NCAA basketball betting game lines feature the three popular game odds as most other team sports: point spread, Over/Under and moneyline. There are games worth following every night from November to April. Futures bets – such as those on the NCAA Tournament – as well as live, in-game betting lines are also regularly available and highly popular.
Bookies.com has a constant feed from top U.S. online betting sites, offering live, up-to-date odds that are updated and refreshed all day up until the tip – and even post-tip with in-game odds. It shows which sportsbook offers the best odds for the side you want to take, and links to go directly to the sportsbook and place that bet. It’s truly a one-stop shop for smart college basketball betting fans.
How to Read College Basketball Odds
Point spread, moneyline and Over/Under offer differing strategies and numbers to consider for college basketball games. College basketball spreads even the odds for the favorite and the underdog in each matchup, offering points to the underdog right off the bat. If the Kentucky Wildcats are favored by 7.5 points over the Duke Blue Devils, the spread might look something like this:
- Kentucky -7.5 (-110)
- Duke +7.5 (-110)
The (-110) indicates the price sportsbooks charge for making a bet, known as the vig or juice. A juice of -110 is the most-common, which means for every $1.10 wagered, the bettor can win $1.
For moneyline bets, there are no points given, you simply need a straight-up victory to cash here. But as expected, with no spread, the favorite offers less potential payout than its underdog challenger. For example, if highly favored Duke was taking on the Virginia Cavaliers, the teams might be priced as such:
- Duke (-190) – you wager $190 to earn $100 profit on a Blue Devils win.
- Virginia (+220) – you wager $100 to win $220 on a Cavaliers straight-up victory.
An Over/Under is more straightforward: The oddsmakers project total points scored in a game, and you can back whether the final score finishes above or below that number. If a total is set at 145.5 points for a showdown between USC and Wake Forest but you believe it will be a defensive battle, you may be inclined to take the Under.
It is important to understand the payout potential before putting down any of your own money. The Bookies.com odds calculator instantly shows what you can expect to make on any winning bet.
It can be especially tricky playing parlays. Picking the Louisville Cardinals over the Virginia Cavaliers at +120 on a moneyline wager may be clear, but what if you want to make a two-game bet, adding the Texas Longhorns to cover the spread against the Duke Blue Devils, at -110? Parlays can be a way to place a low bet for a high payout, and this free parlay calculator is a quick resource for calculating odds and payouts.
How Are NCAA Basketball Odds Generated?
College basketball point spread, Over/Under and moneyline odds are generated and distributed by the top sportsbooks. Oddsmakers with years of experience analyze the matchup and create betting lines they hope will spur action on both sides. Most lines produced by the online sportsbooks shift from their starting points as a variety of factors can cause the odd to move.
How Often Do College Basketball Lines Change?
Men’s basketball lines move early and they move often, so it’s critical to stay on top of the action. Bookmark this page to keep up with latest game odds and find the best number for the side you want to back.
Odds often get pushed one way or the other based on which sides bettors like. They’re most likely to change soon after they’re released – professional bettors, especially, are ready to pounce on any line they feel is way off. You can check where the money is going on our college basketball consensus page.
Line changes also occur closer to tipoff, when players may be declared unavailable to play and the public money starts pouring in.
When Are NCAA Basketball Odds Released?
Odds for most college basketball games are available in the early morning hours of gameday. Some lines, however, are available the evening before.
Barring potential injury news, there is no surefire way to grasp which lines will come out when. That’s where this page comes in very handy. Bookmark it to ensure you see the odds for the top games from the most trusted sportsbooks as soon as they’re available.
RELATED: Bookmark our free college basketball picks, available all season long, including during the NCAA Tournament
NCAAB Tournament Odds
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is a major sporting event on the American calendar, captivating the nation for almost a month, earning the moniker March Madness. What begins as a 68-team bracket is whittled down through a single-elimination format that leaves brings the last four teams together for the national semifinals and national championship in early April.
Especially in the early rounds — 48 games are played over the tournament’s first extended weekend — wagering options are everywhere. Given how little time teams have to prepare compared to the regular season, upsets are common, and it’s far from unusual for a darkhorse to make it all the way to the Final Four, as Loyola of Chicago did in 2018.
Seeding in the NCAA Tournament isn’t always indicative of betting odds. The seeding of smaller-conference teams can often be negatively impacted by the overall quality of the league they play in; conversely, mediocre major-conference options might not be as strong as they look.
Think Wichita State, Nevada, Xavier or some of the other bracket-busting upstarts of recent years, and know the higher-seeded team isn’t always the best March Madness bet. In the first-round matchup of No. 8 vs. No. 9 seeds, the No. 9 has won seven of eight in the 2018 and 2019 tournaments, going 7-1 against the spread as well.
The tournament is also a target-rich environment for moneyline betting, given how often underdogs pull upsets and how profitable even a single-game bet on a Cinderella can be. And be careful of public money swinging the line more in favor of power teams; that cash often comes from fans betting out of loyalty, and sometimes it’s worth making the opposite play.
Sports Bets Made From NCAAB Odds
NCAA basketball odds offer a strong range of bets to be made, not just before a game, but during the game and even during the offseason.
Point Spread: The most popular is the point spread bet, which gives the underdog team additional points from the onset, giving each team equal odds to cover.
Over/Under: The Over/Under allows bettors to wager on the total amount of points scored in the game.
Moneyline: Moneyline bets are made on a team to win or lose with no spread, with underdogs offering a larger potential payout.
In-game wagering: Many sportsbooks offer live odds while the game is happening. Bettors can make plays while watching the action. If an underdog gets off to a solid start, for example, it might be a time to back the favorite either on the moneyline or against a smaller spread than what was offered pregame. Or that might be when to back the underdog hard – they’ve come to play today and are still getting favorable odds by the books.
NCAA Tournament futures, including which team will become the national champion or which advance to the Final Four are wildly popular and are often available throughout the college basketball season. But there are also odds for which teams win regular season conference titles as well as conference tournaments. Individual player awards odds are also available.
How the Latest College Basketball Odds Can Impact Your Betting Decision
NCAA basketball odds can change quickly when the pros find a line they like, and it can switch on a dime when a key injury is announced – often soon before tipoff. That’s why it’s critical to have the latest odds when placing a college basketball bet.
Make sure to keep the Bookies.com college hoops odds page at the ready to find the best odds at the best sites. There are bargains to be found; the trick is in finding them and timing it right when a line moves. Even a seemingly small difference between getting Michigan State at -3.5 versus -2.5 could be huge.
The same can be said for college basketball futures bets, which change all the time based on anything from injuries to how they’re playing in the moment. If the Wisconsin Badgers win five in a row, their futures odds are likely to drop down. If the Arizona Wildcats lose six straight, their odds will rise.
Finding the best odds can make you more money with minimal additional time invested. The Bookies’ odds page does the shopping for you. Having the Oregon Ducks at +700 to win the Pac-12 Tournament seems great – until you find the Ducks at +1000 on another site. That’s a $300 different in potential profit just by shopping around. And not only that, you can get terrific bonuses when you sign up with a recommended sportsbook!