NCAA Basketball betting has become extremely popular over the last decade, and the month of March is dominated by college basketball. So where can you learn how to bet on NCAA basketball if you’re new to the game? Right here!
This Expert Guide to NCAA Basketball Betting will give you a well-rounded overview of the subject. We’ll tell you about the most common types of bets that you can make, and how they work. The rest is up to you!
College basketball betting lines are very similar to those of the NBA, and the betting types are similar as well. This Expert Guide will therefore focus on the main NCAA basketball bets that you can choose from, and explain how they work. In just a short time, you know exactly how to bet on NCAA Basketball.
The NCAA Tournament (also known as March Madness) will provide some other unique betting types, but this guide focuses on the four most common betting markets during the regular season.
For illustration purposes, we will imagine a matchup between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and North Carolina Tarheels.
👇 Below you will see our NCAA Basketball odds comparison tool, which gives you betting lines from legal US sportsbooks to make sure you’re getting the best price no matter what you want to bet.
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Betting against the spread when it comes to college basketball games is one of the most popular bets to make. Sportsbooks will set the point spreads based on the probability of a certain outcome occurring, and then it will be up to you to make your bets.
Here is an example of what a spread for NCAA Basketball looks like:
Gonzaga | -3.5 | -110 |
North Carolina | +3.5 | -110 |
The first thing to note is that the odds are the same for each team. A $110 bet will win you $100 if you choose the right team.
Gonzaga are the favourtes. Their score will be reduced by 3.5 points for the purposes of your bet being settled. They would therefore need to win the game by 4 points or more for your bet to win.
North Carolina are the underdogs. Their score will be increased by 3.5 points before your bet is settled. Your bet can therefore win even if the team loses, as long as it loses by three points or less.
Sportsbooks often use a half-point to make a choice more difficult.
One of the most popular betting markets for college basketball is the Over/Under. An Over/Under bet is sometimes referred to as a total bet. That's because it deals with the total number of points scored by both teams in an NCAA Basketball game.
This is another extremely popular bet when it comes to NCAA Basketball games. Here is an example:
North Carolina Tarheels vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Over | 189.5 Points | -110 |
Under | 189.5 Points | -110 |
The odds are once again listed at -110, which is very standard for most sportsbooks.
Your task is to predict whether the combined score of the two teams will be Over or Under 189.5 points. If you believe the total will be 190 or more, you would bet Over. If you think that it will be 189 or less, you would bet Under.
Should your prediction prove to be accurate, your bet will win.
An NCAA Basketball moneyline bet is easy to understand, but it is not a commonly made bet. A moneyline bet requires you to pick the winner of a specific game, and the sportsbooks will set the lines for each team.
The payouts are usually quite different depending on which team you choose.
Gonzaga Bulldogs | -145 |
North Carolina Tarheels | +155 |
It would take a $145 bet on the Gonzaga Bulldogs to win $100, while a $100 bet on the North Carolina Tarheels will earn you $155. The payout is much better for North Carolina, but there is also a much smaller chance that they win, based on what the sportsbooks think.
The most common NCAA Basketball Futures bet involves predicting who will be the eventual National Champion. Online sportsbooks will set the odds for this future bet almost immediately after one season ends, and the odds will change as the season plays out.
If you plan on doing any futures betting at all, then the best time to place a bet is when there is great value in the odds. Although it isn't always the case, the earlier you make a futures bet, the bigger the potential payout will be.
College basketball future bets can be hugely profitable if you land a winner, and that's one of the reasons why so many bettore gravitate towards them.
Betting on college basketball in Las Vegas is an experience of itself. The best time to head to Las Vegas is during March when conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament are underway.
Sportsbooks in Vegas will offer all of the popular NCAA Basketball betting types.
If you want to get some extra information to help you make college basketball betting picks, then it would help to sign up for a site or resource that sends them out daily. These resources do all of the hard work of research for you, but their picks aren’t infallible by any means.
Yes, it can help a great deal. NCAA Basketball betting podcasts will deliver lots of useful and timely information that can help you to make some well-reasoned NCAA Basketball picks.
Many podcasts will give you inside information on prop bets that might be available and have an edge.
If you live in a state which allows online betting on NCAA basketball games, then yes. If you don’t, you’ll either have to wait until the law changes or visit a state where NCAA betting is legal.
As for the mechanics of betting online, the principles are exactly the same as when betting in person.
The top NCAA Basketball sportsbooks will offer both men’s and women’s NCAA Basketball betting lines. Regular season lines might not be listed for all women’s college basketball games, but they will be included during March.
Photo Credits: Sarah Stier / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP
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