Investing In College Basketball

Let's take a look at Investing in College Basketball by Larry Seidel. There certainly aren't a lot of college basketball handicapping books on the market today, but I would go as far to say that this is the most well known of the few out there.

And I believe there is good reason for this as well. It's a book that definitely gives some very good insight into Mr. Seidel's methods of handicapping college basketball...right or wrong, he lays out a strategy that is quite easy to follow (after the initial set up process).

College hoops is becoming one of the major sports to bet, especially with the growing number of totals bettors in the market today. However, with the amount of Division I lined games per week, it can be overwhelming to the novice sports investor.

This is a point that Mr. Seidel really tries to emphasize throughout the book and he may even be the one who originally brought this idea to the table years ago...and that is to focus on one or two conferences and that's it.

It's a pretty simple concept that seems to have spread throughout the college basketball handicapping community and I personally feel it's a good thing. Becoming an absolute expert in one or two conferences will save you a lot of time, while also helping to hone your skills.

For the novice to intermediate sports investor, I would say this is a must, especially if you are to utilize Mr. Seidel's handicapping methods as explained in Investing in College Basketball. As we'll discuss below, his methods are much more qualitative rather than quantitative.

I certainly am not going to say one strategy is better than the other (I personally use much more quantitative analysis) because it really just depends what you're comfortable with, but most importantly, it's what wins.

Let me first start off by saying that I really enjoyed the book. Even if you're not a college basketball bettor, I always find it interesting to read someone else's ideas and strategies to handicapping since they can always be applied to other sports.

If you're just starting out, then I truly believe this is a must read simply to open your eyes to what goes into handicapping a basketball game (at least from one persons perspective). Mr. Seidel never implies that his way is the only way.

It's rather one way to go about it. You're probably not going to implement every tidbit listed, but if you only pick up a couple things, then I feel it's well worth the read.

One point in particular I'd like to stress here (and I use in my everyday handicapping) is what Mr. Seidel refers to as cover margin i.e. when a team covers the spread, the average they typically cover by and when they lose to the spread, the average they don't cover by (and of course a an average of the two).

It really is a great indicator of public perception. Now this is more of a metric that you'll have to track yourself, but I can assure you this one tip will open your eyes to new investment opportunities in the college basketball market (in other words, stay away from teams that have a large losing cover margin and play on teams that have a higher cover average when winning ATS).

Now is this tip going to make you rich overnight? Of course not, but it's a metric many people don't follow and it certainly can be another weapon within your sports betting arsenal (this applies to every sport as well).

Mr. Seidel also goes over about 8 other statistics that he follows for every team in the conference he handicaps (Atlantic 10). Right or wrong, the insights, methods, and strategies he introduces really opens your eyes to what goes into handicapping college hoops.

While it may seem like I'm biased, I'm not really sure there was anything I disliked about the book. I cannot prove or disprove his ATS record for the Atlantic 10 season, which is covered in the second half of the book.

While his rate of return and win percentage does seem extraordinary (and it is based on a relatively small sample size), I can't verify the actual record...or more importantly, his long term record of investing in hoops.

He goes over a lot of data and information when handicapping a game, but claims it only takes 15-20 minutes per game. While this may be true, I can assure you he spends much more time than merely 20 minutes per game...plus all of the data that must be gathered before conference play, as well as before the season begins.

I'm not questioning his record or the amount of time his methods require, but rather pointing them out if you are to implement them. Regardless, I feel the information is presented in a well written manner.

As I've stated throughout the review, we definitely recommend and endorse Investing in College Basketball. It's a very good read and should be a great learning experience for the beginning to intermediate college bettor.

Is it going to give you some kind of get rich formula? Of course not. Rather, it's one man's method (winning presumably) to handicapping and investing in college basketball.

Don't get confused that thinking this is the only method of winning or that you have to copy his method exactly. Whether you decide to follow his ways or merely use a couple tips, it all comes down to increasing your ROI. With this book costing about $15-$20, it's more than worth it.

Even with it coming out in 2004, I still believe many of the methods can be applied to today's game. So if you've got a flight coming up (maybe going to Vegas?), I would suggest spending your plane ride reading Investing in College Basketball by Larry Seidel.

To order the book from Amazon or read what others are saying, simply click on one of the links on this page. We welcome and encourage all of your comments as well...you can add them in the section below. As always, best of luck in all your sports betting endeavors.

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Investing in College Basketball by Larry Seidel

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Investing in College Basketball
by Larry Seidel