Best College Basketball Betting Sites In 2023

What are the best college basketball betting sites?

Truthfully, for any sport you’re planning to bet on, there isn’t a clear “winner” for the best NCAAB sportsbook, and the same applies to the best college basketball betting sites. It's all about figuring out what you value in a sportsbook and finding options that fit your needs.

Aside from reading the information below, be sure to do a bit of poking around by yourself – better yet, if you have friends that are sports bettors, chat about their favorite betting sites for college ball and why they chose them. It’s hard to go wrong with so many reputable options, but you can change your sportsbook on a whim or use multiple books if that’s multiple books if that's more your style. If you're just starting, check out our introductory guide to betting on college basketball!

What to look for in the best betting site for NCAAB bettors

Whether it's mobile betting or wagering from your desktop, we always look for the following when we evaluate online NCAAB betting sites.

Safety and Integrity

The most important aspect of a sportsbook – your bankroll needs a trustworthy home where it can come and go with ease. Big-name sportsbooks will be up to snuff regarding security requirements, but if you’re exploring more niche options, do your research and get customer testimonials on their integrity.

Keep in mind that while it’s legal to bet on sports online, some US states currently have restrictions on mobile gaming and sports betting within state borders. Always consult your local regulations to see if you’re safe to bet online.

Deposit And Withdrawal Options

Betting on sports requires capital. Whether you’re wagering $5, $50 or $500 on sporting events, you want to be able to fund your account using the deposit and withdrawal option of your choice. The best sports betting sites for college basketball allow you to use credit cards (AMEX, MasterCard, Visa), debit, e-wallets (Neteller, PayPal, Skrill), and Bitcoin.

You’ll typically be able to withdraw your funds in the same way as you deposited them, but make sure to browse each sportsbook’s options closely – this is your cash we’re talking about! You need to make sure it can flow freely.

The Best College Basketball Odds

Odds differentiate from book to book, depending on the oddsmakers they use to set each line. You can do a bit of shopping around online before selecting a sportsbook and see if there’s one in particular that offers a slight advantage for college basketball bettors.

These differences will be minimal, usually, and prone to fluctuation – although there isn’t an overall “best” site for ideal odds, there are always slight edges you can identify.

College Basketball Betting

I mean, this is why you're here, isn't it? To bet on college basketball? Well don't sweat it -- the NCAAB is one of the most popular leagues for sports bettors, making it a mainstay in most major sportsbooks. Offerings between sites will vary, but everything we've compiled for you here is guaranteed to offer odds and betting options for college basketball.

Bonuses, Promotions and Rewards

The top college basketball sportsbooks on our list like to give back in the form of deposit bonuses, sport-specific offers, and risk-free bets. The most common reward for new customers is the Welcome Bonus which matches a certain amount of your first deposit up to a fixed amount. College basketball betting sites that offer bonuses, promo codes, and rewards are adding to your bankroll for free.

Be sure to read the terms and conditions since sportsbooks for NCAA basketball betting are different with regards to their NCAAB betting site offers.

NCAAB Live betting

Live betting has become incredibly popular with college basketball bettors – luckily, most sportsbooks will provide live odds while each NCAA game is happening in real time. In-play betting lets you wager on each play and items like the next team to score or changing spreads. Using these live odds, you can hedge your initial bets and identify good value on the fly.

User-Friendly Interface

Betting on college basketball is a lot easier with a user-friendly interface, trust us. Most NCAAB bettors prefer betting on sites with simple, easy-to-use, well-laid-out interfaces, whether it be on their mobile betting app or via desktop. This will ultimately come down to your preference, so make sure you’re comfortable with your service of choice.

Customer support

Should something go wrong when you bet online, you want to get it fixed ASAP. Customer service is key when it comes to betting on college basketball, or any sport for that matter. The best NCAA basketball betting sites on our list all support their clients via email, phone and live chat – some sites even offer support through their social media channels.

Mobile betting apps

Betting on college basketball from your mobile device is the top option for many NCAA basketball bettors. The best part of betting college basketball from your phone is not being tied to a brick-and-mortar casino – you also don’t have to wait until you’re at a desktop or laptop to bet online. We want convenience, value, and easy line shopping.
The best college basketball betting apps ensure their platforms are optimized for mobile bettors. We want more than just an NCAAB betting site that lets you wager from home – we prefer sites that make mobile wagering simple from anywhere at any time.

Creating accounts with multiple NCAAB Betting Sites

You’re going to be hard-pressed to find a major sportsbook that doesn’t offer college basketball odds – with so many options, some bettors opt to use multiple books instead of just one. Aside from letting you double-dip into those juicy welcome bonuses, each NCAAB betting site will offer different odds for each line.

