March college basketball may bring Madness, but every Saturday brings Mayhem. Saturday is heaven for hoop fans and bettors, with a mind-boggling number of games around 150. Not quite A to Z, more like A to Y, from Abilene Christian and Arkansas-Pine Bluff to Yale and Youngstown State. From big-name programs like Kansas and Duke to the little guys at Quinnipiac and Grand Canyon. The NCAA college basketball action is non-stop on a Saturday - along with endless wagering options. Part of the excitement is you never know what will happen, from last-second shots to blowouts, to upsets. There aren't shutouts anymore, like in college football, although Dayton's basketball team did beat Cedarville College 80-0 over 100 years ago. But there are one-sided games such as Loyola-Chicago crushing Tennessee Tech, 111-42, bizarre scores like Monmouth topping Princeton, 41-21, and big upsets such as 20-point underdog UMBC knocking off No. 1 seed Virginia in March, 74-54. And, yes, bettors won big money on that last one. One sportsbook took 134 bets on UMBC to win the game at 25 to 1 odds.
Why Use Saturday Free College Basketball Picks
You never what will happen, but you can do the work and follow basic handicapping principles to predict a potential outcome. The purpose is to put the edges in your favor with the end result to beat the odds and cash winning tickets. College basketball handicapping is especially challenging as there are many matchups between big-name programs and Top 25 teams against small college programs. But the little guys pull upsets all the time. They can even make surprising runs to the Final Four, such as VCU, George Mason, Wichita State, and Butler. Butler made it all the way to the championship game - twice in back-to-back years. The Saturday college basketball card is littered with even more surprises as there are so many games. In one recent Saturday, the top six ranked teams in the country all lost. That's a surprise to most college basketball fans, but less so to those who handicap games for a living. This is why reading and studying Saturday Free College Basketball Picks beforehand gets a bettor prepared for the surprises, blowouts, and upsets that are going to happen.
Betting Value in Saturday Free College Basketball Picks
Oddsmakers will almost always make high-profile NCAA college basketball programs the favorite over small schools. That's because millions of fans are also unsophisticated bettors who don't put the time into analyzing matchups and situations. They see that Kentucky is facing St. Peter's and believe Kentucky should win by around 20 points without doing any research. They then back the favorite on the point spread or toss the big-name school into one of their parlays at minus-5000 knowing that it's a "sure thing." Well, no bet is a sure thing. Just ask Kentucky in that example, who lost to St. Peter's in a historic upset, 85-79, in overtime. St. Peter's was +1400 on the moneyline. Cashing a big Moneyline like that is difficult, but there's far more wagering value in finding underdogs that can cover the spread. There are plenty of dogs that have a reasonable chance to keep it close all the way, such as possessing a future NBA talent that opponents will have trouble defending or underdogs that play great team defense.
Wunderdog Saturday Free College Basketball Picks
Like a college basketball power forward, I spend my days crashing the betting boards to unearth information that provides edges against the daily odds. It's about sifting through gameday information and picking out the valuable bits of gold that really make a difference on the court. If a strong rebounding team is facing a small frontcourt that is last in its conference in defensive rebounding, the powerful rebounding squad is going to have a bigger edge than normal in the paint. If a team is on a three-game winning streak and all those games were at home, that could mean nothing if Saturday's game is on the road and they have a losing road mark. Oddsmakers and the general public will be focused on the three-game winning streak, but that can mean they're overvalued. Applying the most important information in relation to the line produces the best betting results.
Saturday Free College Basketball Picks vs. Premium Picks
Saturday Free CBB Picks Pros:
- Streamlines the best information and tops plays from a packed Saturday card
- Fewer headaches and stress with a pro doing the work
- Revealing insight into what small conference schools the Vegas pros are backing
Saturday Free CBB Picks Cons:
- Too much attention to only the big names and TV games on the schedule
- Some sports betting websites won't show won/lost records
- A shortage of information and clear reasoning for the picks
Premium Saturday CBB Pick Pros:
- The top selections should be rated with multiple betting angles explained
- Hard-to-find information can be garnered through a professional service
- Analyzing the top plays helps improve your handicapping critical thinking
Premium Saturday CBB Pick Cons:
- Costs can add up quickly and create doubt if positive results are lacking
- The reasons need to be explained as only a handful of games possess betting value
- Excess hype and exaggerated winning percentages
How To Win With Saturday Free College Basketball Picks
There are so many Saturday games that handicapping properly requires a lot of time to research. But it's worth it as the oddsmakers are dealing with the same issue when trying to put together betting lines. They'll whiff on some sides and totals while line movement opens up other avenues for bettors to take advantage of, such as moneylines and parlays. You identify winners by weighing the strengths and weaknesses of teams, incorporating any situational factors, and assessing it the versus the odds that vary the most. And getting Saturday college basketball picks from a professional handicapper increases your odds of finding the best numbers.
