How to Read College Basketball Odds
There are many different options for college hoops betting, but the easiest college basketballodds to understand are moneyline odds.
Reading college basketball odds is pretty simple, when reading moneylines the favorites are denoted by a minus sign (-) and the underdogs a plus sign (+). The bigger the number (either positive or negative) the heavier the favorite or underdog the team is. Here’s an example of college basketball moneyline odds with the Gonzaga Bulldogs as a heavy favorite over the Michigan Wolverines:
- Gonzaga -200
- Michigan +170
If you bet $100 on favored Gonzaga in this example, you’d get a profit of $50. Conversely, if you were going to gamble on the underdog Wolverines, you’d get a $170 profit. You can calculate these exact amounts for all NCAA basketball spreads, moneylines and other odds using our sports betting calculator.
What Does -110 Mean?
In moneyline betting, -110 is a pretty common line for a tight matchup. These -110 odds imply around a 52 percent chance of that team winning the game, so a very slight favorite. You can find out more about other popular betting terms for college basketball odds here.
What does -1.5 Mean?
You’ll find -1.5 or a similar college basketball odds for your point-spread bets. While moneyline bets require you to simply pick a winner, point spread wagers force you to choose which team will win (or lose) by a specific margin. If you’re betting on the to win -1.5, you’d need them to win by more than1.5 points to win your NCAA basketball point spread wager.
Popular Types of NCAAB Betting
Even beyond your March Madness bracket pool, there are plenty of college basketball odds and betting formats to get your wager on the hardwood. We’ll give you a quick rundown of the most popular options for NCAAB betting fans.
Moneyline Bets
Moneyline bets are the easiest way to begin betting on college basketball odds today – the only requirement for a moneyline pick is to choose which side you want to win. If that team ends the game in the W column, you get paid!
You’ll see underdogs listed with positive odds (ex. +160) and favorites listed with negative odds (ex. -140). You’ll earn a higher payout with the underdog, but they’re risky for a reason – calculate potential moneyline wins with our odds calculator to make sure the line is worth your money!
Spread Bets
NCAA point spread bets, as explained briefly above, are a bit more complicated. Like in college basketball moneylines, the favorite is denoted by a minus and the underdog a plus. But for a spread bet, the teams have to cover a certain number of points. A -5.5-point favorite has to win by more than 5.5 points, while a +5.5 underdog can lose by five or fewer, or win outright.
College basketball spreads are a fantastic way to get even odds on a favorite you think will win the competition without a sweat – likewise, it lets you cheer for underdogs with a bit of a cushion.
Over/Under (Total) Bets
College basketball OVER/UNDERs or point totals function similarly to every other sport. You’ll see a point total line, let’s say 150.5, and you have to choose if the combined points in the game will be above or below that. If you think the two teams will score 158 points in a 98-60 victory for one side, you should take the OVER. If you think it’ll be lower scoring, bet UNDER.
Pay close attention to NCAAB trends when looking at potential total bets -- your findings might reveal some sneaky value in even the worst of teams.
Parlay Bets
A college basketball parlay allows you to combine multiple bets on one ticket. You can pool straight-up bets with spreads, totals, and sometimes props. However, for your bet to win, you’ll need all legs of the parlay to hit. If just three of your four individual bets are successful, your four-leg parlay doesn’t pay out anything.
Let’s say you pick the Purdue Boilermakers and the South Carolina Gameco*cks to win their respective matchups. You’d receive increased odds because of the risk of picking two exact winners – the more teams (or variables) you add to a parlay, the longer the odds get. Beware though, all it takes is one bet to misfire and your wager is lost. Calculate your potential earnings on multiple bets with our parlay calculator.
John Wooden Award
The John Wooden Award, named for the record-breaking UCLA Bruins bench boss, is the most coveted individual award in college basketball. It’s given to the most outstanding college basketball player during the regular season – NCAA basketball odds for the award are released before every season and updated constantly. You can easily bet on which young star you think will be the best player in the country by the end of the season!
