College Basketball Handicapping Articles

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Wednesday
by Alan Matthews - 2/17/2015

Two of college basketball's best rivalries take center stage on Wednesday night as Xavier visits Cincinnati for city bragging rights and North Carolina is at Duke. I think ESPN might run a commercial or two in order to hype the Tar Heels and Blue Devils. Just a guess. Honestly, Xavier-Cincinnati might be more heated. Of course, those schools had a huge brawl when they played at Xavier in 2011, which was the last time the Crosstown Shootout was staged on campus. It was moved for two years to a neutral site (US Bank Arena) so things could calm down a bit.

NCAA Basketball Betting: Handicapping the Bubble Watch for Profit
by Trevor Whenham - 2/17/2015

Once the second half of February rolls around, a whole lot of media and public attention shifts towards the fast-approaching NCAA Tournament. We are about a month away from tip-off, and that month will be filled with an almost infinite amount of speculation about which teams will make the field and how they will be seeded. The Bubble Watch.

NCAA Basketball Handicapping: Gonzaga Chances for No. 1 Tourney Seed
by Trevor Whenham - 2/17/2015

With Arizona’s loss at rival Arizona State on Feb. 7, the door is wide open for Gonzaga to secure their second No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in three years. Given their talent they could also be poised to make their first trip beyond the Sweet 16 since that 1999 run to the Elite Eight that first brought them into the national consciousness. As always, though, there are as many people who are skeptical of the Bulldogs because of their conference and other factors as there are those who are truly optimistic.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Tuesday
by Alan Matthews - 2/16/2015

With the NBA's extended All-Star Break this season, the only basketball action on Tuesday is of the college variety. So I'm sure the lead to SportsCenter, barring some big news, will be whatever Kentucky does Tuesday night in Knoxville, especially if the Cats lose. (As an aside, I think that UK could beat the New York Knicks now that they have bought out Amare Stoudemire and are likely to shut down Carmelo Anthony.) On Sportsbook.ag's updated odds, UK is +220 to finish the entire season unbeaten and -300 not to. This might be their toughest road test left, although a March 3 trip to Georgia won't be a walk in the park.

College Basketball Betting: Weekly Schedule Spot Fade Picks
by Aaron Smith - 2/16/2015

The 10th edition of the Schedule Spot Fade Plays weekly article is ready to go. It was a second straight bad week for the schedule spot fade plays last week. After an 0-3 week, the plays went just 1-4 last week. TCU cashed in easily as a four-point underdog in their win over Oklahoma State, but that was the only bright spot. Belmont won the game but couldn't cover the number. Baylor was upset on their home court and didn't come close to covering the number.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Sunday
by Alan Matthews - 2/14/2015

It's time to start getting geared up for March Madness because the NCAA Tournament's Selection Sunday is exactly one month from Sunday, March 15, with the First Four starting two days later in Dayton. Right now your No. 1 seeds look to be Kentucky in the Midwest, Duke in the South, Virginia in the East and Gonzaga in the West. The first team on the outside looking in? That would be Wisconsin, which plays Sunday afternoon.

College Basketball Odds and Analysis: Saturday Preview
by Robert Ferringo - 2/13/2015

Saturday is THE DAY in college basketball, and this weekend is no exception. There are 137 games scheduled for Valentine’s Day, and the overwhelming majority have big fat bull’s eye spreads attached to them. There are several marquee Top 25 games stealing the headlines, such as Baylor-Kansas and Duke-Syracuse. But there is plenty of value to be found for intrepid bettors looking to dip below the surface for other games of import.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Saturday
by Alan Matthews - 2/13/2015

With all due respect to the Big East, I don't consider it a power conference in college basketball any longer after losing Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Louisville. It's probably the next-best one after the Power 5, sure. So what a surprise it is, then, that the best game on Saturday's schedule is for first place in the Big East, with Villanova all but locking up the conference's regular-season title for the second year in a row with a win over Butler. The Wildcats are +3000 on Sportsbook.ag to win the national title.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Thursday
by Alan Matthews - 2/11/2015

Wow, it has been a rough few days for the college basketball world. First, former North Carolina coach Dean Smith died on Saturday night, then fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Tarkanian passed away Wednesday at age 84. Tark's.790 win percentage is Top 10 all-time for men's basketball. I'll never forget his 1990-91 UNLV team as that was club was unbelievable and must-see TV, usually on at midnight on ESPN. Of course, the Runnin' Rebels were upset in the Final Four by Duke in an incredibly memorable game. RIP Tark. Here's a look at three games in college hoops that caught my eye on Thursday.

NCAA Basketball Handicapping: Possible Long Shots for National Championship
by Trevor Whenham - 2/11/2015

The UConn Huskies, of course, are the defending NCAA Tournament champions. If you looked back a year ago from now, though, you would have really struggled to see them coming. On Feb. 11 last year they were a decent 18-5, but their 6-4 record in the American conference was far less impressive. They weren’t ranked, and they didn’t scare anyone. Of course, they got things figured out when it mattered -- and rewarded the bettors that had faith in them in March and early April very handsomely.

College Basketball Betting: Weekly Big East Handicapping Report
by Dave Schwab - 2/11/2015

Villanova remains the class of the Big East this season after pasting Georgetown 69-53 this past Saturday as a 9.5-point home favorite on 5Dimes’ closing betting odds for that game. The Wildcats are ranked No. 6 in the AP’s latest Top 25 and still in the running for a possible No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament with a straight up record of 21-2. The only other nationally-ranked team in the Big East right now is No. 18 Butler, which is riding a SU five-game winning streak into this Saturday’s huge showdown at home against the first-place Wildcats.

NCAA Basketball Betting 3-Point Play: Three Interesting Opening Lines Wednesday
by Alan Matthews - 2/10/2015

I don't really consider Gonzaga a "mid-major" anymore because the Zags have been so good for so long. Thus I would say that No. 13 Northern Iowa has the best shot of any mid-major to reach the Final Four as the Panthers are just a few points from being unbeaten. Of course another Missouri Valley Conference team, Wichita State, did enter last season's NCAA Tournament without a loss. NIU already has beaten the Shockers this season. However, the Panthers are still +20000 long shots at Sportsbook.ag to cut down the nets in April in Indianapolis. Here's a look at Northern Iowa's game Wednesday and two more intriguing matchups.

College Basketball Betting: Weekly Schedule Spot Fade Picks
by Aaron Smith - 2/9/2015

The ninth edition of the Schedule Spot Fade Plays weekly article is here. The plays fell flat on their face last week, going 0-3. All three of them weren't particularly close, so the scheduling spots weren't enough to help the teams out. Texas is a team that I worry about at this point in the season. The Longhorns continue to disappoint compared to expectations, and this late in the season you would expect the team to have better chemistry. Montana and UC Irvine both split during the week, but we had them in the wrong game in both instances.

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.