Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard handles the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Loyola Marymount in Spokane, Wash., Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)
NCAA basketball betting can be complete and utter madness, especially when it comes to the month of March. College basketball betting presents endless amounts of wagering opportunities with over 350 Division 1 teams to bet on across the university level.
Whether it’s a heated exhibition game between Coach K’s Duke Blue Devils and their rival North Carolina Tar Heels, or a Final Four March Madness matchup between Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans and Coach Calipari’s Kentucky Wildcats, our NCAA basketball betting guide offers all the NCAA basketball betting advice you need to make the smartest college basketball betting picks possible.
College basketball betting lines will list odds in American (-400), Fractional (1/4) or Decimal (1.25) formats. NCAAB bettors can select how they want the college basketball odds displayed when making their bets at sports betting sites online like Bodog.
Gonzaga Bulldogs -120
Baylor Bears +120
The minus sign (-) tells us that the Zags are the favourites and are expected to win in this particular example. And the plus sign (+) indicates the Bears as the underdogs. If you think Gonzaga is going to win this basketball game, then you would need to bet $120 in order to win $100. But, if you think Baylor can beat the Bulldogs, a $100 bet on the Bears would win you $120.
The $20 juice or vig is what the online sportsbook takes from each bet. By the way, you don’t need to wager $100. You can bet any amount. It’s completely up to you as far as how much money you want to place on any bet.
Moneyline wagers are when you bet on NCAA teams to win outright. Betting on a winner means you are wagering on that team to win straight up. Let’s say Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcats are favoured over Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks. You want to wager the moneyline on Nova Nation:
Villanova Wildcats -215
Kansas Jayhawks +195
Jay Wright and his snazzy suits would see implied odds of 68.25 percent for the ‘Cats, while the Rock Chalk Jayhawks’ implied odds would be 33.90 percent. A bet on the birds from the Big 12 Conference is a riskier wager no doubt, but the payout is that much more promising in terms of potential winnings. And while a wager on the Wildcats might make more sense in this particular case, the payout is poor compared to that of the University of Kansas men’s basketball program.
When you bet on sports, the two teams competing against each other aren’t always evenly matched. NCAA basketball betting is no different. So instead of betting on a team to win, why not wager on the point spread? With point spread bets, the underdog is awarded an advantage prior to tip-off, while the favourite is placed at a disadvantage. For example:
Michigan Wolverines -2.5 (-110)
Florida Gators +2.5 (-110)
Michigan must win the game straight up or lose by two points or less, while Florida would have to win by three points or more. At the end of the day, you’re betting on which college basketball team will cover the spread.
Let’s say the spread for the same game looks like such:
Michigan Wolverines -2.0 (-110)
Florida Gators +2.0 (-110)
A two-point Wolverine win or a two-point loss by the “Crocs” would be considered a push, and your money would be returned as if the bet never happened at all. When you see “ATS” in NCAA basketball betting, it means “against the spread”.
OVER/UNDER or Totals betting in college basketball is when you bet on the final score of a game and whether it will be greater or less than the oddsmaker’s set number of points.
Let’s say Syracuse is hosting UCONN. The NCAA basketball betting lines at Bodog might look a little like:
OVER 140
UNDER 140
By wagering on the OVER, you believe both teams will combine to score a total of more than 140 points. By betting on the UNDER, you believe both teams will combine for a total of 139 points scored or fewer. In Totals college basketball betting, a PUSH occurs when the shared points hits the exact same number as set by the oddsmakers.
OVER/UNDER college basketball betting lines let you wager on all kinds of categories, such as win totals, points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals, and more. There are endless amounts of NCAA basketball betting options with NCAAB OVER/UNDERs.
NCAA basketball prop bets are exciting wagers on the occurrence or non-occurrence of specific college basketball happenings that don’t always directly correlate to the overall outcome of an event. Proposition bets, otherwise known simply as props, are based on team or player milestones, like:
College basketball props are a ton of fun. Player props ease the anxiety of betting on a team to win outright or having to cover the point spread. If you’re searching for some NCAA basketball betting entertainment, then consider prop betting the Bob Knight of NCAAB bets.
College basketball futures aren’t glimpses of young prospects’ NBA careers. NCAAB Futures are wagers that are placed long in advance of a collegiate basketball event actually taking place.
Consider NCAA basketball futures wagers as long-term bets. Your money may be tied up for a bit based on when you made your wager. However, it can also be advantageous to jump on some early action before the college basketball betting lines move.
A college basketball parlay lets you bundle one wager on top of another, allowing you to place two or more bets on one slip. NCAA basketball parlays permit you take the moneyline from one match, point totals from another, plus the point spread from a separate game:
Missouri Tigers Moneyline + Oregon Ducks vs Tennessee Volunteers Totals + Louisville Cardinals to Cover the Spread
All of your bets have to hit or your ticket is busted like a March Madness bracket after the opening round.
Live college basketball betting is all about making in-game wagers as the hoops event is running in real time. With in-play wagering, you’ll see live betting odds while the game is unfolding, that allows you to gamble on almost each and every single play, such as which team will score next for example.
Live odds will disappear like Cinderella’s carriage. It’s probably best you capitalize on those NCAA basketball betting lines before they turn into pumpkins.
If you’re looking for some NCAA basketball betting tips, try implementing some of these wagering strategies when handicapping your NCAA college basketball bets:
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