Conference play begins! Those of you who wager/handicap the College hardwood already know that Conference play is here. It's now time to sharpen the pencils and get to work! Who is the strongest conference this year? Is it the ACC? How about the Big East? Maybe the Big 12? How bout the SEC? One conference that will not make the list this year is the Pac 10. It is down! Many wager and handicap College hoops by concentrating on a few particular conferences. I don't limit myself that way. Rather, i like to show my diversity in my wagering and capping, so i tend to dabble in all conferences at one point or another. My thinking is that by the time Conf & NCAA Tourney time come around i will have an advantage/edge by doing my due dilligence and putting in the extra work. For me, it is watching as many games as possible via the dish. I also make it a point to read the boxscores and recaps from as many games as possible. In addition, i find it very helpful to surf the web and go to conference and team sites to get as much info as possible. I highly suggest that to any wagerer/handicapper. I believe it is vital to know these teams, their coaches and homecourt edges, revenge situations,etc..I know it is impossible to watch every single game. However, do yourself a favor and watch as many games during the year and i guarantee you it will pay off all season and especially come March! Lastly, there are alot of "talking heads" out there on TV and Radio that swear they know it all and have all the winners. I learned a long, long time ago that it will serve you better to avoid all the chitter/chatter around you and go with your feelings and research rather than listening to some hack on the TV or radio who probably never picked up a Football, Basketball, Baseball or a Stick in their lives! There are some good analysts in the business, but very few good ones than there used to be back in the day. My prime example of this situation is last years NCAA Championship Game between Mich St & UNC. All i heard from Seth davis & Greg Anthony(a good player & analyst) was how the Spartans will WIN the game at Ford Field. Heels were a 7/7.5 point favorite in most places and i already had Carolina as 15 point favorite on my line. So, i thought to myself are these guys smart or am i just a moron? Obviously, it turned out i was smart and they were very misguided. My point being that you should always stick with what you believe and what you find via you research no matter what style or approach you employ. Never let outside influences affect your wagering/capping styles and methods. With that said, enjoy the start of the TRUE College Hoops season! Good luck to everyone this year! It should be a wild "roller coaster" ride as always!
