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Betting trends for the NCAA conference tournaments

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The NCAA conference tournaments are the appetizer to the main course of March Madness, starting a multi-week frenzy for college basketball bettors.

With the bigger conferences gearing up for action this week, here's a cheat sheet full of non-predictive trends to play - or fade - before we get into conference tournament picks tomorrow:

The Purdue Boilermakers haven't covered a spread since the 2015-16 tourney. Since then, they're on an 0-4 run against the spread, which includes a scare against Rutgers as 15.5-point chalk, as well as an outright loss to Michigan as a 2.5-point favorite. Purdue plays the winner of Minnesota-Penn State.

Head coach Fran McCaffery and the Iowa Hawkeyes haven't fared well as a large favorite over the last few years. In fact, they're on an 0-3 skid both straight up and on the moneyline, losing as 8-, 10.5-, and 13-point favorites in the conference tournament during that run. Iowa draws the winner of Northwestern-Illinois.

The Michigan Wolverines under head coach John Beilein have been a great bet in the Big Ten Tournament in recent years. The Wolverines are currently on a 10-3 run against the spread and a 7-1 streak versus the line when getting points. Northwestern or Illinois will square off to see who gets Iowa, with the winner of that one getting the Wolverines.

Michigan State might be the best team in the Big Ten, but has struggled when giving points in the tourney. The Spartans and head coach Tom Izzo come into this year's Big Ten bracket on a 2-6 run against the spread as a favorite. The Spartans get either Indiana or Ohio State in the second round.

The Miami Hurricanes under Jim Larranaga have had a difficult time both scoring and covering spreads in the ACC Tournament as of late. They've covered only one of their previous nine tourney matchups, and are averaging a lousy 63.6 points per game over that span. Miami plays Wake Forest in the first round.

Virginia Tech might be a team to keep an eye on in a deep ACC. Since head coach Buzz Williams took over in 2014, Va Tech is 6-1 against the spread in the tournament, coming out on top outright as an underdog on three separate occasions. The Hokies get the winner of Miami-Wake Forest.

You won't find another coach who's as good at covering the number in the tournament than Kentucky's John Calipari. He's led the Wildcats to an astounding 13-1-1 record against the spread the previous 15 SEC Tournament games, which stretches back to 2014. Kentucky opens up the showcase against the winner of Ole Miss-Alabama.

The Kansas Jayhawks under Bill Self have been fine against the spread in the Big 12 tournament over recent years, stringing together a 5-2 record over the previous seven. The golden nugget for the Jayhawks in the tourney has been their scoring punch - their team total is 6-1 to the over, averaging a shade better than 80 points per contest. Kansas draws Texas in the opening round this week.

Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lon Kruger is looking to snap an ugly streak this week. Since taking over in 2011, he's 1-8 against the spread in the Big 12 Tournament, with three straight-up losses as a favorite. The Sooners match up with West Virginia in the first round.

It's been a one-and-done for Washington State's Ernie Kent in the Pac-12 Tournament in each of his four years with the Cougars. Those four games have sailed under the total, with Washington State averaging just 60 points per game in those low-scoring losses. The Cougars meet Oregon in the opening round.

If Cincinnati wants to play deep into the AAC Tournament, their defense might need to step up. The Bearcats under head coach Mick Cronin are on an 0-4 drought against the spread, averaging 60.5 points per game during that run. Cincinnati gets the winner of Tulane-Memphis.

Steve Wojciechowski started his coaching tenure at Marquette in 2014-15 with a win both straight up and against the spread in the Big East Tournament. Since then, he and the Golden Eagles have gone 0-6 against the spread. Marquette faces the winner of DePaul-St. John's.

Providence's Ed Cooley rides shotgun to Calipari in the coaches-against-the-spread power rankings, but he has another larger sample size. He leads the Friars into the Big East Tournament on a scorching 10-1 run against the number the previous 11 games. Providence meets Butler in the first round.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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