How to Bet
College Basketball
Let's learn
to bet college basketball.
Key Points
- Betting
on college basketball is similar to betting on other sports that offer
moneyline, point spread, and totals bets.
- Bettors
that can find their own niche in college basketball can have success.
Betting on college
basketball is fun and exciting, but it can be very challenging as well.
There are 358 NCAA Division I basketball teams. That means there is a lot of
variation when it comes to talent, but more on that later. No matter if you’re
a seasoned sports bettor or a sports
betting beginner, we have tips to help you win more
NCAAB bets.
The most
traditional ways to bet on college basketball are similar to those of other
major sports. You can wager on the moneyline, point spread, and game totals.
There are other ways to bet on the sport, but knowing what to look for can help
you be successful.
Traditional
Wagers - Bet College Basketball
Betting the
moneyline is simply placing a wager on a team to win, regardless of the score.
In the following example, Kansas is favored over Oklahoma State.
Kansas -145
Oklahoma
State +125
A $100 bet
on Oklahoma State wins $125 if the Cowboys pull the upset. To win $100 on
Kansas, a bettor must wager $145.
Point
spread bets take into account the differences in talent level on both teams.
Using the same teams, we find Kansas is a 4.5-point favorite. To win a bet on
Kansas, the Jayhawks must win the game by at least five points. The juice,
-110, means bettors will wager $110 to win $100.
Kansas
-4.5 (-110)
Oklahoma
State +4.5 (-110)
Totals bets
are only concerned with the total number of points scored by each team. Betting
on totals in college
basketball is very popular.
Using the
same two teams, the total has been set at 145.5. The half-point ensures there
is not a push. Typically, totals bets come with juice of -110.
Kansas
O 145.5 (-110)
Oklahoma
State U 145.5 (-110)
If you bet
$110 on the Over and the final score is 80-70, you win $100.
Editor’s
Choice > Enhance
Your Online Betting Experience
Futures
College Basketball Bets
Betting on
future outcomes - futures bets - are also popular in college basketball. The
most popular college basketball futures bet is on the national champion. March
Madness is a favorite of even the lesser sports fan.
It’s
usually a great bet even when wagering on the overall favorite. If you make the
wager early enough, you may get the favorite at odds of +500 to +900. Imagine
winning $5 to $9 for every dollar bet and your favorite wins the national
title.
NCAAB
Betting Tips
Unlike
college football, college basketball’s Division I is made up of 32 different
conferences. Oddsmakers will focus on the major conferences - Power 5 in
football - which gives sports
bettors some opportunity in the mid-major conferences
like the Big South and Atlantic-10.
Bettors
that can become an expert on one of these mid-major conferences can often find
strong value bets. That’s one way to give yourself an advantage over
sportsbooks.
Another is
betting on college basketball totals. Setting totals for over 300 games each
week can be tricky for sportsbooks.
As a result, sharp bettors often attack college basketball totals immediately
after they are released.
Smart
bettors can jump on a trend before a total adjusts too far and have great
success in betting college basketball totals.
The other
area where bettors can find value is one we mentioned already - betting
futures. If you get in early enough on the national championship bet, you can
find great odds on a favorite. There will also be value on potential sleepers
where bettors will have the opportunity to cash in big if they can win it all.
Did you see
our article on our sister site? We had a look at the
inside scoop on Super Bowl LVI.