College basketball season offers some of the best betting action on the market. There are now over 350 NCAA Division I teams across over 30 conferences.
Bettors must find a way to deal with the overwhelming volume of games and teams. Creating a college basketball betting strategy will help you pick the right games to wager on.
Our ultimate betting strategy guide comes directly from experts who have made their livelihoods as advantage bettors for years. You can use their years of experience to help you create a winning NCAA basketball betting strategy.
Understanding College Basketball Betting Lines
One of the first steps for any would-be college basketball bettor is to understand how the betting lines work. Understanding betting lines will allow you to shop for the best odds on the markets you want to wager on.
The odds may differ from one NCAAB betting site to another, but the wagers will work the same. Some of the most common bets to become familiar with are moneylines, totals, point spreads, props, and futures bets.
NCAAB Moneyline Odds
A moneyline bet is the first wager all bettors should learn to make. This bet is the easiest of any bet to make.
All you need to do is pick the team that you think will win the game. You will make more money betting on underdogs, but you are more likely to win a wager on the favorite. An example of a moneyline betting market can be found below.
- Duke Blue Devils (-145)
- North Carolina Tarheels (+125)
It can be hard to win a lot of money from placing moneyline bets. But knowing when to make these simple bets is an important part of winning college basketball betting strategies.
NCAAB Totals Odds
College basketball bettors should also be familiar with totals bets. These wagers can concern a large variety of stats about the game.
Essentially, your job as the bettor is to decide whether the final result will be over or under the set total. Let’s say, for example, you are betting on a point total for a specific game. The betting market may look like this:
- Over 155.5 points (-110)
- Under 155.5 points (-110)
Both options in this example have the same betting odds. If the game is between two high-powered offenses then the point total will likely be higher. A game between defensive juggernauts, though, will likely have a lower point total.
NCAAB Point Spread Odds
Point spreads are another essential betting market for college basketball bettors to master. These wagers add a layer of complexity to moneyline bets.
Instead of just picking a team to win, you have to wager on a team to cover their respective spread. Favorites have to win by more than their set amount of points. Underdogs, on the other hand, simply have to not lose by more than their spread in order to cover.
For example, you may see a point spread that looks like this:
- Duke Blue Devils (-2.5)
- North Carolina Tarheels (+2.5)
In this instance, bettors would need Duke to win by at least three points in order to cover their spread. In UNC loses by two points or fewer, or wins outright, then the Tarheels would cover.
NCAAB Prop Odds
Props bets are another popular option wagering option. Many college basketball betting tips are designed to help players pick the right prop bets to place.
A prop wager is a bet about a specific event taking place during the game. You can palace prop wagers about everything from the first player to score to which team will have more three-pointers.
Placing props is a great way to add variety to your betting ticket. Some basketball betting sites will even let you place props after the game has started using live betting odds.
NCAAB Futures Odds
A futures bet is a special type of prop bet. These wagers are about events that are further away in the future.
For example, if you are making an NCAA bracket before the start of March Madness, that could be a futures bet. Wager on the eventual winner of the tournament before any of the 68 teams have been eliminated would be another great example.
The further out the event you are betting on is, the harder the outcome is to prevent. Bettors usually receive longer odds and higher payouts for wagers that are a long way off.
Beginner College Basketball Betting Strategies
Knowing which wagers you want to place is only part of what makes a good college basketball betting strategy. Bettors also need to consider other factors such as their bankroll, the latest injury news, and more.
Create a Betting Plan
Before you even get to your first bets, it’s paramount that you lay the foundation for betting success with preparation. Over the long term, this is the biggest difference between the pros from the casual gamblers.
The first thing you should do when betting on college hoops is to make a plan of how you want to bet it. This includes the types of bets and how much you plan to wager.
You should never gamble with money that you are not prepared to lose. So, your bankroll should only include funds you are willing to part with.
Once you have your budget, you can use that to determine your stake amount. Then, all you have to do is decide which bets you want to make.
Gather Team Information
Picking the right bets to place can take a lot of practice. One of the best college basketball betting tips for this issue is to make sure you do adequate research.
College basketball betting is a constant exercise in information overload. There is a huge volume of games almost every night, and for every game, there are tons of sports betting sites making predictions and lines based on all sorts of home-brewed algorithms and formulas.
Some bettors even prefer using AI college basketball picks because the computer filters information for them. Deciding which information to use can take practice. But it will be well worth it once you start winning your wagers consistently.
Start Betting Small
This next NCAA basketball betting top applies to all new bettors. Regardless of who you bet on or what types of bets you place, you should start with small wagers.
Gambling is inherently risky, and new bettors are more likely to make mistakes. These mistakes can cost you a lot of money if you are not careful. But starting with small stake amounts will help you minimize your risk while you are still learning.
Intermediate NCAA Basketball Betting Strategies
Once you master the basics of betting on NCAA basketball, you will be ready for these intermediate college basketball betting tips.
