Mary Holt/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Duke Cameron Crazies
With the college football season behind us, our experts have turned their full attention to basketball.
In a season unlike any other, handicapping college basketball has seen its challenges as we’re in the midst of conference play.
Our college basketball experts — Stuckey, Collin Wilson and Mike Randle — discussed what they’re seeing so far this season on the latest Action Network Podcast.
“What’s making it hard is the things that usually happen are not happening,” Randle said. “Teams always make a run in the second half, but you’re seeing polar opposites in the first and second half. The runs happen a lot more often in these games.”
One of the most notable differences has been home-court advantage — or a lack thereof.
“There’s no such thing this year,” Wilson says. “This is the one sport we handicap and bet on where (home court) was the most important.”
Wilson points to Grand Canyon and Duke as specific examples of home courts with student sections wrapping the entire court, rather than one section.
“That’s a huge advantage when you can influence referees in getting the calls to go your way,” he says. “We’re looking at some programs where home court just doesn’t matter.”
Stuckey points out home conference underdogs are 88-114-3 against the spread (43.6%) this season, while noting it’s still a small sample. Home teams are winning 56.6 percent of the time, but that’s down from the usual 60 percent.
Stuckey, Wilson and Randle bring more trends and stats to the conversation not only regarding home-court advantage but back-to-back opponents as well.
The trio also welcomes the Three-Man Weave to the podcast to make their Friday Six Pack of picks (30:30 mark).
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