How to bet on college basketball: Guide, strategies, how to bet and more

College basketball is known for having some of the most passionate fans in all team sports. The remainder of the sports-viewing world joins them in seasonal fashion when conference tournaments and the main tournament come about in March. This convergence leads to a frenzy of college basketball betting in which serious and recreational bettors alike partake in one of the most popular wagering events of the year.

In this college basketball betting guide, we'll take a look at how to bet on the tournament while also diving into college basketball betting basics, trends, strategies and more.

There are myriad options for betting on college basketball during the tournament, and it's important to know the difference between the many disciplines.

For example, millions of tournament enthusiasts will participate in a low-stakes bracket contest in their workplace or social setting that likely involves an entry fee of $5 or $10. Participants will fill out an entire bracket and receive points for each correct selection in each round. The player with the most points at the end of the tournament wins the majority of the prize money.

But it's worth noting that every single pick in a bracket contest is of the money line nature, or simply selecting a team to win, and one's strategy needs to focus on this dynamic as opposed to the factors involved in point spread betting. For instance, if Purdue is a 7.5-point favorite in the first round against Drake and wins the game 70-68, a point spread bet on the underdog is a no-sweat winner, but those who backed Purdue in a bracket contest see their team move forward.

Of course, an early loss for a heavy favorite spells disaster for tournament contest participants. In 2023, Purdue pulled off this ignominious feat as it lost 63-58 to Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round, becoming just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in men's tournament history. Those who bet Purdue against the point spread simply lost one wager, while those who took the Boilermakers to make a deep run in their bracket contests were almost surely eliminated with this outcome.

Point spread betting on the tournament remains popular among college basketball enthusiasts, but it is arguably the most difficult discipline in which you can be consistently profitable. This is because oddsmakers have a full season's worth of performance and advanced data available with which to set betting lines and likely have more accurate power ratings of mid-major programs than the average bettor. Moreover, either side of an tournament point spread bet will involve fading an extremely successful program. It's not uncommon for a 25-win mid-major conference champion to be a double-digit underdog against a fifth-place team from a major conference.

However, this doesn't necessarily mean you should automatically bet on massive underdogs, though doing so is a popular strategy. Even the most experienced mid-major programs can falter when faced with a step-up in competition, though some handle it better than others.

Generally speaking, programs with a history of postseason success and proven coaches present the most value in the tournament. For instance, though he has just one national title, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has reached eight national semifinals and is 56-25 straight up in tournament games. It can also be extremely profitable to identify one program as a clear level above the rest and back this team until further notice. 

The most prominent example of this lies in the UConn Huskies over the past two seasons, as the Huskies emerged as a rare "cover-all" champion for back-to-back seasons. In other words, those who blindly backed UConn on the point spread in the postseason were rewarded with 12 consecutive winning wagers as the Huskies covered all six games in each of their back-to-back championship runs.

Though the favorite is generally regarded as the "public" side, this isn't necessarily always the case. Recreational and serious bettors alike often align on the same side of the college basketball spread during the tournament, but it's usually a good idea to bet the favorite early in order to secure the best number. For instance, if Duke opens as a 5.5-point favorite against Tennessee, this line is more likely to reach -6 or steeper before tip than to -5 or lower. Those interested in the underdog are more likely to get the best number as game time approaches. Moreover, it always pays to check all of your available outlets or "outs" to see which is offering the best number on the side you prefer. FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and other top sportsbooks are unlikely to vary in terms of odds, but more niche outlets such as Hard Rock and BetRivers could offer better value on underdogs.

Moreover, variations of college basketball props are available during the tournament that are not offered during the regular season. These include wagering on a team's trajectory through over/under win bets for the tournament. For example, if you bet Duke Over 3.5 victories, you are picking the Blue Devils to reach the regional final as four wins are required to reach this feat. Also, individual player futures such as the leading scorer for  the tournament are offered at many sportsbooks.

There are three basic methods for betting on college basketball, which are the point spread, money line and over/under for total points scored. However, bettors can also make live wagers and parlays involving college basketball.

Money line betting involves simply picking and wagering on a team to win outright, and the amount you win is determined by the odds assigned to each team. 

For instance, Houston might be a -300 money line favorite against Kansas. This means a bettor would have to wager $300 to win $100 on Houston to win outright. Conversely, Kansas might have money line odds of +240, meaning a college basketball bettor would win $240 for every $100 wagered on Kansas if the Jayhawks were to pull off the upset.  

The point spread is one of the most common bets in college basketball. This is because the college basketball odds can vary given the gap between two potential teams, especially in non-conference play. Instead of wagering on favorites with steep money line odds for a smaller payout, you're able to get more bang for your buck by backing favorites to win by margin instead. The college basketball point spread is simply a mathematical handicap intended to provide implied value on both sides of a game.

To build on the above example, let's suggest Houston is an 8.5-point favorite against Kansas in the college basketball betting odds. The standard juice or vigorish on a point spread wager is -110. This price can sometimes fluctuate a little based on the action, but -110 is the sports betting industry standard starting price for a point spread wager. This means a bettor would have to wager $110 to win $100 on Houston -8.5. In "laying the points" with Houston, the Cougars have to win by nine or more points for a bet on the favorite to win.

On the flip side, an underdog bettor can "take the points" on Kansas +8.5 with the same -110 juice. Those who wager on the Jayhawks simply need them to lose by eight or fewer points, or underdog bettors would also cash their wagers if Kansas wins outright.

Bettors can also wager on the total, a component that is a betting staple of all major sports, including football, basketball, baseball and hockey. The over/under refers to the combined total points scored by both teams. Using the above example, the over/under for Houston vs. Kansas might be 136.5 points. A bettor who wagers on the Over wins if the two teams combine to score 137 or more points, while Under bettors win if 136 or fewer combined points are scored. 

