Expert College Basketball picks and predictions from SportsLine.com. NCAA Basketball betting can be found at nearly every offshore sportsbook throughout the world and in most cases, they will offer you several different types of wagers to bet on. In this article, we will cover the basics of college basketball betting and show you what to look for when searching for college basketball gambling websites, as well.

The 2020-21 NCAA basketball season is well underway with 351 Division 1 teams vying to land one of the coveted 68 spots in the annual tournament. NCAA college basketball games are available every day for betting, as are a selection of NCAA basketball futures bets that could pay off along the way. Below you’ll find betting college basketball odds for today’s games, along with advice on how to how to pick a winner.

Opening Line College Basketball

College basketball odds for March 11, 2021

The latest college basketball odds from the top US sportsbooks.

Things to watch this week

1. A loaded Big Ten: The field in the Big Ten tournament is one of the deepest fields in the country. It’s led by #2 Michigan, #4 Illinois, and #5 Iowa; with ranked Purdue, Ohio State, and Wisconsin cleaning up the group. Don’t overlook Michigan State, who has largely struggled this year– the Spartans finished the season with huge wins over Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan.

2. Race for the Big 12: Similar to the Big Ten, the Big 12 has a ridiculously loaded field this year. Seven out of the ten teams are ranked and only two teams (Kansas State, Iowa State) are more than a game below 0.500. Baylor has dominated the conference all season long, though Kansas proved that the Bears aren’t untouchable. Even six-seed Texas Tech is capable of making a tournament run, as is seven-seed Oklahoma. Anything can happen this week.

3. SEC contenders or pretenders? Both Alabama and Arkansas came out of seemingly nowhere this season behind offensive barrages. The Tide ride voluminous and efficient three-point shooting while the Razorbacks use up-tempo, high-probability shooting to bury their opponents. However, neither team has a recent track record of success in the NCAA Tournament, making these two teams worthy of keeping an eye on.

4. The field shapes out: There’s tons of autobids up for grabs and hopes for struggling teams to sneak into the NCAA Tournament are very much alive. For Blue Bloods like UNC, Duke, and Kentucky, they have to secure their conference’s autobid by winning the conference tournaments. Other conferences will produce champions that are hopeful to be the nation’s next Cinderella team.

NCAA basketball futures 2021

With the college basketball betting season underway, it’s a great time to be speculative and look for a price in the futures betting market.

The prices on the top teams will become “shorter” as the core of the conference schedule gets underway, and teams establish their performance and form.

So, if you really like one of the traditional public favorites, their current national title odds may not be around for that long.

It’s also a great time to shop around for a school that you feel is being overlooked or underpriced in the market.

In 2019, a bettor had a belief in Texas Tech with futures bets placed in November 2018 at 200-1 and 125-1 and watched the Red Raiders make a great postseason run, only to lose in the national championship in overtime to Virginia.

Looking at where there may be some value, here’s how online sportsbooks have priced their national title contenders currently:

Why bet NCAA basketball online

The experience of betting college basketball online via a top US sports betting site or sportsbook is much more convenient than a retail sportsbook. From a betting perspective, there are three advantages of betting online versus waiting in the teller line at a retail sportsbook:

  1. Open 24/7: Once the game’s odds have been posted, you can decide which bets or parlays to make for the evening’s game while sipping your coffee in the morning. There isn’t a need to make a trip to a retail book.
  2. Freedom of Choice: While you may have to drive a length of time to get to a retail book, you can shop around for your best odds across all of the multiple sportsbooks. Provided you registered and verified in your state via geolocation, you can go ahead and place your bets.
  3. In-Game Bets: Online betting offers you the ability to make live, in-play wagers once the game is underway. Most online sportsbooks, including DraftKings and FanDuel, offer in game bets on select college basketball games.

Watching the action live on TV with the ability to assess a wager for the second-half or final-game result is a great advantage, especially as the point spreads and totals change in real-time with the game action.

