2014 Sweet 16 Handicapping: Ranking the Remaining NCAA Tournament Teams
by Trevor Whenham - 3/26/2014

As I sit down to rank the 16 remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament this year, one thing becomes incredibly clear — this thing is incredibly wide open. Trying to find differences between the top 10 teams in this field is very tough, and any of them is good enough to win. Separating the bottom six teams is almost tougher. The only thing that comes easy is dividing the teams into those two large groups.

Sweet 16 Betting: Biggest Handicapping Factors for NCAA Tournament
by Trevor Whenham - 3/26/2014

The best and worst part of the break between the round of 32 and the Sweet 16 is that we have time to think about what we have seen so far and what is to come. It’s good because it gives us time to really prepare for these games after the frantic pace of last weekend. It’s bad, though, because it gives us time to realize how much we don’t know and how many big questions face us. Here are six of the biggest Sweet 16 betting questions to ponder heading into the next phase of the NCAA Tournament:

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Betting: Difference Between First and Second Week
by Trevor Whenham - 3/26/2014

While betting on the NCAA Tournament requires a different approach than betting on the college basketball regular season, smart bettors also know that betting on the tournament also changes as the tournament moves on and the field gets smaller. In particular, there are some significant differences between the first and second weekends of the tournament that bettors need to be aware of. When the difference between teams is small, as it is this year, these differences could be what allows us to find value in our bets in the Sweet 16 and beyond.

NCAA Basketball Betting and Handicapping: Scouting the Week Ahead
by Alan Matthews - 3/25/2014

If you had told me that the Big Ten could have three Final Four teams before the NCAA Tournament began last Thursday, I would've said that wouldn't totally floor me. And indeed it still is possible with East No. 4 Michigan State, Midwest No. 2 Michigan and West No. 2 Wisconsin alive. After all, the Big Ten was probably the second-deepest conference this season.

Sweet 16 Bracket Picks for 2014 NCAA Tournament
by Trevor Whenham - 3/25/2014

I don’t know about you, but my bracket is shot. Not tragically — I still have all my Final Four teams in place. It’s everything else that is ugly. Luckily, though, the shift to the Sweet 16 gives us a prime opportunity to start over again. Let’s take these few days between games in the NCAA Tournament to recharge, regroup, and make some 2014 Sweet 16 bracket picks. Every game from here forward:

2014 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player Odds: MOP Picks and Predictions
by Aaron Smith - 3/24/2014

The first week of the NCAA Tournament is now behind us, and the tournament has been just as outstanding as always. Every year there is a nice Cinderella story in the first week as well as a ton of tightly-played contests. Mercer’s upset over Duke was certainly the upset of the tournament thus far. Both Dayton and Stanford meeting in the Sweet 16 as No. 10 and No. 11 seeds, respectively, is also a very rare situation. There were four overtime games on the first day of the tournament. Already, it has been an NCAA Tournament full of tons of drama. It’s likely that the best is yet to come.

2014 March Madness Prop Bets and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/19/2014

Now that March Madness is only a few hours away and most people have already filled out their brackets, the only thing left to do is place a few last-minute bets and enjoy the ride. And while there are an endless number “regular” bets to make on the games—the spreads and totals—a great and fun way to mix things up a bit during this year’s NCAA Tournament is to try wagering on a few March Madness prop bets.

2014 March Madness Brackets Strategy
by Alan Matthews - 3/19/2014

Let me preface this story by saying that if I had the fail-proof March Madness bracket strategy, I'd most definitely be signing up for that $1 billion tournament bracket sponsored by Warren Buffett. Check that. I will be signing up for it, but I'm guessing I won't get every game right. The odds of that reportedly are about 1 in 128 billion if you are a knowledgeable college basketball fan (like to think I am). To someone not up to date on the sport, the chances are projected at 1 in 9,223,372,036,854,775,808.

Sports Betting Insights: Betting on NCAA Tournament Games
by Dave Schwab - 3/19/2014

The easiest way to bet on this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament is by filling out a bracket for any number of contests that exist both publically and privately. If fact, many of them will not even cost you a dime for a chance to win millions of dollars. Anyone who is serious about betting on college basketball this time of year knows that the true value lies in betting on the actual games, given that there are bound to be a few bad lines in some of these very unfamiliar matchups.

2014 March Madness Bracket Picks: Midwest Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/19/2014

Wichita State, Michigan, Duke and Louisville are four of the best teams in the country and among the favorites to cut down the nets in Dallas at the Final Four. And while the seeding of these four juggernauts has caused plenty of babbling from the bobblehead media this week, the reality is that it matters less what order they are presented in than it does what order they finish in.

