College Basketball Handicapping Articles

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Tuesday
by Alan Matthews - 2/9/2015

Top-ranked Kentucky was able to get out of Gainesville with a win on Saturday, so I'm calling it now: If the Cats win at LSU on Tuesday night they are going unbeaten into the NCAA Tournament. LSU represents Kentucky's toughest road game left, although Saturday's matchup at Tennessee won't be totally easy. Kentucky is listed at -340 on Sportsbook.ag to not finish the season unbeaten (including NCAA Tournament) and +260 to run the table fully. Here's a look at UK's game Tuesday and two others that caught my eye.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Sunday
by Alan Matthews - 2/7/2015

If you are like me, this Sunday is the most painful Sunday as a sports bettor and fan since early August. Why? No NFL football, not even an exhibition game or the stinking Pro Bowl! (Seriously, I'm going to start wagering on Madden simulations.). I guess I may have to do whatever my significant other wants to (no, dear, I didn't know Pottery Barn was having a sale. Yay). Ugh. How many days until MLB teams report to training camp? So basketball takes the Sunday focus at least until baseball gets going. Not a great NCAA schedule this Sunday but here are three games that caught my eye.

College Basketball Odds and Analysis: Saturday Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 2/6/2015

Another football season is in the books. Which means that all of the gamblers that have spent their last six months obsessing about our nation’s true national past time are now ready to turn their attention to the hardwood. Most of these All Of A Sudden Experts are lambs to the slaughter, and the sportsbooks bank on February being a time of the year to boost its bottom line and win back any stray football dollars that it lost this fall.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Saturday
by Alan Matthews - 2/6/2015

When I previewed Syracuse's game against Virginia Tech earlier this week, I asked what an NCAA Tournament would feel like without the powerhouse Orange in it. Now we will find out. The big news in college basketball this week was Syracuse announcing a self-imposed ban on all postseason play this season for NCAA violations committed years ago.

College Basketball Betting: Top Teams Against the Spread
by Robert Ferringo - 2/6/2015

I have been handicapping college basketball for a decade. And I can tell you that there is no better feeling than getting in early on a team that you know is undervalued and then cashing ticket after ticket as the sportsbooks and the betting markets struggle to catch up.

NCAA Basketball Betting: Worst Teams Against the Spread
by Robert Ferringo - 2/6/2015

Below is a list of the 10 worst teams against the spread so far in this college hoops season. It’s always nice to find an under-the-radar team that is overlooked and undervalued. But spotting a dumpster fire team and just pounding away at them can be just as fun and rewarding.

NCAA Basketball Wagering: Under-the-Radar Teams with Betting Value
by Trevor Whenham - 2/5/2015

A lot of bettors spend too much of their college basketball betting time focusing on the big-name, high-profile teams. While there is obviously value to be found with some of those teams, some of the best return on investment each year comes not from the games that are broadcast on network TV but from the teams that people barely have heard of.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Thursday
by Alan Matthews - 2/4/2015

No team from the Western region of the USA has won the NCAA Tournament since Arizona in 1997, but that drought could finally end this year as there are three legitimate contenders from that part of the country in No. 2 Gonzaga, No. 6 Arizona and No. 13 Utah. With a weak WCC schedule that features no ranked teams remaining, it's not hard to see Gonzaga running the table and earning the No. 1 seed in the Big Dance's West Region over Arizona even though the Wildcats own a close head-to-head win. The Zags shouldn't be lose Thursday night. Here's a look at that and two other matchups that caught my eye.

College Basketball Betting: Weekly Big East Handicapping Report
by Dave Schwab - 2/4/2015

The Big East continues to try and remain relevant when it comes to talking about the major conferences in men’s college basketball with a trio of teams in the latest AP Top 25 led by No. 7 Villanova. The Wildcats are currently 19-2 straight up with a 6-2 record in Big East play heading into Wednesday’s home game against Marquette. BetOnline has listed them as heavy 15-point favorites to remain at the top of the heap with a win. No. 22 Butler remains hot with a SU four-game winning streak, and No. 24 Georgetown is set to face Providence on Wednesday as a seven-point favorite at home.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Wednesday
by Alan Matthews - 2/3/2015

I realize that the University of Texas is always going to be a football school first, but there's really no excuse for not winning big there as a basketball coach because you still have all the resources in the world at your disposal. Thus I would not be surprised if Coach Rick Barnes is fired after this season if UT misses the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons. Texas hasn't won more than one game in the Big Dance since 2008, and that should be unacceptable in Austin.

