College basketball betting guide: How to bet on college basketball in 2025

College basketball betting is not a new phenomenon, but it has become increasingly popular in recent years with the legalization of online sports betting in many states.

Best college basketball betting sites

With 363 Division I teams, there are plenty of opportunities to bet on college basketball nearly every night from November through the national championship in April. This guide features all that bettors need to know before placing wagers at their chosen college basketball betting app.

Comparing the best college basketball sportsbook promos

These are some of the best college basketball sportsbooks that are offering the most enticing welcome bonuses. Grabbing as many sportsbook promos as you can is advisable in order to maximize your bankroll as you get your betting journey going.

Sports betting welcome promo codes come in a variety of structures. Two of the more common ones include "bet and gets" and "first bet offers." With a bet and get, you can secure a significant amount of bonus bets with the placement of an initial wager (sometimes as low as $5). Certain "bet and gets" require the user to win their first bet, so be sure to pay close attention to the terms of the specific offer.

A first bet offer is essentially a safety net in case your first bet loses. Up to a certain amount, you can get your stake back in bonus bets if your first bet doesn't win with this type of promo structure.

Check out our guide to the best sports betting apps for more information on choosing the sportsbook(s) that best suit your needs.

Betting on a college basketball game

Once a user logs into their sportsbook of choice and heads to the college basketball section, they will see a list of games that are occurring that day. The first types of bets they will likely encounter for each game are the point spread, money line, and total.

College basketball spread betting

By definition, the spread is the predicted difference in the final score in a game between two teams. When looking at a spread wager, the team that has a negative number assigned to it would be the favorite.

For example, if the Houston Cougars have a -6.5 spread, they would be required to win the game by at least five points in order for a bettor who backs the Cougars to win that wager. On the other hand, if the Baylor Bears are +6.5 in that same game, Bears bettors would need to win the game outright or lose by four or fewer points in order for the bet to be considered a win.

College basketball money line betting

The money line is also a very common bet type when it comes to college basketball betting. In this scenario, users are simply betting on the team that they think is going to win. A team that possesses negative odds would traditionally be viewed as the favorite when it comes to a specific game. Meanwhile, a team that has positive odds would be considered the underdog. 

Now, there are instances in which a game is a pick 'em (too close to call) or both teams are viewed as having an equal chance of winning. In that scenario, both teams might have -110 money line odds. As long as the team a user bets on wins, then it would be considered a winning bet.

College basketball over/under betting

The total represents the combined number of points that are expected to be scored in a game. Essentially, a user would be betting on whether they believe that the combined point total between two schools will go over or under the projected point total.

For example, if the total for the Auburn Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide is set at 155.5, you would need the two teams to combine to score at least 156 points if you're betting the Over on that game. A bet on the Under in this case would win if 155 points or fewer are scored.

College basketball parlay betting

A parlay is a type of bet in which a user places two or more wagers that exist together on the same bet slip in order to create a larger bet that includes a larger payout. In order for a parlay to be a winning bet, all of the selections of the parlay must be graded as winners. Sportsbooks will often award profit boosts on a parlay for bettors if they add more legs to their play. Usually, those kinds of promotions require at least three or four legs at a minimum in order to take advantage of a profit boost.

Parlays do offer increased odds for the bet, but there's also more variance involved in placing this type of wager. The more legs that a bettor puts on their parlay, there is an increased chance that the bet could lose.

• A traditional parlay, such as Florida -2.5 (-112) and Houston/Duke Under 136.5 (-110), would have +261 odds.
• A same-game parlay, such as Auburn money line (+128) and Florida first half spread -1.5 (-116), would have odds around +560. The exact formula for SGP odds varies based on the sportsbook and is not publicly available.

The payout on a parlay can be very enticing, as it pays out more than betting each leg individually. However, parlays are much more difficult to win. Even if a user is placing a two- or three-leg parlay on a sports betting app, that still requires multiple outcomes to come true in order for the wager to be categorized as a win.

