NCAAB

There are more than 350 Division I college basketball teams that play in 32 NCAA conferences. The goal is simple: Win enough games to earn a chance at an NCAA college basketball national championship by being selected to play in the NCAA Tournament. Donned March Madness by those who follow the action, the NCAA Tournament is one of the top collegiate sporting events in the US.

With so many teams playing so many games, there are numerous chances for sharp bettors to make smart plays on college basketball betting markets. Every team plays around 30 games during the regular season and then heads to the conference tournament, a single-elimination showcase of NCAA basketball. The best teams go on from there to the postseason where the NCAA Tournament leads the field followed by the rest of the best heading to other tournaments such as the NIT.

Knowing how to bet on college basketball starts with the fundamentals. Just as a college basketball player needs to have the basics of shooting, dribbling and passing down, so does a college basketball bettor have to understand the point spread, the moneyline and the over/under.

Point Spread

The point spread is a popular option in college basketball because the format allows more bets to be placed on the underdog. The point spread indicates the number of points the favored team must win by in order for bets to pay out. It also shows how many points the underdog can lose by and still pay out for winning bets.

Bookmakers like Unibet NJ offer point spread bets on high scoring sports like college basketball because it invites more betting action. In essence, point spreads handicap bettors who back the favorite and gives benefit to those backing the underdog.

When looking at the point spread, the team with the minus symbol (-) is the favorite and has to win by more than that number of points. The team with the plus symbol (+) is the underdog and can do anything but lose by more than that same number. An example:

Duke -5.5 | Kentucky +5.5

Bets backing Duke pay out so long as Duke wins by more than 5.5 points. On the other hand, bets on Kentucky will still pay out even if they lose the game but do it by less than the point spread.

Moneyline

The moneyline features two numbers that determine profits for bets placed on each team to win outright. The favored team is noted by the negative number and is the dollar amount one wagers in order to win $100. The underdog is noted by the positive number and is the dollar amount wins from placing a $100 bet.

Duke -200 | Kentucky +125

To win $100 on Duke, a bet of $200 must be placed backing them. On the other hand, a $100 bet on Kentucky returns $125 in winnings if Kentucky wins.

Over/Under

The over/under (sometimes referred to as O/U, over-under or totals) is usually a bet placed on the total number of points scored by both teams. An O/U bet doesn’t have anything to do with who wins the game. Instead, the O/U is about the total number of points scored by both teams and whether that number is over (i.e. higher than) the O/U number or under it (i.e. lower).

Duke vs. Kentucky | O/U 161.5

A 161.5 O/U for Duke vs Kentucky pays out on the over if the total number of points scored by both teams is more than 161.5 (example: Duke 85, Kentucky 83). The under pays out if the teams score a combined total less than 161.5 (example: Duke 76, Kentucky 70.

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Sportsbooks offer a wide variety of college basketball betting action. With so many games played over the course of a season, there are plenty of games to bet on as well as a wealth of futures and prop bets.

Popular bets on college basketball futures include picking the national champion and winners of the difference conferences. Because seasons are so long and so much can happen, there are many different teams with long odds early in the season that can pay huge dividends if the right futures bet is placed.