Home Betting The Latest College Basketball Odds – Compare the Best NCAAB Odds & Lines
Jackson Holland

The best sportsbooks provide competitive college basketball odds on hundreds of games throughout the season. Betting on NCAAB helps you dial up the excitement experienced when watching your favorite teams in action. You can also cash in on your expertise.

However, first you need to learn how to read college basketball odds. This guide will break down the different NCAAB betting options, teach you how to read NCAAB lines and explain how to calculate the profits available on each wager. We will also highlight the best sportsbooks for college basketball odds and the most lucrative bonus offers.

Comparing 2022/23 NCAA Basketball Championship Winner Odds

Gonzaga is the favorite to emerge victorious at March Madness in 2023. The Bulldogs were runners-up in 2021, falling agonizingly short of a perfect season, but they were eliminated in the Sweet 16 in 2022. They face competition from UNC, Houston, reigning champion KU, Kentucky and lots of other elite teams.

Team BetOnline BetUS Bovada Sportsbetting.ag
Gonzaga +700 +850 +800 +700
North Carolina  +750 +850 +1000 +750
Houston +1100 +1000 +850 +1100
Kansas +1400 +1200 +1400 +1400
Kentucky +1400 +1200 +1200 +1400
UCLA +1400 +1400 +1600 +1400
Baylor +1600 +1600 +1400 +1600
Duke +1600 +1400 +1400 +1600
Arkansas +1600 +1400 +1400 +1600
Creighton +1800 +2000 +2200 +1800

MyBookie and XBet will release college basketball odds on the NCAA Tournament closer to the start of the season

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How do College Basketball Odds Work?

College basketball odds explain the profit you would earn if you placed a successful wager on a particular market. They also tell you the implied probability of the bet winning.

Explaining NCAAB Odds

Sportsbooks release NCAAB odds on individual games and on futures markets, such as the winner of a particular conference. They will assess the strengths and the weaknesses of each team and release college basketball betting odds accordingly.

If you are betting on a game, there is normally a favorite and an underdog. The sportsbooks will release moneyline odds on either team winning, and they will also hand the favorite a handicap, which allows them to create a point spread. They release NCAAB odds on total points, props and various other markets too.

The NCAAB odds can change. For example, if news breaks of a key player suffering an injury, the sportsbooks will adjust their odds to reflect his absence. If one team proves very popular with bettors, sportsbooks usually react by offering less attractive odds on them and more appealing odds on the other team. That helps them spread their risk out.

How to Read NCAAB Lines

NCAAB odds are always shown in the American format at the best sportsbooks. That means they will either begin with a minus or a plus sign. This is an example of a college basketball moneyline:

  • Houston to beat Arizona (-125)
  • Arizona to beat Houston (+115)

If college basketball odds start with a minus symbol, the subsequent numbers tell you the amount you need to risk to win $100. In this example, you would have to risk $125 on Houston to earn $100 in profit.

When the college basketball odds start with a plus, the next numbers highlight the winnings available if you placed a successful $100 bet. In this example, a $100 bet on Houston would net you a $115 profit.

The numbers are a guide. You can bet any amount you like. For example, a $10 bet on Houston would earn an $8 profit, whereas a $10 bet on Arizona would earn an $11.50 profit. The smaller profit available on Houston explains that it is the favorite, with a higher implied probability of winning the game.College Basketball Betting Odds

College Basketball Betting Options

College basketball odds are available on thousands of markets each year. They fall into four broad betting categories: pre-game college basketball odds, in-play NCAAB odds, futures betting odds, and multiples such as parlays, teasers, round robins and if bets. Read on to learn more about your wagering options.

Game Odds

The top sportsbooks provide pre-game college basketball odds on dozens of different wagering options. These are the main bet types for you to consider:

Moneyline

A moneyline bet is a straight wager on which team will win a game. It includes overtime if necessary. The NCAAB betting sites weigh up the qualities of the competing teams, focusing on defensive and offensive capabilities, results, head-to-heads, fitness, injuries and so on. They then release moneyline odds on either team winning.

In the hypothetical example below, Duke is the favorite in the college basketball odds. A moneyline of -145 gives a 59.2% implied chance of success. NCAAB odds of +125 on Baylor give it an implied 44.4% chance of winning the game.

Example: 

Team Odds
Duke -145
Baylor +125

Point Spread

A point spread arises after the sportsbooks give the moneyline favorite a handicap. That allows them to provide similar odds on either team covering the spread.

In the example below, you could bet on Villanova -4.5, which means the Wildcats would need to win by at least 5 points. Alternatively, you could wager on Arkansas +4.5, meaning the Razorbacks could win the game or lose by up to 4 points.

Example: 

Team Odds
Villanova -4.5 -110
Arkansas +4.5 -110

Purdue/su_table]

Total Points

This is a simple bet on how many points both teams will score in a game. The sportsbooks set a total points line, and you can bet “over” or “under”.

