in Nation
by Trevor Whenham - 1/17/2017

Here's a little peek behind the curtain for you. My editor and I decide on Thursday or Friday most weeks what I am going to write about the next week, but I usually don't start writing until Sunday or more often Monday. That often puts me in a situation, then, when I have a rooting interest over the weekend - hoping that the team that seemed like a story on Friday still seems like a story when the weekend ends. Such was definitely the case with Creighton this weekend.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 17 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/16/2017

I have never previewed a women's college basketball game in my life, and I'm not going to start now. But I have to give kudos out to the UConn women after they won at SMU 88-48 on Saturday for their 91st straight victory, breaking their own NCAA mark (men or women). UConn scored the game's first 21 points and gave up a season-low two points in the first quarter. I had literally forgotten that the women play quarters now.

Expert College Basketball Predictions: Weekly MAC Betting Report and Picks
by Chris Vasile - 1/16/2017

If you love betting underdogs, then last Saturday's MAC action was sure to have been a profitable day for you. Five of the seven games were won straight up by underdogs, with Eastern Michigan getting the best win as 7.5-point dogs against Ohio. Miami-Ohio was the only underdog to cover the spread and not win. The lone winning favorite was Western Michigan as they snuck by Kent State by a score of 92-88. This is only part of the reason why the MAC conference can be very profitable for bettors who do their due diligence before writing off a conference and labeling it as bad basketball.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 14 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/13/2017

I have yet to see any odds on a player to win the Wooden Award, but they will be out eventually -- probably at sportsbooks after the Super Bowl once the books shift their focus to basketball. But the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list was revealed this week, and just one player who was on last year's Midseason ranking is back: Maryland's Melo Trimble. Four players who were not on the Preseason Top 50 have joined: Baylor's Johnathan Motley; Butler's Kelan Martin; UCLA's TJ Leaf (a freshman); and Duke's Luke Kennard.

NCAA Basketball Expert Predictions: Three Interesting Jan. 12 Opening Lines
by Alan Matthews - 1/11/2017

There will be no Power 5 team to enter the 2017 NCAA Tournament with an unbeaten record. Not a huge surprise really, but the last major conference team to lose was new No. 1 Baylor at No. 10 West Virginia, as I expected, on Tuesday night. That leaves only Gonzaga without a loss and it's quite possible that the Zags reach the Big Dance with a zero in the loss column. They also could get to No. 1 in the next AP poll by sweeping their WCC foes this weekend. The Zags shouldn't have much trouble Thursday vs. Loyola Marymount.

NCAA Basketball Betting Advice: Gonzaga With one of Best Teams in Years
by Trevor Whenham - 1/10/2017

And then there were two. Baylor and Gonzaga are the only two unbeaten teams remaining in the country. Of the two, Gonzaga has the better chance by far of running the table - not necessarily because they are better but because they have the more favorable schedule. By now we are very used to Gonzaga being strong - the class of their conference and often more than that. But they have never been able to take the final step and be a viable threat deep into the tournament - which is all that really matters.