College Basketball Betting Guide: Tempo and Efficiency
A huge number of games, enormous variation in tempo, and a market whose depth varies wildly between the top conferences and everyone else.
What actually moves this market
Tempo varies far more than in the NBA
The gap between the fastest and slowest college teams is much larger than at professional level, which makes totals more about style than about quality.
Efficiency margin is the useful summary
Points scored and allowed per 100 possessions strips out pace and gives a comparable measure across very different styles.
Small-conference markets are thin
Limits on a mid-week low-major game are a fraction of a marquee matchup. Prices are softer, and so is your ability to get money down.
Home court is larger than the pro game
Crowd, travel and officiating combine to produce a bigger home edge than the NBA - though it too has narrowed.
Tournament pricing is efficient by kickoff
March games attract enormous volume. The opener may be soft; the closer usually is not.
Guides that apply here
College Basketball picks, with the receipts.
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