College Basketball Odds: Spreads, Winners, Parlays & FAQ 2025

College basketball season consistently delivers a full slate of action and countless betting opportunities. From live betting odds to championship futures and player props, Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook brings you closer to the court. Whether you’re tracking top-ranked teams or hunting for the next Cinderella story, this guide has you covered with everything you should know about betting on college basketball this season.

How to bet on college basketball

Betting on college basketball isn’t quite the same as the pros. Talent gaps between teams can be wider, away games can hit harder, and the raw emotion of rivalry games can create unique scenarios. College basketball teams often feed off their home crowds, with iconic venues like Cameron Indoor Stadium or Allen Fieldhouse directly influencing the outcome of games. Understanding these distinctions will help you navigate the college hoops season like a pro.

Once you’ve got a feel for how the college game differs from the pros, it’s time to look at how you can put that knowledge into action on the betting front. Here are a few basic bet types that you’ll come across when wagering on college basketball this season:

• Point Spreads
• Moneyline Bets (Winners)
• Totals (Over/Under)
• Game Props
• Team Props
• Player Props (IN, IL, NJ only)
• Futures

College basketball point spreads

Point spread betting means you’re betting on a college basketball team’s margin of victory rather than simply picking the outright winner. The point spread balances the playing field between uneven teams, giving the underdog a head start and requiring the favorite to win by a specific number of points.

Consider Michigan State -12.5 against Nebraska, for example. For a bet on Michigan State to win, they must win the game by 13 points or more. If you back Nebraska at +12.5, they can lose by up to 12 points, or win the game outright for your wager to succeed. Point spread betting makes every game competitive from a wagering perspective, whether it’s a tight contest or sometimes even a blowout.

College basketball point spreads vary widely. On any given night, you might see an evenly matched game set as a pick ’em or a much larger 25+ point spread when a top-tier team faces an inferior opponent.

College basketball moneylines (Winners)

Moneyline bets, known as Winners at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook, keep college basketball betting simple: pick the team you think will win, no point spread involved. This means that you don’t have to worry about the team’s margin of victory – if your chosen team comes out on top, your bet cashes.

Moneyline odds directly signal each team’s implied chance of victory along with your potential payout. For example, if Duke is listed at -210 on the moneyline, you’d need to wager $210 to win $100. If their opponent, Wake Forest, is listed at +175, a $100 bet would return $175 in profit.

Moneyline bets can offer opportunities for a nice return on investment, especially when you spot an underdog in a rivalry game or a tournament scenario where motivation is high.

College basketball totals (over/under)

Totals betting involves wagering on the combined final score of both basketball teams, which is also known as the over/under. You’re predicting whether the total points scored will be higher or lower than the number set by Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook.

College basketball totals can range from as low as 115 points in defensive battles to as high as 175 in fast-paced offensive showcases. The pace of play varies greatly between different teams and conferences, making totals a very intriguing way to wager. Some teams push the tempo, while others prioritize defense and prefer to run their offense at a snail’s pace.

When it comes to college basketball totals, you can wager on the full game, as well as the first or second half. 

College basketball props

Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook offers plenty of college basketball betting markets beyond traditional point spreads, Winners and totals. Known as prop bets, the following markets allow players to wager on different aspects of a college basketball game that do not necessarily have anything to do with the final score. Whether it’s how a team performs, how a matchup unfolds, or how a single player impacts the game, props offer plenty of ways to get involved in the action.

Game Props

College basketball game props focus on events that happen throughout the course of a matchup. You can bet on markets such as which team will score first, the total number of points in a half, or whether both teams will reach a specific scoring mark.

For example, you might take Kansas to reach 20 points before their opponent in a Big 12 matchup, or bet on both teams to top 70+ points in a fast-paced ACC game.

Team Props

Team props are wagers based on the collective output of an individual team rather than both sides in a game.

For instance, you could bet on UConn to score over 83.5 points against a team with a shaky defense, or take West Virginia to finish under 55.5 points when facing off against Houston’s smothering defense.

Player Props

Player props let you bet on individual player statistics including points, rebounds, assists, or three-pointers made. These markets focus on player performance, effectively separating individuals from the rest of their team. 

Star players in key matchups often have the most prop options available at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook. For example, you could bet on a top scorer to go over 18.5 points or a starting point guard to record more than 6.5 assists. 

It is worth noting that college basketball player props are only offered in three active Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook states at the moment: Indiana, Illinois and New Jersey.

College basketball futures

Futures betting lets you wager on season-long outcomes, including which team will cut down the nets at the NCAA Tournament. These options are live from preseason through all of March and April, with odds constantly shifting based on team performance.

Early-season futures can often offer the best value, as odds tend to tighten on successful teams as the year progresses. NCAA Tournament futures heat up as Selection Sunday approaches, and the official bracket reveal can even have an impact on a team’s odds to win it all.

Keep an eye out early on for any long-shot college basketball futures before the odds move against you.

Popular college basketball futures markets at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook

• NCAA Men’s Tournament Winner
• To Make the Final Four
• Atlantic Coast Conference Winner
• Southeastern Conference Winner
• Big East Conference Winner
• Big 12 Conference Winner
• Big Ten Conference Winner
• Atlantic 10 Conference Winner
• American Conference Winner
• Mountain West Conference Winner

College basketball parlays

Players at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook have the ability to parlay several college basketball selections into a single ticket, known as a parlay. But remember: every leg needs to hit for a parlay to cash. If just one pick in the ticket falls short, the entire bet goes up in smoke.

Same Game Parlays (SGPs) are also available at Hard Rock Bet, allowing players to combine different markets from a single college basketball game including the point spread, total, and player props (if offered), all into one bet.

You can also combine multiple Same Game Parlays to form what is called a Same Game Parlay Max (SGPMAX). These are especially useful during loaded Saturday slates or the opening round of March Madness.

Live betting on college basketball games

Live betting at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook allows players to place wagers after the ball has already been tipped, letting you react to momentum shifts and changing circumstances in real time. College basketball is a fantastic sport for placing live bets, as its frequent media timeouts create even more ample opportunities to get some skin in the game.

You can jump in on hot shooting streaks, key players getting into foul trouble, or coaching decisions that alter the game’s flow. If a team falls behind early but you believe they’ll stage a comeback, live betting lets you capitalize on improved odds during their struggles. 

The hectic nature of college basketball means live odds change quickly, however, so fast decisions are key to locking in the best prices.

College basketball odds and betting FAQ

Here are some quick answers to common questions about betting on college basketball.