BasketBall Information

College Basketball Betting
By Sebastien
It’s all about March Madness. The rush of excitement. The thrill of victory. The crushing agony of defeat. However, first teams must play out a full season before being selected. In the grand scheme of things, only a handful of the college teams are selected to the big dance. Most get there by winning their conference or the championship tournament for their conference. I bring this up, because it’s important to know. A successful sports bettor needs to know what teams are motivated and what teams are just going through the motions.

It would be a grave mistake to assume that a team with an average record is playing for nothing. Many teams play hard throughout the season, because they have a shot at the NCAA tournament even if they are low in the conference. Another fallacy that kills sports bettors is betting NCAA basketball like it’s the NBA. You have to remember that NCAA basketball is comprised of young adults, typically 18-21. Most don’t possess the ability to perform at a high level, to think under pressure and to rise to the occasion against all odds.

While colleges fill their basketball teams with the best talent they have available, that does not mean the team will have even one really good player. Some programs out there are just plain bad. Only a small sample of players at the college level will be drafted by the NBA. Most are just street balers going through their college years. College basketball players are more susceptible to emotional swings than NBA players. For this reason, you must pay attention to any recent news and events swirling around the team.

For those that don’t already know, college basketball works on the spread system. For example, let’s say you have UCLA playing at Duke and Duke is -8. You have two options. You can take Duke and lay the 8 points, which means Duke must win by more than 8 for you to win—8 is a tie and only wins on some parlay cards. Your other option is to take UCLA and the 8 points. As long as UCLA win or does not lose by more than 7, you win. If they lose by 8, you tie.

College basketball betting also features the totals line. Not every game played will have a totals line at every sports book. The totals line is the total number of points scored by both participants at an event. For example, if the totals line was 130, you could bet the over or the under. Take the over and you want both teams to combine for 130 or more points. Take the under and you want both teams to combine for 130 or fewer points. Totals lines in college basketball can be both profitable and tricky at the same time.

College basketball can be extremely profitable. To be a long-term winner, it’s important that you not only understand the game of basketball, but the college scene as well. Spend time looking for news and information about the team and players. Is there a scandal at the school? Did the team just come off of a miracle win? Events can swing college basketball greatly. Players are more apt to be swung by emotions. Good luck on the hardwood.

Fantasy Basketball 101
By Joseph
Fantasy basketball gives fans a chance to experience what it is like to manage their own franchise. If you’re a typical ‘back-seat driver’ during the regular basketball season, there is no better chance to enforce your own decisions when comes to trading and drafting than to create your own fantasy basketball team.

The first step you will need to take in getting started is to come up with a name for your team. Of course, you can select any name you like; however, most owners choose to have a little fun with the naming process. It really doesn’t matter in the end but it’s always good to select a name that will easily identify your team.

If there is not already a league in your area you will need to think about creating a league. There is no set number of teams that must comprise a league. Some leagues haves just a few teams while other leagues have well over a dozen teams. On average; however, most leagues have about 12 teams. If you find yourself in the position of needing to create a league, consider recruiting family members, co-workers and friends as team owners to join your league.

Once the matter of the league is decided you will need to give some thought to how you want to play. In fantasy basketball there are two different styles; head to head and a style that is known as rotisserie. Head to head, of course, is a style in which teams go head to head with one another and whichever team scores the most points wins. With this type of league play, each team will play a different team each week throughout the regular season.

With rotisserie style of play the standings are determined by the each team’s performance in several categories. These categories include assists, rebounds, blocks, steals, 3-pointers and of course, team points.

You will need to give some thought to the type of play that you prefer to go with when designing your league. You will also need to make sure you have your line-up posted every week.

If you are really serious about winning at fantasy basketball it will be critical for you to be as prepared as possible. This isn’t something that you can just wing, at least not wing and win. The most successful fantasy basketball winners make sure they are prepared each week. This includes posting their line-ups and keeping an eye on the health of their players on a routine basis so they know ahead of time whether they are going to need to put a backup into place. Even the best and most well honed teams may occasionally find themselves in the position of needing to use a back-up. Keep your backups prepared at all times so you won’t be caught off guard.

By taking the time to do your homework ahead of time and understand as much as possible about fantasy basketball you will be better prepared to win your games and do well in the regular season as well as into the playoffs.