College basketball factors new handicappers overlook
Experienced college basketball handicappers are calculated in their approach, but those new to the betting world often look at a only a few predictable factors before placing their wagers. Which can end up being a costly mistake.
In order to wager effectively, handicappers have to look beyond the records of teams, the conferences they play in, the performance of their high profile players and so on. They need to dig deeper if they want to consistently pick winners.
That’s why we put together a list of the most under-rated factors that new college basketball handicappers overlook and should consider, if they want to improve their winning percentage and their bankroll.
For starters, bettors need to look at who a team has played, before putting too much stock in their record. Without doing this, using records for betting can be meaningless without taking into consideration how a team has performed against the best teams it has played.
If a team has a very good record, but has played mostly inferior teams, then it’s probably not as good as its record suggests. Conversely, if a college basketball team has a hideous record, but is playing well and losing close games against very good teams, then they may be on the brink of a breakout game, and worth backing.
Next, handicappers need to compare a team’s bench depth, looking beyond its starters and the big name players who often make headlines a generate attention.
A team’s bench is equally important, especially as a season progresses. Not only to replace its injured players, but also to keep its opponents on their toes and to allow it to keep pace with its opponents style, which brings us to the next important factor for college basketball handicappers to take into consideration — tempo.
Tempo basically measures how fast a team moves the ball. And the number of possessions a team typically has per game, has a lot to do with its tempo.
In college hoops, two teams playing at different tempos results in one of the teams having to play at a tempo other than the one it is used to. So, by looking at tempo stats in each game, handicappers can get a sense of when a team will likely be able to play their game and when they won’t.
Two more factors college basketball handicappers need to compare, are a team’s effective field goal percentage and its free throw opportunities.
A team that that shoots well from the charity stripe usually wins more games. But looking beyond just their free throw percentage is important.
Bettors need to also pay attention to how often a team is even able to get to the line. If one team makes it to the line more than its opponents, it’s going to get a chance to rack up more free points during the game.
Lastly, it’s important for college hoops bettors to assess a basketball team’s effective field goal percentage.
While most causal bettors only look at a team’s field goal percentage, it doesn’t factor in three-point shooting effectiveness, a stat that is often times more meaningful in illustrating how well a team is really shooting from the field.