As is the case with most sports, sports betting apps provide live point spread, total and money line odds for college basketball games. Basketball, especially at the college level, is a game of runs and that means fluctuations in performance. It might be advantageous to take a live spread or money line bet on a home team losing at halftime, especially if the deficit is under 10 points. Similarly, a poor shooting half from both teams might lower the live total on the game. Field-goal percentage tends to normalize over the course of the game, which could offer an advantage for bettors on a lower live total.

Parlay betting is available in college basketball, although parlay betting in general gives the house more of an edge even if the potential payout is astronomical. However, there are some instances where parlay betting in college basketball could be beneficial. Parlaying heavy favorites on the spread or money line offers improved odds for bettors, especially in the tournament where No. 1 and No. 2 seeds are a combined 299-13 in their first games. Rather than taking these teams individually at unfavorable odds, parlaying them in a single bet offers more of a reward with less risk.

Only 23 of the 38 states offering some form of legal sports betting allow player prop betting in college basketball, and they tend to have limited offerings and restricted betting limits. Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia don't allow college basketball prop betting.

The states that do offer legal college basketball player prop betting tend to limit their offerings to high-profile games such as the conference tournaments and the tournament. Standard single-player props for points scored, rebounds and assists comprise the most popular college basketball wagering props. Team props such as total points scored for each team and game-long props such as first team to score 20 points are also offered.  

A menu of college basketball future wagers is offered at almost all sports betting apps, though the options are limited by comparison to other sports. Even so, some value can be found in college basketball futures for savvy handicappers.

For instance, the most popular and commonly offered college basketball futures wager features odds to win the national championship. These odds will vary based on each team's season-long trajectory, while the major turning point comes when the tournament brackets are released. This is because a team's odds can drastically change based on the perception of difficulty in each team's bracket.

Betting the college basketball futures market early can pay off or backfire depending on the situation. For instance, last season Connecticut was offered at +600 or better at most sportsbooks to win its second straight tournament ahead of the bracket release. However, once the brackets were released, the Huskies' odds were moved to +360 or lower at most outlets, proving that investing in them early was the best way to secure a bigger profit. Other team-based college basketball futures include odds on teams to reach the tournament's semifinals and individual team odds on each conference tournament.

The most popular college basketball futures wager for individual players involves odds on the John R. Wooden Award, which recognizes the top player in the country.

Vigorish/juice: The vig, or juice, is essentially a tax sports bettors pay on every wager. It serves as the primary source of the house edge in sports betting. For example, betting $110 to win $100 on a point spread wager at -110 involves $10 of juice. If two sportsbook customers wager on the opposite sides of a game, the sportsbook will accept a total of $220 while paying out $210 to the winner, taking the $10 juice in profit.

Bad beat: Though the term is open to subjective interpretation, a bad beat generally refers to an unlikely event, usually late in a game or contest, that causes a sports bettor to lose a wager he or she would have otherwise won.

Cover: The term used to describe when a team covers the point spread. For example, the UConn Huskies covered the 7-point spread in their 75-60 win over Purdue in the 2024 title game.

Backdoor cover: The term used to describe when a betting underdog scores enough points late in the game, usually a rapid succession in a short period of time, to achieve an unlikely point spread cover.

Line: A commonly used synonym for the point spread in a given contest. 

Buying points: A term used for when a sportsbook customer alters the point spread of a game by paying a higher vigorish to the sportsbook. For example, the UConn Huskies were favored by 7 points against Purdue, but John Doe bought the Huskies to -6. In this instance, the bettor would pay -125 (an extra 15 cents for the additional point) instead of the standard -110 in order to "buy" the point on Connecticut.

Action: A bet of any denomination on any sporting contest is considering having action on said event or contest.

Handle: The total amount wagered on a specific event or sport at a sportsbook. For example, there was reportedly more than $2.7 billion in handle legally wagered on the 2024 tournament by U.S. customers.

Chalk: A commonly used synonym for betting favorite in a game or other sporting event.

Underdog: The team, individual or entity that is assigned odds by sportsbooks and oddsmakers to designate that they are the mathematical longshot to win the game or event.

Favorite: The team, individual or entity that is assigned odds by sportsbooks and oddsmakers to designate that they are mathematically favored to win the game or event.

Even money: A bet that requires no vigorish or juice is considered even money.

Push: A term used to describe when a sports wager is declared a tie due to the outcome of the game or event, resulting in a refund on such wagers. For example, Duke beat Clemson 92-80 as a 12-point favorite, so all point-spread wagers on the game were graded a push and all bets were refunded.

Sharp: A term that can be used as a noun or verb to describe the real or imagined advantage that a serious sports bettor has over both casual bettors and the sportsbook.

Where can you bet on college basketball player props?

Of the 38 states that offer some form of legal sports betting, only 23 of them allow college basketball prop betting, and they tend to have limited offerings. Check your specific state laws for details.

Can you bet on women's college basketball?

Yes. Most sportsbooks offer a limited menu on women's college basketball throughout the regular season, followed by spreads and totals on every game in the women's tournament.

What is the best college basketball betting strategy?

Although bettors should always use the strategy with which they are most comfortable and see the most profit, serious college basketball bettors tend to use basic single-game, point spread betting as their primary strategy.

Can you bet live on the tournament?

Yes. Just about any sportsbook that offers tournament betting will also offer some form of live betting on the games. Live betting consists of wagering with betting odds that change throughout the course of the game based on circumstances within the contest.  

Josh Nagel

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