Top College Basketball Betting Strategies For the NCAAB Season
College basketball betting is a thrilling activity from the start of the NCAAB season in November to the end of March Madness in April. If you want to get in on the action, you’ll need the right betting strategies to have a fun and profitable experience.
If you’re looking to bet on college basketball, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re new to NCAAB betting or an experienced bettor looking to improve your handicapping, we’ve got you covered.
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:
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 has 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 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.
Best NCAAB Bets
See All NCAAB PicksCollege Basketball Betting Odds
Here are the odds for the NCAA Tournament, which tips off on Thursday, March 21. All CBB betting odds are courtesy of BetUS.
| Team | March Madness Odds |
| Connecticut Huskies | +500 |
| Purdue Boilermakers | +750 |
| Houston Cougars | +750 |
| Arizona Wildcats | +1200 |
| Tennessee Volunteers | +1400 |
| North Carolina Tar Heels | +1800 |
| Auburn Tigers | +1800 |
| Alabama Crimson Tide | +2000 |
| Iowa State Cyclones | +2200 |
| Kansas Jayhawks | +2200 |
| Duke Blue Devils | +2500 |
| Kentucky Wildcats | +2500 |
| Marquette Golden Eagles | +2500 |
| Creighton Bluejays | +3000 |
| Illinois Fighting Illini | +3500 |
| Baylor Bears | +4000 |
| Wisconsin Badgers | +5000 |
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.
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The NCAAB handicapping strategies at offshore sportsbooks start with proper research. The more you know about team stats, player performances, injuries, and the current form of both teams, the more likely you’ll pick a winner.
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Hot and cold streaks are inevitable, so you need to form a bankroll management plan and stick to it. For example, avoid betting more than 2–5% of your bankroll on any one game. Doing this will help you weather those eventual losing streaks. Also, keep an eye out for online sportsbook bonuses to boost your bankroll for March Madness.
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Record keeping is the best way to observe and understand your successes and failures. Keep track of your bet types, bet sizes, teams, odds, and results. This helps you identify positive and negative trends and adjust your sports betting strategy accordingly.
- College basketball lines constantly move in the days and hours leading up to the game. This can cause some discrepancies in the odds displayed at different sportsbooks. That’s why line shopping can significantly impact your bottom line.
- With hundreds of college basketball games and thousands of betting options available every week, it’s hard to be an expert at everything. Whether you hone in on NCAAB moneyline underdogs or over/unders in Sun Belt games, the sooner you can find your area of expertise, the better.
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!
