Betting Systems - March Madness Part II

There are also other factors to consider when betting on March Madness (the big dance, also known as the NCAA basketball tournament) games. Some of which include, but are not limited to betting on teams with the better defense (based on defensive shooting percentage), better free-throw shooting percentage (clutch free throws in the end of the game equals a higher likelihood of covering a game), and the better rebounding ability.

Defense wins games and covers the betting spread (ATS—also known as against the spread). In the NCAA tournament, it has been found that the team with the better defensive shooting percentage in a contest will win (and cover the game) more often than not. This is due in part to defense. As in all sports, teams with good offenses will always score and win games. But, a team with a good defense will win championships. Team defense restricts another team’s ability to score and prevents them from scoring. How many times does a game depend upon the last play of the game? It is defense that ultimately determines which team is the better team in a contest, and in terms of tournaments, defense is king.

At the end of a game, whether it is a close one or not, there will be fouls that will be committed. It is up to a team’s ability to sink these crucial ‘free’ baskets at the end of the game to determine if they will advance and win such contests. A bad free throw shooting team will always struggle to win, for teams who are down will surely foul and will get a chance to catch up by getting the basketball back and draining consequent shots. In all, if a team is shooting free throws badly, they will have a hard time keeping their lead.

The better rebounding team in a contest will also have a greater advantage during March madness games. The rationale behind this theory is that teams who rebound the ball, both on the defensive and offensive end of the court, will have the ball more often than not. Combined with a higher shooting percentage, teams with a high rebounding average will have a greater chance to win (and cover games) than teams who have less ability.
In closing, March madness games give the sports gambler the opportunity to place multiple bets using a plethora of angles. The author purports that given a team with a high shooting percentage, high free-throw shooting percentage, high rebounding ability, and low defensive shooting percentage, that such a team will win (and cover) games more often than not.