College Basketball Tournament Betting

One of the best times of the season in college basketball is the month of March, as the NCAA Tournament gets underway. What is sometimes forgotten is the two to three weeks before March Madness when college basketball conference tournaments get underway. In fact, one of the best times for gamblers who love college hoops is the week just before the NCAA Tournament when all of the big conferences play their tournaments. What options do you have with college basketball tournament betting? What things should you remember when handicapping the tournaments?

College Basketball Tournaments

The first option with many of the college basketball tournaments is to bet on who you think will win the tournament. This option is basically a futures bet, but one that will be decided within just a few days. For example, you might have Duke and North Carolina listed as two of the favorites to win the ACC Tournament. Duke might be listed with odds of 9-5, while North Carolina is 2-1. In that instance, you would be getting plus money on both teams. If you liked Duke you would wager $5 to win $9 or the 9-5 equivalent and if you liked North Carolina, you would wager $1 to win $2. For example, if you wanted to wager $100 on North Carolina and they won the tournament you would win $200 and get your original $100 returned.

The next choice in college basketball tournaments is to wager on the games while they are in progress. There are four games per day in a tournament like the ACC, so you have plenty of chances to make money. The tournament starts with the opening round games and then continues with the first round, quarterfinals, semifinals and final. Some college basketball conferences begin with quarterfinal action and continue with the semis and final, while bigger conferences also have an opening round. There are far more games in the week leading up to March Madness in college basketball tournaments than during the NCAA Tournament itself.

College Basketball Tournament Betting Strategies

When you are betting college basketball tournaments you have to remember that it is not the same as regular season betting. Yes, the teams are the same, but the dynamics are different. The first thing you should do is to bet on the hot team. The teams that do well in college basketball conference tournaments are those that come in playing well. Conversely, you could choose to bet against a team that struggled come into the tournament.

Another option to blindly consider is taking the points in college basketball tournaments. It is not surprising to see favorites falter, especially against the spread in college basketball tournaments. These tournaments can be a grind and it is hard to get up for every game, especially if you are a top team who is already ticketed for the NCAA Tournament.

Don’t forget when you are betting college basketball tournaments that some teams may face a disadvantage in terms of rest. There will be instances where a team has to play a night game and then come back the next day and play during the day. Those situations will occur in college basketball conference tournaments and you may want to bet against those “tired” teams.

Line Shopping

It is very important to shop for lines at all times when betting college basketball tournaments. It should go without saying that you should shop for the best line in all sports and that includes NCAA basketball. You don’t have to settle for just one line when betting college basketball. Look around at various top online sportsbooks that you trust and have an account with. You will notice a half point difference here and there and those half points add up over time. Any advantage that you can get against the sportsbook is critical to your success and getting the best line is of the utmost importance. For example, if you have a game where the underdog is getting 7 points and you find a sportsbook that is giving you 7.5 points then you have a half point advantage. If the favored team wins by exactly 7 points then you collect a win with your 7.5 points instead of a push. Don’t underestimate just how important line shopping is when betting college basketball tournaments.

Check out the latest college basketball odds at top online sportsbooks.