CBB

March Madness are two of the best words in the sports dictionary and the only thing that can make that event even more exciting is betting on it. College basketball, in general, is one of the most exhilarating sports out there, so with sports betting growing by the day, the two are a match made in heaven.

Comparing online sportsbooks and their CBB betting markets

With the sheer number of teams at the D1 level in college basketball, there can be slates with 30+ games. For that reason, it is important for a bettor to ensure they are getting a good price or number on each game they are betting on. Since there can be nights that are loaded with games, the numbers for point spreads or point totals can be drastically different, which changes the value of each bet.

In a sport like college basketball, where free throws can be missed at an alarming rate, a half-point can make a big difference for a bettor. That said, we recommend always having multiple sports betting accounts in order to do daily line shopping. In general, we have found that over the past few seasons, BetMGM is a good place app to start with when looking to bet on point spreads, and FanDuel is a good product for point totals.

Now, for bettors who are always on the hunt for a good promotion, we’ve found that DraftKings, BetRivers, and ESPN Bet do a good job of providing existing customers with college basketball-related promos. These promos may be boosted odds for a big game in the SEC, or they could pertain to the NCAA Tournament.

CBB and Daily Fantasy Sports

If a college basketball fan happens to live in a state without legalized sports betting or just prefers daily fantasy sports contests, they are in luck as multiple DFS operators offer CBB contests. Now, before we get into those contests, it is important to mention that some states do not allow for college player props to be offered, which means even if DFS sites and apps operate in the state, markets for college sports are not available.

In states in which college player props are available, there are two primary DFS contests for college basketball. The first of the two involves creating a lineup for a given slate of games while using a salary cap. This contest has become a staple on the DraftKings DFS app, and the layout of the given product allows customers to filter each contest to their given needs.

The other contest is most commonly known as a Pick’em entry, as CBB fans will select the over or under on different stats for players, and the more picks they put into an entry, the higher their payout will be. These contests are very well done on both Underdog Fantasy and PrizePicks, as both products seem to constantly working on improving the CBB contests and markets offered.

What kind of bets can you place on College Basketball?

The amount of betting markets available for college basketball may not be as extensive as the NBA, but there is certainly still a wide variety for bettors to wager on. While markets may vary depending on the state a bettor is in, the three markets that are always available include point spread, point total, and moneyline bets. These three markets can be wagered on for the full game or for each individual half.

Other game-specific betting markets include team point totals for either the full game or each specific half. All of the aforementioned markets can also be bet on either before or during the game. With all of the momentum changes during a given college basketball game, live betting can be very advantageous for a bettor.

Aside from the four markets listed above, other live betting markets for college basketball include which team will make the next basket, the method of scoring for the next basket, and the result of a team's next possession. The availability of these markets varies depending on which sports betting app a customer happens to be using.

Player prop markets for college basketball are available for select games during the regular season and in most games during the postseason, whether that be during conference tournaments or the NCAA Tournament. While some bettors do not have access to these markets due to the state they reside in having a restriction on them, other bettors can get on different player's total for points, assists, rebounds, threes, and more, depending on the book.

Team Futures

While college basketball is one of the most bet-on sports in the country, especially during March, the futures markets for the sport are not as plentiful as other sports like college football or the NBA. Due to the fact that there are 351 teams at the D1 level, futures markets like win totals are not made available by sportsbooks, which means the three main futures markets are regular season conference winners, conference tournament winners, and the National Championship.

The National Championship market is generally always the first one that is released before each season, as sportsbooks will release their opening odds just minutes after the previous season ends. As for other futures markets, bettors may need to wait until a week before the season to place a wager on them.

Since the NCAA Tournament is such a large event, many sportsbooks will also release specific futures right before the event starts. These markets include betting the over/under on a team's seed in the tournament, how far a team will make it in the tournament (i.e., Elite 8 or Final 4), and the winner of each portion of the bracket.

National Championship Winner

After all of the chaos and excitement of the NCAA Tournament, a champion is crowned, and over the past two seasons, the UConn Huskies have been that team. There are plenty of talented teams each and every season, and now, with the transfer portal, teams can quickly reload for the next year.

Of course, at the end of the day, no matter how talented a team is, there is always a chance they get knocked off by a 12-seed in the NCAA Tournament, which is what makes college basketball great but also makes placing futures on a National Champion so complicated.

READ MORE: Odds to Win NCAA National Championship

Conference Champions

As previously stated, there are two ways that bettors can wager on conference champions. Prior to the season, CBB fans can place futures bets on teams to win the regular season title in their respective conference. Once the regular season wraps up, bettors can then place wagers on who will win the conference tournaments for all conferences, whether it be the SEC or A-SUN.