College Basketball Betting: Weekly Schedule Spot Fade Picks
by Aaron Smith - 2/3/2015

It's time for the eighth edition of the Schedule Spot Fade Plays weekly article. It was a good week for the plays last week as they went 2-1. Utah State was the best call of the week. The Aggies dominated throughout against a Wyoming team that just isn't the same away from their home court. Boise State was a bit of a fortunate cover. The Broncos caught fire at the end of the game and erased a double-digit deficit in the second half to win by four points.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Tuesday
by Alan Matthews - 2/2/2015

And then there was one. With former No. 2 Virginia's loss at home to Duke on Saturday, that leaves only Kentucky without a defeat. Probably no surprise there and the Cats were back to a unanimous choice for the top spot in both polls this week as they should be. I would argue that Tuesday's home matchup with Georgia has the potential to be a trap game for the Cats because arguably their two toughest regular-season games left are after that: Saturday at Florida and next Tuesday at LSU. Here's a look at the UK matchup and two other games that caught my eye.

2015 NCAA Tournament Projections
by Robert Ferringo - 1/28/2015

I have been saying for years that ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is one of the biggest frauds and shills in all of sports. I’d like to think that I was one of the pioneers of the idea since I first wrote about it back in 2010 at a time when the rest of the country was still fawning over his inflated records at predicting the NCAA Tournament field with so-called “bracketology”.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Thursday
by Alan Matthews - 1/28/2015

Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie was the toast of college basketball last season in leading the No. 7 seed Huskies to the National Championship the year after UConn wasn't even eligible for the Big Dance due to academic issues. Well, the bloom might be off the rose for Ollie, who was rumored for some NBA jobs, if his team doesn't start winning regularly because Connecticut is on the outside looking in for the field of 68 right now. It is a +10000 long shot to repeat at Sportsbook.ag. Here's a look at big game for the Huskies on Thursday and two other interesting matchups.

NCAA Basketball Experts Talk Kentucky Hoops and Chances for a National Title
by Robert Ferringo - 1/28/2015

Right now there is no bigger story – and, quite literally, no bigger team – in college basketball than Kentucky. The Wildcats enter Wednesday at 19-0 straight up on the season, and they are 12 games away from completing an unblemished regular season en route to a potential perfect year.

College Basketball Betting: Weekly Big East Handicapping Report
by Dave Schwab - 1/28/2015

Villanova has set the pace in the Big East all season long, and at 18-2 straight up it’s easy to see why the Wildcats are ranked No. 7 in the latest AP Top 25. A few other teams that have made their way into the national rankings are Georgetown at No. 21 and Butler at No. 25. Seton Hall and St. John’s spent some time in the polls earlier this season, but both teams are suffering through a rather rocky start in conference play.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Wednesday
by Alan Matthews - 1/27/2015

Nothing gets an opposing fan base riled up quite like a visit from hated Duke, so it should be a zoo at Notre Dame's Purcell Pavilion on Wednesday night in a Top-10 ACC showdown. The Irish have been very successful at home against Top-10 teams under Coach Mike Brey. Duke is the +800 second-favorite at Sportsbook.ag to win the national title while Notre Dame is way down at +7500. Here's a look at that matchup and two other games that caught my eye Wednesday.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Tuesday
by Alan Matthews - 1/26/2015

Will we have a mid-major program reach the Final Four this season? Certainly the top candidate is No. 3 Gonzaga, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see Coach Shaka Smart's VCU Rams reach the national semifinals for the second time this decade. Smart hasn't gotten past the second round since VCU lost to Butler in the 2011 Final Four. VCU is a +10000 long shot at Sportsbook.ag to win the national title. Here's a look at the Rams' game on Tuesday and two others that caught my eye.

College Basketball Betting: Weekly Schedule Spot Fade Picks
by Aaron Smith - 1/26/2015

The seventh edition of the Schedule Spot Fade Plays weekly article is here. For the second straight week, the schedule spot fade plays split at 2-2. The first two plays were losers on Wednesday night as Wake Forest +8 and Loyola (Chicago) -1.5 both fell short. Loyola was dealing with some injury issues that ended up being too much to overcome. Wake Forest simply ran into a North Carolina team that was an absolute buzzsaw on that particular night. Hawaii humbled UC Davis on Thursday night as Hawaii -2.5 cashed in. On Saturday, Georgia State finally got some revenge on Louisiana Lafayette as the Panthers covered the eight-point spread.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Sunday
by Alan Matthews - 1/24/2015

Sunday could be a historic day in college basketball as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski can become the first Division I college basketball coach ever to win 1,000 games, which is just unfathomable. Fittingly, Duke will play for No. 1,000 at Madison Square Garden, the same arena that Coach K broke Bob Knight's record for career victories in November 2011. Knight is Coach K's mentor as Krzyzewski spent the 1974-75 season on Knight's staff at Indiana before being hired as the head coach at the U.S. Military Academy, Krzyzewski's alma mater, for the next season.