Let's look at an example of a favorite in a college basketball game. Our sportsbooks all have the same team favored, but their lines differ slightly. If you want to bet the moneyline, choose option 2 or 3 -- notice that #2 has the same odds (-110) for the spread as #1, but they differentiate by a full point -- this can be massive in a close game!

The percentage each site takes off the top of each bet (known as "the juice" or "vig") will vary because different sites use different oddsmakers. This practice is called “line shopping”, a great tactic that lets you squeeze every drop of value out of your favorite looks for the college ball season.

NCAAB betting Types and Odds

When betting on college basketball games online, odds at your sportsbook of choice will be offered American style (-500), in Decimals (1.20), or Fractional form (1/5). At Odds Shark, we use American odds. When it comes to NCAAB odds, you’ll find the following selections:

NCAAB Moneyline: Choosing a winner

The moneyline involves you betting on a team to win straight up (SU). Odds at the best betting sites would look something like this:

If you pick the Wildcats, you’d need to wager $220 to win $100. If you gamble on the Golden Eagles, you would need to wager $55.56 to win $100. Because Marquette is the underdog –you can tell by the plus sign (+) – you’d be taking a bigger risk but would earn a bigger profit. In this scenario, Villanova is the favorite, indicated by the minus sign (-).

To see how much you’d win based on the odds and the amount bet, check out our odds calculator.

NCAAB Point Spreads: Which team will fare better ATS?

Betting against the spread (ATS) in college ball works the same way as the NBA – you’re picking a team to win or lose by a certain margin of points. Odds from the best online sports betting sites would look something like this:

For the Connecticut Huskies to cover the spread, they would need to win the game by six points or more. For the Tulane Green Wave to cover the spread, they would need to win the game outright or lose by five points or less.

If you need help picking the spread, you can find every team's spread results in our NCAAB database and their current trends on our ATS standings page!

NCAAB Totals: Will The Combined Score Go OVER Or UNDER?

When betting totals at the top NCAAB sportsbooks, you’ll need to determine if the total number of points scored in the game will go OVER or UNDER the oddsmaker’s set number.
 
Let’s say the total is set at 149 for a matchup between Kentucky and Missouri and you want to bet the UNDER. If the final score is 73-69 for the Tigers, it gives us a combined score of 142 which falls UNDER 149, meaning you’d win the bet.

If the final score had been 149 on the nose, it’s called a PUSH. Your money would be refunded as if your college basketball bet never happened since neither the OVER nor the UNDER hit.

NCAAB Props: More Fun For Your Money

Props are bets on the occurrence (or non-occurrence) of milestones that aren’t 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.

You’ll see odds for things like the number of rebounds a player will get in the game, three-pointers made, or which team will score the last basket before halftime.

College Basketball Parlays: Bundling Your Bets

A parlay is comprised of multiple bets on one ticket. To win, all selected bets must hit – if even one of those bets loses, your whole ticket is a bust. The more items you add to a parlay, the higher your overall payout and chances of failure get.
 
Our parlay calculator will show you how much you’d win on your pooled NCAA basketball wagers based on the odds.

College Basketball Teasers: Creating A Favorable Spread

Teasers are bets that let you adjust the spread or totals in your favor. Most NCAA basketball sportsbooks will let you move the spread by 4 to 6 points. These wagers are similar to parlays in the sense that all bets must hit for your ticket to pay.

Payouts for teasers will typically be lower than parlays with the same amount of bets – this is because adjusted spreads are offered with lower odds than standard lines.

NCAAB Live Betting: Predicting The Next Play

In-play betting lets you bet on NCAA basketball games while they’re unfolding in real-time. Instead of simply betting on the game beforehand and yelling at the TV when the team you’re backing starts to falter, you can regain some money during the game by placing a wager on the ongoing action.

You’ll have many options, from choosing the moneyline winner, betting on an adjusted spread and total, or making on-the-fly prop bets. You’ll probably still yell at the screen, but at least you can make some coin while doing it.

NCAAB Futures: Which Team Will Win March Madness?

College basketball futures are wagers that are based on events that may or may not, occur at a later date. They’re considered long-term investments that can pay big time for smart bettors. The futures betting market revolves heavily around the biggest events and achievements each season.

For example, you can place bets on win totals, conference title winners, teams to make it to the Final Four, and which player will win the John R. Wooden Award or which team will win the National Championship. If you're curious about betting on March Madness, check out our in-depth guide to one of the biggest sports betting events of the year!

Be wary though – odds change for futures all the time. One big player injury or piece of breaking news could cost a team their chances at the title. Your bankroll stays tied up until everything is said and done, so handicap your bets on a safe, smart pick at good valued odds. They’re not guaranteed to stay the same for long!