An under-the-radar betting storyline ahead of the start of the tournament? Keep an eye on totals.
There have been 13 totals from Thursday and Fridayโs tournament slate that have shifted by at least 2 points from their opener at Fanatics Sportsbook. Yet, 12 of those have been increases while only one (Houston vs. Longwood dropping from 129.5 to 127.5) has decreased ๐ฎ.
Why is this the case? We asked college basketball trader Shank Subramani.
ASK THE TRADER: Bookmakers will go for slightly lower totals in tournament settings versus regular season games because they normally get bet down. But totals have been getting bet up all season long because of the new block/charge rule implemented this season, especially after overs were hitting at a 60% clip in November and again at the start of conference play. So while this early movement isn’t a big surprise, we’ll see more shifts today and tomorrow with higher limits.