Best NCAA basketball betting sites

NCAA live betting

While college basketball’s in-game betting options are less extensive compared to, say, the NBA, there are still opportunities to make in-game bets in college hoops.

In this example from DraftKings, California is at home versus Prairie View. The pregame line was California -15.

Early in the first half, the live, in-game line has moved slightly to California -14.5:

In the Cal-Prairie View matchup, DraftKings posts full-game total points over/under totals for each team:

DraftKings also offers live point spreads for the first half:

For a live bettor, it’s important to place your live bets as quickly as you can. The odds will fluctuate in real-time as illustrated by increase/decrease in the Cal-Prairie View totals below from FOX Bet Sportsbook:

In addition to the futures betting referenced earlier, here are the additional types of bets you can expect to see on individual NCAA basketball games:

  • Game props (i.e., player points, rebounds, assists)

Moneyline, point spreads and over/under wagers can also typically be built into:

NCAA basketball betting tips 2020-21

There is a lot to consider when placing a futures bet, especially in the early months of the season.

Determinants include the team’s previous year’s record, returning starters, key adds/losses/transfers and the impact of any coaching changes.

You can identify some value in teams’ future pricing by overlaying the current top 25 schools with current future book odds for the national title and, where available, conference titles.

How are NCAA basketball lines set?

The process for setting NCAA basketball lines is consistent with other sports including the NFL and college football.

Essentially, casinos and bookmakers try to set a line that balances the dollars being wagered on each side of the proposition so that they are somewhat equal, and the casino has no (or minimal) principal risk.

After an opening point spread is set, the line will fluctuate as money comes in on either side of the bet.

A line may open as Syracuse is a -5 favorite versus Duke.

If the public feels that Duke has a great chance to cover the spread (or even win the game outright) a majority of the money might come in at Duke +5 and, to balance out the line, the book would likely adjust the line down (e.g., Syracuse -4.5 or -4) to even out the money totals.

What’s the difference between Vegas NCAA lines and other lines?

For the reasons noted above, each bookmaker must manage their specific market and liability circumstances.

So, DraftKings Sportsbook could potentially have a different balance of the money for a West Virginia-Indiana matchup versus what William Hill Sportsbook is handling, resulting in different betting lines at each sportsbook.

NCAA March Madness

March Madness generates phenomenal betting interest across the United States every year

According to Forbes, about 47 million people — one in five American adults — are expected to bet an estimated $8.5 billion during the tournament this year. Of that, $4.6 billion will be bet in bracket/tourney pools and $3.9 billion bet on individual games.

As a frame of reference, there is an estimated $6 billion in wagers on the Super Bowl.

An NCAA selection committee of 10 decides which 68 schools will be in March Madness. Of the 68 schools, 32 qualify automatically by winning their conference tournament, with the other 36 at-large schools selected by the committee.

  • Selection Sunday: March 14
  • First Four: March 16-17
  • First Round: March 18-19
  • Second Round: March 20-21
  • Sweet 16: March 25-26
  • Elite Eight: March 27-28
  • Final Four: April 3
  • National Championship: April 5

The Final Four will take place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Check our free NCAA tournament bracket contests page for the latest contests when March Madness rolls around again.

NCAA FAQ

Where is NCAA basketball betting legal in the US?

Futures betting on college basketball will be available in every legal sports betting state.

Retail and online sportsbooks also post daily game lines, NCAA futures and live in play betting. The exact types will vary from state to state.

As the market pricing can fluctuate daily due to a school’s improved performance, an injury to a key player or a player being ruled academically ineligible, it makes sense to watch the sports betting apps and online sportsbooks for up-to-date pricing. The online approach is more convenient, flexible and timely.

One legal exception to note in college basketball futures betting (as well as game-by-game betting) is in relation to New Jersey.

While you can freely bet on NCAA basketball while in the Garden State, state rules do not allow betting on any NJ-based schools. These include and extend to all games that are part of any regular-season or postseason tournaments.

How many times has the preseason No. 1 team won the national championship?

