Mistakes to Avoid When Filling out Your March Madness Bracket

Posted by Eric Williams on Tuesday,February 9, 2016 2:26, EDT in

So what, no elite title-contending team can manage to hold on to the nation’s No.1 ranking for very long this season. If you’re a college basketball online gaming enthusiast that is starting to make preparations for the quickly-approaching men’s national championship basketball tournament, then you need to know what mistakes you should avoid when filling out your March Madness bracket.

By sticking to a few tried and true ‘betting rules,’ you’ll be able to avoid making some of the myriad mistakes that could ruin your bracket.

Mistakes to Avoid When Filling out Your March Madness Bracket

Don’t Over-Think!

The first thing any March Madness college basketball betting enthusiast should do is avoid over-thinking.

Looking at the recent play of each team involved in a particular matchup, no matter what round it is, is always a good place to start.

For example, let’s say that Virginia has gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and they’re facing a Wichita State team that has gone 5-5 over in its last 10. While several other factors could decide the outcome of this hypothetical pairing, you had better believe that a streaking Virginia team has a better chance of winning than a struggling Wichita State team.

This streaking or struggling betting rule will help you avoid over-thinking and can be applied to both, SU and ATS picks. Simply put, knowing whether or not a team is either streaking – or struggling – will give you the best insight into which team likely stands the best chance of winning.

Who’s got the Edge in Talent, Maturity and Coaching?

More often than not, the team with more talent is the one that will win – and likely cover the spread for that matter. Does one team have a clear-cut edge in talent? Is the betting line a bit too high for the ‘better’ team to cover or is it reasonable? Not only should college hoops bettors look at the talent level of each team, but also at the overall maturity of each teams’ players and their collective mindset coming into the contest you plan on wagering on. Don’t make the mistake of not knowing that a more mature and focused team can often beat a team with more ‘talent’ and a higher seed.

Be Prepared!

In addition to the ‘streaking or struggling’ rule, you also need to be prepared! Do your ‘homework’ and study each team’s ATS history thoroughly. I’m not just talking about their recent trends, but a lengthier look at their respective ATS histories. Find out both teams’ neutral site trends first and foremost as well as their home and away ATS trends. Doing so will help you avoid being unprepared.

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Use Head over Heart!

One of the very first things I tell all college basketball bettors to avoid is using their ‘heart’ over their head. March Madness bettors should always avoid picking one team over another because of their ‘love’ for that program. By doing so, you’ll manage to stay clear of using your ‘heart,’ thereby effectively placing all of the focus goes on the game’s ATS outcome. While we all have favorite teams, I’ve seen thousands of bettors get in trouble because they’re ‘hoping’ their team can cover the spread more so than making an educated, unemotional wager.