Best College Basketball Betting Tips For The NCAAB Season

How To Bet on College Basketball: NCAA Basketball Odds Explained

Understanding how sports betting odds work is vital to enjoying college basketball betting. That way, you can make smart online sports betting decisions based on your handicapping of the games.

Let’s look at the most popular NCAA basketball betting types, from standard moneylines to parlays and teasers.  

NCAAB Moneylines

NCAAB moneylines are straightforward bets on the outright winner of a college basketball game. Odds are presented as positive (+) or negative (-) numbers, indicating the favorite and the underdog. Here’s an example:

• Matchup: Duke vs North Carolina
• Moneyline Odds: Duke (-150), North Carolina (+130)

In this matchup, Duke is the favorite with a moneyline of -150, meaning you’d need to wager $150 to win $100. North Carolina, the underdog, has odds of +130, implying a potential profit of $130 on a $100 bet if they win. If you need help calculating your potential winnings at different bet sizes, try our sports betting odds calculator.

Top Moneyline Tip:

Make a moneyline bet when you think an underdog has a good chance to win outright or a favorite is likely to win but fails to cover the spread.

NCAAB Spread Betting

Spread betting in NCAAB involves wagering on the point difference between two teams’ scores. The favorite has a point handicap against them in the game, while the underdog receives extra points. For example:

• Matchup: Kentucky vs Louisville
• Spread Odds: Kentucky (-6.5, -110) vs Louisville (+6.5, -110)

Kentucky is favored by 6.5 points in this game. To win a bet against the spread on Kentucky, the Wildcats must win by at least 7 points. If you bet on Louisville, you will get paid if the Cardinals win the game outright or lose by 6.5 points (6 points, since you can’t have half-points) or less.

Top Spread Tip:

Betting on the spread is a good choice when you expect the favorite to win by a wide margin, or when you think the underdog will make the game competitive.

College Basketball Over/Under Bets

Over/Under betting, also called totals betting, focuses on the total combined score of both teams. For instance:

• Matchup: Texas Tech vs Baylor
• Over/Under Total: Over 140.5 (-110) / Under 140.5 (-110)

In this case, you can bet on whether the total points scored by both teams will be over or under 140.5. If you bet the “over” and the final score adds up to 141 points or higher, you win. If you bet the “under” and the combined score is 140 or lower, you win.

Top Over/Under Tip:

The winner of the game doesn’t matter in totals betting. You can just focus on the potential scoring pace and final score ranges without worrying about which team will win.

NCAA Basketball Prop Bets

NCAA basketball prop betting wagers involve betting on various in-game scenarios independent of the game’s outcome. A standard prop bet could be on a player’s total points or a team’s statistics. For example:

• Matchup: Marquette vs UConn

• Prop Bet: Stephon Castle Over/Under 18.5 Points

Player props like this let you bet on whether a specific player, like Connecticut’s Stephon Castle, will score over or under 18.5 points in the game. If Castle scores 19 or more, and you bet the “over” on this CBB prop, your bet wins.

Top Prop Tip:

Hone in on lesser-known teams and conferences to find value on prop bets that may be harder to find in games between two national powerhouses.

NCAAB Futures Bets

College basketball futures bets involve long-term predictions, such as the NCAA Tournament winner. Here’s an example:

• Futures Bet: Purdue to win the 2024 NCAA Championship (Odds: +1,400)

Let’s say that you place a bet on Purdue to win the NCAA Championship at odds of +1,400 before the season begins. If they go on to win the tournament, you will win your bet and earn a nice payout of 14 times the size of your original wager.

Top Futures Tip:

Regardless of your future betting strategy, line shopping before placing a bet helps you get the best value on your future prop.

NCAAB Parlays

NCAAB parlay betting combines multiple bets into one high-risk, high-reward wager. For example:

• Matchup 1 (Spread): Oregon (+4) vs USC (-4)
• Matchup 2 (Spread): Iowa State (+11.5) vs Texas (-11.5)
• Matchup 3 (Moneyline): Houston (-140) vs Memphis (+120)
• Parlay Bet: Oregon +4, Iowa State +11.5, Memphis ML (Odds: +700)

In this parlay, you bet on Oregon and Iowa State covering the spread and Memphis winning outright. All selections within the parlay (also known as legs) must be correct for your bet to win. Payouts will vary depending on how many legs your parlay bet includes and the odds of each leg being won.

Top Parlays Tip:

Parlays are much harder to hit than standard wagers. So, consider these more as a source of fun and entertainment than a steady way to make a profit.

College Basketball Teasers

Teaser betting in college basketball works similarly to parlays. You combine multiple wagers into one, but with teasers, you do so with points added to each of your selections. For instance, say you want to place a 6-point teaser on two sides:

• Matchup 1 (Spread): Gonzaga (-10) vs Saint Mary’s (+10)
• Matchup 2 (Total): Michigan State vs Ohio State Over/Under 135.5 points
• Teaser Bet: Gonzaga -4, MSU vs OSU Over 129.5 points

Your selections of Gonzaga -10 and the Over 135.5 have been reduced by six points to Gonzaga -4 and Over 129.5 in this 6-point teaser. All sides must win for your teaser bet to be graded a winner.

Top Teasers Tip:

Points tend to matter more in games you expect to be close, as opposed to potential blowouts. So, consider teasing games in which the points you are receiving are likely to be more impactful.

Expert Picks From College Basketball Experts

If you’re looking to improve your college basketball betting win percentages, reading expert picks is a great place to start. Our Sports Geek picks page provides top picks throughout the season, including our NCAAB bet of the week.

This page includes free picks from our team of industry experts and AI data. These selections can give you the insight you need when betting on the NCAAB schedule. Take advantage of this valuable resource all season long.  

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Betting on March Madness

The NCAA Tournament has many high-stakes elimination games with plenty of upsets and excitement. That’s why NCAAB fans are constantly looking for where to bet on March Madness games and futures. The best sports betting sites have plenty of betting options, from individual games to NCAAB futures to bracket contests.

While college basketball betting is exciting, it can also be overwhelming for newbies. So, we offer resources to help, including our epic March Madness betting strategy guide.

Tips for NCAAB Betting

One of the most exciting aspects of NCAA basketball betting is that there’s a real chance to make a profit with enough time and research. Unlike NBA online betting, where you have only 30 teams to consider, college basketball betting has over 350 Division 1 teams.

This variety also makes it more difficult for sportsbooks to produce sharp NCAAB lines. This allows college basketball bettors to find great value in their plays throughout the year. Follow these tips for NCAAB betting to maximize your odds and make a profit.

College Basketball Betting Takeaways

College basketball betting is a fun and exciting challenge with plenty of ways to turn a profit. Knowing which NCAAB bet works best for you is half the battle. The other half is having expert tips and insights to form a solid college basketball betting strategy.

Check out our recommended online sportsbooks to find all the best lines to wager on. Good luck in your NCAA basketball betting journey!

NCAA Basketball Betting Advice and Analysis

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About the Author

Dave Consolazio

Sports/Casino Writer

Dave Consolazio is an avid sports fan and an experienced sports writer with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He lives in Los Angeles and enjoys all sports, though football and hockey are his favorites. When he isn't betting on or writing about sports, Dave also enjoys playing poker, playing video games and keeping up with the latest iGaming news and trends.

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