As far as online sportsbook numbers are concerned, and it is all about the numbers after all, the host cities for the March Madness sports betting tournaments can’t go wrong with the incredible revenue that they are able to generate through the tournament. With an impact that usually impacts in the $10 million range, the March Madness tournament is a huge money boost for the host. How much of an impact can the home fans have on their team once the tournament begins? While there is no way of answering that question to a certainty, we have to believe that it does provide an emotional boost for the local teams on the court.

As is the case with any sport, the better team usually comes out on top, whether it is work ethic, focus, or just plain talent that makes the difference. However, when it comes to close matchups, the home crowd, especially at the college level, can very well be the difference in the game. Most of the March Madness games are played at neutral sites, but when a team from the area is playing in the tournament, they get the rare advantage of having the majority of the supporters on hand in their corner. Whether or not the home advantage is significant enough to make a difference in any game usually depends on the team’s playing on the court, but even more than the NBA the home advantage is usually present in college ball, and having that advantage in the national title tournament is rare enough that it has to be taken in to consideration when playing a matchup that includes the home side.

As much as it is fun to create and then obsess over a March Madness bracket in the weeks leading up to the NCAA national title tournament, it can easily be just as frustrating to deal with how easily a bracket can fall apart. For anybody that has ever participated in an office pool or online bracket, it is easy to understand how many areas there are where you can fall in to trouble, and how one mistake can snowball through an entire region. However, when it comes to playing an individual March Madness game, the entire sports betting outlook changes as you can break down every matchup you are presented. That is where size matchups, superstar talent, coaching, and bench ability can all be taken in to account, and where that knowledge can be used to make a substantial profit.

While superstar talent and coaching are two big keys to the outcome of every online betting sites game, the bench should always be taken in to consideration in March Madness games, where depth can be just as important as any other aspect. The coach’s ability to call on bench players when their starters are not meeting expectations can change the entire outlook of a game, and unlike in the NBA where established superstars rarely falter after so many years performing at a high level, the college basketball star can go through many more highs and lows. Starters and coaches should always be given priority when evaluating matchups, but don’t make the mistake of overlooking the impact a bench can have on the outcome of any particular game.

When it comes to college basketball and the March Madness in particular, there is a strong tendency for individual talents to dominate the game so much that they are able to carry their teams on their backs. The perfect betting example of one player taking a team on his shoulders as a leader both on the floor and in the locker room is the job that Anthony Davis did for the Kentucky Wildcats en route to a national championship in 2012. Davis was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player after showing a rare combination of size, speed, strength, defensive aptitude, and leadership, and is the perfect example of how one player can lead a school to a national championship.

It isn’t that there wasn’t other players that put forward impressive performances in the tournament either, as fans who watched the games will have a hard time forgetting the likes of Jared Sullinger, Thomas Robinson, Jeff Withey, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist among others. This collection of players was able to have a strong enough impact that they could really carry their team far in the tournament, and it is those types of players that should always be keyed on when building a sports betting tournament bracket to predict the Final Four. The pay head bookies will always take these players in to consideration when building the odds for tournament games, but even they can be surprised with what they see at times. Davis, Sullinger, Robinson and company will all be moving on to the NBA following some incredible performances, but they will be replaced by a new crop of highly skilled players capable of doing the same as they did, and projecting how a March Madness bracket will play out can usually come down to identifying these stars.

When it comes to the sports betting landscape, from the NFL to the NBA, the college football and basketball seasons, the point that always seems to be emphasized is that defense wins championships. How many times have you sat down to watch some Saturday night hockey or Sunday NFL games and been told by the broadcast that while offense wins games, it’s defense that wins championships and so on? The truth is, while defense plays a significant role in winning titles, it is no more important than offense and a balanced game at both ends of the floor, and the numbers back that up.

As far as college basketball is concerned, the reason why we hear coaches constantly preaching the importance of defense is because it is usually harder for them to get the maximum effort and performance from their teams at that side of the floor. More often than not we see run n’ gun offenses that can put up a ton of points, but are usually limited to trading baskets at both ends of the floor. The reality is that study after study has proved that it takes a very good combination of offense and defense to bring in NCAA titles, and only the best pay head teams seem to have what it takes to play at such a high level for the duration of the March Madness tournament, which is why it is so hard to win championships at the college level.

Whether it was Brad Stevens with the Butler Bulldogs, or Shaka Smart with the Virginia Commonwealth, March Madness Cinderella runs are usually associated with excellent head coaching jobs, and this year’s tournament winner should be no different. The reasons why coaching is that much more important to the game at the college level are seemingly endless, beginning from the early recruiting days, and reaching as far as the in-game adjustments that coaches will make running from the second round to the Final Four.

The process for coaches begins every year with recruiting, as coaches do everything they can to bring in the best talent from around the country. After all the recruiting, the preparations, and putting players in position to succeed throughout the per head season, the Madness begins for the teams that were able to earn their spots in the national title tournament. So often in college basketball winning comes down to matchups, and being able to take advantage of those matchups by making the necessary adjustments to strategy both before and after games. Rarely does a college player come along and carry his team on his back throughout the tournament, which makes the team concept that much more important. Smart coaches will give their team a tactical advantage, and the best motivators will squeeze the most out of every bit of talent that they have. Gaining an appreciation for the head coaches of both teams is a key sports betting factor in every college basketball matchup, just as important as understanding the actual players, so don’t overlook the leader in charge of coming up with the game plan and getting his players to execute.

