And then there were none.
No. 1 ranked and previously unbeaten Ohio State lost to Wisconsin again to make it five straight against the Badgers. More importantly, that set up a great betting opportunity this coming Wednesday as Wisconsin travels to West Lafayette to do battle with the Boilermakers.
Purdue is fresh off a big win on the road in Champaign, beating Illinois 81-70 – not an easy task in the Big Ten. Purdue is tied for second with Wisconsin and both are almost impossible to beat at home sitting at 14-1.
With a 20-5 overall record, a win for the Boilermakers over Wisconsin will help their tournament position in a huge way. They can ill afford a loss in this situation as the Buckeyes come to town on Saturday breathing fire.
I just don’t see the Badgers nailing all those three pointers on the road like they did against the Buckeyes in Madison, so if you lost on the Super Bowl you just may be able to get some of that cash back on this game betting on Purdue.
With March Madness right around the corner I have been watching as much college hoops as time will allow. After viewing at least a dozen games I remembered why I don’t bet on them as much as I did at one time.
The three point play has made the game more exciting but for betting purposes it has created havoc. You make the right play, are ahead 8 laying 5½ and then see the other team, with no way to win, stroll down the court to pop a meaningless trey. Suddenly your bet goes down the drain.
At one time I just loved betting and watching college basketball, but with the three pointer and the way the game is now played above the rim, I only make a play when there is a solid situation like Purdue at home playing Wisconsin. Win or lose this is a good bet.
When James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 it was suppose to be played under the rim for players around 5 feet 10 and 6 foot, not for the towers who play the game now. It was a finesse game.
If you really want to see good college hoops, rent some championship games from the 60’s. You will see how the game was meant to be played. I say raise the basket and put the 3-point play so far back players will think twice before taking a shot.
Other than that, the upcoming tournament looks to be one of the most wide open in years. We could see several top seeds fall early, so if making some future bets on the winner, don’t be afraid to take a price.
I will be looking hard at some of the teams that can get there. One thing I do know is Butler is again a very good team.
I was asked by a player the other day when I was in the book if I hedged on my Super Bowl future bet. I did bet the over, but I also took the Steelers -2½ in the second half so all was well.
He asked when is a good time to hedge – a good question very worthy of an answer. We all have our priorities and I will hedge only if the bet is going to pay big if losing one of the bets. I will always hedge if I have a shot at winning both bets.
I know several bettors who make teases on football and they always like to end up with the Monday night game so they have a shot at winning both sides. When not to hedge? Don’t start a hedge before the last game!
When I worked at the Stardust there was a bettor we called Jack the Hat, and he bet, I believe, just to hedge. He had a real good bet on a team to win the World Series, I think around 50-1. By the time his team won the World Series he could only break even with all his hedging.
He would have loved Bernie’s hedge fund!
Record:
| last week | since Oct. 25 | PCT |
| 1-0 | 57-53-3 | 51.8 |