College Basketball Handicapping Articles

2018 Big Ten Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 2/27/2018

The Big Ten has been a bit of an afterthought in college basketball this year. Michigan State fulfilled their preseason expectations by winning the regular-season title with powerhouse Purdue nipping at their tails. But beyond that the story of the league has been one of disappointment.

2018 Missouri Valley Conference Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 2/27/2018

Creighton is gone. Wichita State is gone. The Missouri Valley's shifting roster has created a power vacuum. And without Creighton and Wichita State in their way you can feel the hopefulness that the current crop of Valley programs have since their odds of winning the league's automatic bid have shot up.

2018 Southern Conference Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 2/27/2018

At the mid-major level, the conference tournaments are the one shot that teams have at earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. And for seniors, the conference tournament has the dual pressure of being potentially the end of players' careers. Combine those stakes, and every March you get some of the most emotional situations in college sports.

College Basketball March Madness Betting Primer: Flaws for Each Top 10 Team
by Trevor Whenham - 2/27/2018

As this college basketball season has progressed I keep waiting for clarity. Typically as the calendar turns to a new year and we get deep into conference play we get a sense of which teams are legitimate contenders and which ones will have to be more of surprising underdogs once tournament season rolls around. But this year each of the Top 10 teams - and well beyond that - have real strengths that make them impressive, but they also have glaring issues that make it tough to go all in with your support of them.

2018 MAAC Basketball Tournament Odds and Expert Predictions
by Robert Ferringo - 2/27/2018

The 2018 MAAC Tournament will be held from Thursday, March 1, to Monday, March 5, with the winner securing the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament will be played on Siena's home court, the Times-Union Center, in Albany, New York.

2018 Big Ten Tournament Betting Odds and College Hoops Preview
by Trevor Whenham - 2/26/2018

The Big Ten has done something dumb with their conference tournament. They have decided to move it a week earlier than all of the other major conference tournaments. They are also putting it in New York, even though there are no Big Ten teams in or particularly near New York (Rutgers is closest, but barely counts as being in the conference).

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/27/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/26/2018

I'm not sure what to even say about the shocking - yet not really surprising - revelations broken by Yahoo! and ESPN over the weekend regarding how corrupt college basketball truly is regarding payments to recruits and/or their families. Why does it feel like whichever school wins the national title will eventually have to vacate it like Louisville did for its 2013 championship? I don't see how Arizona can keep Sean Miller as head coach after it was reported FBI wiretaps had intercepted phone conversations between Miller and a runner for an agent during which they discussed paying $100,000 to ensure that Deandre Ayton, Arizona's star freshman center, would sign with the Wildcats.

College Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Conference Tournament Wagering
by Trevor Whenham - 2/26/2018

We are, as I write this, about to head into two weeks of very exciting college basketball conference tournament action, which sets the table for March Madness. The conference tournaments can provide rich and varied betting opportunities for those who are paying attention. Betting these tournaments is, though, quite different than both the regular season and the NCAA Tournament that follows. By understanding five of those biggest differences - along with one unique difference that is relevant to this year like never before - you give yourself the best possible chance of coming out ahead.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/22/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/21/2018

I pretty clearly remember watching Louisville beat Michigan in the 2013 NCAA title game at the old Georgia Dome, but according to the NCAA that actually didn't happen. That's because on Tuesday, the organization denied Louisville's appeal of some sanctions, meaning U of L will have to vacate its 2013 national championship and 2012 Final Four appearance. The Cardinals are the first Division I men's basketball program to vacate a national title during the Final Four era. I'm guessing they won't be the last - especially once this ongoing federal investigation shakes out.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/21/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/20/2018

A hugely disappointing season at Minnesota - which saw the Gophers start the season 13-3 and ranked in the Top 25 - likely won't be getting any better with the few remaining games left as sophomore small forward Amir Coffey has decided to have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. He had missed several games earlier with the problem. Coffey was averaging 14.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 31.6 minutes.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/20/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/19/2018

It wouldn't seem like there's that big of a difference between getting a No. 1 seed or a No. 2 in the NCAA Tournament, but it's important to note that a No. 1 has never lost in the first round and a handful of No. 2s have. I mention this because Michigan State's chances of getting a No. 1 might have been rather tough had the Spartans lost at Northwestern on Saturday. Sure looked like they were going to, down 43-16 in the first half. Yet amazingly, MSU rallied for a 65-60 comeback win.