With the March Madness betting tournament right around the corner, and the conference tournament games underway now, there is no room for team’s to quit and not play well for the remainder of the year. While some teams may have struggled throughout the season, the good thing about conference title tournaments is that every team that is in them has a shot, and just like in the national title tournament anything can happen on any given night. If there was ever a sport that was designed to have an inordinate amount of upsets take place on the biggest stage it would be college basketball, and that is an important sports betting factor to remember throughout the month of March.

While the top-ranked teams like Kentucky and Syracuse shouldn’t have any problem in their conference tournament brackets, the outlook changes once the 68-team national title tournament gets underway, and that is when the top teams really become vulnerable to some tough pay head losses. Finding the underdog teams to take advantage of these upsets usually comes down to identifying which teams have improved the most throughout the year, and which teams have the weapons to get the job done. This usually falls to teams with a ton of good younger players, who really are looking for the chance to show everything that they can do after maturing for a full season. Taking the time to do the research will be critical in identifying which teams are capable of the big upsets and which to stay away from, and with the national title tournament right around the corner, it’s time to do some work.

The NHL trade deadline day is here, which means that the NHL playoffs are just more than a month away. What that also means is that with February winding down one of the biggest sports betting months of the year is right around the corner, as the NCAA national title tournament, or March Madness, is almost here. While even the casual fan will likely be preparing their brackets in office pools are among friends, those at the top take the event very seriously, as they look to prove that they can make a significant profit. Understanding the different trends and wagering factors that will go in to the tournament, and each individual game, is always the key to bracket busting.

When approaching a tournament such as the March Madness betting, it is always important to make plays based on which teams you think will win rather than which underdogs have a chance. While there are always going to be some upsets in tournaments as big as this one, there is still a significant amount of favorites that are able to get the job done, and it is better to focus on them rather than risk everything on a team that could win, but isn’t likely too. Small conference teams usually don’t do very well, but depending on the one-on-one matchups, always go with the team that has the better pure scorers and can hit when the pressure is highest. There is always a ton of information every March to help break down these tournaments, just make sure you don’t overlook it.

When it comes to college basketball betting, there are two distinct approaches that the majority of players seem to take. Some players will jump right in to the action hoping that the pay head bookies will slip up with so much of their attention still on the NFL, NBA, and NHL, and that they can find a line that isn’t where it should be. Meanwhile, other players will take a more reserved approach to the sport and wait for a few games before playing any wagers in order to get a sample of what to expect from the teams early on. While it is hard to argue against either one of these approaches since neither appears to have a distinct advantage, perhaps there are more important factors to consider when betting on the NCAA early season.

The number of returning players is the most important factor to consider when betting on college basketball early on, as those players will be key to their team’s success as the freshman figure out where they fit at the college level and develop chemistry with their teammates. No position is more important than point guard, so for teams with returning point guards that are considered quality players, they are among the best to wager on early. Another key to learning more about these teams early is to focus in on one or two schools and try to make sure that you find where their strengths and weaknesses are in order to project how they will perform. With the Betonline bookies so stretched trying to figure out so many different lines, inside knowledge could be enough to outsmart them.

After falling to the Kansas Jayhawks over the weekend in their first loss of the season, the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes made a statement on Wednesday night against USC Upstate, even without their leading scorer Jared Sullinger out of the lineup. Sullinger is expected to be back in the lineup for the Buckeyes for Saturday’s game against the South Carolina Gamecocks, but if Ohio State is going to move up to first this weekend they will need some help across the NCAA basketball betting nation.

(2) Ohio State Buckeyes @ South Carolina Gamecocks

Saturday, 12:00 PM ET

Sullinger’s status is still unknown heading in to this weekend, but the Buckeyes should be okay without him for the next couple of weeks without another game against one of the top-ranked teams in the country. The tandem of William Buford and Deshaun Thomas becomes even more important for Ohio State with Sullinger out, particularly in their lone road date before three straight at home. The Gamecocks have gotten off to a slow start in the SEC, including a 25-point loss to the Tar Heels in late November, so they shouldn’t be much of a threat as the underdogs to Ohio State according to the pay head bookies.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes

(1) Syracuse Orange @ North Carolina State Wolfpack

Saturday, 6:30 PM ET

With a ton of teams losing at the top of the national rankings, the Orange become the last team standing at No. 1, with a visit to North Carolina State set for this Saturday. Syracuse squeezed past Florida by four in their only matchup against a top-25 opponent, and while a talented Wolfpack team should push them, the Orange will prevail as modest sports betting favorites.

College Basketball Betting Pick: Syracuse Orange

The March Madness betting tournament takes place annually every March and features over 68 teams battling for the opportunity to be named as National Champion for that season. While 68 teams start the tournament, it’s fair to assume in the sports betting world, that the tournament truly begins at the round of 16 stage. For the sports bettor unfamiliar with how to bet on the March Madness tournament, here is a guide on how to do so.

March Madness betting is similar to college basketball wagering, in that handicappers can use the point spread, money line and totals on each game. Today we will look at how to bet on March Madness and pass along some tips when using each method. The one method we will be looking at is the point spreads line.

1. Point Spread – The point spread is an advantage created by the sportsbook to make the underdog look more appealing. Essentially, when you play the point spread, your goal is to bet on whether you believe the favorite will win by the amount of points set up in the spread. Tip: In a game featuring seeds 5 to 12, you should take the underdog to cover the point spread because the teams seeded within these numbers are closer in skill level than those teams seeded one and 16 and onwards. Here is how it appears.

BYU

Florida +10

In this example, BYU is the favorite and bettors taking them on the point spread need the Cougars to win the game by 11 or more points. However, we suggest you take Florida in this matchup to cover the point spread, as they have a good defense and high scoring offense. Meaning to say, if you take Florida on the point spread, you need the Gators to lose the game by nine of more points, or win the game outright.