College Basketball Odds

Frustrated betting fans will continue to be so at least until 2012 as the Big East commissioner has refused to get rid of the double-bye format. The double-bye format was created in the 2009 season and has been causing nightmares for Big East coaches and sports betting fans alike.

What’s more unbelievable about maintaining this mind boggling format is that all 16 coaches in the Big East voted in favor of getting rid of the double-bye format. Nevertheless, there vote was not even considered as we noted above. Here is how the double-bye format works.

The top four teams in the conference get a bye to the quarter finals which lands on the Thursday of Championship Week. Meanwhile, teams nine to 16 play on the Tuesday of Championship Week with the four winners facing teams five to eight on Wednesday in second round action. The winners of the second round then meet the top four seeds in the quarter finals.

Since this tournament was adapted, only one top four seed has advanced past the quarters. That team was the Big East tournament winner West Virginia in the first season of the format. Last season’s losses by top four seeds Syracuse, Villanova and Pitt sparked a domino effect amongst the 16 Big East team coaches agreeing that the format needed to be changed.

Essentially the two arguments to being in favor include, the long layoff for the top four teams making them rusty, and too many games played by lower seeds making them tired as well. By formatting the tournament into a March Madness like bracket, where number one faces 16 and so forth, it would even out each team’s chances of winning. As well, a double-bye only helps balance out the television schedule and does nothing to benefit the teams involved in the tournament.

NCAA basketball betting online fans from around the country now have the opportunity to wager on their local team, as long as they are in Division One. Earlier this year at the conclusion of the 2010 NCAA March Madness tournament, the NCAA board of commissioners decided to alter the format of the tournament to allow for a ‘first four’ segment. In essence sports betting fans can now back any Division One school from any conference whether it’s on the AP rankings or in the lowest level of Division One, when it comes to qualifying for the March Madness tournament.

How the ‘First Four’ works, is that two of the games will be played between the lowest seeds of the 68 qualified teams. Conversely, the other two games will be played with teams representing the at large bid qualifiers. The games will be held at the beginning of the opening week of the March Madness tournament, and the winners will advance to the first round games of the actual tournament which will be played on the Thursday and Friday.

In April when the new format was announced, the NCAA decided to add three more teams to the qualifying seeds. Therefore the tournament switched from 65 teams in 2001 to 68 in 2011. Over the last decade, the bottom two teams ranked number 64 and 65 were sent to a qualifying round similar to the new ‘First Four’ setup.

The old setup for the qualifying games, saw teams from some of the weakest conferences in Division One qualify for the tournament. However, this new setup allows for competition in both games to be played across the spectrum of Division One. Ultimately the winner of the seeded teams that face off in the qualifier will make up two of the 16 seeds in tournament brackets. Meanwhile, the at large bid winners will be seeded how they were previously ranked. So if two number 10 seeds face in an at large bid game, the winning 10 seed will play a number seven seed in one of the first round brackets on the Thursday or Friday.

The men’s NCAA College Basketball tournament has been played annually in March ever since 1939. Since that time sports betting fans have been able to wager on the format as much as they have on their individual office pools. For fans it is hard to imagine that the now 68 team tournament originally had only eight teams. In the 2011 tournament, the NCAA will be changing the format from 65 to 68 teams, making it more challenging for betting online fans to choose a winner.

In years past, the March Madness tournament has always had a certain number of spots secured prior to the positioning lottery. The remaining number of seats is determined over two play in games between at large bid teams. However this season with the shift to 68 teams, there will be four play in games for the final spots in the tournament. This format is known as the ‘First Four’. Basically the final four spots not secured in the tournament will be determined with four at large bid school teams and the final team’s ranked number 65 to 68.

The winners of the ‘First Four’ games will then be seeded in each bracket for the tournament that has an open slot. What you should know as a bettor, is that the majority of at large bid schools are those that play in the mid major conferences such as the Mountain West. Mid major schools are those that are deemed more dominant than low end division one schools but not as elite as the AP ranked schools.

Also, the ‘First Four’ games will be played on the Monday and Tuesday of the opening week, with the winners playing in the first round of the tournament on Thursday and Friday. As a school trying to qualify for the final spots of the tournament, this format may prove costly to an extended run in the tournament. By the time the sweet 16 rolls around on the following Monday and Tuesday, the winner’s of the ‘First Four’ play in games will have already had to have played at least three games.

College basketball betting systems have grown from expert handicappers trying to get an advantage for the upcoming March Madness tournament, to casual fans attempting to become more knowledgeable on the sport. One of the best college sports betting systems on the planet is the AOPR system in which the skill of your favorite team’s opponents is assessed. Here is how it looks!

AOPR stands for average opponent power rating. A power rating system in essence is a numerical rating of one team to the next. This is the precursor in football to that of the presently used BCS system which ranks the top 25 teams in the country. For instance if Duke has a power rating of 90 and USC has a power rating of 80, we are led to believe that Duke is the better team by 10 points.

Basically the AOPR can be calculated by adding the power rating of each opponent and dividing by the number of games. Here is how this would look for UCLA.

