PPH Basketball Betting -- Some Teams Eager to Go ‘Bracket-Busting’ in 2014
What is a bracket buster? Some PPH basketball bettors are no doubt curious about this.
Well, one supposes a standard definition might be a team that is coming from a "mid-major" or "small major" school and has a chance to "bust through" against the more prominent leagues and go far in the NCAA Tournament.
By that definition, the ultimate bracket buster this season, as it was last, is the Wichita State Shockers, who are actually trying to become the first team to go through the entire season undefeated since Indiana did it in 1976. as the #2 team in the country in both of the major polls, it is going to be nearly impossible to deny them a #1 seed in one of the regionals, but why is there even any discussion of such a thing?
After all,WagerHome.com customers saw that WSU made it to the Final Four last year and could conceivably have scored a win against any of the other teams that got there. So much for being in a weak conference like the Missouri Valley. We do admit that after the departure of Creighton this league did weaken itself, and there wasn't a whole lot to challenge the Shockers. And the Bluejays have gone on to bust up a few teams in the Big East (namely #3 Villanova). But you can hardly say that Gregg Marshall's team is a fluke this season.
The difference in this year's Big Dance is that they will have a target on their backs, as they are not sneaking up on anyone. Is that meaningful? Well, it shouldn't be, but PPH basketball bettors know that it often is.
You've got to think that by this time the Atlantic 10 is getting a lot more respect, but there is still deliberation as to whether it is a "major" conference or not, probably because of the dearth of teams that also play major college football. But there are a couple of defensive-minded entries who are dedicated to making some noise, and who should be on the radar of any WagerHome.com sportsbook bettor.
One of them is Virginia Commonwealth, which also surprised an awful lot of people in 2011 by advancing to the Final Four, after commentators like ESPN's Jay Bilas gave the Selection Committee a lot of flak for including them in the first place. VCU is familiar to a lot of hardcore college basketball bettors for the way it exerts pressure all over the court, in a technique known as the "Havoc" defense, or "Shaka Ball" (after coach Shaka Smart). They are extremely disruptive, leading the nation in steals, and if an opponent isn't equipped with a number of ballhandlers there are going to be some problems.
The Saint Louis Billikens are also an example of a team from the A-10 that uses a strangling defense, although their best work is done in the half-court setting. Again, people who engage in basketball betting at a place like WagerHome may be familiar with what they can do, but not a lot of "squares" who are involved just to make out their brackets. VCU and SLU have kind of spoiled things, however, by getting into the national rankings, so they wouldn't be creeping up on many people.
If you are looking for a team that could come out of nowhere - one that wasn't to be found on the "big board" at WagerHome in college basketball betting this season, it would be the Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin, who won the Southland Conference title last season but blew it in the post-season tournament, where Northwestern State got the NCAA bid. This season they are the #1 seed as the conference tournament approaches, have a 29-2 record and a home winning streak of 33.
But they still have to get by that post-season tournament, and that is what makes college hoops so unique. Before you can become a "bracket buster" on a national level, you have to be able to deal with a few of the potential bracket busters that exist within your own league.
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