Six, since the field expanded to 64 in 1984-85. North Carolina was the last school to do this in 2008-09. This year’s preseason consensus No. 1, Michigan State, is worth considering as part of a futures bet “to Make the Final Four.”

Just under 50% of the 35 preseason No. 1 teams since 1984-85 have advanced to the Final Four. Here’s the full breakdown of how the preseason No. 1 teams have performed in the NCAA tournament:

  • Six won the national championship (17.1%).
  • Seven lost in the national championship (20%).
  • Seventeen reached the Final Four (just under 50%).
  • Twenty-two achieved at least the Elite Eight (62.9%).
  • Twenty-seven made it to the Sweet 16 (77.1%).
  • One lost in the first round.

Source: NCAA.com

How many regular-season games are there in the NCAA season?

Teams can play 29 regular-season games, or they can play 27 regular-season games plus no more than four games in one multi-team tournament for a maximum of 31 games.

Conference and other postseason tournaments do not count against the limit. In 2019, Virginia’s national championship team had a final record of 35-3 (38 games).

What is the NET rating in NCAA?

The NCAA evaluation tool, aka the NET, relies on game results, the strength of schedule, game location, scoring margin, net offensive and defensive efficiency, and the quality of wins and losses.

Early Line Ncaa Basketball

The NET tool is now the primary tool used by the NCAA tournament committee to evaluate and seed the 36 at-large schools in the tournament. A deeper dive into NET ratings can be found on the NCAA website.

What are the best upset picks in NCAA tourney?

In terms of historical performance, here’s a summary of lower-seeds performance in the opening round of the tournament:

  • No.16 defeated No. 1: 1
  • No. 15 defeated No. 2: 8
  • No. 14 defeated No. 3: 21
  • No. 13 defeated No. 4: 27
  • No. 12 defeated No. 5: 50

What are the other postseason tournaments besides March Madness?

Two other postseason tournaments invite schools that do not make the March Madness field of 68:

  • National Invitation Tournament (NIT): 32 schools. Played at on-campus sites with semifinals/finals at Madison Square Garden, New York
  • CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT): 20 to 26 schools. All games are played at on-campus sites.

What is RPI in NCAA Basketball?

Note: RPI was replaced prior to the 2018-19 season by NET ratings as the primary sorting tool for evaluating teams during the Division I men’s basketball season.

The rating percentage index (RPI) was used by the NCAA men’s basketball committee as supplemental data to help select at-large teams and seed all teams for the NCAA tourney.

Three components comprise a school’s RPI:

  • The Team’s Division 1 winning percentage is 25% of the RPI. Home wins are weighted 0.6, neutral wins 1.0, and road wins count 1.4; road losses are 0.6, neutral losses 1.0 and home losses 1.4.
  • Team’s division opponents’ winning percentage, or the team’s schedule strength, excluding results against the team in question. It is 50% of the RPI.
  • The team’s opponents’ Division I winning percentage, or the team’s opponents’ strength of schedule, excluding results against the team in question. This is 25% of the RPI.

Don’t Miss a Beat

We are a few months away from the new season of NCAA Basketball, the regular season will start on November 10th and training will begin at the end of September. So why are we even talking about this now?

Early NCAA Basketball Lines

Simple, getting a head start is always a good strategy, and with the NCAAB betting software platform at AcePerHead.com, that allows you to start taking future bets on the sport way ahead of the season start, you are guaranteed to have the upper hand on your competition.

Every year, men’s college basketball becomes increasingly popular with bettors, the unpredictability of the sport seems to awaken the trill seeker in them, and with so many games to choose from every week, they can’t seem to get enough.

Like with anything else in life, when we see something we like we go after it, by posting early future lines for NCAA basketball, it is more likely that your players will get in on the action and not wait until some other site posts them.

For obvious reasons, early future lines must be capped to relatively small bets, that is another great feature of the NCAAB betting software from www.AcePerHead.com, you can set limits on every line of every sport. The flexible interface will allow you to increase the maximum wager once the event is closer and the lines are not as volatile.

