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Monday 3-5-18 Free Plays / Trends / Betting Info / Etc
Monday's comp play comes in the NBA, as I play Under the total in the Milwaukee-Indiana contest.
The series numbers show an Under in the books from last Friday night when the teams played in Milwaukee, as the Under is now 4-1 the past 5 meetings, and 6-3 overall the last 9 times these teams have squared off.
The Bucks have played 3 of their last 4 games overall Under the total, while the Pacers enter with 3 straight and 6 of their last 8 games played overall Under the total.
Milwaukee also happens to have held Under the price in each of their last 4 Monday night contests, and are 8-1 their last 9 road games contested against teams that sport a winning home ledger for the season. Both trends do indeed apply to tonight's game.
Remember that for the season, Indy has been a team that has trended towards the Under, as the Pacers stand at 26-36-1 Under the total for the season.
Friday night in Wisconsin was an Under, Monday night in Indiana also an Under. Bucks-Pacers Low.
Championship Week - not the NCAA tournament - is the real March Madness
Jason Logan
The NCAA tournament is for tourists.
You want the real March Madness? Try cramming every major-conference program as well as a truck full of mid-major teams into a week of basketball, with most of that condensed in a Thursday-to-Sunday window.
Then, try setting odds for every single one of those games, with a wave of new matchups the second those contests are through. And if that’s not enough, sick the sharpest sports bettors in the world on those odds and try to keep the book balanced.
“It’s like a duck on a pond,” Jay Rood, vice president of race and sports for MGM in Las Vegas, tells us. “On top everything is peaceful and serene. But underneath, the duck is pedaling like crazy.”
Conference championship week doesn’t carry the pageantry of the NCAA tournament, but for those in the industry there is no busier time. It also doesn’t draw the massive crowds of public bettors, but caters more to the hardcore college hoops fans and professional handicappers.
“The handle for the NCAA tournament is probably a pretty close 50/50 split between sharp and public action. Conference tournament week,” says Rood, “is closer to a 60/40 or 70/30 split in favor of action from the wiseguys.”
Oddsmakers admit that setting odds for the first two big days of the NCAA tournament – Thursday and Friday – is much easier than trying to keep pace with the conference tournaments. And throughout the tournament, books have at least a full day between each teams’ next game.
Championship week not only challenges the oddsmakers to come up with lines for the next day on short notice but doesn’t allow them to come up for air until the whole thing is done Sunday evening – just before the Selection Committee picks its field of 68 and they have to handicap the opening matchups for the national tournament.
“We’re talking about five straight days of non-stop basketball,” Peter Childs, supervisor of risk management for Sportsbook.ag, tells us. “It’s exhausting but it’s also super exciting, with wall-to-wall games going. Personally, other than college bowl week from Christmas to January 1, this is my favorite week of the year.”
Despite the fatigue and short turnaround, books can’t afford to make any mistakes during championship week. Unlike the NCAA tournament, which is huge with the casual basketball bettors, the conference tournaments are shark infested waters with wiseguys just waiting for the books to slip and dunk their toe in.
“Our lines will be geared more towards what we think the sharps will do as opposed to what the public will do this week,” says Childs. “Next week (during the NCAA tournament), it’s the complete opposite.”
What is it about the conference tournaments – more than the national tournament - that draws the wiseguys? The overall consensus among sharps is the sheer abundance of games available. The more games, the more opportunities bettors have to find the matchup they want and cash in. It’s also a game of cat and mouse when the odds are released, chasing the added line value before books adjust their numbers.
Another reason championship week is more popular with sharps than the NCAA tournament is the familiarity between the programs. This not only works for situational bettors, looking to cash in on sweeps and revenge spots, but also when crunching the numbers for those conference tournaments.
“Using conference-only stats gives a great read on the teams as they all play common opponents within the same conference,” says Steve Merril. “In the NCAA tournament, you normally have teams that played zero common opponents and completely different schedule strengths, so it’s harder to set an accurate power rating.”
Mid-major conference tournaments have been rolling since last week but March Madness – the real March Madness – kicks into high gear Tuesday and Wednesday when the big boys get underway. ACC tournament opens Tuesday, with the Big East, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 starting Wednesday. The AAC tournament tips off Thursday.