2014 March Madness Bracket Picks: West Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/19/2014

Top seed Arizona is a tough, physical, defensive-oriented team. They want to lock people up and get in their faces with a hard-nosed man-to-man. Second-seeded Wisconsin is a team whose offensive flow and execution can carve up opponents. Sure, they can defend. Like Arizona can score. But the Badgers are a soft, skilled team that wants to get hot and hit jumpers for a full 40.

NCAA Tournament Handicapping: Using Futures Odds for March Madness Bracket
by Dave Schwab - 3/19/2014

Time is running out to fill n your bracket for this year’s NCAA Tournament. To help make your picks you can listen to the experts on ESPN go on and on about which teams will advance to this year’s Final Four, you can read through the stat sheets of all 64 teams while handicapping each individual matchup, or you can take my approach to filling out your March Madness bracket by letting the oddsmakers show the way to striking it rich.

Wisconsin Badgers Odds to Win the 2014 NCAA Tournament with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/19/2014

The Wisconsin Badgers surprisingly earned a No. 2 seed in the West region after ending the regular season with a loss to Nebraska and then losing in the Big Ten tourney semi-finals against Michigan State. Wisconsin ended the year with a No. 12 ranking in the AP Top 25, yet it had not done enough in the eyes of the selection committee to leapfrog a few teams into a premium position in the tournament.

Virginia Cavaliers Odds to Win the 2014 NCAA Tournament with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/19/2014

The Virginia Cavaliers earned a No. 1 seed in the East region after upsetting Duke in the ACC tournament and moving into the Top 3 of the AP rankings. Virginia won only its second conference title in its 60-year history with the ACC and will be looking to advance past the round of 64 for the first time since 2007. The Cavaliers are entering the tournament with the stingiest defense in the nation as they allow the fewest points and rebounds and rank in the Top 65 in three other categories.

2014 March Madness Bracket Picks: East Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/18/2014

The East Regional of the NCAA Tournament could be considered the No Respect Region. Top-seed Virginia was given the No. 1 slot by default, and not many analysts in the country think that the Cavaliers have a realistic shot at winning a national title. The same can be said about Villanova, a team that was seemingly dismissed after their last-second upset loss in the Big East Tournament, despite the fact that only three teams in the nation have beaten the Wildcats this year.

Syracuse Orange Odds to Win the 2014 NCAA Tournament with Picks and Predictions
by George Monroy - 3/18/2014

The Syracuse Orange took a huge tumble down the rankings during the last three weeks of the regular season, and as recently as Feb. 18 they were the No. 1 team in the nation and had sports fans everywhere talking about the possibility of running the table. Unfortunately, five losses in seven games and an early exit from the ACC tournament left the team in the 14th overall spot in the AP rankings and with a No. 3 seed in the South region of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

2014 College Basketball National Championship Contenders
by Aaron Smith - 3/18/2014

Selection Sunday is behind us, and March Madness is upon us! It’s the best time of the year for a college basketball fan. Who doesn’t get chills when that theme music comes on and you know it’s time for the first game to start on Thursday afternoon?! Fans all over the country find a way to miss work for those first couple days, and the Madness gets underway.

2014 March Madness Bracket Picks: South Region
by Robert Ferringo - 3/18/2014

I don’t know if any region has as much boom-or-bust potential as the South Region of the NCAA Tournament. This bracket boasts four programs – Florida, Kansas, Ohio State and Syracuse – that have dominated March in recent seasons. Add in a traditional power like UCLA and a traditional spur like VCU, and the South is stacked with proven commodities.

2014 NCAA Tournament Seed Statistics and Analysis
by Alan Matthews - 3/18/2014

We have three teams on winning streaks of at least 26 games heading into the 2014 NCAA Tournament, including an unbeaten club, yet why does it seem like perhaps the most wide-open Big Dance in years? Would it really shock you if No. 9 Oklahoma State, which has Final Four talent but also had a seven-game losing streak during the season, were to upset No. 1 Arizona in the Round of 32 and win the West Region?

2014 March Madness Predictions for Vulnerable High Seeds
by Trevor Whenham - 3/18/2014

Teams earn high seeds because of their work over an entire season. In some cases, what they are capable of at this moment isn’t the same as what earned them that seeding. That could make things difficult for them in the opening weekend of the tournament — especially if they are up against a tough opponent. Here are six March Madness predictions for vulnerable high seeds for 2014 March Madness: