College Basketball: The Accuracy of the Spread

Your Success as a Sports Bettor is Based on How Well You Can Evaluate the Spread

With NCAA Basketball betting, as it is with just about all sports betting, success is about your being able to determine if the point spread is accurate. Figuring out which side of the spread to bet on is the bettor’s job. If you’re able to do that, you’ll be able to win more than you lose. Here’s a method for analyzing the spread.

Points For and Points Against

Start with the basics and compare both team’s points for and points against. At the same time, you want to look at who is contributing those points and who is stopping the other team from scoring.

Past Performance Against the Spread

Check each team’s past performance against the point spread. That includes recent performance and how they have traditionally done against the upcoming opponent. This is not about whether or not the club won; it is about how they did in terms of covering the spread.

Can they Play “D” and Rebound?

Can either, both or neither team play defense or rebound? Can they do both or are they deficient in one of these areas? Teams that can defend and are able rebounders usually control the outcome of the game.

Similar Matchups and Conference Rankings

Take some time to see how the team has performed against similar clubs. This may help you determine how they will do in the upcoming game. Additionally, you want to look at conference rankings.

If it is a nonconference game, then compare the two leagues to figure out which, if either, is superior. As an example a top rated club in a weak conference may not stand a chance against a middling team from one of the powerhouses.

New Information

Before making your determination regarding the spread, it is absolutely important that you check the news for any developments that may in some way influence the outcome of the game and the way a team does against the spread. Sometimes a change in an important player’s status will actually give you an upper hand with the spread as you can bet on it before the sportsbooks have a chance to change it to reflex that change in the point spread.

The NCAA Basketball Spread

The spread in NCAA Basketball games can be huge. It may also fall somewhere in the middle or may be minimal. Each spread is unique and that means that sports bettors have to take time and use care in order to find spreads that they feel they can utilize to win. It’s a process that involves unemotional analysis, critical thinking and sound judgment.