Halftime betting is increasingly becoming one of the most popular aspects of college basketball odds, and going by the manner in which NCAAB online bettors—recreational and sharps alike—are pregnant with anticipation about racking up major bucks in 2016 NCAA Tournament; we believe the halftime bets are going to be a really big deal in the three-week NCAA basketball betting marathon known to you as the March Madness. Obviously, there are many ways of placing half-time bets, thanks to the advent of live betting, but the ones we will be focusing on here will be total bets, SU bets and ATS bets, specifically guiding you on how to enjoy the thrill and excitement of the Tourney with some sumptuous halftime betting picks.
Halftime Betting Strategies and Tips for March Madness
First Half vs. Second Half Betting?
Based on personal experience, and that of many other smarts out there, first half betting can be tricky, as several issues can affect the lines, from poor preparation to issues such as nerves and unexpected mistakes. For that reason, I tend to prefer making second-half bets, as I am usually in a better position to judge the lines based on what I have watched in the first half.
I mean, by watching what transpired in the first half, you are able to assess elements such as injuries, turnovers/penalties, play adjustments and game momentum, all of which ease the process of predicting what will happen in the second half. Not to mention, some online sportsbooks don’t pay attention to all games, so you can find some sweet lines to jump on and reap some serious rewards. Given the fact that second-half lines are mostly available around the end of the first half, the reality here is that you won’t have much time to shop around for sharp numbers, so ensure that you do your research in advance for some potentially good lines.
If you are, however, a fan of first-half or full-game NCAAB lines, then I believe the general rules below should help in guiding your wagers appropriately.
Noteworthy General Rules for Half-time Bets
Being the biggest single-elimination basketball tournament in the world, you are probably going to find (and read) countless guides on successful betting in March Madness, a good number of which will help you. But then again, even with its Madness, the NCAA Tournament pretty much works with more-or-less the same ground rules like regular-season betting. The only difference here comes in terms of aspects such as seeding, experience, talent, conference reputation and current form; and to hack your way through these can-be mind-raking elements, you can use the following rules to simplify most of your NCAA basketball picks (of course after doing extensive research on the teams involved):
Take a high seed playing close to home as its chances of success are often better.
Take a hot low-seeded team that is playing against a team that is struggling coming into the tournament, especially for games in the initial rounds of the Tourney.
Take a strong one-unit team that is playing against a team with one star (or two stars) but with a suspect supporting cast.
When a strong underdog team is involved in a game, take them to win (or at least cover the spread) in the first half, as such dogs can hang well enough in the first half. In the second half, favorites often rise to the occasion, making them the better picks.
When choosing between two closely-seeded teams, take a team from a strong conference (like Big 12) over one from a suspect conference (like Big Ten).
Of course, there are some exceptions to the above-mentioned rules, but for the sake of saving you precious time; I would highly recommend the use of these rules to simplify your half-time bets. They have worked for me severally, and I am sure they’ll be pure money for you if you use them correctly. All you have to do is to remember that the frantic nature of the NCAAB lines can be confusing once the sportsbooks open shop, so you must invest your time into doing prior research on the teams you want to bet on. This way, you won’t get confused into overreacting or miss-placing a bet, as is often the case when the betting public starts sending all kinds of sentimental picks on the internet once the games begin.
