NCAA Basketball Betting

The number of athletes who compete every year in top-level sport organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association is about half a million.

Basketball is one of the biggest college sports enjoyed by fans in the United States and Canada. There are a host of online NCAA betting opportunities that help to bring spectators closer to the action.

In this guide we’ll tell you:

• How betting on NCAA basketball works
• What NCAA basketball fans enjoy betting on
• How to get into live betting on NCAA basketball

An Introduction to NCAA Basketball

Basketball supporters who enjoy top-quality of play have a host of games to spark their interest each year.

1. NCAA Basketball - Fact 1 NCAA basketball features 353 schools playing in 32 Division I conferences
2. NCAA Basketball - Fact 2 There are also 24 Division II basketball conferences, with nearly 50 further conferences in Division III
3. NCAA Basketball - Fact 3 Unlike the NBA, where matches have four quarters, NCAA games are divided into two halves of 20 minutes
4. NCAA Basketball - Fact 4 The champion of each Division I conference qualifies for an annual tournament
5. NCAA Basketball - Fact 5 They are joined by 36 selected teams
6. NCAA Basketball - Fact 6 These 68 then compete in a single-elimination tournament, known as March Madness
7. NCAA Basketball - Fact 7 It takes place over three weeks, with the Final Four usually played on the first weekend in April

How NCAA Basketball Odds Work

Betting on NCAA basketball mirrors the way wagering takes place on the NBA and other head-to-head sports. This is a simple guide to how the odds work.

Take the example of a match between Duke and MI State. The odds, expressed as decimals, may read:

1.8

2.1

If you stake C$10 on Duke, the favourite, you get back C$18. If you put C$10 on Washington, the underdogs, your return is C$21.

You might see odds in other formats, such as fractional and moneyline (also known as American) odds.

However, most sportsbooks let you swap between systems to let you choose how you view prices. Try out our Odds Calculator to see how they compare.

NCAA Basketball Betting Options

• The point spread

  This is also known as handicap betting. A sportsbook sets a figure predicting by how many points one side will win, then gives you a 50-50 choice. You decide whether you think one side will win – or lose – by more than that margin.

• The moneyline

  This time there isn’t a handicap, simply a straight choice. Which team is going to win the match?

• Total points – over or under

  How many points do you think the teams will score in total? If you think it’ll be a higher-scoring match than the sportsbook, the overs are for you.

• Quarter bets

  Which side will score more points in the first quarter?

• Prop bets

  Proposition bets, to give them their full name, do not relate to the overall outcome. These are special markets on events within a game.

• To win the Conference

  You may have a strong hunch that one team is sure to win its conference. You can wager on this well in advance.

• To reach the latter stages

  This bet is for you if you reckon your selection can go deep in the tournament. Semi-finalists are called the Sweet Sixteen, finalists the Elite Eight.

• To win the NCAA National Championship

  Perhaps you have a very strong fancy for the overall winner of March Madness. The earlier you put money on it, the better the odds should be.

What is NCAA basketball Live Betting?

• These days you can wager after the game has started
• Sportsbooks will offer odds that fluctuate according to the way the action unfolds
• You may bet on markets such as who wins the next quarter
• You can still wager on the overall outcome of the match
• Bettors enjoy trying to outsmart sportsbooks as the match goes on

Brief NCAA Basketball Timeline

• 1891 Basketball is invented at Springfield College, Massachusetts
• 1906 The NCAA, established four years earlier, takes its new name
• 1921 The first NCAA national championship, in track and field, is held
• 1939 Oregon wins the first NCAA national basketball championship
• 1966 The all-black Texas Western basketball team face an all-white Kentucky line-up – a landmark in the civil rights movement
• 1973 Members are divided into three divisions – I, II and III
• 1975 UCLA wins the basketball title for the 10th time in 12 years
• 1980 Mike Krzyzewski takes over as head coach as Duke, where he wins five national titles
• 1992 Christian Laettner completes his record haul of 407 points from 23 NCAA tournament games
• 1997 The NCAA moves to its current HQ in Indianapolis – it now awards 90 national championships each year
• 2011 For the first time, a total of 68 teams take part in March Madness
• 2018 UMBC springs the biggest shock in the event’s history by beating top seed Virginia 75-54.

Recent NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions

• 2019 Virginia
• 2018 Villanova
• 2017 North Carolina
• 2016 Villanova
• 2015 Duke
• 2014 Connecticut
• 2013 Louisville
• 2012 Kentucky
• 2011 Connecticut
• 2010 Duke

Conclusion

Betting on NCAA basketball is hugely popular in Canada. Given widespread cellphone ownership, and the innovation of sportsbooks, it has never been easier to bet on.

To find out everything you might ever need to know about basketball betting in Canada, check out our home page.