In three games UCLA has played the following teams with the following power rankings.

Michigan (83)
UCONN (92)
Penn St. (89)

AOPR for UCLA = 83+92+89 = 264/ 3 = 88

Therefore UCLA has an AOPR of 88.

Although an effective way to determine your team’s chances against another, AOPR can be rather time consuming once you reach the end of the schedules is reached. As a result, many sports magazines have created their own power ranking systems for handicappers to reference. What you should know however is that the sports magazines are essentially calculating the AOPR on your behalf and calling it their own systems. Some magazines, will use the AOPR, however they will create their own power rating to put a spin on the calculations. It is important that before referencing one of these systems, you consult a variety of other magazines.

For the first round of the NCAA March madness basketball tournament, fans betting on other sports will cross over to the biggest tournament aside from the World Cup. Betting enthusiasts wagering on the madness, tend to bring in the most viewership over the first round, as bracket pools from work or amongst friends tend to dwindle down over the next few rounds.

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Depending on the type of bettor you are, can determine the success you will have in the first round of the tournament. Today we discuss a few myths and tips in order to make it out of the first round of the March Madness tournament.

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Myth #1: Betting lines favor the favorites

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With so many new bettors influencing the betting lines to the March Madness tournament, one would assume that the favorites would have the most bets in any given matchup. However, with fans crossing over from other sports, where upsets are more likely to happen, the underdog usually gets the most attention. Historically, from the mid 1980s to just a few years ago, wagering against the top five seeds in each bracket produced an over 500 winning record for bettors. Nevertheless, over the last five years the numbers have begun to tilt back in favor of the top five seeds moving on to the next round. As a result, many fans watching the first round, only stick around for the first round because they have lost their bracket by the time the second round begins.

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TIP: Bet the favorites for the majority of your picks in the first round.

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Myth #2: Wagering on the Totals does work for NCAA Basketball

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The March Madness tournament is so unpredictable, that wagering on totals is not always a good thing. One of the most false perceptions in the tournament is that the teams will play a defensive style in the first round in order to feel each other out, thus keeping the game close. Truth be told, in the first round in recent years, the favorite has a tendency to blow out the underdog, exceeding the total which will cause you to lose your wager.

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TIP: Wager on each game as its own entity, since past performances can mislead you greatly.

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Over the past few months, there has been much speculation as to what the landscape of the NCAA conferences will look like come September when basketball and football seasons begin. Fans betting on the situation, felt safe placing bets online towards the Texas being the key piece to the NCAA conference expansion puzzle. However, many fans and experts felt that with the potential for larger television deals and dream matches, Texas would automatically leave the Big 12 and move to the Pac 10.

However on Monday, fans betting on the Longhorns to stay in the Big 12 became a whole lot richer, as the Longhorns decided to stay, pushing aside the conference’s historic collapse at least for another year. Over the next two years, fellow Big 12 members Nebraska and Colorado will be leaving for the Big 10 and Pac 10 respectively. Many believed that if Texas had left, they too would have joined the Pac 10 and the other schools in Texas, Texas Tech and Texas A&M along with Oklahoma and Oklahoma state would have followed Texas.

One of the main draws to forming the super-conferences was the idea that more revenue through television deals would come about. Yet the reason Texas pulled out of joining the Pac 10 was because the national television deal was not entirely guaranteed. In the Big 12 on the contrary, Texas has the biggest cut of the television revenue, and if they had left, they would have lost significantly more than they would have gained.

Although Texas claims to be with the Big 12 for a long term commitment, one cannot help but speculate, how long the Big 12 conference has left as a result of Nebraska and Colorado leaving. What is better for Texas may not be better for the remaining Big 12 schools. As a result, fans and experts each can hope that the idea of super-conferences will come to fruition in the near future.

After months and months of speculation, the drama surrounding the University of Southern California and infractions the school may or may not have made in regards to the NCAA official rules will reach its climax when the NCAA rules committee levies its decision on the school this week. Sources close to the situation have said that the decision will likely come down by Friday at the very latest, with the potential for it to come any time between then and now. The rulings will affect not only the Trojans’ college football betting programs, but the basketball program as well.

The rules committee originally held a hearing with the school back in February, in which representatives of USC were able to present their response to allegations made against it. Those proceedings featured appearances by both present day coaches, the basketball team’s Tim Floyd, and new Trojans football coach Lane Kiffin. The refutations were in regards to alleged bribes that USC basketball star OJ Mayo received during his time at the school, as well as bribes reportedly accepted by former football star Reggie Bush. The school has already admitted to knowledge about the basketball incidents, and in response has levied sanctions against itself, including scholarship reductions, TV and postseason bans, recruiting restrictions and probation.

If USC is found guilty of all counts, the school could be labeled repeat offenders and as such be given an even more aggressive penalty. Until then however, the sports betting basketball and football programs of the Trojans continue to wait.

World Cup betting players don’t have to worry about team turnover like college basketball squads do, and two Big 12 powers will be out to replace some important players.