A lot of pay per head shops are afraid to post early lines, the sport is known for having serious spikes in its lines, however, as long as you manage your risk, and act smart, you should be ok with posting your futures ahead of everyone else. And with the help of the expert line managers at Ace Per Head, you can have full confidence that you are being backed by the best.

It is no secret that AcePerHead.com is known for having some of the sharpest lines in the business, however, this does not prevent them from being able to successfully manage public lines for those agents that require them. And in truth, both sharp and public packages can benefit from the right amount of crossover between the lines. It helps to create interest and boost profits.

When it comes to college basketball, every season seems to be unique, you never know which team out of the 300 participating schools will shine brightest. There are clear favorites, but, every year some of them have unbelievable disappointing seasons, while, some of the biggest underdogs achieve the impossible; that is the allure of this sport.

Knowing how to recognize real trends, and how to capitalize on them is what www.AcePerHead.com does best, keeping the lines as tight as possible to avoid creating gaps where agents could lose a considerable amount of money and generating interest in games that would otherwise go unnoticed is just part of the winning strategy.

It has been said that every agent has different requirements, and while we don’t dispute this premise, we can guarantee that every agent needs to manage their risk and make a profit at the end of the year, so why not work with the guys who consistently and successfully do just that.

Betting on NCAA Basketball is practically the same as betting on NBA, you get point spreads and moneylines and you are allowed to place a variety of different types of wagers.

College basketball gambling gives you so many different games to bet on, there’s certainly no shortage of action. Playing at home vs. playing as a visitor, road trips, injuries, motivation, rivalry, it all plays a role in a teams’ performance.

A couple of tips while betting on NCAAB:

Remember this is the one sport where one single key player can make all the difference in the world; this goes for basketball in general; any new addition or an injured player can completely change the dynamics of a team. Also, if you want to bet on NCAA basketball, start when the season starts, you can start slow and small if you want, but come November start following all the early season tournaments, stay informed; there’s 68 teams competing, perhaps out of these you only like 5, still, that’s a lot of games, you have to stay in the loop in order to play wise; by the time March Madness comes along, you’ll be feeling confident enough to choose your winning bracket.

AceSportsbook.com offers you competitive live lines and odds on NCAA Basketball, oddsmakers are sure to keep you busy with betting offering starting from early tournaments to March Madness, brackets, props and futures.

Early Lines Ncaa Basketball

  • The lines displayed on this page are updated periodically.
  • Since we offer multiple betting lines for the same game, please make sure you read the title of the selected line to ensure you have selected the correct odds.

Early Line Ncaa Basketball

To view another sport, just click here »

By clicking here, you’ll find the latest basketball picks, news, and previews!

Early Line Ncaa Basketball

Check Ace Sportsbook‘s basketball gambling rules guide right here.

Early Betting Lines College Basketball

##TEAMTIMEPS/TOTALTOTAL$LINE
COLLEGE BASKETBALLTHURSDAY, MARCH 11TH
663
664
BALL STATE
TOLEDO
2021-03-11T11:00:00 8-115
-8-105
155-110
155-110

