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College Basketball Betting Guide: How to Bet on NCAA Basketball in 2024
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Updated:
Read Time: 8 minutes
In North American sports, only a few events eclipse the excitement and interest of March Madness. But college basketball—and college basketball betting—are about more than those magical weeks in March and early April each year.
From the start of the season in early November to the point to nets are cut down, there are thousands upon thousands of college basketball games to follow, watch, and bet on.
Due to the number of teams involved, betting on men’s college basketball or women’s college basketball can appear to be rather daunting, especially if you are new to NCAA basketball betting.
But thanks to our college basketball betting guide and our other content, the resources and betting sites we recommend, and your own robust research, you can have the foundation for an enjoyable—and profitable—betting experience.
Best College Basketball Betting Sites
Thanks in part to March Madness betting, NCAA basketball is one of the most popular sports to bet on. If you bet at U.S. betting sites, you can easily find odds for the day’s NCAA basketball games, as well as college basketball futures odds.
Odds for men’s college basketball are much more widely available than women’s college basketball odds. But the increase in parity in women’s college basketball, the emergence of new powers, and the success of star names like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, who have taken their talents to the WNBA, has helped contribute to a rise in general interest and betting interest.
The books that we recommend for NCAA basketball betting offer odds for both men’s college basketball and women’s college basketball.
Best Betting Sites for NCAA Basketball Betting
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If you are here, there’s a good chance you have an account with at least one of these sports betting sites. But if you are looking to potentially try out one of these books, check out our sportsbook reviews to learn more about them.
Sportsbook Reviews for the Best NCAA Basketball Betting Sites
- BetOnline Sportsbook Review
- Bovada Sportsbook Review
- Betwhale Sportsbook Review
- MyBookie Sportsbook Review
- Sportsbetting.ag Sportsbook Review
What do our sportsbook reviews contain? They evaluate factors that are considered important by many sports bettors, including available betting options, sportsbook bonuses and promos, and more.
Basics of College Basketball and College Basketball Betting
Teams from 31 conferences are taking part in the 2024-25 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season. That includes Oregon State and Washington State, who made the move to the West Coast Conference for all sports other than football and baseball for the next two seasons following the collapse of the Pac-12.
Most games played in November and December are non-conference games, which can include in-season events like the Maui Invitational, Champions Classic, ESPN Events Invitational, and ACC-SEC Challenge.
From there, conference games dominate the schedule. In early to mid-March, conference tournaments take place around the country, with automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, also known as March Madness (a moniker now used for both the men’s and women’s tournaments), being awarded to the winners.
In addition to the conference tournament winners, the remainder of the 68-team March Madness field is made up of at-large teams who are selected by a committee. Men’s March Madness has had a 68-team field since 2011, while women’s March Madness adopted the same format in 2022.
Both tournaments begin with the First Four, which fills in the last four remaining spots in the bracket, and a team must win six (or seven, if they began the tournament in the First Four) to win the national championship.
The season concludes with the Final Four, where the last four teams meet to decide the season’s national championship winner.
2025 Final Four Location and Dates
- Men’s Final Four: Saturday, April 5 (national semifinals) and Monday, April 7 (national championship game) at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
- Women’s Final Four: Friday, April 4 (national semifinals) and Sunday, April 6 (national championship game) at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida
Types of College Basketball Bets
Online sportsbooks like BetOnline offer a wide variety of college basketball betting markets. But if you are betting on NCAA basketball games, sides and totals are the main way to get in on the action.
Moneyline and Spread Bets
If you are betting on moneylines and point spreads, you are betting on sides.
What is the difference between the two types of side bets?
Both involve betting on the outcome, but whereas moneyline bets involve betting on a team to win, regardless of margin, spread bets are on a specific outcome.
If you are placing a bet on the point spread favorite, you are betting on that team to win by at least a certain number of points. If you are betting on the point spread underdog, you need that team to either win outright or not lose by a certain number of points.
Let’s use Duke and North Carolina, one of the biggest rivalries in sports, as an example here.
In this example, the Blue Devils (-4.5) are favored by 4.5 points at home against the Tar Heels (+4.5). That means that Duke must win by five or more points to cover that spread, while UNC must either win outright or lose by four or fewer points to cover the +4.5.
Total (a.k.a. Over/Under) Bets
While the result of side bets is dependent on the outcome of a game, that is not the case for total betting, which is also known as over/under betting.
If you are betting on the total or over/under for a game, you are betting on two teams to combine for either more or fewer points than the listed total.
Using Duke and North Carolina as an example again, say the total for their matchup is listed at 157.5. If you bet the over, the Blue Devils and Tar Heels must combine for 158 or more points for that bet to win. If you bet the under, the two teams must combine for 157 or fewer points for that bet to win.
Other Types of College Basketball Bets
While prop betting does not have the same popularity or availability as NBA player props, sportsbooks like BetOnline do offer college basketball player props.
Beyond betting on games, you can also bet on NCAA men’s and women’s basketball futures throughout the year, even in the offseason.
Some popular college basketball futures betting markets include national championship winner odds, Wooden Award odds, and conference winner (regular season and conference tournament) odds. To learn more about futures betting, check out our “What Are Futures Bets?” guide.
College Basketball Betting Strategies and Tips
When betting on college basketball, there are a lot of strategic considerations that can be taken from other sports. That includes keeping an eye on relevant team and player performance trends.
One thing that is unique to college basketball is the level of upsets that can take place over the course of the season. At the end of the season, the national champion is typically one of the preseason title favorites, but along the way, the road is rife with upset after upset.
While upsets are certainly a frequent part of college football, they are a much more frequent part of college basketball.
A big part of that is the advantage that playing at home can bring, as well as the stakes that can be involved. Upsets frequently take place in rivalry matchups, conference tournaments, and March Madness.
College Basketball Betting Resources
With so many teams and so many games to dive into, betting on college basketball can require some serious research.
Fortunately, there are a lot of fantastic resources out there to help with that.
Along with the NCAA basketball betting analysis and expert picks we provide throughout the season, we also offer free college basketball computer picks for games every day. Also, we offer the ability to compare college basketball odds from several top online sportsbooks.
Beyond Betting News, there are several resources we highly recommend for keeping up with the latest stats, trends, and metrics.
- Advanced College Basketball Metrics (KenPom)
- Men’s & Women’s College Basketball Stats & Info (Sports Reference CBB)
- College Basketball Betting Trends (Team Rankings)
All of those resources can be very valuable, and while access to the full treasure trove of information available at KenPom requires a paid subscription, the fee will repay itself within a winning bet or two depending on your betting stake.
Other Sports Betting Information
This college basketball betting guide is one of many sports betting guides that we provide. These betting guides are designed to be beneficial for both new and experienced bettors. Here are some of the guides that you can find at Betting News:
- NFL Betting Guide
- NBA Betting Guide
- MLB Betting Guide
- NHL Betting Guide
- College Football Betting Guide
- WNBA Betting Guide
- NASCAR Betting Guide
- Formula 1 Betting Guide
- Super Bowl Betting Guide
- When Should You Hedge Your Bets?
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