In this example, you would bet “under” if you expect no more than 141 points and “over” if you anticipate at least 142 points. The points scored by each team will be added together to arrive at the result.

There will be alternate total points lines too, along with alternate point spreads. You can also bet on team total points, or the total points in either half.

Example: 

Team Odds
Over 141.5 points -110
Under 141.5 points -110

Prop Bets

Prop bets focus on the chances of an event taking place within the game. For example, you could bet on the number of points, rebounds, assists or blocks a player will deliver. They are examples of player props.

There are also game props, such as whether overtime will be needed or the highest scoring half, and team props, such as the first team to reach 20 points. Prop bets are not tied to the result of an NCAAB game.

Example: 

Team Odds
Armando Bacot to score over 16.5 points -110
Armando Bacot to score under 16.5 points -110

Futures Odds

Sportsbooks release futures college basketball odds on long-term markets that run over the course of a season. They do not depend on the result of a single game. These are the most common NCAAB odds for futures bettors:

NCAA Tournament Winner

2 (100)

Team Odds
Gonzaga +700
North Carolina +750
Houston +1100

BetOnline NCAAB

Conference Champions

Some sportsbooks allow you to bet on which teams will win specific conferences. They normally focus on the Power 5 conferences. As is the case with the NCAA basketball championship odds, the odds on the conference champion will change throughout the season depending on how well the teams are playing.

Team Odds
Kansas to win the Big 12 +195
Baylor to win the Big Ten +400
Texas Tech to win the Big Ten +450

Regular Season Wins

This is a straightforward bet on the number of wins a college basketball team will secure in the regular season. The sportsbooks set a line and offer similar NCAAB odds on “over” and “under”. You can place your bet according to how strong you think the team will be.

Team Odds
Virginia to win over 22.5 games -110
Virginia to win under 22.5 games -110

Parlay Betting Odds

Parlays allow you to combine two or more picks for a single bet. The more picks you add, the larger the potential profit. For example, imagine you like four bets:

  • Villanova -4.5 vs. Michigan (-110)
  • UCLA vs. UNC – Under 143.5 Points (-110)
  • Miami to Beat Iowa State (-145)
  • Duke +1.5 vs. Texas Tech (-110)

If you had $100 to play with, you could divide it up and place a $25 bet on each of those picks. If they all paid off, you would earn a profit of $85.42. However, if you rolled them into a four-leg parlay and spent $100 on it, you would be paid out a profit of $1,075.65.

That is down to the compounding nature of parlays. The profit you earn from a correct pick will carry over to the next leg of the parlay. The profit snowballs, earning you a large overall payout. However, if one leg lets you down, the bet fails, so it is a risky option. Alternatives include round robins, teasers, pleasers, reverse bets and if bets.

Live College Basketball Odds

Most sportsbooks continue offering live college basketball betting odds after the game has started. You can watch the game, get a sense of how well each team is shaping up and then bet on markets like the point spread, totals, the moneyline and props in-play.

Some sites will allow you to watch the game live on the platform while choosing your live betting options. They also provide stats to help you make your picks.

Sign Up with a Sportsbook and Claim the Best NCAAB Odds

It is quick and easy to sign up with BetOnline, our No. 1 site for college basketball odds. Just follow the steps laid out below:

  1. You can click here to visit the BetOnline homepage. Hit the “Join” button to open the registration form.
  2. Type in some basic personal and contact information and then hit “Create Account” to proceed.
  3. After entering your information, submit the form and then click a link sent to your inbox to verify your email address.
  4. Select the green “Cashier” option to fund your account. Choose a deposit amount and method, enter your details and complete the transaction.
  5. When depositing for the first time, use a promo code to claim BetOnline’s new player welcome bonus, which can earn you up to $1,000 in site credit.
  6. Click “Sports” on the main menu and then select “Basketball”.
  7. Hit the “NCAAM Futures” option for college basketball championship odds, or check out the lines on an individual game.

Past College Basketball Champions’ Odds

The Jayhawks were among the preseason favorites to win the NCAA basketball championship last year. The chart shows you that UConn is the only heavy underdog to emerge triumphant over the past decade:

Season Champion Preseason Odds Runner-Up Result
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

The Best Sportsbooks for College Basketball Odds

Our experts have identified the best college basketball betting sites that accept players from across the United States. These sportsbooks offer generous college basketball betting odds, large bonuses and promotions, excellent security measures and reliable payouts. Choose one of these sites and browse the NCAAB odds on display:

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College Basketball Odds FAQs

How do I read college basketball odds?

What does -2.5 mean in college basketball?

Who is favored to win the NCAA basketball championship in 2023?

How good are college basketball odds of +200?

Jackson Holland

Jackson Holland

Jackson Holland is an experienced sports writer and handicapper based in Pennsylvania. He worked part-time at a racetrack and casino while majoring in English Literature at college, and that inspired a passion for gambling. Holland spent a decade as a journalist working for several regional newspapers before joining the sports betting industry. He writes long-form betting guides for a variety of leading websites.