The following article is from Stan Sharp as told to (and posted by) a pregame.com staff writer. Stan is not willing to take time away from handicapping to write, but we convinced him to sit for an occassional interview that we'd convert into an article.

My philosophy on handicapping basketball games doesn't differ from football. But, you must remember, you'll have a lot more action each week in basketball season versus football. During the football season you have a full slate of games two days a week. In basketball there's a full slate of games seven days a week. So following my rule of one play a day, you'll have action on 7 games a week in basketball while only 2-4 games a week in football depending if I bet the Thursday & Monday Night Games.

You must evaluate your bankroll and money management accordingly. If your bankroll is $200, $500, or $1000 a week, then you need to adjust your individual play accordingly in basketball season. This is a very important part of being a successful gambler. The beauty of Basketball is that in essence a smaller player becomes a bigger player without ever really exposing his bankroll. You are wagering more money but your doing it safely by betting 7 Plays a week one day at a time.

One of the great things about betting basketball is a professional handicapper like myself has the edge over Vegas. There are so many games played each week both college and NBA, that Vegas can't possibly keep up with what's going on with all of the teams. Most college teams play twice a week, while the NBA teams average 3 games a week and sometimes even 4.

Injuries, travel time, and late night games are some key factors that need to be considered every week when looking at the games. Also, college teams have a tendency to have more intense rivalry conference games in basketball than they do in football. And, most college teams play one another twice a season not counting the conference tournaments. Basketball is a long season for the players and the gamblers. You need to have extra patience when betting basketball games.

There are times when you can spot a big play coming up a week in advance, but the majority of the time big bets aren't realized until the day of the game. Just last week 3 of these special plays came about on the day of the game, and I cashed in on all 3 of them! There are a lot of inaccurate lines posted on basketball games. One of the reasons is there's a tendency to overreact to a teams previous performance - good or bad. A lot of these games are on TV, and Vegas and the public have a tendency to overreact to what they just finished watching. Then, 2 or 3 days later when that team plays their next game, the line has been over-adjusted and the public has the same type of reaction. Most teams are not as good or as bad as their previous performance.

Another factor to consider is the size of the home court pertaining to seating capacity and proximity to the floor. The home fans are a lot closer to the action and have a lot more impact on basketball games than they do in football. Home court advantage in basketball has a much bigger impact on the emotion of the players and referees.

There are many factors I take into consideration each day on every game!
Everything gets narrowed down to that one special play for that day!

The results so far this Basketball season have been fantastic as of January 21, 2009 Stan is hitting 68% for the Season! 

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