Every year as Spring approaches there are two dates on many Americans’ calendars. One comes on the first Friday in February when attention turns to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and the eponymous Phil. Luckily this year he has predicted an early Spring. The other comes with the arrival of March Madness, more formally known as the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
Ever since the first event, held back in 1939, this is a battle that has grown and grown. From the original tournament featuring just 8 teams now no less than 68 enter the fray. These comprise the 32 winners of the different college conferences along with 36 other teams chosen to compete by the NCAA selection committee.
It all kicks off with Selection Sunday, the event when all the initial match-ups are announced.
Then there follows a seven round elimination process whittling down the field to just two teams. This year they are set to meet in the final to be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Monday April 8.
Winners of last year’s tournament were UCONN who defeated rivals San Diego State 76-59 to claim the title.
As well as being a gripping tournament to follow, many fans are equally obsessive about the college basketball lines for their favorite teams being keen to put some money on the line for them too.
For some this is a first opportunity to bet on March Madness so they may need a little tutoring on what to look out for when placing a wager. Hopefully, this short guide can give a few pointers.
Check out the team performance metrics
In a field of 68 teams it’s always going to be tricky to identify the one that has what it takes to go all the way. It’s also a tournament that’s notorious for throwing a curve ball or two.
But, like all sports these days, basketball is awash with stats and other data. This gives you a chance to directly compare teams and individual players according to their performance so far.
The good news is that many of the sportsbooks out there will have done a lot of the data crunching for you. This comes out in the March Madness odds both for individual games and for so-called futures bets in which you try to predict the eventual winners. In short, the better the metrics look, the lower the odds will be.
That said, sportsbooks aren’t always right and the favorites don’t always win. So do a little interpreting of the metrics for yourself.
Form, team dynamics and injuries
If you’re wanting to bet on March Madness, there are a number of important factors to consider. The first of these is the recent form of a particular team. If confidence is running high there’s a good chance that this will be carried over into the tournament.
Even if there have been a string of losses leading up to March Madness, selection could be just the shot in the arm a team needs to bring their A game to proceedings.
It’s also going to be late in a long season for many players. That means injuries may be rife. If it’s a particular star player who’s been sidelined this is likely to have a negative effect on a team’s chances.
So it is certainly going to pay to take a greater than usual interest in the sports news from the college basketball scene.
Some general betting tips and advice
Successful betting, like anything, takes practice and experience. Inevitably, this means that rookies make a few fundamental mistakes in their approach. These are easily avoided if you follow this advice.
The first of these is to manage your bankroll for the tournament. From the outset, decide on a budget and stick to it. It’s a good idea to make sure that no single bet exceeds 5% of your initial bankroll. And keep your winnings separate – don’t be tempted to use them to increase your bets as the tournament progresses.
The next piece of advice is to be logical, not emotional. Having looked at all the information available you should be able to make reasoned decisions about who may win, not ones that are just based on a gut feeling. Yes, upsets and surprises can occur, but a lot less often than some people would lead you to think.
Finally, always shop around for the very best odds that you can find. There are plenty of sportsbooks out there and they all compete to offer the best value. After all, you always look for the savings account paying the best interest rate, and the principle’s exactly the same.
So now you should be fully equipped to understand college basketball lines. Let the Madness commence!