Twelve days of mid-major betting
By Nick Parsons
Covers.com
It’s the holiday edition of the Mid-Major Report. And in the spirit of the season, here are the 12 days of Christmas – mid-major style. Here are some of the gift the small-conference schools have given college basketball bettors so far this year.
I – The Ivy Renaissance
Harvard is 9-1 SU, 5-1 ATS, won a decent Tournament and has broken into the Top 25 of the Coaches Poll. However, the nerdy conference offers more than that. Yale is a respectable 8-2 and 3-8 Dartmouth and their dreadful 56.5 points per game, has actually made them one of the better value teams in the NCAA, going 5-1-1 ATS. It’s nice to finally see the only conference with student athletes holding their own ground.
II – San Diego Toreros
For doing its best not to point shave this season and for providing value in its last three games. The Toreros began the season with the cloud of a point shaving scandal and failed to cover in their first five. They have since covered in their last three all as double-digit dogs.
III – Murray State’s Pursuit of Perfection
In terms of depth and quality, the OVC isn’t the MVC, giving the Racers a legitimate shot of going undefeated during the regular season. They have been making bettors happy as well and in exciting fashion, averaging 75.1 points and going 5-2-1 ATS.
IV – Hartford, Towson, and Northern Illinois’s Pursuit of Perfection
With Robert Parish’s alma mater Centenary leaving Division 1 basketball, we lost a solid contender for the possibility of a winless season. Thankfully, Hartford, Towson and Northern Illinois have all done their part so far to keep this hope alive. For handicappers, keep in mind the value that teams like this provide. Centenary was one of the better ATS teams in Jan 2011.
V – Missouri Valley Conference
Hopefully, the impressive showing by several MVC schools will limit the amount of at-large spots given to mediocre teams in major conferences. Northern Iowa, Creighton, Missouri State and Wichita State are all worthy of bids. And from a fan’s perspective, do we really want to see all 57 teams from the Big East conference make the tournament?
VI – College Basketball Prospectus 2011/12
Baseball handicappers have been using their prospectus for years, but the first couple editions of College Basketball Prospectus weren’t so great. This year’s is much improved and is a must have for anyone taking CBB hoops handicapping seriously. Be nice and buy it for a friend.
VII - Butler Backers
Back-to-back silver medals in the NCAA Tournament have made Butler the Chicago Cubs of mid-major hoops. Losing Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack did not seem to deter the casual bettor and as a result the Bulldogs became one of the better value fades during the start of the season
VI – Hibernating Bears
Northern Colorado has presented one of the better halftime wagering options for handicappers. It’s averaging just 30.9 points in the first half, but is putting up 40.4 points in the final 20 minutes. A key factor is its 43.6 percent 3-point shooting and the fact that it tends to go trigger happy at the end of games regardless of the situation.
VII – Florida International’s Athletic Department
For keeping Isiah Thomas employed despite their 3-8 start to the season and his career 21-52 record with the Golden Panthers. Thus preventing other programs and pro teams from being ruined under the Hall of Famer’s influence
IX – Shaka Smart
For taking the Mark Few career path by staying at VCU despite offers from big schools. The Rams lost three players who averaged double figures and had a rough start to the season, but are slowly coming into form covering in their last six games and improving their overall record to 7-3 in time for CAA play
X – Davidson
It takes a lot of guts to schedule road games at Duke and Kansas (game was in Kansas City, Missouri). But the Wildcats managed to cover as double-digit dogs in both and even won straight up with their recent upset win over Kansas, adding legitimacy to mid-majors. They have also played over in each of their last seven.
XI – The West Coast Conference
Most of us get bored around 10 p.m. on any given night and thankfully the WCC has been the one friend we can all count on in our time of solitude. This looks to be one of the best in the years with the addition of BYU and the rise of Santa Clara and San Francisco
XII – Dec 23rd
With no bowl games or NFL on pre-Christmas Eve, college hoops comes to the rescue with 25 games, giving us all an excuse to wait until the Dec. 24 to shop. Highlight comes at 11:30 ET, with a MVC / WCC matchup between Missouri State and St. Mary’s