Joseph D'Amico
Mark Franco
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Tom Stryker
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Jimmy Boyd
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Rob Vinciletti
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NCAA Tourney Tips by Bryan Leonard
Many times during the season and even in some conference tournament games, you can find teams that are less likely interested in wanting to play hard. That is, they know they’re going to hammered, or they’ve slumped so badly down the stretch that they realize they have no shot at going anywhere in tourney play. In short, they’ve given up on the season or on a particular game where they are a big underdog and know their season is over. This is far less likely in late March, however, as good teams keep winning and are motivated to play all out, but is common late in the regular season and even in some conference tournament games. With conference tourney action and March Madness on deck, this is a good time to examine some late season college basketball tourney tips.
Road Play: I always look and write about the importance of checking home/road play for college hoop teams. This is also something to keep up on during tournament play and late in the regular season. Some teams have a noticeable weakness on the road, such as poor road defense, or they consistently fail to cover when away from home. Many college tournament games are neutral courts, but it can be helpful to check both teams’ road play when analyzing individual matchups to get a sense of how they play away from home.
Non-conference competition: Some helpful sports wagering web sites have this broken down in easy-to-read columns. One season Kentucky was 11-2 SU, 6-3 ATS against non-conference foes, while Illinois that same season was a cover-machine, going 7-2 ATS in non-conference games. This showed that they did well outside their conference, which can be significant. On the other hand, you must take this a step further, too: Examine next who those non-conference games were against. If they were against all small-school teams with poor records, then it’s not as helpful as if they played against top-notch non-conference opponents. That season Illinois faced impressive non-conference foes Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Wake Forest and at Arkansas and whipped them all by double digits!
Location: Sometimes teams luck out by getting placed in a tourney bracket that is very close to home. One time tourney play was in Charlotte, North Carolina, and UNC was in that bracket, not far from home, while other teams such as Oakland or Iowa State travel a much a longer distance. The Tar Heels won by 28 and 27 points against those teams. A close location can mean more fans in the stands cheering for a particular team, giving it a slight edge.
Their Role as a Dog? Check how some teams fared as an underdog during the season. Two teams that were knocked early out of tournament one season were Cincinnati and Mississippi State, clubs that combined to go 1-9 SU, 3-7 ATS as a dog that season. When the pressure is on against top-notch teams, some clubs can’t step it up.
History: Has this team been here before? Some teams are new to the tourney play and beyond. Check their recent history. Is this a surprise team that came out of nowhere to get this far? Does their starting five have any experience at all in late March tournament play? Digging into various details can help turn a profit during March madness.
You can get all of Brian Leonard’s FREE NCAAB winners and artciles right here at www.aasiwins.com.
