Why is patience the best sports betting strategy at the beginning of a college?

University basketball officially launches its 2018-2019 season on Tuesday with a busy schedule.

You might be tempted to immediately take part in the double Indianapolis TV show that features the No. 10 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Duke (ESPN, 7 pm and 9:30 pm). Unless you oversee the staff thoroughly, patience can be a virtue. Become "smarter" quickly by monitoring the markets, from the opening of the line to the end, to find out how the collectors (professional bettors) ranked the teams on the betting board.

Remember that the first few lines of the table show how the list takers alone see things. These are the best assumptions of men who have been buried in football in recent months and the NBA since mid-October. And frankly, these days, these are the best assumptions of "some" off-shore types, which are then copied by all the others. Do you think every betting manager in every store has the time to properly search for teams such as Towson, IUPUI or UC-Davis?

The most experienced bettors have the time to do all the research necessary to get an enlightened reading of the teams. Some give up football and specialize in this sport. Of course, mistakes will be made. Some high-impact, first-year students will explode. Some previously mediocre veteran teams will become valuable bets because of their experience and maturity. But, on a large sample, sharp objects will make the most of the first players of November.

They are called sharp objects because they "accentuate" the opening lines.

Will public money spoil your ability to read intent? Generally no. The public leaves almost all college basketball until the end of football. Maybe they will play a big televised match (although Duke and Kentucky have a big constituency, so the "stupid" money can be canceled anyway). Most of the features in the table include "sharps versus marks". Any line change will represent a keen interest in the team placing, or against the opponent.

Watch for line movements in the first few weeks and you'll know very quickly which teams the sharps want to support and which teams they want to lose. This will give you the opportunity to exploit the opening lines yourself. And, it will help you learn about your favorite conference landscape or national image before championship games.

How do you monitor the market? There are sites (including VSiN.com) that display the current line, the opening line and all movements between the two.

If you have done advanced preparation work, I wish you good luck outside the portal. Otherwise, monitoring the market will allow you to get up to speed quickly.