College Basketball- THE Handicapper's Sport
By Joey Pope Of Madwinners.com

For years college hoops has been renowned as the best sport for pure handicappers. Players tend to be the most consistent and the disparity between certain teams is so great that no linesmaker can really get a handle on the subtle differences between talent. I know guys, pros in my industry, who do nothing but handicap the March Tournament and make hundreds of thousands of dollars. In fact, we use some of the resources with our own handicapping and have been making guys money in college hoops for years.

Like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (not to mention my father- Steve Brown), college basketball teams have split personalities. Handicappers divide a team's stats in half, the way they play on the road and the way they play at home. Subtle things can happen between home and road play. Young college athletes can be susceptible to fragile egos and confidence (many young people actually, not just athletes). So at home they can be full of confidence, knowing that the home crowd is going to cheer for them when things go right. This makes it easier to hustle and dive for loose balls, knowing the crowd is going to notice and vocally support each positive thing a player does.

Conversely, the road is a lonely place. You don't believe me? Listen to Bog Seger's classic "Turn the Page". Being away from family, friends and routine can get to a player. He's not used to the facilities. He's not used to the "home town" refs because, yes, statistically, home teams do get the benefit of close calls.

When handicapping, make sure you know which teams have extra motivation. Maybe a kid wasn't offered a scholarship by the school he's up against. Maybe the coach was fired from the opposing school. All of that matters. And when you get the right info, it's like money in the bank.

Conference play and tournament play are the two easiest times of the college season. Now, January, everyone has fresh legs. Teams are at full strength. If you've paid enough attention to the early games, you have a good handle on which teams are for real and which will drop out of the top twenty faster than you can say George Mason. Why do you think there's so many upsets in January and early February? It's because linesmakers are humans and they're susceptible to the same mistakes the rest of us make. Just because some team goes out and beats Our Lady of the Brick by fifty doesn't mean they're going to fare well in conference play. Trust me. I've lost thinking this way before.

Now, onto the NCAA tournament, March Madness, the Big Dance... Whatever you want to call it. Easiest time to make money in ANY SPORT! That's a fact. Mismatches abound and the pressure wears some teams down while others rise to the occasion. Some teams have "systems" that lend themselves to tournament play. You need athletes who can stay disciplined in a system that requires discipline... When was the last time you saw a team with no real "character" make it all the way through... Answer? Never. Look at the best tournament teams of the last five years. Even George Mason. These teams all had a system that they stuck to, that was well honed and that worked.

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