Best College Basketball Betting Sites

How to sign up at a sportsbook

Signing up at a sportsbook to bet on college basketball is an easy process that only takes a few minutes. Simply select one of the above sportsbooks, create an account and make a deposit using your credit card, Bitcoin, PayPal, or other options depending on the sportsbook. All of the sportsbooks we recommend are safe and secure to make credit card transactions at.

Be sure to take advantage of bonus offers that most sportsbooks offer to first time depositors. Some will match 100% up to $200. Our best NCAA Basketball betting site recommendations also offer fantastic customer service and easy cash out options.

how to bet on College Basketball

If you’re already a college basketball fan and are familiar with the teams and players, you’re off to an excellent start in regard to NCAA basketball betting. As stated above, there are over 350 Division I teams, which could be overwhelming to some when trying to decide on their bet. Having access to college basketball odds and free picks can help if you’re not overly familiar with every statistic in the massive league that is college basketball. Below, we are going to explain some different betting options for NCAA basketball to help you decide which wager(s) would be best for you.

There are three basic types of bets you should know for NCAA basketball:

Point Spread

Point spread betting in college basketball works the same way as spread betting in the NBA. Basically, oddsmakers determine a point spread for each game and that number is applied to a favorite and an underdog.

For example, if Kentucky is favored by 5.5 points vs Duke, it means they must win the game by six points or more to cover the spread and win the bet. Any other result would mean Duke (the underdog) would cover the spread. For more information, visit our point spread betting 101 page.

Totals (Over/Under)

When betting the total, you will need to decide if the total number of points scored in the game will go OVER or UNDER the oddsmaker’s selected number. 

For example, if the total for Kentucky vs Duke is set at 149 and the final score of the game is 73-69 (a combined score of 142), it would mean that the total went UNDER. Find out more about totals betting on our totals betting tutorial page. 

Moneyline

Moneyline betting in NCAA basketball is as simple as it gets. Just pick the team you think will win the game and place your bet. Your payout will be different based on how big a favorite or underdog the team is.

For example, if you pick Kentucky to win, they’d have moneyline odds of -240, meaning if you bet $100 on them and they won, you’d receive a payout of $141.67. Or, if you bet on Duke with moneyline odds of +200 and they won, you’d receive a payout of $300. Remember, Duke is the underdog in this example, so you’d be taking a bigger risk to earn a bigger profit. More information on moneyline betting can be found here.

Other Types of College Basketball Bets

Looking for a bigger payout or better entertainment value? Try one of the following wagering options offered at most NCAAB betting sites:

Parlays

Parlay betting is fairly straightforward in regard to NCAAB betting – as it is with any other sport. A parlay is multiple bets combined into one large bet and in order to win, all selected bets must win. If even one of the bets loses, your whole parlay ticket loses as well. Your payout increases with each bet on a parlay, but so does your risk.

An example of a simple parlay bet would be betting the Kentucky moneyline vs Duke and for the total to go UNDER in that game. If both bets are successful, your payout would be $270.45 based on a $100 bet. Use our parlay calculator to determine parlay bet payouts.

Teasers

College basketball teasers allow the bettor to adjust the point spread or totals line to be more in their favor. NCAAB teasers are generally from 4 to 6 points, but depending on the sportsbook they could go as high as 12 points. Teasers are fairly similar to parlay bets in that you select multiple bets and must have all wagers correct in order to receive a payout, but the payout isn’t as big due to the odds being more in your favor.

An example of a 4-point teaser would be moving the Kentucky spread from 5.5 points to 1.5 points and moving the total from 149 up to 153 to bet the UNDER. If both are successful, you win your bet.

Live Betting

Live sports betting is an exhilarating way to watch a college basketball game. Depending on your sportsbook, you should be able to access live betting options during most games in the regular season and, of course, during March Madness. Live betting for college basketball typically includes a live spread, moneyline and total as well as player and team prop bets that change after almost every possession.

Props

A prop bet is essentially a wager on an outcome that is not directly related to the outcome of the game. College basketball prop bets are available during the regular season but they rise in popularity during March Madness. There are numerous player and team prop bets such as a player’s total rebounds or which team will score the last basket before halftime. There are endless possibilities when it comes to prop bets – the more creative, the better.

Futures

Futures are incredibly popular during NCAA basketball conference tournaments and during March Madness. Futures bets typically offer bigger payouts as you’re betting on things such as a team to win the NCAA Tournament before it begins. For example, if Kentucky has odds of +2800 to win the March Madness tournament and you bet $100 on them, you’d receive a payout of $2900! 

Basic NCAA basketball betting Tips

• Use a safe and trustworthy sportsbook. See above for a few recommendations.
• Do research on OddsShark.com. We have matchup reports for every game!
• Pay very close attention to player injuries.
• Limit your risk by not putting too many bets on a parlay or teaser.