While football certainly attracts the most action (and money) from a gambling perspective, college basketball provides a sports investor with unparalleled opportunities to make money. Please find below some of my investment strategies with respect to betting on college basketball:
AVOID THE MASSES– By talking with your friends, reading the local sports section, scanning the internet and listening to talk radio, you will quickly learn who the masses of sports fans believe are the best teams in the nation. And, because of all the mindless chatter on the television and radio by the ‘purported’ experts, the oddsmakers and bookmakers are forced to overvalue these ‘public’ favorites. As a result, very good teams become installed as underdogs, which allows the professional gambler to obtain excellent line value. And, over the course of five months, line value is critically important to increasing one’s bankroll. Being contrarian in college basketball will always give you 2-4 extra points and, in doing so, will gradually build your bankroll over a long period of time. So, at the end of the day, when the talking heads on ESPN and Fox Sports tell you that UCLA is going to win by 30 points, go the other way and get ready to cash a nice ticket.
THE UNRANKED FAVORITE– At the beginning of the week, keep track of the weekly top-twenty-five standings and simply target any unranked home team that is favored over a top-twenty-five ranked opponent. The fact that the unranked team is favored is all that you need to know in that the oddsmakers fully expect them to win the game outright. Moreover, since most of the ‘square’ money (i.e. public money) will be supporting the ranked team, you will be getting solid line value on the unranked home favorite. In college basketball, there is nothing more important than motivation, and these smaller, unranked schools will always have plenty of it when it comes to defeating a nationally-ranked squad.
PRIDE IS KING– College basketball teams consist of young men who have a lot of pride in what they accomplish on the court. Therefore, when a college team gets blown out or suffers its worst loss of the season, look for that very team to rebound in their next game. And, since that team is coming off a humiliating defeat, the oddmsakers will undoubtedly install them as underdogs in their next game which, once again, provides good line value. Remember, pride is king in college basketball so look for those teams seeking redemption following an embarrassing loss.
DISTRACTION IS DISASTER – For college basketball teams, distractions come in many forms, and such distractions provide profitable investment opportunities. The ‘Distraction is Disaster’ theory dictates investing against certain college basketball teams that have been rocked by a scandal, such a player and/or coach committing a crime, a starter failing a class or getting kicked off the team for disciplinary reasons or an athletic department being investigated by the NCAA for recruiting violations. What we want to do is invest against these teams in their very next game as the players and coaches usually take the court without proper focus. In addition, it is important to review the morning sports section to determine whether a coach has said anything that would cause his team’s chemistry and/or psychology to be damaged.
THE ODDSMAKERS ARE SMOKING WHAT?– This is one of my favorite approaches to handicapping college basketball. When I arrive at work in the morning, I review all of the morning lines and determine which ones make me ask myself, “What are the oddsmakers smoking?” I isolate the one or two lines that appear to be ridiculously too high or low and side with the oddsmakers perceived error. In other words, if taking the points look too easy in a particular game, lay them instead and take the favorite. Always remind yourself that multi-million dollar casinos are not being built in Las Vegas because the oddsmakers are exercising poor judgment. Side with the bookmaker when a particular line sticks out like a sore thumb and you will make a generous profit during the course of the season.
For all of your sports investment advice, join Oskeim Sports Consulting as I have received 21 distinguished awards from The Sports Monitor of Oklahoma since 2007. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me toll free at 1-888-254-0117. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jeff Keim
Oskeim Sports Consulting, LLC
1-888-254-0117