671
672
MICHIGAN STATE
MARYLAND
2021-03-11T11:30:00 1-110
-1-110
129-110
129-110

709
710
OKLAHOMA STATE
WEST VIRGINIA
2021-03-11T11:30:00 2.5-110
-2.5-110
151.5-110
151.5-110

687
688
TEMPLE
SOUTH FLORIDA
2021-03-11T12:00:00 -1.5-115
1.5-105
132-110
132-110

701
702
MISSISSIPPI STATE
KENTUCKY
2021-03-11T12:00:00 3.5-110
-3.5-110
131.5-110
131.5-110

679
680
SYRACUSE
VIRGINIA
2021-03-11T12:00:00 5.5-110
-5.5-110
131.5-110
131.5-110

693
694
GEORGETOWN
VILLANOVA
2021-03-11T12:00:00 7.5-110
-7.5-110
139-110
139-110

717
718
NO. COLORADO
SOUTHERN UTAH
2021-03-11T13:00:00 7.5-110
-7.5-110
142-110
142-110

665
666
OHIO
KENT STATE
2021-03-11T13:30:00 -1.5-110
1.5-110
149.5-110
149.5-110

725
726
LONG BEACH STATE
CAL SANTA BARBARA
2021-03-11T14:00:00 13.5-110
-13.5-110
141-105
141-115

673
674
MINNESOTA
OHIO STATE
2021-03-11T14:00:00 10.5-105
-10.5-115
145-110
145-110

681
682
MIAMI FLORIDA
GEORGIA TECH
2021-03-11T14:30:00 9.5-110
-9.5-110
138.5-110
138.5-110

703
704
VANDERBILT
FLORIDA
2021-03-11T14:30:00 7.5-110
-7.5-110
145-110
145-110

733
734
ARIZONA STATE
OREGON
2021-03-11T14:30:00 9-110
-9-110
147.5-110
147.5-110

711
712
KANSAS STATE
BAYLOR
2021-03-11T14:30:00 20-110
-20-110
137.5-110
137.5-110

689
690
TULANE
TULSA
2021-03-11T15:00:00 3.5-110
-3.5-110
126.5-110
126.5-110

695
696
SETON HALL
ST. JOHNS
2021-03-11T15:00:00 -1.5-110
1.5-110
151-110
151-110

307301
307302
ALCORN STATE
TEXAS SOUTHERN
2021-03-11T15:00:00 9-110
-9-110
145-110
145-110

741
742
WYOMING
SAN DIEGO STATE
2021-03-11T15:00:00 15-110
-15-110
143-110
143-110

667
668
MIAMI OHIO
BUFFALO
2021-03-11T16:00:00 8-110
-8-110
151-110
151-110

719
720
MONTANA STATE
IDAHO STATE
2021-03-11T16:00:00 -2.5-110
2.5-110
130-110
130-110

727
728
CS BAKERSFIELD
UC DAVIS
2021-03-11T17:00:00 -3.5-110
3.5-110
132-110
132-110

749
750
RIDER
ST. PETER'S
2021-03-11T17:00:00 5.5-110
-5.5-110
130.5-110
130.5-110

735
736
OREGON STATE
UCLA
2021-03-11T17:30:00 5-110
-5-110
133.5-110
133.5-110

743
744
NEVADA
BOISE STATE
2021-03-11T17:30:00 3.5-110
-3.5-110
146.5-110
146.5-110

307305
307306
MORGAN STATE
FLORIDA A&M
2021-03-11T18:00:00 -3.5-110
3.5-110
139.5-110
139.5-110

697
698
BUTLER
CREIGHTON
2021-03-11T18:00:00 10-110
-10-110
135.5-110
135.5-110

669
670
BOWLING GREEN
AKRON
2021-03-11T18:30:00 1-110
-1-110
153-110
153-110

675
676
INDIANA
RUTGERS
2021-03-11T18:30:00 3.5-110
-3.5-110
130.5-110
130.5-110

683
684
DUKE
FLORIDA STATE
2021-03-11T18:30:00 4-110
-4-110
152.5-110
152.5-110

753
754
TEXAS SAN ANTONIO
WESTERN KENTUCKY
2021-03-11T18:30:00 7-110
-7-110
148-110
148-110

713
714
OKLAHOMA
KANSAS
2021-03-11T18:30:00 3-115
-3-105
137-110
137-110

691
692
EAST CAROLINA
CENTRAL FLORIDA
2021-03-11T19:00:00 5-110
-5-110
134-110
134-110

705
706
GEORGIA
MISSOURI
2021-03-11T19:00:00 6-110
-6-110
153.5-110
153.5-110

721
722
NORTHERN ARIZONA
EASTERN WASHINGTON
2021-03-11T19:00:00 15-110
-15-110
150-110
150-110

755
756
RICE
UAB
2021-03-11T19:00:00 8.5-110
-8.5-110
141-110
141-110

751
752
NIAGARA
MARIST
2021-03-11T19:30:00 -1-110
1-110
124.5-110
124.5-110

761
762
SEATTLE U
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
2021-03-11T19:30:00 -1-110
1-110
151.5-110
151.5-110

