Betting on college basketball is extremely popular in the United States. Sports fans know that many of the players in today's NBA once played in the NCAA. The games that these college players play are watched around the world and bring in crazy numbers, just like the games that the professional teams play. The lines that the top online bookmakers put out for betting on these games are some of the most anticipated odds that they release every single day from November to March when these teams play.
For bettors familiar with basketball betting, this is technically another rendition of the same old thing. But while you might have been betting on the baddest of the pros, you're now represented by the coolest freshmen on the court, fresh out of high school and hoping for a life in the big leagues. Check out our comprehensive guide to understanding NCAA basketball odds and the most popular betting lines that pay off.
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College Lines for Basketball Betting
Bet on the skilled and youthful basketball players at the best college basketball betting sites in the United Kingdom. Our expert tipsters make selections based on who will be playing tonight in NCAA basketball. The number of picks is impressive. For those looking for betting lines with potentially high payouts,
- Moneyline Betting - This bet comes standard in online college basketball betting. Based on your prediction, you pick the team that has the best chance of winning the game.
- NCAA Basketball Spread Picks - in point spread betting, you bet on a team to do better than the online bookmaker predicts. For example, if you know that Duke will win a game by 10 points, you will win.
- College Basketball Future Betting Lines - Betting on the winner of the March Madness before the tournament begins is the very definition of future betting. These are long-term bets on results that will not be known for weeks or months.
- Total/Over-Under Betting - Based on how a team has performed over a period of time, you can bet on the total number of points. For example, bet on a game between Providence and Cincinnati to end with more than 100 points.
How the College Basketball Season Works
If you want to bet on college basketball, you usually have to wait until the month of November. That's when the season begins. Its early days are filled with a series of tournaments and a bunch of non-conference games before conference play really gets going in January. And then, from conference play to the opening of the NCAA Tournament, there are so many betting opportunities that some people call it March Madness.
Betting on college basketball is becoming increasingly popular, with more than 350 schools competing in 32 different conferences across the country. At the end of the regular season, conference tournaments are held to determine the champions who will advance. The winners of these tournaments not only get to enjoy the thrill of victory, but also secure an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, otherwise known as March Madness!
NCAA Basketball betting is a common and accepted form of sports betting. This is largely due to the fact that a large number of both major and minor colleges participate. After the pay-to-play scandal of the 1950s, gambling on college basketball became frowned upon. Today, however, thanks to the large number of both major and minor college teams, not to mention the intense fan following they command, betting on NCAA ball has become a widely accepted practice. Here are some of the different ways you can wager on this healthy pastime.
Each year, college basketball teams play approximately 25 to 35 regular season games. With the season stretching from early November to sometime in March, there are almost daily opportunities to bet on college basketball. Most individual teams play two games a week, making them a perfect target for college basketball betting! During the week, you can choose to bet on the spread, the total points scored, or something more specific like which player will score the most points.
2024/25 NCAAB Championship Winner Predictions
Making accurate predictions this far out is a difficult task, but nearly all experts seem to agree on a handful of programs that appear to be the best bets to take home the 2025/24 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Georgia, Alabama, Ohio State and Michigan are the programs most often mentioned. They've all had impressive seasons in recent years and look like they could be major factors in the 2025/24 tournament.
While no one can say for sure who will hoist the NCAA Championship trophy in 2025/24, many believe the TCU Horned Frogs have what it takes. They came close to making history this past season, nearly becoming the first team since Georgia Tech in 1939 to go from unranked entering the season to national champions.
A potential champion these days, the Texas Longhorns find themselves in the conversation more often than not. The shining star joining a lineup of top recruits, a quarterback who is developing into a true leader in Quinn Ewers, and a (hopefully) healthy offensive line is none other than Arch Manning, the grandson of Mississippi football legend and NFL Hall of Famer Archie Manning. Should Manning take the field and play to the level he's capable of, the Longhorns may no longer be a blip-on-the-radar program.
Betting on College Basketball Tips
Betting on NCAA basketball can be challenging as the teams have less of a marquee presence and play a more abbreviated schedule compared to the NBA. Unlike the pros, players must also maintain a rigorous academic standard as part of the "student-athlete" gambit that gives the NCAA its very identity. It stands to reason, then, that in picking a winner, one might have to consider some factors that might affect college athletes to a greater degree than those factors would affect professional players. For example, what if the bet was placed during finals week at an NCAA school? Or if a particular player put studying for a class ahead of practice? Or if, as is often the case, schools face the prospect of being put on academic probation if they don't do well in the classroom? Is it worth betting in these situations? Only you can decide, and considering these and other factors is definitely a step in the right direction.
Betting on college basketball requires careful research of the teams involved. In this case, it may actually be wise to bet against teams from super-competitive leagues. Why is that? Because the championship contenders in those leagues can be some of the most unfocused teams in the sport - they win, but they usually don't cover the spread. And if you really want a winning move, look to the tournament. March Madness features many teams from so-called "mid-major" conferences. These teams can be excellent bets against the spread-happy members of the average "power" leagues.