Betting on College Basketball Odds
If you’re intrigued by the idea of delving into college basketball betting, you’re in the right place. Below, we present a comprehensive guide to help you navigate the exciting world of College Basketball betting, complete with expert tips to set you on the right course.

With hundreds of teams and thousands of games each season, betting on College Basketball can be a complex endeavor. However, armed with the right knowledge, you’ll soon find yourself making informed decisions and potentially reaping rewards.

How to Bet on College Basketball Odds
College Basketball stands as one of the most heavily bet-on sports in the United States. Recent statistics indicate that over 40 million people wagered more than $3 billion on the College Basketball Tournament last season alone, marking it as a significantly active event compared to even the Super Bowl.

With 32 conferences and 350 teams, College Basketball presents a unique landscape unmatched by any other sport. And that’s just scratching the surface of Division 1 (NCAA D-1) ball. Including DII and DIII, there are over 1,000 schools participating in College Basketball.

Our guide aims to simplify the process of understanding and betting on College Basketball Odds, particularly for newcomers. While we won’t delve extensively into DII or DIII, there’s ample material within Division I to explore.

We’ll cover the essentials: understanding basketball odds, popular bet types, and strategies to navigate a full College Basketball season and the frenzy of March Madness betting.

Deciphering College Basketball Odds
Mastering the art of reading odds and betting lines is fundamental for any sports bettor. Without proper guidance, odds boards might seem intimidating. But fear not, as we’ll walk you through the process step by step, making odds reading a breeze in no time.

First and foremost, we’ll focus on the American (or Moneyline) format for odds, the default format for Regal and widely adopted in the United States.

Let’s consider a hypothetical College Basketball game between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Baylor Bears:

Gonzaga Bulldogs -150
Baylor Bears +120

While these lines might appear sparse, they furnish all the necessary information. Firstly, note that the home team is consistently listed second. In our scenario, Baylor is the home team, with Gonzaga playing on the road.

The plus (+) and minus (-) signs preceding each team signify the favorite and the underdog, respectively. A plus sign indicates the underdog, while a minus sign denotes the favorite.

In instances where a game is expected to be closely contested, both teams might be listed as favorites or underdogs, occasionally with identical odds (Pick ’em). For instance, if both teams are listed as +100, it denotes a closely contested matchup.

As for the numbers following those symbols, they denote either the amount you’d need to wager or the payout on a $100 bet. For favorites, the number indicates the amount you’d need to bet to win $100. Conversely, for underdogs, it represents the payout on a $100 wager.

For example, a wager on Gonzaga (-150) would necessitate risking $150 to win $100, while a $100 bet on Baylor would yield a $120 profit.

While the American format is prevalent, you’re likely to encounter two other formats: Fractional (British) and Decimal (European) odds.

In Fractional odds, the first number indicates the potential profit, while the second represents the stake. For example:

Gonzaga Bulldogs 4/6
Baylor Bears 6/5

Here, the first number being less than the second denotes favorites and underdogs, respectively.

Decimal odds, by contrast, represent the total return, factoring in the stake. For instance:

Gonzaga Bulldogs 1.67
Baylor Bears 2.20

A $1 wager on Gonzaga would result in a total return of $1.67 ($0.67 profit plus the $1 stake), while Baylor would yield $2.20 ($1.20 profit plus the $1 stake).

Many prefer decimal odds due to their simplicity and smaller increments in line movement.

College Basketball Moneyline Betting
Moneyline (ML) betting stands as the simplest form of wagering in sports betting. Also known as straight-up (SU) betting, it involves selecting the game’s winner.

This straightforward format makes it ideal for newcomers to sports betting. Here’s what a typical Moneyline wager looks like:

North Carolina Tar Heels +125
Kansas Jayhawks -150

In our example, the Jayhawks (-150) are clear favorites over the Tar Heels (+125). The minus sign denotes the favorite, while the plus sign indicates the underdog.

To win $100 on Kansas, you’d need to wager $150, while a $100 bet on the Tar Heels would yield $125 in profit.

College Basketball Point Spread Betting
While Moneyline betting is straightforward, betting against the spread (ATS) is more popular. ATS betting aims to level the playing field by handicapping favorites, thereby making odds more even.

Given the frequent mismatches in College Basketball, ATS betting is particularly relevant. Here’s how it works:

North Carolina Tar Heels +3.5 (-105)
Kansas Jayhawks -3.5 (-115)

Both teams are given a spread of 3.5 points. The Tar Heels (+3.5) are underdogs with odds of -105, meaning they can lose by up to 3 points and still cover the spread.

Kansas, as favorites, must win by at least 4 points to cover the spread.

College Basketball Totals Betting
Total betting, also known as Over/Under (O/U) betting, focuses on the combined points scored by both teams. Here’s an example:

Syracuse Orange vs. St. John’s Red Storm O/U 71.5 (o-105/u-115)

A score of 72 or more would cash Over bets, while 71 or fewer would cash Under bets.

College Basketball Prop Betting
Prop bets offer a plethora of options for major College Basketball games. These bets add excitement and variety to betting types, including team props and player props.

Team props focus on team performance, while player props center on individual players. For instance:

Michigan Wolverines Total Fouls O/U 9.5 (o-110/u-110)

Player props might involve whether a player achieves a specific feat in a game:

Will Hunter Dickinson (MICH) Earn a Double-Double? Yes -150 / No +125

College Basketball Futures Betting
Futures bets extend beyond single games to cover outcomes over entire seasons. They offer the potential for high payouts and include options like conference champions and tournament winners.

Betting on March Madness
March Madness, one of the most popular events in sports betting, offers numerous betting opportunities, including outright winners, Sweet 16 or Elite Eight participants, and predicting upsets.

College Basketball 2023 – 2024 Season
The current NCAAB season runs from November 6th, 2023, to March 11th, 2024. Following the regular season, the top 64 teams compete in an elimination tournament starting on March 16th and concluding on April 8th, 2024.

The season features notable events and tournaments, including the Asheville Championship, Legends Classic, and SEC Tournament.

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