College basketball betting guide: Placing a bet on college basketball
Learn how to bet on college basketball with expert tips. Compare NCAA basketball betting sites and the best college basketball sportsbook option online.
College basketball betting is not a fresh phenomenon, yet it has become increasingly popular in recent years with the help of online sports betting legalization in most states.
With 363 Division I teams, there are enough chances to bet on college hoops nearly every night between November and the national championship in April. This guide contains everything gamblers need to know before betting on their favorite college basketball betting app.
Betting on a college basketball game
Once a user has logged into his or her choice sportsbook and gone to the college basketball page, he will be given a list of games that are being played on that day. The first three options of bets he will likely have available for each game are the point spread, money line, and total.
College basketball spread betting
By definition, the spread is the projected difference of the score at the conclusion of a game between two squads. If looking at a spread wager, the squad with a negative number written next to it would be the favorite.
For instance, if the Houston Cougars have a -6.5 spread, they would need to win the game by five points or more for a bettor who supports the Cougars to win the bet. On the other hand, if the Baylor Bears are +6.5 in the same game, bettors on the Bears would need to win the game outright or lose by four or fewer in order for the bet to be a winner.
College basketball money line betting
The money line is also a very popular form of bet when placing wagers on college basketball. In this situation, users are simply betting on the team they think will win. A team with negative odds would usually be the favorite to win a given game. A team with positive odds would be an underdog.
Then, there are instances in which a game is a pick 'em (too close to call) or both teams have an equal chance of winning. In such a scenario, both teams might have -110 money line odds. Assured that the team a user bets on will win, then it would be a winning bet.
College basketball over/under betting
The total is the amount of points that are predicted to be scored in a game. Basically, a user would be betting on whether they believe that the total point sum of two schools will be greater than or less than the predicted point sum.
For example, if the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide total is 155.5, you would require each of the two teams to score a combined minimum of 156 points if you're betting the Over on said game. A bet on the Under would be a winner if 155 points or fewer are scored.
College basketball parlay betting
A parlay is a type of bet in which a user places two or more wagers that exist together on the same bet slip in order to create a larger bet that includes a larger payout. In order for a parlay to be a winning bet, all of the selections of the parlay must be graded as winners. Betting shops are likely to provide a profit increase on a parlay to bettors when they place extra legs on their bet. Generally, such promotions require at least three or four legs at least to be eligible to utilize a profit increase.
Parlays do afford a higher odds for the bet, but there is greater volatility in making this type of bet. The greater the number of legs a bettor places on their parlay, the greater the likelihood that the bet loses.
- A standard parlay, such as Florida -2.5 (-112) and Houston/Duke Under 136.5 (-110), would result in odds of +261.
- A same-game parlay such as Auburn money line (+128) and Florida first half spread -1.5 (-116) would have odds around +560. The exact formula for SGP odds varies between books and is not published.
Parlay payoff can be very tempting, paying out more than wagering each leg independently. Parlays are, however, much more difficult to win. Even when a user wagers a two- or three-leg parlay on a sportsbook app, that still equates to several factors having to occur in order for the bet to be a win.
College basketball futures betting
As with most sports, sports bettors can wager on college basketball future games in a number of different types. Wagers can be placed on everything from who is going to take home the national championships to individual award winners to whether or not a specific team is going to make it into the March tournament.
A college basketball futures that are some of the most popular ones include:
- National champion: Betting on which team they think will win the national championship for a given season.
- Conference winners: One can place a bet on which team they think will take their specific conference.
- Player of the Year: One can place a bet on which player they think will receive the Naismith Men's Player of the Year at season's end.
- Win totals: Sports bettors can bet on if a particular team will win more than a certain number of games in a season. For example, a bettor can bet on Wisconsin to have Over 25.5 wins in a season.
- Making the tournament: Sports bettors can bet on a team that they think will make it to the college basketball tournament in March.
College basketball live betting
For the most part, the bettor will place their wagers prior to a game of college basketball getting underway. A number of high-profile sports betting applications, however, offer the capability for participating in betting on the game in real-time. That is when a user is wagering on a game of NCAA basketball after the game has gotten underway.
For example, perhaps the Michigan Wolverines are favored over the Indiana Hoosiers, but they start slowly in that first half. Perhaps a bettor opens up his sports betting app and feels that the Wolverines can still win the game if they trail on the scoreboard. As the game continues, the live spread, money line and many more odds are constantly updated. The gambler can then choose to bet on an active number during the ongoing game.