It may sound sacrilegious, but I actually prefer conference tournaments to the NCAA Tournament from a betting standpoint.
While the Big Dance supplies a lot of drama, it also comes with betting uncertainty. In the NCAA Tournament, non-conferences games will be back in full force for the first time since December, and most matchups will feature teams that haven’t played each other.
With conference tournaments, on the other hand, we have scheduling quirks that could create an advantage for one team over another. We have neutral sites with varying shooting backdrops that also have a significant sample size. And we usually have two head-to-head data points to analyze.
Here are five betting tips to keep in mind:
1. ‘It’s hard to beat a team three times in a season’ is false
That statement is a popular one at this time of the year, but the team that won the first two games is usually just better. Sure, from an ATS standpoint, it might be tougher to cover given that sportsbooks have likely adjusted their lines, but that’s about it.