Player Props
Player props allow you to focus on an individual player, or even an aspect of their game, for your daily college basketball bets. Most of today’s college basketball odds for player props focus on OVER/UNDERs for the main stat lines – this could be how many points, rebounds, or assists a player will get in a given game. You can also wager on an entire team’s performance, like their total amount of threes made, rebounds, etc.
Live Odds Betting
All the moneyline, spread, and prop bets you make before a college basketball game are usually available during the contest, as well. Live betting is just placing wagers on the ever-changing lines that move during a game.
Futures Odds
College basketball futures allow you to take a long-term approach to your wagers. You can bet on which team will win the National Championship before the season starts, look at teams’ win totals, or bet on individual player performances. College basketball odds will be given before the season begins, and will constantly change based on a team's performance or chances of winning -- lock in a favorable line early, the odds aren't guaranteed to stay!
Understanding Line Movements
Understanding why and how lines move is very important for high-level college basketball betting. Before a game begins, the public might be betting heavily on one side of a contest – this signals to the sportsbooks that their current line is undervalued, and the college basketball odds will change accordingly.
If a player is ruled out with injury or leaves in the middle of a game, those college basketball odds move quickly, and the value you may have gotten two minutes ago is gone. If you can predict when a line will move, or when the best time to get in on a betting market is, you’re going to have lots of success.
Plus and Minus Odds
The plus (+) sign and minus (-) sign are the key signifiers of the American odds format. The plus team (ex: +200) is the underdog in a matchup or for a futures bet, and the minus team (ex: -200) is the favorite. Betting on an underdog often returns you more money, if they win, than betting on a favorite.
True Odds vs. Implied Odds
True odds are what you believe to be an accurate representation of a team’s chance to win – after all your research and handicapping, you’re able to come up with your own likelihood of victory. Implied odds are given by the sportsbook based on the line for that competition.
The implied odds at most books take a bit of a cut to ensure the books stay profitable, so you’ll rarely see true and implied odds line up perfectly.
Biggest College Basketball betting events
The college basketball season is more than just March Madness, with plenty of key betting events throughout the year. From a few “warm-up” games at the start of the regular season to heart-pounding conference tournaments later down the road, you’ll have no shortage of NCAAB bets to choose from.
Season Openers
Most college basketball teams’ seasons begin in early November each year, with many top schools starting the schedule off with some non-conference opponents. The beginning of a season is the perfect time to lock in your college basketball futures bets for the rest of the year.
Conference Regular Season
Most of the top schools don't begin playing teams within their conference until late December or early January each year. This allows the best schools to ease into the season with easier opponents (on paper) before meaningful games against rivals.
Conference Tournaments
After the regular season, conference tournaments crank up the tension. For many schools, winning their respective conference tournament is the only way to earn a bid for the tournament.
Even if teams already have a spot locked up in March Madness, conference tournaments are often crucial for powerhouse schools from the Big Ten or Big 12 to make their case for a top seed in the NCAA Tournament.
March Madness
Every college basketball team starts their season with the hopes of making it to this point: March Madness. The 68-team tournament occurs over three weeks in March (naturally) and narrows the competition with single-elimination rounds until just one team is left standing. It’s one of the most exciting tournaments on the sporting calendar and is regularly one of the most wagered-upon sporting events in the world.
NCAA Championship
At the end of it all sits the NCAA Championship, otherwise known as the National Title Game. After the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four, only two teams remain to fight for the college basketball crown. You can bet on the college basketball lines ahead of the final game, but if you want the best NCAA Championship odds, it’s best to get in on the action as early as possible.
Biggest Team Rivalries
Rivalries take college sports to the next level, adding extra spiciness to common matchups or intense playoff games. Lucky for the fans, college basketball rivalries are as heated as they come – here’s a crash course on some of the flashiest and historical beefs in the NCAAB.
