Sports
College Basketball Betting
Betting on college basketball is an enjoyable way to add more excitement to the game of basketball. Whether you want to see a top-tier program compete against another highly rated program or you want to witness an underdog team win an exciting game, knowing how to bet on different types of wagers will make your experience so much more fun. The three types of wagers (point spread, moneyline, and total) create very unique experiences in the way you bet, so understanding each will help you be a successful bettor.
If you are new to betting on college basketball or simply want to enhance your current knowledge of how to bet, understanding the fundamental aspects of each system will help you become a wiser and more confident bettor in the future.
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Best College Basketball Betting Sites
Best basketball betting sites in Nigeria — 8 books from our Nigerian pool, ranked on the offer we can verify.
How we rate- 1
Editor’s pickMelbetNLRC (Nigeria)Welcome offer200% up to ₦320,000Basketball marketsNLRC licensed- Market
- Basketball odds live
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- ₦455
- Wallet payout
- 24 h
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- 2
Welcome offer300% up to ₦600,000Basketball marketsNLRC licensed- Market
- Basketball odds live
- Min deposit
- ₦1,700
- Wallet payout
- 24 h
- Apps
- Android · iOS
- 3
Welcome offer100% up to ₦188,745Basketball markets- Market
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- ₦1,542
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- 24 h
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- 4
Welcome offer150% up to ₦242,240Basketball markets- Market
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- 24 h
- Apps
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- 5
Welcome offer100% up to ₦180,000Basketball markets- Market
- Basketball odds live
- Min deposit
- ₦1,500
- Wallet payout
- 1 h
- Apps
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- Market
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- Min deposit
- ₦9,100
- Wallet payout
- 7 days
- Apps
- Android · iOS
- 7
888StarzCuraçaoWelcome offer100% up to ₦140,000Up to ₦560,000 over four depositsBasketball markets- Market
- Basketball odds live
- Min deposit
- ₦1,400
- Wallet payout
- 1 h
- Online since
- 2020
- 8
Welcome offerUp to ₦100,000 a day10% of daily stakes back as free bets, up to ₦100,000 a day for 7 daysBasketball marketsNLRC licensed- Market
- Basketball odds live
- Min deposit
- ₦1,000
- Wallet payout
- 24 h
- Apps
- Android · iOS
Bonus amounts, minimum deposits and payout windows come from the operators’ Nigerian pages and change without notice — read the offer terms before you deposit. 18+ only, and betting is not a way to pay bills: how to stop when it stops being fun.
Point spread
Also known as the line or spread, college basketball point spread betting is one of the most exciting ways to bet on a game. Not a big surprise, since the sport is so exciting even without the betting aspect. A negative point spread value (-25.5) means that team is favored by 25.5 points. On the other hand, a positive value such as +25.5 indicates its opponent is an underdog of 25.5 points.
Betting on that favorite means the team must win by at least 26 points to cover the NCAA basketball point spread. The underdog team is able to lose by 25 points and still cover the spread. When you see a moneyline component linked with the spread, such as -25.5 (-115), it indicates how much you risk in order to place the wager. This commission is also known as the vig or juice, and means you will need to risk more than win. The underdog may see a value such as +25.5 (+105).
Moneyline
College basketball moneylines have become more popular at online sportsbooks in recent years as more shops offered this option for betting on NCAA action. As with other moneyline wagering, the team does not have to win by a certain number of points – it just needs to win the game.
Without a spread to change the risk, however, you need to risk more to pick the favorite. The negative value means a favorite (-300) and the positive value indicates the underdog (+240). Picture the number 100 sitting in the middle of these two values. For example, if you want to bet on the -300 favorite, you would risk 300 NGN in order to profit 100 NGN. On the +240 underdog above, you risk 100 NGN and win 240 NGN if the underdog wins. It’s a simple way to ensure a risk-reward scenario for the bettor and the sportsbook and a fair betting field.
Total or Over/Under
Also called OVER/UNDER betting, a college basketball total is a number set by oddsmakers that they think will be the number of points that will be scored in the game by both teams combined. So if the “total” is 166.5, you can bet UNDER the total if you think 166 or fewer points will be scored and OVER if you think 167 or more will be scored.
Futures
Who will cut down the nets at the end of March Madness and win the next college basketball national championship? Oddsmakers offer future lines on almost every team during the season. A futures bet is essentially a wager on the outcome of an event that is awhile away. A top-five ranked basketball team may have +700 odds while a lousy team may be at +50000.
Currently, our bookmakers offers March Madness futures but will be adding other fun college basketball future odds in the near future so stay tuned.
Conclusion
When betting on college basketball, you will want to concentrate on value, to protect yourself from risk and to become familiar with how to read odds. A point spread is designed to create a fair and balanced matchup for bettors, while a money-line bet will only assess the winning or losing outcome for a particular game.
Betting on a total will allow the bettor to see how much the two teams expect to score throughout the game. Betting on college basketball via futures will give the bettor excitement over a long period of time throughout the entire season because they have placed their bets well in advance of an event taking place. By becoming educated about each betting option, you will have an increased chance of making the right bet, as opposed to guessing about what to bet on.
No matter what the betting option may be, don't forget the importance of having a precise plan and the discipline to carry it out when betting; this helps ensure that your overall experience as a bettor will be both a positive and a sustainable experience!
FAQ
What is a point spread in college basketball?
In college basketball betting, sportsbooks establish a point spread to even the playing field between two teams. If there's a talent gap between the teams, the sportsbooks consider the favorite (the team most likely to win) and determine the magnitude of this difference to set the point spread. The favorite must win by that number of points or more to cover the spread; on the other hand, the underdog can either cover it or win. The idea is to ensure both teams are on a level playing field, so betting on a team depends on whether or not they cover the point spread.
What does it mean to “cover the spread”?
If you bet on your team to cover the handicap, it means they meet or exceed the handicap requirements to win your bet. For example, a favorite with a -10 handicap would win if they win by 11 points or more; in this case, the point difference your team needs to win is 11 or more. An underdog with a +10 handicap can win your bet if they lose by 9 points or less, depending on the handicap you've set.