March Madness may be just around the corner, but the madness has already begun with the start of tournament play. Tipsters will look at regular season stats, among other things, in their daily matchup analysis, but be aware of one thing that might not show up based on regular season numbers: defense.

The defense still wins championships and in the coming weeks college basketball teams will battle it out for conference tournament titles, followed (hopefully) by invitations to the Big Dance or NIT. The defense can take a night or two off during the regular season. Perhaps a team is outplaying a weaker opponent and the coach lets the kids run and score in the second half, not asking for a lot of defensive intensity. Or maybe he’s still one of the best players who normally provides rebounding and defensive muscle. These things can skew offensive numbers a bit, but remember that situations like that are less likely to happen in tournaments where games mean so much.

Consider the Colts’ recent run to the Super Bowl. The Colts’ offense was productive, as expected, even with quarterback Peyton Manning throwing three touchdowns and six interceptions in the first three games. But it was the Colts’ vastly improved defense that made the difference, dominating the Chiefs, Ravens and Bears, and turning the tide in the second half of the AFC Championship game against the Patriots (13 points allowed).

Why did the Miami Heat win the NBA title last year? Take a close look at his playoff run: He allowed just 100 points once in his last 12 postseason games (and that time was in overtime, 100 points, to Dallas). Miami was 10-2 under total during that stretch, a boon to sports bettors who watched the defensive trend unfold.

In fact, I’ve been in business on both sides of the counter and totals are easier to put at a disadvantage. Look at the movement of the lines in some basketball games this week and you will most likely find that the totals move much more than the sides.

This week I gave Syracuse home dog against Georgetown. One thing that impressed me was the defensive front, which I noted in my analysis: “Syracuse has a very good front line with Nichols 6-8 joined by Roberts 6-9 and center Watkins 6-11.” .

It seemed to me that Orange had the defensive ability up front to go toe-to-toe with the Hoyas (actually, side-by-side). Syracuse not only covered but won the game allowing 58 points. Although it wasn’t a tournament game, it sailed under the total, providing a good example of how defensive intensity can ramp up at this time of the season.

Also, because tournament play means more, coaches not only emphasize defense, but many times prefer to slow the game down rather than let it fly in an attempt to seize time or maintain the advantage. All of these factors can add up to games with lower scores.

En route to the national title a year ago, Florida went 6-1 under in its last seven game total. The Gators allowed 64 points per game during the regular season, however in their last 7 tournament games (including the SEC tournament and the Big Dance) the Gators allowed 47, 50, 60, 53, 62, 58 and 57 points, each game below. your season average!

So take a look at the regular season stats and previous meetings between the same teams that will meet in tournament action over the next few weeks. But beware of totals: Regular season offensive numbers should be approached with caution, as defensive intensity can rise to much higher levels this time of year, which can mean an increase in games under total. .