You can seriously boost your potential profits by hunting out the best college basketball odds before placing bets. This guide helps you compare the NCAAB odds at the best online sportsbooks in the business.
We will also explain how to read college basketball odds and break down the most popular betting options. Read on to learn more about CBB odds.
Comparing 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Winner Odds
Gonzaga is the favorite to win next year’s National Championship. As you can see below, BetOnline will only go to +700 on the Zags, whereas XBet and MyBookie are offering +880. For that reason, BetOnline has some of the best college basketball odds on the teams further down the list, such as Duke and Arkansas.
| Team | BetOnline | Xbet | MyBookie | BetUS | Bovada | Sportsbetting.ag |
| Gonzaga | +700 | +880 | +880 | +850 | +800 | +700 |
| North Carolina | +800 | +1050 | +1050 | +850 | +1000 | +800 |
| Houston | +1100 | +950 | +950 | +1000 | +1000 | +1100 |
| Kansas | +1400 | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 | +1200 | +1400 |
| Kentucky | +1400 | +1250 | +1250 | +1200 | +1200 | +1400 |
| UCLA | +1400 | +1500 | +1500 | +1400 | +1600 | +1400 |
| Baylor | +1600 | +1825 | +1825 | +1600 | +1500 | +1600 |
| Duke | +1600 | +1275 | +1275 | +1400 | +1200 | +1600 |
| Arkansas | +1600 | +1425 | +1425 | +1400 | +1400 | +1600 |
| Creighton | +2000 | +2300 | +2300 | +2200 | +2200 | +2000 |
How Do College Basketball Odds Work?
College basketball odds tell you the profit you would earn if you placed a successful bet on a particular market. They also highlight the implied chance of a bet paying off. We have broken college basketball odds down in detail on this page.
Explaining NCAAB Odds
Sportsbooks release college basketball betting odds on a game after assessing the quality of each team. They release moneyline odds on which team will win, along with a point spread, a total points line, props and other betting options. Sports betting sites also release futures odds on markets such as the winner of the NCAA Tournament.
There is normally a favorite and an underdog in each game. As we will explain below, the college basketball odds allow you to see which team is favored and which team is the underdog.
The college basketball odds often change in the build-up to a game. For example, if a team loses a key player to injury in training, its chances of winning will be diminished. The college basketball odds will be changed to reflect that. Public sentiment can also cause odds to change, as the online sportsbooks adjust their lines to reflect strong betting patterns,
You may hear college hoops fans talk about Vegas odds on college basketball or Vegas odds on NCAA basketball. They are referring to the odds published by land-based sportsbooks in Las Vegas. They were prominent before the advent of online sports wagering, and they are still influential. Vegas odds are normally very similar to the online sportsbooks’ NCAAB odds.
How to Read College Basketball Lines
Online sportsbooks will present their college basketball odds in the American format. The odds begin with a minus sign or a plus sign. This is an example of an NCAAB moneyline:
- Kansas to beat North Carolina (-180)
- North Carolina to beat Kansas (+160)
If the odds begin with a minus symbol, the numbers highlight the amount you need to lay down to win $100. In this example, a $180 bet on Kansas would net you a $100 profit. You get your bet amount back if you win, resulting in a total return of $$280.
When the odds start with a plus, the numbers display the profit available from a successful $100 bet. For example, a bet on North Carolina at +160 would earn you a $100 profit, and a total return of $260.
You can bet any amount you like, within reason. For example, a $20 bet on the Jayhawks at -180 would win $11.11, whereas a $20 bet on North Carolina would net you $32.
The odds also explain the implied probability of each team winning. In the example above, Kansas is the favorite, with an implied probability of 64.3%. The Tar Heels are the underdogs, with an implied 38.5% chance of winning.
Types of College Basketball Odds Available
College basketball odds fall into four distinct groups – pre-game odds, in-play odds, futures odds, and multiples such as parlays. Read on to discover the key bet types within each of these college basketball odds categories.
Game Odds
The best gambling apps and sports betting websites provide dozens of pre-game markets on college basketball matchups. These are the main bet types:
Moneyline
A moneyline is a straight bet on the team that will win a college basketball game. The sportsbooks release moneyline college basketball odds on each team after weighing up their strengths and weaknesses.
The favorite will have shorter odds and deliver a smaller potential payout. Betting on the underdog may be viewed as riskier, as it is given a lower implied chance of success, but you will earn a greater reward by successfully betting on a dog.
Example:
| Team | Odds |
| Houston | -135 |
| Villanova | +115 |
Point Spread
We arrived at the most popular way to bet on a college basketball game. Sportsbooks give a handicap to the stronger college basketball team (the moneyline favorite). This results in a point spread. The college basketball bookies then offer similar odds on each team covering that spread.
In the example of NCAAB lines below, Duke is the 4.5-point favorite. A bet on Duke would require it to win by 5 or more points. Arkansas is the 4.5-point dog. A bet on the Razorbacks would pay out if they won the game or lost by up to 4 points.
Example:
| Team | Odds |
| Duke -4.5 | -110 |
| Arkansas +4.5 | -110 |
Total Points
This is another very popular college basketball bet. The sportsbooks release a total points line on a game. You can study the college basketball lines and bet “over” or “under”.
