How to handicap NCAA basketball odds like a pro

The 2017-18 NCAA basketball season opens this weekend without much hoopla or celebration. Unlike most sports, college hoops eases into the schedule like a warm bath rather than a cannonball of big games like other leagues. Power-conference members are often facing mid-major and Div-II opposition as they fine tune their lineups and work in new plays and systems, and don’t clash with other notable schools until some of the tip-off tournaments take place. That’s not to say there aren’t any good games on the board, but the schedule really doesn’t pick up the pace until the New Year. And that ...