College Basketball Futures Odds: Bookies Adjust Numbers Before March Madness
by David Anicetti - 2/19/2018

It looks like the Virginia Cavaliers are going to win the ACC regular-season title. They sit atop the conference at 13-1 and have defeated conference rivals UNC, Duke and Clemson. The rest of Virginia's conference schedule appears, on paper at least, to be quite easy, with the only exception being a visit to Louisville on March 1 to take on the Cardinals.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/17/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/16/2018

Wednesday was a good news/bad news situation for Nevada. The Wolf Pack won in a slight upset at Boise State, 77-72, in the Mountain West Game of the Year. That gave Nevada a season sweep and means it should be the regular-season champion and top seed in the conference tournament. However, starting point Lindsey Drew, the son of former NBA head coach Larry Drew, ruptured his Achilles on a last-second half-court shot at halftime and is obviously done for the season.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/16/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/15/2018

Saint Louis hasn't made an NCAA Tournament since 2014 and probably wasn't going to this year under second-year coach Travis Ford, although the Billikens are much improved. Part of that is due to freshman guard Jordan Goodwin, who was averaging 11.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists - he had the school's first-ever triple-double not long ago. Alas, Goodwin's season is now over as he has been found in violation of school policy related to the university's Title IX investigation. Long story short, some women accused four players of sexual assault in September.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/15/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/14/2018

I mentioned the other day that I was about 100 percent sure there would be at least one ACC head coaching opening this offseason, coming at Pittsburgh. I feel about as confident there will be at least two in the SEC. Ole Miss already is looking as the school and Coach Andy Kennedy have agreed to part ways after the season. Not sure Ole Miss can do better as Kennedy is the winningest coach in school history and led the Rebels to two NCAA Tournaments and two NIT Final Fours. Meanwhile, it's now clear that Georgia will miss the NCAA Tournament as the Dawgs are in a free-fall, and the school is expected to fire Mark Fox. Two names you already here at UGA are Tom Crean and Thad Matta. Both would be an improvement.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/13/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/12/2018

Why is it that we talk coaches on the hot seat in college football almost every week but rarely in college basketball? Yes, I know there are about 350 NCAA basketball teams, but I'm sticking solely to the Power 5 conferences - one could argue there are seven in hoops if you include the Big East and American Athletic Conference. Anyways, I do believe there will be one opening for sure in the ACC this offseason: at Pittsburgh. Have you seen how far that program has fallen under second-year coach Kevin Stallings? The Panthers are 0-13 in the ACC and generally are being blown out nightly.

Expert NCAA Hoops Handicapping: National Championship Contenders from Top 10
by Trevor Whenham - 2/9/2018

This is a very odd year in college basketball. By this time most years we have a group of teams we really like, and it feels like a battle of the titans. This year it's more like there are a bunch of teams that might be alright, and it's just a matter of which one will stand up the longest before tripping and falling on their faces. There is no great team this year, and there may not even be many really good ones. What we will do now, though, is look at the Top 10 teams heading into this week to see whether they look like true contenders or not. (Odds to win the National Championship are from Bovada)

College Basketball Betting Advice: Under-the-Radar Teams to Bet On
by Trevor Whenham - 2/9/2018

This is the time of year when a lot of bettors start paying attention to college basketball for the first time this season. All football action is finished up, baseball hasn't started yet, and the NBA and NHL are in their dog days before the stretch drives begin, so this is a bit of a sweet spot for college hoops. The postseason is only a month away, and that's when things get exciting.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/9/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/8/2018

The University of Nebraska is an NCAA Tournament bubble team, although likely on the right side of that bubble with an 18-8 overall record and 9-4 in the Big Ten. The Huskers also have been a bettors' best friend thus far in the 2017-18 season as they lead the country with 18 against the spread victories against just six ATS losses. Nebraska has covered every single Big Ten game but a 64-63 win over Illinois as a 4.5-point favorite. Not sure the NCAA Tournament selection committee will care about ATS statistics, but you should.

NCAA Basketball Expert Betting Advice: Three Interesting Opening Lines 2/8/2018
by Alan Matthews - 2/7/2018

The NCAA almost never reverses one of its decision on appeal, so Auburn fans can't possibly be surprised that the organization has denied the school's appeal of a ruling declaring center Austin Wiley ineligible for the rest of the season. The NCAA had announced on Jan. 11 that Wiley won't be eligible until 2018-19 because of some violations surrounding his recruitment. He was a five-star recruit who averaged 8.8 points per game as a freshman last season.