Kansas

The Jayhawks crashed out bitterly in the second round against Cinderella, as known as Northern Iowa, and now they have to go on without guards Sherron Collins and Xavier Henry, along with center Cole Aldrich.  But there is still a lot of talent in Lawrence, like the Morris brothers, Marcus and Markieff, and there is a great group of guards in Tyshawn Taylor, Brady Morningstar and incoming freshman Josh Selby, who could end up going Henry’s route and jumping to the NBA after only one year.  They also have one of the best coaches in the nation in Bill Self, so expect the Jayhawks to be in the national hunt once again.

Texas

The Longhorns will be without center Dexter Pittman and forward Damion James, and they were stung when a Texas native, Zach Peters, chose to go to Kansas instead.  Now, it looks like the onus is on Gary Johnson, who doesn’t have the prettiest offensive game in the world.  This could mean big minutes for incoming freshman Tristan Thompson, who earned high marks from recruiters.  Guard Avery Bradley also left after one year in Austin, which means more shots for J’Covan Brown and Jordan Hamilton.  The trio battled for shots all season, and they weren’t even that successful at shooting the rock.  Dogus Balbay and Varez Ward look to be in the running to take over at the point, but overall, we would beware of placing an online sports bet on Texas next year.

Alabi exits Florida State

Sports betting junkies should have a very good idea of how to pick games involving a few specific teams during the 2010-2011 college basketball season. One team that will be much easier to bet against is Florida State. The Seminoles would have had a loaded squad under head coach Leonard Hamilton, but they received something of a shock when Solomon Alabi, a 7-foot-1 sophomore center from Nigeria, chose to enter the NBA Draft and sign with an agent, thereby ending his collegiate career on the spot. Alabi averaged under 10 points per game last season, and the 251-pounder is very much a project at the center spot; he’s not a fully formed player, and he needs time to develop. A junior season would have done wonders for Alabi’s game, but fears about an NBA lockout in 2011, plus a restriction of rookie salaries, clearly led Alabi to bolt for the pros at this point in time. Without the threat of a lockout, Alabi might very well have stayed in Tallahassee, Florida.

Ogilvy leaves Vanderbilt

In the realm of Final Four betting, any contenders for college basketball’s biggest event generally require a quality center that can operate effectively within 10 feet of the basket. Vanderbilt’s basketball team had the makings of a special group this upcoming season, but coach Kevin Stallings’ plans have been dashed by another lockout-based decision. Commodore center A.J. Ogilvy, who was inconsistent for much of the 2010 season and came up short in both the SEC and NCAA tournaments, nevertheless decided to head to the NBA Draft while also signing with an agent. Ogilvy got dominated in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament by Mississippi State big man Jarvis Varnado. More specifically, Ogilvy allowed himself to get pushed outside the paint. Yet, the native of Australia chose to leave the college game behind for good. This is a crippling blow to a Vandy program that was lining up all the right pieces for a big run in 2011.

Babbitt bolts from Nevada

A third team that got hammered in this college basketball offseason - and which will suffer on the court in the coming season - is the Nevada Wolf Pack. Having already lost Armon Johnson to the NBA Draft, one of the steadier programs in the Western Athletic Conference got stomach-punched when star player Luke Babbitt signed with an agent, officially marking his passage from Reno to the big show. Babbitt averaged 22 points and nine rebounds in his sophomore season, but due to a weak lineup around him, he wasn’t able to get Nevada back to the NCAA Tournament. His junior season was shaping up to be a time of great promise, as a more experienced ballclub appeared ready to supplement Babbitt’s talents and make the Wolf Pack worthy of the Big Dance. Now, that scenario won’t be able to materialize. Utah State just became an even more attractive choice to win the WAC title in 2011.

NBA betting players are invested in the playoffs right now, but it’s always good to keep an ear to the ground for the draft. Here are five players that could very well end up in the top 10 by the time June 24^th rolls around.

Xavier Henry, Kansas

Henry, a swingman, stayed just one year at Kansas and showed a maturity beyond his years, but in the Tournament, he proved that he could raise his game and may have been the best Jayhawk down the stretch. He still has to get bigger, though.

Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

Patterson is a smooth forward who can play either the three or four, and he was a good leader on a freshman-heavy Kentucky team. But tweeners can often have a tough time in the league, and he’ll need to end up in a good situation to be successful.

Ed Davis, North Carolina

Davis probably should have stayed another year after breaking his wrist, but he has incredible defensive instincts. He’s athletic and also left-handed, which can throw some players off. He’s slim like Chris Bosh, but Bosh put on weight in the pros, and Davis, who is only a sophomore, will too.

Greg Monroe, Georgetown

Monroe has top-five talent, and he’s an outstanding passer for a big man. But the knock on him is that he’s not aggressive enough for a player of his talent, and we don’t know if he has the intensity to get better. Think Michael Beasley.

Cole Aldrich, Kansas

Aldrich is a bonafide center, which makes up for his lack of athleticism. Like Davis, he has great defensive instincts, but he’ll have to develop a jumper in the pros. He could also stand to be more intense, but you could do a lot worse for your team’s sportsbook odds by drafting Aldrich.