College basketball is as much a wild card when it comes to betting as you're going to find in US sports. With nearly 350 teams, huge gaps in talent and point spreads that are often aggressive, NCAAB sets the stage for some seriously wild handicapping, totals markets and live wagering opportunities.
The odds of course are often very different from the NBA. College basketball lines tend to reflect the major mismatches, wide handicaps and some crazy scoring patterns.
Spread betting is absolutely dominating NCAAB markets.
Looking at our own internal data:
This goes a long way towards explaining why sportsbooks so often post point spreads in the double digits - like 8.5, 12.5 or even 17.5 - in games that are just a mismatch waiting to happen.
In college basketball betting, the moneyline price on heavy favorites can be pretty unattractive, which is part of the reason why so many people end up gravitating towards:
We all know that blowouts are a regular occurrence in college basketball - which is why the sport is structurally spread-oriented.
Totals betting is another key part of the NCAAB betting scene.
Looking at some data from OddsRun:
That's what we mean when we say that:
When you're live betting on totals, fast-paced games are where the action is.
Come game time, moneyline pricing is all over the map in college basketball.
In:
What does that mean for you? It's a high-risk, high-reward game when it comes to moneyline betting.
Favorites can be priced as low as 1.20 - which isn't a great play on its own, but can be a great addition to a parlay.
NCAAB isn't just about spreads and totals. There are lots of other ways to bet.
And let's not forget about the big-time programs like:
In those games, you can bet you'll see a lot of liquidity and fast-moving lines.
NCAAB is perfect for live betting because:
Live handicap and in-play totals markets are where you'll see the price adjustments.
And remember that in college basketball, it's not just who wins that matters - it's how the handicaps and total lines are set.