Breaking Down Teams for NCAA Tournament Brackets
Written March 5, 2009 by Jack Jones
As soon as Selection Sunday draws to an end and the NCAA Tournament brackets have been set, millions of people all over the world will start filling out their winners in the hopes of winning their pools. Most of the people who do so will have watched very little basketball during the year, so if you want a crash course we are here to offer you a few quick tips.
Who Have They Beat
If you are looking for a team that can make a deep tournament run then look for teams that beat top 25 teams during the season. A team that looked past a mid-major and was upset shouldn’t concern you as much as a team that beats everyone they should but can’t beat a team in the top 20. Are they going to be upset? Probably not, but they aren’t going to surprise you either.
Road Record
Most good teams can win both at home and as a visitor, but there are some teams that are just dominant at home and struggle on the road. If you find one of these teams, do yourself a favor and pencil in an upset.
Matchups
I prefer teams that can slow down the pace, play defense, and score in a half court offense. Top teams that run and gun or rely too much on the three offer a good opportunity to be upset. Also look for common opponents or records against teams of similar strengths.
Team Makeup
If a team has a solid backcourt then they also stand a good chance of going deep into the tournament. Experienced teams with senior leadership stand up better under the pressure of tournament games. Rebounding and taking care of the ball can help teams who are having a cold night shooting.
The last thing you should look at is how well the team finished the season. I don’t like riding teams that had a poor showing to finish the season, but taking hot teams can definitely work out in your favor.
You can add to the fun of March Madness by doing NCAA basketball betting on the tournament games. The key is knowing who to take and that is where the college basketball picks offered by our experts come into play. They break down the NCAA basketball odds of all the games so you know where the value is.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- Teams to Avoid with 2009 NCAA Tournament Brackets
- Big East Teams in the 2009 NCAA Tournament
- NCAA Basketball Odds on Big Ten Teams To Win the Tournament
- 2009 NCAA Tournament Upset Predictions
- How to Handicap the NCAA Tournament Games
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