College basketball futures betting

As is the case with many sports, bettors can place college basketball future bets on several different categories. Bettors can place wagers on anything from which team will win the national championships to individual award winners to whether a certain team will qualify for the tournament in March.

Some of the more popular college basketball futures include:

• National champion: Betting on which team you think will win the national championship in a given season.
• Conference winners: A bettor can place a bet on which team they think will win their respective conference.
• Player of the Year: A bettor can place a wager on which player they believe will be named the Naismith Men's Player of the Year at the conclusion of the season.

• Win totals: Bettors can wager on whether a certain team will win over a certain number of games in a season. For example, a user can bet on Wisconsin to record Over 25.5 wins in a season.
• To make the tournament: Bettors can wager on a team that they think will earn a bid into the college basketball tournament in March.

These are the teams with the shortest odds to cut down the nets and win the 2026 national title, via DraftKings Sportsbook (as of August 10, 2025):

• Purdue (+900)
• Houston (+1000)
• Duke (+1200)
• Connecticut (+1400)
• Michigan (+1500)
• Florida (+1600)
• BYU (+1700)
• St. John's (+1700)
• Kentucky (+1800)

College basketball prop betting

Prop bets have surged in popularity, and sportsbooks (in states where legal) now offer a wide range of college basketball props for most games. These include team props (bets on how a team performs as a whole) and player props, which focus on individual player stats like points, rebounds, or assists.

However, it's worth noting that college basketball prop betting is subject to varying regulations depending on the state. Due to concerns around athlete welfare and game integrity, some states restrict or prohibit player props in college sports. 

States that permit college basketball prop betting

Here is a list of legal betting states that allow college basketball prop betting.

At most of the larger online sportsbooks, you can bet on the following prop bets:

• Team props, such as Houston to score Over 62.5 points (-110).
• Overtime props, such as will there be overtime in Duke/North Carolina (+15000 for yes & -3500 for no).
• Race to "X" points props, where you select which team will score a given number of points first. You'll have the opportunity to select which team will score anywhere from 10 to 40 points first and will be graded out as soon as the result materializes.

College basketball live betting

On the majority of occasions, bettors will place their wagers before a college basketball game gets underway. However, many major sports betting apps offer opportunities to take advantage of betting on the game live. That means that a user is betting on an NCAA basketball game after it has already begun.

For example, maybe the Michigan Wolverines are favored against the Indiana Hoosiers, but Michigan gets off to a slow start in the opening half. Perhaps a bettor logs onto a sports betting app and believes that the Wolverines can still win the game even if they're trailing on the scoreboard. As the game moves along, the live spread, money line and many other odds are updated constantly. A bettor can then decide to wager on a current number while the game is ongoing.

Some of the live betting markets generally available at college basketball sportsbooks include the point spread, money line, total, "next team to score", team totals, winning margin and halftime/quarter markets.

Tips and advice for betting on college basketball

While a large percentage of the betting population gets into college basketball betting in March for conference tournaments and the national tournament, betting on NCAA basketball is available starting in November. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when betting on college hoops.

Shop for the best line

This piece of advice really goes for betting on any sport, but it is no less important in college basketball betting. A point on the total here, or more favorable odds on the money line there, can make a big difference over the long run. In some cases, it can make the difference between winning and losing your bet.

Don't ignore smaller schools

Power conferences get the most attention, but betting edges are often found in mid-majors, where lines may be softer. Advanced stats are available for every Division 1 team, so be sure to do your research.

Additionally, premium tools are available, such as SportsLine, which uses advanced models and expert handicapping to make predictions for college basketball games. Tools like SportsLine certainly don't ignore mid-majors, and neither should bettors.

Monitor injuries and suspensions

Because college teams often don't have as much depth as pro teams, losing even one key piece can swing a line. Sure, oddsmakers are privy to this information as well, but you want to have the most up-to-date information when placing college basketball bets.

One way to stay up to date is to follow college basketball insiders on social media. The larger schools mostly have dedicated beat writers, and even the smaller ones have key information leak onto platforms like X, where those with their finger on the pulse will put out key injury or suspension information before games tip off.