Second Half Bets Are the New Trend – March 14

If you weren’t aware, some of the best value in the sports betting industry comes in the form of second half bets. They are exactly what they sound like. Second half bets are wagers only on the second half of play in a game. In basketball, both NBA and college, teams play two halves. The NBA also plays quarters and there are individual bets for those quarters as well. 

NBA bettors, for example, can make second half bets on the moneyline, point spread, and total as well as several others. The first half of the game doesn’t matter nor does the outcome of the game. Only the results of the second half count when grading second half bets. Makes sense, right? 

Let’s look at some examples and see why second half bets are so advantageous for savvy bettors. 

Examples of Second Half Bets

Let’s take a look at an example in college basketball. Today in the MAC tournament, Kent State plays Toledo. There are several second half bets already available. For example, bettors can wager on which team will win the second half. The moneyline bet looks like this:

• Kent State +142
• Toledo -176

If you bet $20 on Toledo to win the second half, you’ll win $11.36 for a total payout of $31.36. Only the second half would count though. If the second half score was 42-35 in favor of Toledo, you’re a winner. 

In the same game, the second half total is set at 79.5. Typically, second half totals in college basketball are five to ten points higher than the first half. College basketball games usually see more points scored in the second half than in the first. The second half total in today’s game is set at 79.5.

• Kent State O 79.5 (-114)
• Toledo U 79.5 (-110)

Again, only the second half matters in grading this bet. If the final second half score was 42-35, second half bets on the Under would be a winner.

Why Choose Second Half Bets

Second half bets offer bettors great opportunity because bettors have a whole first half worth of information. Bettors can watch the game develop. In basketball, bettors can see how a team is playing defense, the tempo of the game, and which players may be in foul trouble. All of these things can affect the second half. 

Plus, you’ll be working against oddsmakers who are strapped by time constraints. When oddsmakers set lines and odds for a full game, they may have days to prepare. With second half bets, lines and odds can be set prior to a game, but they will change depending upon the results of the first half. The key is for bettors to find that value and get their second half bets in before the lines and odds change.

The Hawk Circles & Crushes the Leaderboard

Mike Hawk has been circling and gobbling his prey for the past seven days. Yesterday, he snatched five wins from the hands of the NHL and college basketball. A perfect 5-0 performance was the result and the Hawk was No. 1 on our Sports Hub daily leaderboard.

It was a clean sweep for Sports Hub experts yesterday. The entire Top 5 was made up of handicappers exclusive to Sports Hub. In fact, we went seven deep yesterday as three cappers tied for the No. 5 spot.

Let’s look at yesterday’s results.

• Hawk Attack: As mentioned, Mike Hawk went 5-0 yesterday and earned $484. That brings his 7-day total to $1601 as he correctly predicted 35 of 54 picks (64.8%). Surprisingly, that’s not No. 1 on the 7-day leaderboard. That honor belongs to another exclusive Sports Hub capper, SWJ Sports who has earned $2490 over the last seven days.

• Joey Buckets: Joe Berra has been crushing some basketball picks. Joe was 6-2 overall yesterday (5-2 on hoops picks) and earned a total of $380. That puts Joe at $1066 over the last seven days.
• Blatt for the win: Bill Blatt fired up another 4-1 day that paid out $332. Bill has been stacking days and is up $537 over the last seven.
• The Coach: Coach Rick is a fan of second half bets. He didn’t make any second half bets yesterday, but he did go 9-5 overall and take home $323. Coach proved his college basketball skills yesterday hitting 9 of 13 NCAAB picks yesterday.
• The Bookie: The Bookie rounded out the Top 5 yesterday, going 3-1 and adding $200 to the bankroll. He wasn’t the only capper to go 3-1 yesterday. William Taylor and Dan Jones each went 3-1 and both earned $190.

College Basketball Coaching News 

There is plenty of college basketball news at this time of year. It’s conference tournament time and the excitement of earning a bid to the NCAA tournament rules early March. It’s also a time when coaches may learn more about their futures. There are quite a few coaches that are trending. Read on to learn more.

There is more NFL news too, since teams can actually sign free agents now. Yesterday, was the first day of the 2024 NFL season. The league always starts its new year in early to mid-March. 

Let’s see what’s trending.

• Paris gets raise: South Carolina head coach Lamont Paris got a nice new six-year contract that will pay him around $4 million per. Paris led the Gamecocks to a 25-6 record and a second-place finish in the SEC. He was also the conference’s Coach of the Year.
• Beard extension: No, we’re not getting a Beard extension. Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard has led the Rebels to a 20-11 record, the school’s first 20-win season in five years. The terms of his new deal were not released, but the state of Mississippi limits contracts to a maximum of four years. 
• He’s Golden: That would Florida’s Todd Golden. On the heels of a 21-10 season, Golden received a two-year contract extension.

• He’s in Payne: That’s Kenny Payne, former Louisville player and head coach who went 12-52 in two seasons with the Cardinals. He’s out. Just one of Payne’s wins was on the road. Louisville went 8-24 this season.
• Ford out in Saint Louis: Travis Ford is out at Saint Louis after the Billikens were eliminated from the Atlantic-10 tournament last night in an 83-73 loss to Duquesne. Saint Louis went 13-20 this season, just 5-13 in A-10 play.
• Flacco to Indy: Joe Flacco, who helped lead the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs last year, has signed a one-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts. Flacco gets $4.5 million guaranteed and can earn up to $8.7 million.
• Motor City rewards: Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes were each rewarded with contract extensions. The Lions lost to San Francisco 34-31 in the NFC championship game last season.

Try Some Second Half Bets Today

There are numerous opportunities for second half bets today. The NBA has six games and there are dozens of NCAA conference tournament basketball games tonight. That means lots of second half bets!

What will you bet on tonight?

1. NBA second half bets tonight: Will you make any second half bets in tonight’s NBA games? There is a doubleheader on TNT. Phoenix is at Boston in the early game, which tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET. The late game pits Dallas against the Thunder in Oklahoma City.
2. What about NHL second half bets?: Well, there isn’t a second half in hockey, but there is a second period. There is also a first period and a third period and sportsbooks offer bets on all three rounds. Tonight, there are 12 NHL games. With first, second, and third period bets for each game, the NHL betting board tonight is huge. Toronto plays in Philadelphia in the ESPN+/Hulu game tonight.
3. Big time tournament games: Several of the nation’s top teams – No. 1 Houston, No. 2 UConn, and No. 4 North Carolina, for example – are in action today in their respective conference tournaments. Our handicappers have tons of picks for today’s games. Check the database throughout the day as our cappers can add picks at any time.

4. Tennis: Jannick Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas quarterfinals. Coco Gauff, who just turned 20 years old, will play in the women’s quarterfinals today.
5. The Players Championship: The PLAYERS Championship is underway at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida. Scottie Scheffler is the early favorite and is also the reigning champion.
6. MLB: You probably could have guessed but there is another full slate of MLB exhibition games today. There are 13 total games, including a couple night games – Houston-Washington and Cincinnati-Texas.
7. Soccer: UEFA Europa dominates world soccer play today. There are eight matches in the UEFA Europa League. There are eight more in the UEFA Europa Conference League. 

Remember, you’ve got numerous opportunities to make second half bets today and you will continue through March Madness and the rest of the NBA season. Sports Hub members can search for second half bets too in our database. Make it a great day and come back tomorrow for more Sports Hub winners!