As March Madness approaches, it’s time for college basketball handicappers to begin paying close attention to team's that are playing for their tournament lives.
Every year, 32 teams gain automatic entry through winning their conference championship, while the tournament committee rewards the remaining 36 teams an at- large bid in the tournament. With so many teams and limited space, this selection process is difficult, which means that some very solid teams are going to excluded.
Some will barely make it in and some will not, as the pressure escalates teams and players fold or rise to the occasion, as the end of their season draws to a close.
So, let the Bubble Watch begin, as teams battle during the final weeks of the college basketball regular season. And as they do, it is important for handicappers to be able sniff out which teams are going to service the pressure of the bubble watch.
In an effort to help NCAA basketball bettors determine a team’s readiness for them that battle, we have put together a few things handicappers should ask.
To learn more we first spoke with the worlds most famous sports handicapper and sports bettor Jon Price. Price is well known for his million dollar wagers and his expert sports betting tips that have made clients hundreds of thousands of dollars and even caused sportsbooks to stop taking his clients wagers.
Price was prominently featured on national sports radio as well as Forbes, Huffington Post, Ante Up Magazine, Gambling911, Yahoo! Finance, and many more for his work in the sports betting industry. When asked if he is the real deal the answer is yes and that is why we turn to him for betting advice and commentary.
First, is the team experienced?
The level of experience and age is important in college basketball, as older players are more likely to hold up under the intense pressure. The best way to determine a team experience is to look at recent seasons and see how well they performed in pressure situations, as well as taking notice of rosters that are loaded with junior and senior starters.
Next, it is important to make sure that players are healthy, especially a team performers. A team that has had to battle could be banged up, or just flat out exhausted. If a handicapper is trying to chose between betting on two bubble teams that have similar talent levels, he or she should make their pick based on the one that is healthier.
Nevertheless, hale and hearty, experienced players are only as good as their coach. And while some college basketball coaches handle the pressure well, others do not.
Handicappers need to recognize coaches who have proven they can rise to the occasion, looking back at his record of being able to get his teams to peak when it matters most.
Perhaps, during marquee matchups, or guiding his teams to big tournament upsets.
Finally, handicappers need to take into consideration a teams schedule, which when looked at it, can indicate a coach and teams expectations.
A team that has faced a lot of pressure already during the regular season could be well prepared for the bubble battle. So looking at how they fared during both tough non-conference and conference games, and then comparing it to their remaining schedule, can give handicappers a decent indication of which teams will be much more likely to get off the bubble.
This of course can also give a clearer picture of how a coach and team views itself.
A team that set a tough schedule is likely to be a team that came out in December feeling confident that it had a legitimate shot at being a national contender, and is likely going to fight with everything they have for spot in the tournament.
Conversely, a team that wasn’t expecting to accomplish much will likely be playing to end the season just better than expected, and not realize their tournament hopes.