If you think the teams will combine for more points than the line, bet on over. If you think it will be relatively low-scoring, bet on under.
You do not need to specify which team will win, but some sportsbooks allow you to combine total points with a moneyline or point spread for a same game parlay. That results in longer cumulative college basketball odds, earning you a larger profit if successful.
Example:
| Team | Odds |
| Over 147.5 points | -110 |
| Under 147.5 points | -110 |
Prop Bets
The best offshore gambling sites provide some interesting prop bets on college basketball games. There are often game props, and you will find player props on big games too.
They do not focus on the result of the game. Prop bets narrow it down to a particular aspect of the game, giving you a “yes” or “no” proposition, or they focus on a player stat, such as points, rebounds, assists, blows, steals, field goals or three-point field goals.
Example:
| Team | Odds |
| Caleb Love to score over 17.5 points | -110 |
| Caleb Love to score under 17.5 points | -110 |
Futures Odds
Futures bets are long-term college basketball wagers. They run throughout the season, so they do not focus on the result of a single game.
The futures college basketball odds change as the season wears on. For example, if a team goes on a long winning streak, the odds on it winning the National Championship will shorten. If a team loses a bunch of games, you can expect its odds to drift out.
These are the most popular futures markets:
March Madness Winner
Sportsbooks release NCAA basketball odds on which team will win the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Tournament before the season begins. You can find a lot of value by placing bets early.
The odds will change throughout the season. They will then shift drastically during March Madness, as certain teams advance and others are eliminated. You can keep betting on this market right up until the National Championship Game takes place.
| Team | Odds |
| Gonzaga | +700 |
| North Carolina | +800 |
| Houston | +1100 |
Conference Winners
Some sportsbooks will allow you to bet on the team that will win each conference. Once again, these odds change throughout the season according to each team’s results and performance levels.
| Team | Odds |
| Purdue to win the Big Ten | +185 |
| Illinois to win the Big Ten | +380 |
| Iowa to win the Big Ten | +400 |
Regular Season Wins
Lots of sportsbooks accept preseason bets on the number of regular season wins each team will secure. They will set a total wins line, and you can bet on over or under.
| Team | Odds |
| Tennessee to win over 24.5 games | -110 |
| Tennessee to win under 24.5 games | -110 |
Parlay Odds
A college basketball parlay allows you to combine two or more picks into a single wager. The overall college basketball odds increase with each leg you add to your parlay.
For example, imagine you like three bets:
- Kansas -7.5 vs. Miami (-110)
- North Carolina -7.5 vs. Saint Peter’s (-110)
- Duke 4.5 vs. Arkansas (-110)
If you had $60 to spend, you could place a $20 straight bet on each team to cover. You would earn a $54.54 profit if they all succeeded.
An alternative would be to combine them for a three-team parlay. If you wagered $60 on that and they all covered, you would be paid a profit of $357.48. The profit on each correct prediction carries over to the next leg of the parlay. This creates a snowball effect, resulting in large payouts.
However, all three teams need to cover or the entire bet fails.
Live College Basketball Odds
You can bet on college basketball odds after a game has started at the best sportsbooks. They update the college basketball lines as the action develops. The lines change to reflect the score
For example, if a team starts out as the 5.5-point favorite and it is losing at the end of the first quarter, it might become the 1.5-point favorite. Live betting can offer great value, and it also allows you to soak up the game and then bet from a strong position.
How to Sign Up and Find the Best NCAAB Odds
You can place your first college basketball bets by signing up with our top-rated sportsbook, BetOnline, today. Just follow these steps:
- Click here to visit BetOnline and then click the “Join” button to the right of the homepage.
- Fill in the form with your name, email address, country, ZIP code, phone number and date of birth. Click “Create Account” to submit the form.
- Visit the cashier section. Choose your deposit amount and your preferred method, such as Bitcoin, an altcoin, a credit card or a P2P transfer.
- Type in INSIDERS as your promo code.
- Provide payment details and confirm the transaction. Your match deposit bonus funds will be released immediately.
- Click on the “Sports” option at the top of the page.
- Select “Basketball” on the menu and then choose “NCAAM” to see a list of games to bet on or “NCAAM Futures” to browse futures betting options.
Past College Basketball Champions’ Odds
UConn is the only huge long shot to win the NCAA Tournament in the past decade. However, the preseason favorite rarely wins, and you can find value by looking a little further down the list.
| Season | Champion | Preseason Odds | Losing Team | Score |
| 2022 | Kansas | +1400 | North Carolina | 72-69 |
| 2021 | Baylor | +800 | Gonzaga | 86-70 |
| 2020 | Canceled due to Covid-19 | — | — | — |
| 2019 | Virginia | +1350 | Texas Tech | 85-77 (OT) |
| 2018 | Villanova | +2700 | Michigan | 79-62 |
| 2017 | North Carolina | +1900 | Gonzaga | 71-65 |
| 2016 | Villanova | +2500 | North Carolina | 77-74 |
| 2015 | Duke | +900 | Wisconsin | 68-63 |
| 2014 | Connecticut | +6500 | Kentucky | 60-54 |
| 2013 | Louisville | +700 | Michigan | 82-76 |
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