Betting Over/Unders in Round 1 of March Madness

There are rumors about betting unders in the first rounds of the March Madness tournament and I don’t necessarily disagree. I offer a few ideas one must consider: 

The totals seem to fly over throughout the tournament due to expert marksmanship from the three point line. However, look at the difference from playing in your 8000-10,000 seat home areas to the monstrous domes they play their first games in. 

Can you imagine any team shooting their 3-point shots and connecting on 35 to 40 percent? They might get accustomed to the cannaverous

domes by the second halves. It’s doubtful that teams will have success right off the bat. 

Secondly, the nerves the players are presented with are real. Their touch is affected. Their aim and launch is unstable or unsure. They will be instructed to slow the game down until their nerves are settled. 

I love betting every game’s first half UNDER the posted total. It’s my understanding that by betting the unders in every game the past 42 years, you have only two losing years. My experience in the past decade is extremely positive so I continue. 

Alabama boasts the highest-scoring attack in the nation but is far from a shut-down squad on the defensive end. The combination surely appeals to NCAA Tournament first-round opponent Charleston, which has won 12 consecutive games. The scoreboard figures to get a lot of work on Friday when the fourth-seeded Crimson Tide (21-11) face the No. 13 seed Cougars (27-7) in a West Region first-round game at Spokane, Wash.

Both teams love to hoist 3-point shots. Charleston ranks third nationally with an average of 30.6 attempts per game, with the Crimson Tide fourth at 30.3. The Cougars aren’t in the same locale as Alabama’s 90.8 points-per-game average but are tied for 34th at 80.5.

The total is set at 173.5. Simple math has both teams needing to score 87 points each. Bama might hold up their end so consider if Charleston will falter a bit. 

Additionally , College of Charleston is playing an elite SEC program. That in itself, will cause many shots to fall wayside. With all the ingame betting, I would use that as my barometer in deciding to bet the over. 

The game can definitely go over but remember that with the pregame hype and rumors to bet the over in this game, the oddsmakers have taken note and made more adjustments. Again, that needs to be added to the above list to consider.