College basketball wagering wonks spend the vast majority of their time and attention dissecting the 11 major conferences. But teams from 11 mid-major conferences frequently are on the board and, thanks to an automatic invitation to the NCAA Tournament, at least one team from each of those leagues will be among the 68-team field that comprises March Madness. That seems like reason enough for savvy gamblers to, at a minimum, follow the leading contenders in each of those conferences. Let's take look at the most likely candidates to make an appearance at the Big Dance. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish. Straight up (SU), against the spread (ATS), and over/under (O/U) records for the 2009/010 season are in parentheses:
BIG SKY CONFERENCE
WEBERSTATE (20-11 SU, 14-11-2 ATS, 14-11 O/U)
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:6-3-2
Home Underdog:0-1
Away Favorite:4-2
Away Underdog:3-4
Neutral site:1-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Wildcats were 11-6-2 as favorites.
Sports Betting Angle: WeberState is 22-11-2 ATS in conference play the last two years.
Bets and Pieces: The Wildcats were 7-3-1 ATS playing on two or fewer days rest.
NORTHERN ARIZONA (14-15 SU, 11-14-1 ATS, 11-8 O/U)
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:2-3
Home Underdog:1-4
Away Favorite:1-0
Away Underdog:7-6-1
Neutral site:0-0
Sportsbook Buster: The Lumberjacks were 3-8 ATS at home
Sports Betting Angle: The "over" was 10-5 in Northern Arizona conference games.
Bets and Pieces: The Lumberjacks were 3-10-1 ATS playing with less than three days rest.
MONTANA (22-10 SU, 19-11 ATS, 12-9 O/U)
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:9-5
Home Underdog:0-0
Away Favorite:2-4
Away Underdog:6-2
Neutral Site:2-0
Sportsbook Buster: The Grizzlies were 7-2 as underdogs.
Sports Betting Angle: Montana was 13-6 ATS playing with two or more days rest.
Bets and Pieces: The "over" was 12-4 when the Grizzlies were favorites.
NORTHERN COLORADO (25-8 SU, 13-15-1 ATS, 12-11 O/U)
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:4-9
Home Underdog:1-0
Away Favorite:4-3
Away Underdog:4-1-1
Neutral Site:0-2
Sportsbook Buster: The Bears were 5-11-1 ATS in conference games.
Sports Betting Angle: Northern Colorado was 8-4-1 ATS on the road.
Bets and Pieces: The Bears were 4-9 as home favorites.
HORIZON LEAGUE
BUTLER (33-5 SU, 18-20 ATS, 16-19-1 O/U)
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:6-9
Home Underdog:0-0
Away Favorite:5-6
Away Underdog:1-1
Neutral Site:6-4
Sportsbook Buster: The Bulldogs were 6-11 ATS in games following a pointspread win.
Sports Betting Angle: Butler is 10-4 as an underdog the last two seasons.
Bets and Pieces: The Bulldogs were 8-12 ATS in Horizon League games.
METRO ATLANTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
FAIRFIELD (23-11 SU, 16-12 ATS, 12-13 O/U)
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:3-6
Home Underdog:0-1
Away Favorite:5-0
Away Underdog:6-5
Neutral Site:2-0
Sportsbook Buster: The Stags were 11-5 ATS on the road but 3-7 ATS at home.
Sports Betting Angle: Fairfield was 13-6 ATS in games played after two or more days rest.
Bets and Pieces: The Stags were 13-8 ATS in MAAC games.
SIENA (27-7 SU, 16-14-2 ATS, 9-17 O/U)
By the Numbers (2009/10 Season)
Home Favorite:5-7-1
Home Underdog:0-0
Away Favorite:8-1-1
Away Underdog:1-3
Neutral Site:2-3
Sportsbook Buster: The Saints were 8-1-1 as road favorites.
Sports Betting Angle: The "under" was 14-6 in Siena conference games.
Bets and Pieces: The Saints were 5-0 ATS in games following a SU defeat.
SAINT PETER'S (16-14 SU, 13-11 ATS, 8-12-1 O/U)
Home Favorite:3-6
Home Underdog:2-1
Away Favorite:1-0
Away Underdog:7-3
Neutral Site:0-1
Sportsbook Buster: The Peacocks were 8-3 ATS on the road.
Sports Betting Angle: St. Peter's was 6-2 ATS in games following a SU loss.
Bets and Pieces: The "under" was 10-7-1 in Peacocks MAAC games.
This article was written by Luken Karel for http://www.thegreek.com. The Greek Sportsbook & Casino is host to one of the top online sportsbooks offering college football betting and sports betting on NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and all other major sports. The Greek is a must have sports betting and entertainment portal with one of the largest wagering menus available online. Article reproductions must include a link pointing to http://www.thegreek.com
