What Is Handicap In Basketball

Wheelchair basketball game Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people with varying physical disabilities that disqualify them from playing an able-bodied sport. These include spina bifida, birth defects, cerebral palsy, paralysis due to accident, amputations (of the legs, or other parts), and many other disabilities.

• Sports Handicapping Websites
• What Does Handicap In Basketball Mean
• What Is A Handicap In Basketball
• What Is Handicap In Basketball Score

Handicap betting in basketball is slightly more advanced than Money Line betting as teams are given a positive or negative point handicap to counter the perceived difference in ability. This means if a team is a heavy favourite they will have a negative handicap to overcome, while the underdog will have a positive handicap that acts as a head. But once you decide wheelchair basketball is a game for you it is time to look into getting a sport chair. A sport chair can be made specific to wheelchair basketball but it can also be made to allow you to play numerous sports such as tennis, softball and football. A typical sport chair will have dimensions slightly different from an everyday.

Sports Handicapping Websites

Turnover percentage and defense field goal percentage are keys in college basketball point spread betting. Turn on SportsCenter on any given night during the NCAA college basketball season, and you will most likely find a buzzer-beating three or a monster dunk in the day’s Top-10 plays. On the other hand you will very seldom see great perimeter defense or an offense controlling the ball. They’re just not as flashy.

However, they are the keys to your success when betting against the college basketball spreads. When engaging in college basketball handicapping and looking for favorable odds for point spreads or moneylines, make sure to take into account a team’s perimeter defense and turnover percentage on offense i.e. ball control.

By controlling the basketball on the offensive side of the ball a team can limit an opponent’s possess-ions and dictate the pace of the game. Good shot selection is key, and an offense that can control and move the ball around will find an open shot more often than not. By taking care of the ball and securing a positive assist to turnover ratio, an offense can pave the road for the defense to win the game.

With limited possessions for the opponent, the defense can minimize the points scored against them. The most important number for basketball bettors to look at in this case is field goal percentage allowed. If the defense can keep the opposing offense to a low percentage, the limited possessions weigh even heavier. If the hoop team can defend the perimeter and keep the opposing team from shooting well from beyond the arc, the value of the ball control goes up even further.

When betting on college basketball lines, look for teams that can control the pace of the game and limit their opponents’ number of possessions. Most importantly, look for basketball teams that can keep their opponents’ field goal percentage and three point percentage down.

Compare the two and make sure there is a sound balance between the two numbers. It won’t do you any good if a team defends the perimeter well, but neglects the paint. The same is true for teams that pack the paint, but leave shooters open from beyond the arc. Make sure to go with balanced teams that can defend both areas of an opponent’s game.

As with any statistic in college basketball, always take into account the competition these stats were put up against when betting against college basketball lines. Teams can inflate their numbers against weaker opponents and look better than they really are.

Therefore, when handicapping the game and preparing to invest your money on college basketball spreads, make sure to look at a team’s opponents and their ranks instead of just looking at the bare stats. A good rule of thumb is to go with the stats from a little later in the season. Most NCAA teams play a softer schedule at the beginning of the season to get into a rhythm and try out new players.

Look at conference matchups in the bigger conferences. When researching teams from weaker conferences, check out their stats in non-conference games against better opponents. Those will more accurately depict the strength of a team on the court.

Take into account the motivation level of the players as well. Players usually seem to raise their game against tough opponents. They will play harder in conference-games and in games where they are the underdog. Heavy favorites tend to take inferior competition lightly sometimes and take it easy. That is when their numbers go down, and you will have to know how to figure such a game into your assessment of the team.

Also make sure to check out our blog for the latest news in college basketball. We analyze the effect events like injuries, suspensions, and coaching changes have on the spreads, moneylines and totals in NCAA college basketball that are all helpful to the bettor.

What Does Handicap In Basketball Mean

We here at Maddux Sports look at all the stats and take all these factors into account when we prepare our college basketball predictions against the point spread. If you don’t have the time to do the research or want to just kick back and enjoy the college basketball season, you can benefit from buying our NCAA college basketball picks.

Over the years we have beat out all other online handicapping services in numerous contests. These accomplishments have made Maddux Sports the No. 1 overall basketball handicapper in the country. Apply all the principles we have talked about in this article and trust our college basketball picks and you can consistently beat the college basketball odds.

Handicapping College Basketball Totals
by Evan, College Basketball Handicapper, Predictem.com

Spread handicapping has always been the most popular form of wagering on basketball, and the college game is no exception. That said, the world of totals is an intriguing one and one that can be very good to the people that work hard to hone the skill.