729
730
CAL POLY SLO
CAL IRVINE
2021-03-11T20:00:00 15-110
-15-110
128-110
128-110

307307
307308
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL
NORFOLK STATE
2021-03-11T20:30:00 5.5-110
-5.5-110
133-110
133-110

737
738
UTAH
USC
2021-03-11T20:30:00 7-110
-7-110
140-110
140-110

745
746
UNLV
UTAH STATE
2021-03-11T21:00:00 9-110
-9-110
136.5-110
136.5-110

685
686
NORTH CAROLINA
VIRGINIA TECH
2021-03-11T21:00:00 -4-110
4-110
141-110
141-110

699
700
DEPAUL
CONNECTICUT
2021-03-11T21:00:00 12.5-110
-12.5-110
133.5-110
133.5-110

677
678
PENN STATE
WISCONSIN
2021-03-11T21:00:00 5-110
-5-110
134-110
134-110

707
708
SOUTH CAROLINA
MISSISSIPPI
2021-03-11T21:30:00 7-105
-7-115
140.5-110
140.5-110

715
716
TEXAS TECH
TEXAS
2021-03-11T21:30:00 -1.5-110
1.5-110
134.5-110
134.5-110

307303
307304
SOUTHERN
GRAMBLING
2021-03-11T21:30:00 -2-110
2-110
138-110
138-110

757
758
FLORIDA ATLANTIC
LOUISIANA TECH
2021-03-11T21:30:00 7.5-110
-7.5-110
137-110
137-110

723
724
MONTANA
WEBER STATE
2021-03-11T22:00:00 6-110
-6-110
142-110
142-110

759
760
NORTH TEXAS
OLD DOMINION
2021-03-11T22:00:00 -4.5-110
4.5-110
127-115
127-105

731
732
HAWAII
CAL RIVERSIDE
2021-03-11T23:00:00 5-110
-5-110
135-110
135-110

763
764
UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY
NEW MEXICO STATE
2021-03-11T23:00:00 11.5-110
-11.5-110
131.5-110
131.5-110

747
748
FRESNO STATE
COLORADO STATE
2021-03-11T23:30:00 8.5-110
-8.5-110
137-110
137-110

739
740
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
2021-03-11T23:30:00 14-115
-14-105
133.5-110
133.5-110

COLLEGE BASKETBALLTHURSDAY, MARCH 11TH
89185
89186
BALL STATE TEAM TOTAL
BALL STATE TEAM TOTAL
2021-03-11T11:00:00
73.5-115
73.5-115

COLLEGE BASKETBALLTHURSDAY, MARCH 11TH
89187
89188
TOLEDO TEAM TOTAL
TOLEDO TEAM TOTAL
2021-03-11T11:00:00
81.5-115
81.5-115

89235
89236
OKLAHOMA STATE TEAM TOTAL
OKLAHOMA STATE TEAM TOTAL
2021-03-11T11:30:00
74.5-115
74.5-115

89315
89316
SYRACUSE - TEAM TOTAL
SYRACUSE - TEAM TOTAL
2021-03-11T12:00:00
63-115
63-115

89307
89308
MINNESOTA - TEAM TOTAL
MINNESOTA - TEAM TOTAL
2021-03-11T14:00:00
67-110
67-110

89347
89348
BAYLOR - TEAM TOTAL
BAYLOR - TEAM TOTAL
2021-03-11T14:30:00
78.5-115
78.5-115

89195
89196
BUFFALO TEAM TOTAL
BUFFALO TEAM TOTAL
2021-03-11T16:00:00
79.5-115
79.5-115

89409
89410
CONNECTICUT TEAM TOTAL
CONNECTICUT TEAM TOTAL
2021-03-11T21:00:00
73-110
73-110