Saturday Free College Basketball Picks Betting Strategy
Public Perception
The majority of bettors are casual making mostly uninformed wagers. The reasons vary, but what that means is the oddsmakers are catering to that wide group knowing they're likely to win more often than not, and take their roughly 10% cut of the action. Like with a lot of businesses, it's a numbers game. If the No. 1 team in the nation is playing, they're probably the favorite and the casual bettors will be throwing a few bucks on No. 1 as well as placing that team into several parlays. But there's a different group of bettors who do it professionally, such as sharps, wise guys, or pro handicappers. That group puts the time in to assess whether sides and totals are largely accurate or off by a few points. Those games that are off are the ones the pros pounce on. The average bettor wouldn't notice or care if the No. 1 NCAA college basketball team in the country was a 10, 12, or 14-point favorite. They're going to play it, or back their favorite team. But professional bettors care a lot about getting the right number. In addition, the average bettor prefers favorites and when too much chalk money pours in, that can create betting value on the underdog if it moves 1, 2, or 3 points. Pay attention to which sides and totals are moving on the Saturday basketball card. If you see a big-name favorite taking a lot of money, either back away from it or take a look to see if the underdog is undervalued. But if you notice a betting line on a little-known school from a small college moving, that's a sign the pros are on it. This is even more true for totals, as the average bettor pays less attention to college basketball totals, while the winningest bettors are quick to move money on a perceived weak total.
Style of Play
Coaches dictate the style of play, first by recruiting the personnel they prefer and then getting the athletes to play a certain way in practice and in games. That's something to keep in mind when handicapping college basketball totals. In one recent season, Penn State was the lowest-scoring team (64.6 ppg) in the Big 10 playing a defensive style. That kept them in games and they ended the season 14-17. They were No. 1 in the Big 10 in points surrendered and fourth in field goal shooting allowed. That translated into a 20-11 record UNDER the total. That same season, Santa Clara played an attacking style on offense finishing second behind Gonzaga in scoring in the West Coast Conference. They won 26 games and were also 21-12 OVER the total.
Moneyline Dogs at Home
Moneyline is another way to look at the odds. It has nothing to do with the point spread or the total. You're just betting on who will win the game. Home court is a significant edge in college basketball. In one recent season, the Portland Pilots of the West Coast Conference were 11-4 SU/ATS at home, but 6-9 SU/6-7 ATS on the road. That's not uncommon. The way to utilize this as a Moneyline advantage is when a team that normally plays well at home is an underdog. That would be when a better team is playing on their home court. A handicapper has to ask: Is it justified? Or are the oddsmakers overvaluing the visitors? Is there a matchup edge that also favors the home dog? Home court can bring out the best in teams, even if they're struggling. Michigan State lost three games in a row and then came home for a Big 10 showdown against No. 4 Purdue. Michigan State was a +3.5 underdog and moved to a +4.5 dog as the money came in on the Top 10 visitors. But the Spartans played with passion in front of the home fans, eager to end a losing skid. Michigan State won the game, 68-65, cashing at +175 on the Moneyline. In addition, that game sailed way UNDER the total of 147. That's common, as well, when teams that are well-coached defensively are in a big game or hungry to stop a slide, they lean on defense. One final note: the following game, Michigan had to go on the road against rival Michigan...and as a +5 underdog the Wolverines won easily, 87-70. College basketball home court was a huge factor again!
Saturday Free College Basketball Picks Subscription
With so many games on the Saturday college basketball card, a bettor who wants to win needs all the help they can get. With 32 divisions and over 350 teams, that's a lot of matchups, injuries, rivalries, revenge, and situations to keep tabs on. But it's just as challenging for the oddsmakers to put up sides, totals, and props on all those matchups, too. That increases the chances for weak betting lines, too much variance, and too little appreciation for undervalued teams. You can valuable help each week by signing up for my Saturday Free College Basketball Picks on a subscription service packed with information, betting angles, and the best winning opportunities. Winning is all about information and how to use it properly. So start building your handicapping knowledge - and your betting bankroll - with me for free.
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