College Hoops: Early Season Point Spread Value (Part 2)
by Scott Rickenbach
With the College Hoops Season now underway, but still very early, it’s the perfect time to continue our look at some teams that could offer some solid point spread value this season. The analysis here will be concise as the goal is to quickly touch on teams from the big conferences that have potential to offer substantial value this season. After starting with the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, and Big XII in our first segment, we now wrap up with the rest of the bigger conferences in “round two” of our two part series!
Conf USA - Marshall – The Thundering Herd didn't perform well against the number last season but they came into this season with a lot of promise. They returned six of their top seven scorers. With good experience as well as a solid inside attack (they use the post position well) the Thundering Herd could be good to the backers this season. Cutting down turnovers would help and the pieces are in place for success this season.
MWC - UNLV - The Rebels were only 12-17 ATS last season but with Tre'von Willis back plus a couple of transfers in Derrick Jasper from Kentucky and Chace Stanback from UCLA, the Rebels could "flip" last season's ATS mark. There is quite a bit of weakness in the MWC this season so in a "down cycle" for many teams the Rebels could take advantage in a weaker season for many teams in the Mountain West.
Pac Ten - Arizona - Though they may struggle through some growing pains early this season, this could be a team to play on by the time conference play rolls around. They've got former Xavier boss Sean Miller behind the bench now. They also got senior guard Nic Wise to
come back and having stability in the form of veteran backcourt experience like that is huge. This is a talented team that can take advantage of a "down year" among many of the Pac Ten teams this season. Much of the conference looks weaker this season and the Wildcats will likely "gel" by the time conference play rolls around.
SEC - Alabama - Not only do they have four returning starters this season, the Crimson Tide's new coach won a national title as an assistant with Florida in 2006. That's Anthony Grant and the pieces in Alabama are in place for him to work with. They're still flying "under the radar" a bit and that's good news for bettors. We like the chemistry of this coach and this roster solidified by returning players to pay dividends by the time conference play gets underway.
WAC - Idaho - Another team to keep an eye on this season because they're still flying under the radar right now. The Vandals were just 16-15 straight up last season and only 13-13 against the spread. There could be some value with them because the addition of Steffan
Johnson, a star at Pacific, is big for this team. Not only is Johnson a strong player but it will also keep teams from focusing so much attention on Mac Hopson. That could lead to a big one-two punch for the Vandals this season. Idaho could offer a lot of betting value to their supporters after just being a .500 team last season.
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