Editor's note: This article was originally published in 2015.
Cash in on college basketball conference tournaments with these betting tips
Maddy Palmer
If you want March Madness – like the real Madness – conference tournament time is it. Unlike the NCAA, conference tournaments throw constant competition at teams, with the winners often having to win three or for four games in three or four days.
The quick turnaround is not only a challenge for basketball programs but also for bookmakers, and that levels the playing field a bit with so many games happening in such a short span. So sports bettors will want to strike when books are at their weakest, and here are some helpful tips and tactics to follow to help you cash in on conference tournaments.
Mind the moves
As we mentioned, teams that win move on to the next day, which means oddsmakers are frantically making lines as matchups are set. With so many new games on the board, conference tournament spreads and totals can be some of weaker opening lines you’ll see all year.
Bettors will want to keep a close eye on those openers and shouldn’t be afraid to tail the early movement, with those adjustments based on instant action from wiseguys. Totals will see the biggest movement, as these Over/Unders are admittedly the oddsmakers’ greatest weakness.
Don’t doubt depth
Due to that crazy pace during conference tournaments, the depth of a roster is put to the true test. Basketball bettors will want to analyze just how deep a team dives into its bench and how reliable those reserves are.
Some programs regularly only go six or seven players deep, while others are comfortable swapping out five at a time without seeing much of a downgrade. As games stack up and fatigue becomes a factor – especially after close and intense games – depth can be the difference when it comes to covering the spread.
And don’t get too caught up on experience, favoring upperclassmen over freshmen. At this point in the season, those first-year players are freshmen in name only.
Past meetings
Another big difference between capping conference tournaments compared to the Big Dance is familiarity. In the NCAA, opponents are often foreign and from different leagues. But in conference tourneys, you could have teams playing for a third time on the season.
Bettors should always go back and look at those recent meetings between foes, but also be mindful that a game played in late December or early January doesn’t hold as much weight as a game played toward the end of the regular season. Teams can change drastically in that time, with coaching adjustments, injuries and lineup moves, and player development.
Also don’t forget to take things like home-court advantage out of the mix, with most conference tournaments played at a neutral site. Know which teams can compete away from home and also which schools have a fan base that will travel and give them an edge in the postseason.
Motivation
Conference tournaments can produce surprise results, with top-seed schools bowing out early on. There are a number of power program coaches – already pegged with a respectable seed in the NCAA - who have admitted that they don’t care about the conference title and would rather have their guys fresh for the national tournament.
On the flip side of this, you’ll have a number of bubble teams that need to either have a strong showing or win the conference tournament outright for a chance to hear their name called on Selection Sunday – giving bettors a little extra incentive to back them against the spread. And, as always, you’ll have some losing programs that just want to get a terrible season over with. Buyer beware when it comes to those teams looking ahead to life without losing hoops.
Dunkel Rating:
Bowling Green
52.874
Central Michigan
57.412
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Central Michigan
by 4 1/2
154
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Central Michigan
by 8 1/2
148
Dunkel Pick:
Bowling Green
(+8 1/2); Over
Northern Illinois @ Kent State
Game 717-718
March 5, 2018 @ 7:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Northern Illinois
47.257
Kent State
51.408
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Kent State
by 4
151
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Kent State
by 6 1/2
146 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Northern Illinois
(+6 1/2); Over
Dunkel Rating:
San Francisco
55.673
Gonzaga
71.709
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Gonzaga
by 16
137
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Gonzaga
by 13
140 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Gonzaga
(-13); Under
Brigham Young @ St Mary's
Game 733-734
March 5, 2018 @ 11:30 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Brigham Young
60.104
St Mary's
67.253
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
St Mary's
by 7
132
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
St Mary's
by 5
137
Dunkel Pick:
St Mary's
(-5); Under
North Dakota St @ South Dakota St
Game 735-736
March 5, 2018 @ 7:00 pm
Dunkel Rating:
North Dakota St
00.000
South Dakota St
00.000
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
North Dakota St
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
North Dakota St
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