March Madness Odds Betting
March Madness only comes once a year, and everyone loves the excitement of the March Madness odds during the tournament and all the betting opportunities it brings. Still, the college basketball season has plenty of ways to wager on games.
How to Bet on College Basketball Games
The easiest way to bet on college basketball is by picking out a single game and making some wagers. NCAA basketball lines are set for every game across the country throughout the regular- and postseason, so you have plenty of options, even within each game.
Point Spread Betting Explained
There are two options for betting on which team will win the game. The first is the point spread set at BetUS Sportsbook for every game. The team expected to win is favored by a certain number of points, and they need to win by at least that many for you to get a bet that pays out.
Make sure to get your bets in before the opening tip.
Depending on the amount of mismatch in the game, it could be as small as a single point or, in some cases, as many as 25 to 30 points.
But if you’re confident that that team will win and “cover” or win by that many points, that’s the best way to go because it will give you better odds than if you bet on a straight-up win.
Taking the underdog will give you a chance to win if that team loses by fewer points than the point spread. A five-point underdog losing by one, two, three, or four points would deliver a winner.
Moneyline Betting: A Straightforward Option
Also, the moneyline sets college basketball odds for which team could win without a point spread involved. If you have San Francisco to upset Gonzaga and feel like you don’t need the help of a point spread, you can bet on the moneyline and get much better odds for the upset win.
Comparing Point Spread and Moneyline Odds
To show the difference in the odds on a moneyline bet compared to a point spread bet, let’s look at that San Francisco vs Gonzaga game a little closer. Let’s say Gonzaga is favored by 5½ points. If you bet on San Francisco getting those 5½ points added to its score, you’d likely get -110 odds.
But, if you bet on San Francisco on the moneyline, which doesn’t get any points, meaning a straight-up win is required, you could have odds like +180. That’s certainly a better payout if you believe San Francisco will win outright.
Betting The Totals
There are other ways to bet on the game from a team standpoint. Let’s say you think Michigan State vs Illinois will be a high-scoring game, but you’re not sure which team will win. You can bet the total.
A total bet – or over/under – is taking the total number of points that will be scored in the game as set by the sportsbook and make your bet on whether the actual point total will be over or under that predicted number.
Michigan State and Illinois may have a total set at 165½, but you think it will be more of a defensive struggle. You can bet the under and cheer on the defense throughout the contest, hoping for a final score that adds up to 165 points or less.
You’ll usually get identical odds for either the over or under bet, but sometimes, the odds can vary slightly depending on how the betting has gone on the game thus far.
There are also total bets that you can make for each team, as well as for the first or second halves. If you think the Illini will start fast offensively, you can bet the over on their set first-half total.
There are a multitude of college basketball bets you can make on the totals, with BetUS Sportsbook providing all that you could ask for.