Focus on Specific Conferences
It’s impossible to follow all 350 NCAA Division I teams by yourself. There is simply too much information for one person to handle and constantly win bets. Amidst the daily chaos lies a significant betting edge for bettors willing to narrow their choices and specialize.
Focusing your efforts on one conference will make your job as a researcher and bettor significantly easier. Now instead of 350 teams, you may only have to watch a dozen or so.
Following one conference makes it easier to find betting lines to exploit. For example, you may notice that a player suffers an injury but is still scheduled to start the next game. Casual bettors may not know this, so the odds will not necessarily shift accordingly.
As an expert on that conference, though, you can adjust your college basketball betting strategy to account for the injured player. Exploiting these oversights will help you find more value when betting on NCAA games.
Utilize Totals Odds
Totals bets are another great opportunity for intermediate bettors to gain an edge against the house. To get the most value out of these bets, you need to learn how to handicap games yourself.
Being able to set accurate lines for games will help you find value that other bettors will miss. For instance, if you have a game set at over/under 140.5 points, but the sportsbook has it at 145.5 points, there is value to be had.
There are a lot of factors to consider when looking for value in totals odds. Some issues to consider are:
- Offensive metrics
- Defensive metrics
- Home and road splits
- Travel
- Injuries
- Bench players
It would be impossible to know all of the above information for every Division I team. This strategy works hand-in-hand with specializing in a single NCAA conference. Knowing the ins and outs of a conference will help you find discrepancies in total odds.
Take Advantage of Futures Odds
Experienced bettors can also have a lot of success if they can master futures wagers. Picking the right betting option in futures wagers can be a lot harder than it looks.
Ideally, you would want to place a futures wager as far out as you can to secure the best odds. Many intermediate bettors place these wagers months in advance.
To do this, players have to have a well-rounded understanding of the team and conference they are betting on. Also, you have to have a certain amount of basketball instincts. It can take years for a bettor to develop the skills needed to be a successful futures bettor.
Advanced College Basketball Betting Strategies
After years of betting on college basketball, you will finally have the skills needed to start using advanced betting strategies. The free basketball betting tips in this section are specifically for people who have years of experience betting on the NCAA.
Find Underdog Opportunities
Every bettor has daydreamed about correctly picking a longshot underdog to win. But the fact of the matter is that underdogs do not win that often. Oddsmakers are very good at their jobs.
If you are an experienced enough bettor, though, you can learn to spot the right underdogs to pick. One popular way to do this is to look for trap games. Finding the right trap game to bet on can yield huge dividends.
A trap game is when a high-skilled team overlooks their current opponent and losses the game. This usually happens when the favorite has a big matchup coming up against another highly skilled team or a rival.
Finding these games requires a good nose on your part. You want to have a good idea of the pulse of the teams you’re betting on first. But the value is there if you smell a trap game and you catch the book sleeping on the opening line.
The same also holds true for underdogs who come out on top during the trap game. An emotional win can sometimes lead to a major letdown the next time a team takes the court.
Oddsmakers will sometimes overvalue the team during their next outing. Identifying these instances can be a great way to earn a profit.
Utilize Live Betting Odds
One of the fastest-growing betting markets in recent years is live betting. With these wagers, you can bet on NCAA basketball games as they unfold.
Incorporating live betting into your plan can take your college basketball betting strategy to new heights. You can wager on everything from the next basket to updated moneyline and point spread odds.
Bettors need to have a lot of self-control to take advantage of live betting. Otherwise, it is easy to lose track of the wagers you are making. That is why only advanced bettors should take advantage of this college basketball betting tip.
When done correctly, bettors can find a lot of value with live betting. These wagers allow you to cash in on second-half comebacks, historic moments, and more. Live betting is super convenient, too, if you are using a top-ranked sportsbook app.
Create Realistic Parlays
One of the most attractive betting markets is also one of the hardest to win consistently. Parlays allow NCAA fans to combine multiple bets into one wager.
Every bet in the parlay must be successful in order for you to win. If even one part of the parlay falls short, then the whole ticket loses.
In exchange for this risk, bettors receive improved payout odds. Many new bettors are lured in by the prospect of winning huge amounts of money from parlays.
Unfortunately, this almost always ends in disaster for these bettors. Finding or crafting winning parlays consistently takes a lot of skill. Only the most experienced and successful NCAA bettors can pull this off.
The key is to make sure that your parlay stays realistic. This usually means you are going to be betting on multiple favorites at once. While this is less exciting, you will still be thrilled when your parlay wins and you receive a sizeable payday.
Where to Find Free NCAA Basketball Betting Tips
The most successful college basketball betting strategies are flexible. This is because you need to adjust your NCAA betting strategy based on the latest information about the teams you are betting on.
It is extremely difficult to stay on top of all the latest news. Luckily, our NCAA basketball experts are here to help. Check out these resources from our betting experts to help you stay up to date on the latest NCAA news.
You can also find out more about picking the right strategy by reading this NCAA betting systems blog. It takes a closer look at four proven NCAA betting strategies that can help you win more often.
