College Basketball Handicapping Articles

College Basketball Handicapping: What’s Wrong with the Tar Heels?
by T.O. Whenham - 1/18/2012

There is something wrong with the Tar Heels. Not fatally wrong — they are still an elite team that will be a high seed in the tournament. They just really aren’t playing like they were at the start of the season — the favorites to win the National Championship.

College Basketball Betting: Hot or Not handicapping Report
by David Schwab - 1/18/2012

The NCAA men’s college basketball schedule enters the second half of January with the top teams in Division I starting to really jockey for position for a top spot in this March’s NCAA Tournament. There have been a few shocking upsets that have thrown a wrench into some of these teams’ plans, while allowing a few others to emerge as surprise gate-crashers for the Big Dance.

College Basketball Picks: Oklahoma State at Baylor Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/13/2012

OK, new rule: I am no longer picking Syracuse games. My only two free college basketball picks losses this season have come on Orange games – I expected SU to win last Saturday against Marquette but the Orange didn’t cover. They also burned me earlier against N.C. State. So I am hoping Syracuse loses soon to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten so I am not tempted to preview its games any longer.

College Basketball Handicapping: Pac-12 Hoops Predictions
by T.O. Whenham - 1/13/2012

It has been a long time since the Pac-12 (or the conferences that came before it) has been among the very best in college basketball, but they have always been respectable. This year, though, the conference is a mess. If the NCAA Tournament were to start today there would be no locks to get in.

Beyond the Top 25 – A College Hoops Weekly
by - 1/10/2012

We’re in mid-January, a week or so into conference play, and all is well with college basketball. And I must say, it’s hard not to poke your head around the corner toward March and start thinking about the ‘Madness’ and all great things associated with the Big Dance.

College Basketball Betting: Hot or Not handicapping Report
by David Schwab - 1/9/2012

After the first few weeks of conference play there have already been some stunning upsets and fantastic finishes in men’s college basketball as each team in Division I continues their push for a spot in this March’s NCAA Tournament. We have also seen a few surprise teams emerge as legitimate contenders for this year’s national title, and a few other high-profile programs take a major step backwards.

College Basketball Handicapping: Weekend Betting Primer
by Robert Ferringo - 1/6/2012

If you were waiting for Syracuse to finally lose, dropping from the ranks of the unbeaten and yielding their No. 1 ranking to a “sexier” college basketball program, I would avoid the Carrier Dome around 4 p.m. on Saturday. The Orange have been college basketball’s dominant team so far this season. Yet, because they don’t play on Tobacco Road, in Lexington, or in the Big Ten, I feel like they are the least heralded No. 1 team this deep in the season in several years.

College Basketball Picks: Marquette at Syracuse Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 1/6/2012

Not to toot my own horn here, but if I don’t who will? I improved to 5-1 on the sides in my weekly college basketball picks last week and predicted Indiana’s home upset (well, maybe “predicted” is strong as I said IU definitely could win and would cover) of Ohio State last Saturday. Which, of course, means I probably just jinxed myself for this week’s game between No. 20 Marquette and top-ranked Syracuse on Saturday in Big East action. Tip is at 4 p.m. EST on ESPN3 and ESPN Full Court.

College Basketball Handicapping: Ranking the Conferences
by T.O. Whenham - 1/6/2012

The conference season is in full swing in college basketball. We still don’t have a full sense of how good a lot of teams are, but we know a lot more than we did a month ago. This is a good time to take a step back and look at conference strength. Here is my ranking of the strength of the six major conferences from top to bottom to help you with your college basketball handicapping:

Beyond the Top 25 – A College Hoops Weekly
by - 1/4/2012

Happy New Year! It’s 2012 and in college basketball betting circles that means conference play is underway. And with conference play comes the heated rivalries, shocking upsets, and intense regional battles that make this one of the best sports in the nation.

College Basketball Betting: Hot or Not handicapping Report
by David Schwab - 1/3/2012

The New Year marks the start of conference play for all the teams in both the major and mid-majors as they continue their push towards this March’s NCAA Tournament. Over the first two months of the season we have seen a few teams already emerge as legitimate contenders for this year’s national title, and we have witnessed a few other high-profile programs struggle to find their way.

College Basketball Picks: Ohio State at Indiana Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 12/30/2011

I was totally prepared to preview Saturday’s noon CBS game between Top-5 rivals Kentucky and Louisville – but then the Cardinals went and suffered their first loss of the season, falling by three at home to Georgetown on Wednesday (no shame in that, the Hoyas are good). To the good folks of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, that didn’t lessen Saturday’s game a bit, but it really doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things as it’s a nonconference affair.

College Basketball Handicapping: Teams That Could Struggle In Conference
by T.O. Whenham - 12/29/2011

As we turn the corner from nonconference play to the conference season in college basketball we start to deal with massive expectations for some teams. Teams have played enough games that they can have a pretty impressive record amassed if they have gotten off to a good start.

Beyond the Top 25 – A College Hoops Weekly
by - 12/26/2011

We’re in between Christmas and the New Year, and early January always means one thing: conference-dominated college basketball betting begins. The complexity of college basketball handicapping will take a big of a change as leagues open their schedules and regional rivalries will be front-and-center in the sport for the next two months.

College Basketball Betting: Hot or Not handicapping Report
by David Schwab - 12/26/2011

The nonconference portion of this year’s men’s college basketball schedule continues to wrap up as we close out 2011 and get ready for conference play in the New Year. Over the past two months, a few teams have emerged as legitimate contenders for this year’s national title, while a few other high-profile programs have proven to be pretenders with their play on the court.

Sports Handicapping Tips: How to Bet Conference Play in College Basketball
by T.O. Whenham - 12/22/2011

When the college basketball schedule shifts from nonconference play to the conference season bettors need to shift their thinking as well. The fundamentals of successful betting are still the same -- it’s still the team that scores more points that wins, after all. There are some key differences between the two parts of the schedule, though, and the more successful college basketball handicappers will recognize those differences and find ways to exploit them. Here are five key shifts to focus on:

Beyond the Top 25 – A College Hoops Weekly
by - 12/22/2011

Two weeks ago it was Indiana on the outside of the Top 25 looking in. That was until the unranked Hoosiers sprung an impressive upset and knocked off top-ranked Kentucky in their home gym. The Hoosiers are unranked no longer.

College Basketball Betting: Value Teams
by T.O. Whenham - 12/21/2011

We are almost into conference play in college basketball. A couple of smaller conferences have already started. This is the time that more bettors start to pay attention to college basketball as the season is well underway and college football is winding down.

College Basketball Betting: Hot or Not handicapping Report
by David Schwab - 12/19/2011

There was a lull in the action last week in men’s college basketball as many of the teams had a light schedule due to end of the semester finals. There were no major shake-ups in the top 10, but No.9 Xavier did lose to Oral Roberts, 64-42, this past Sunday as a 5.5-point home favorite after a good portion of its starting lineup was suspended for the game as a result of a post-game brawl with Cincinnati the week before.

College Basketball Picks: Syracuse at NC State Odds and Predictions
by Alan Matthews - 12/16/2011

That’s 4-for-4 folks! I have previewed four college basketball games so far this season and have hit on the side in all four – the last was UConn’s 67-53 victory over Harvard on Dec. 8. I also hit on the total, so it’s been a very productive start to the season.