Successfully handicapping college basketball totals is a long process that involves unlimited potential variables; I will take a look at the most important factor where many of the lesser stem from: pace.

The identification of a possession in basketball was a revolutionary one in the statistics world and has opened the door for a more accurate way to model the game. The technical term is still misused frequently as a true possession is defined as a teams entire trip down the floor until they no longer control the ball. By this definition, each team will have the same number of possessions in a game; (exceptions are if a team starts and ends a period with possession due to time workings) offensive rebounds do not translate to more possessions, rather longer ones do note this distinction. A trip down the floor involving four shots and three offensive rebounds is one possession. An 8-second violation for failing to cross the time line is one possession. As statistics move toward a per possession model it is important to start using this term accurately.

While you can calculate the exact number of possessions in a game with meticulous work, a generally accepted formula for possessions is such: FGA+(.44*FTA)-ORebs+TOs. Using 0.44 as opposed to 0.50 accounts for three-point play opportunities. I do like being more meticulous at the college level because of the large error the one and one aspect can pose many times only one free throw is attempted despite it still carrying the weight of an entire possession. This is pace and it is the single-most important tool when handicapping a total unfortunately, it is not so easy to determine at times.

When two teams play at a similar pace, it is pretty easy to get a decent estimate at how fast or slow the game will be played at. It is not automatic, but certainly easier. When they do not, you have to determine how each teams style will play with the others.

One way you can do this is with math. I am not going to spend much time at all talking about regression analysis because, as of now, its a secondary form of handicapping for me. Programs such as Minitab (which I highly recommend) can provide amazing data if you keep up-to-date information and choose to run regression analysis. In order to really be successful doing this you have to have good knowledge of statistics and how to read a trend. I would rather stay away from the math for now and continue to talk about a practical brand of handicapping.

Personally, I am more of an observational handicapper. I will use eye test knowledge and analyze how fast a game will be played based on venue, player matchups and situational factors. Generally speaking, the home team will try to control the pace. This is far from a rule, though. This is something you learn from watching a team over a significant time frame. If you are trying to find a middle ground between two teams pace, be sure to take a look at how the home team will try to dictate in a venue they are comfortable in and will feed off of.

Player matchups command a large portion of what factors into pace too. Analyze the matchup, watch coachs pressers and determine what matchups a team is going to try and exploit in order to win the game. There are very specific situations where a team is going to look to run and use their athleticism to take advantage of a slower team and others where teams want to make their opponent play defense for long stretches of time. Knowing exactlyhowa team wants to attack its opponent is a huge indication of how many possessions there will be in a game.

Then there are situational factors. This is HUGE at the college level. I cannot stress this enough, I really cant. Fouling at the end of the game has potential to be the single most frustrating aspect of handicapping sports in my opinion. The heartbreak you can suffer by teams refusing to waive the white flag and continuing to foul to push a game over is what makes sports handicapping nearly impossible to cope with at times.

So how do you handicap this part of the game? This is a science that you can never and will never be deadly accurate with. You simply have to acknowledge it and plan for it. First, speculate on the competitiveness of a game. A close game that involves fouling from one side and quick layups for the last 90 seconds of a game can add as much as 20 points to a total. Try your best to determine if the matchup will be close or whether it will be a blowout with teams dribbling 35 seconds off the clock for the final possessions of the game. Most importantly, the reason I am careful to use the word acknowledge is because you just have to accept the ridiculousness sometimes. Betting totals will break your heart very often. You have to trust the universe and that it will randomly benefit you as often as it randomly hurts you. If you are truly on the right side of a number the truth will come out in the long run its the beauty of probability.

What Is A Handicap In Basketball

A secondary reason to account for competitiveness of a game is the possibility of overtime. This is not as big, yet still existent. In a matchup where overtime is quite conceivable, I will typically cap my total a point or so higher. If you wager enough totals, the distinct possibility of overtime will manifest and you will be happy you accounted for it.

The analysis of pace is the first step toward being a good totals handicapper. Sharpen this part of your game and doors will open for you to be able to properly utilize per possession statistics, efficiency numbers and more. It may be just the first step in arriving at a projected total, but read the pace wrong and you will never beat the 52.38% break-even number. Get off on the right footing and reap the benefits at the end of the journey.

What Is Handicap In Basketball Score

Note: You can lower your break-even number to 51.19% by betting on games at -105 reduced odds at 5Dimes.