Duke Blue Devils vs North Carolina Tar Heels
This Duke vs UNC rivalry has it all — regional proximity, regular meetings, and plenty of history. North Carolina leads the all-time matchups between these two with a 143-117 record. The Tar Heels have gotten the biggest wins recently, too, defeating the infamous Blue Devils' leader Coach K in the Final Four during the coach's final game.
Syracuse Orange vs Georgetown Hoyas
The Syracuse vs Georgetown rivalry dates back to the glory days of the Big East conference. These two schools have battled it out since the 1930s and joined the Big East together in the 1980s, quickly establishing themselves as the conference's two top schools. With the Orange leaving for the ACC in 2013, the rivalry has taken a bit of a hit in recent years.
Kentucky Wildcats vs Louisville Cardinals
This inner-state rivalry is one of the most heated in men's college basketball. The Kentucky Wildcats lead the head-to-head series with wins in 38 of 55 meetings, and they’ve also got an edge in overall program success. Kentucky has eight national titles to Louisville's three, a fact that fuels the rivalry each time the matchup comes around.
UCLA Bruins Vs Arizona Wildcats
When Arizona joined the Pac-10 (now Pac-12) in 1978, the rivalry between these neighboring states was born. UCLA had historically dominated Arizona until the arrival of head coach Lute Olson in 1984, who quickly racked up a 28-23 record against the Bruins over a few years. As two of the better programs in the country, these squads face each other twice each season in an always heated matchup.
Kansas Jayhawks vs Kansas State Wildcats
Nicknamed the Sunflower Showdown, this college basketball rivalry dates back to 1907. It's the sixth-most-played matchup in NCAAB history, with both teams being each other's most-played opponent. The Jayhawks have dominated the affair though, leading with 204 wins to Kansas State's 95.
North Carolina Tar Heels vs North Carolina State Wolfpack
Although the Tar Heels’ primary rival is Duke, that doesn’t stop NC State from getting in on some cross-town competition. These schools sit only 25 miles apart and the rivalry transcends basketball – the 'Carolina-State Game' draws crowds for football, basketball, and baseball contests every year.
Profit & Payout
Sports betting can be fun, but to maximize your monetary gain you’ve got to at least know the basics behind calculating profit and payouts – here’s a quick rundown on the basics.
Profit
Your profit is the money you make from a winning bet. If you wager $100 and get back $150, your profit is $50 – you don’t count the return of your original stake in the profit total.
Expected Winnings
Expected winnings represent unrealized profit – in other words, the money you would earn from a winning wager. If you place a $100 moneyline bet on the Jayhawks to win at -150 odds, your expected winnings are $67.
Expected Payout
The expected payout on a bet equals your expected winnings or profit plus your original stake. Essentially, it’s all the money you’d get back from a bet. In the $100 Kansas bet above, your expected payout would be the $67 profit plus the $100 stake, for $167.
Bet Slip
A bet slip is simply your list of wagers at any time. This can be before you lock them in on a website or sports betting app or it can represent bets you’ve already made.
Bonuses and Promotions
The best online college basketball betting sites should come with certain rewards, besides the money you get from a winning bet. Most online betting sites give a welcome bonus for first-time customers that matches your initial deposit up to a specified percentage. These codes can come in the form of a promo code or could be applied automatically upon your first deposit on-site.
Keep an eye out for promotions during the regular season -- books will sometimes give customers free credits to thank them for their loyalty!
Where To Bet On Sports
As one of the more popular sports to wager on, you can find college basketball odds at almost any popular online sportsbook. Odds Shark has taken the time to research and review the best college basketball betting siteswith some tips on how to choose the best book for your needs. We compiled a ranked list of where to bet on college basketball online for experienced bettors and casual NCAAB fans alike.
Sports Betting Apps
Most of the top sportsbooks also have sports betting apps now, so you can wager on college basketball odds today, wherever you are -- see our review page above for information on which books offer mobile apps.
