NCAA Basketball Betting
Pennsylvania sports bettors now have a choice of several legal retail and online sportsbooks for college basketball betting. And, unlike neighboring New Jersey, all college sports are available for wagering.
Opportunity abounds for college basketball betting between now and March when the field for NCAA March Madness is revealed. If you’re ready to get started, here’s how and where to bet on college basketball in Pennsylvania.
Best NCAA basketball betting sites
Live college basketball odds 2020-21
Check our real-time odds feed below for a snapshot of the current NCAA basketball lines at PA online sportsbooks. Click directly on the odds to go directly to the sportsbook, claim your bonus and register a new account to make your bet. See the full NCAA basketball feed on our odds page (use the drop-down menu to select “NCAAB.”)
National championship futures odds are also posted on multiple sportsbooks and updated continually as the season moves forward. Check our real-time odds feed below for current NCAA championship odds and Final Four odds. Click on the odds to go directly to the sportsbook, claim your bonus and register a new account to make your bet.
College Basketball Betting Apps
For betting on college basketball from your phone in PA, DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbooks have the most popular apps, with FOX Bet a new contender on the scene.
1. DraftKings Sportsbook app
DraftKing SPortsbook app in PA offers point spreads, moneylines, and totals for every college basketball game plus alternate point spreads and alternative totals options. You can also partake in live, in-play betting on select games with bets including 1st- and 2nd-half winners.
Futures bets are also available on the app including:
- Which team will win the national championship
- Which teams will make the Final Four
- Which player will win the John R. Wooden Award for College Basketball Player of the Year
The DraftKings app is available on iOS and Android.
2. FanDuel Sportsbook app
FanDuel offers the core wagers for all college hoops games: point spread, moneyline, and total points. Also, there’s individual over/under totals for the home and away team. If you don’t get a chance to place your bet prior to tip-off, FanDuel offers live, in-play betting on select games. Futures bets include:
- Odds on making the Final Four
- Odds on winning the national championship
- Probability of receiving a No. 1 seed
- Picking the conference of the national champion (For example the ACC is at +270, the Big East +950, etc.)
There are also futures wagers on individual conference winners for the Big East, Big Ten, ACC, and four other conferences. FanDuel offers pricing for the individual player to be honored with the Wooden trophy.
When is March Madness 2021?
Note: Due to COVID restrictions, all games for the 2021 NCAA Tournament are being held in Indianapolis and surrounding areas in Indiana.
After the announcement of the field on Selection Sunday (March 14), March Madness begins two days later with the First Four play-in games.
The first and second rounds start on Thursday March 18, and the Sweet 16 begins the following Thursday.
The 2021 Final Four and National Championship game takes place April 3-April 5 in Indianapolis. Here are the key dates for the tournament:
- March 16-17 First Four
- March 18-20 First and second rounds
- March 19-21 First and second rounds
- March 25-27 Midwest Regional
- March 25-27 West Regional
- March 26-28 East Regional
- March 26-28 South Regional
- April 3-5 Final Four
Pennsylvania programs expected to get a high seed in the 2021 NCAA tournament include Villanova and Penn St. Check our full guide to betting on March Madness in PA here:
March Madness Free Bracket Challenge Contests
While betting on individual March Madness games is typically your best bet for making a profit, the ubiquitous Bracket pool is the usual entry point into March Madness betting.
Beyond filling out a bracket among friends or co-workers for your yearly bracket pool you can also find free and paid bracket challenges at online sportsbooks. A couple of particular note:
DraftKings $250,000 Survivor Pool – The $250k Survivor is open to all new players across the US. Free to play, you simply need to pick a team each day. If that team wins, you move on to the next round.
DraftKings $16,000 Second Chance Bracket – if your bracket busts early you can try again in the $16k Sweet 16 challenge. Free to play. Entry to both is entirely free; open a new DraftKings account via the link below:
FanDuel $10,000 Props Pick’em – They pick the props; you pick the winners. If you hit them all you win a share of $10k in daily prizes.
NCAA men’s basketball schedule: Key dates 2020-21
The NCAA selection committee meets to decide which 68 schools to include in the March Madness betting pool every year. Of the 68 schools, 32 qualify automatically by winning their conference tournament. The other 36 spots are awarded based on a complex set of rankings (aka NET rating) incorporating overall performance and schedule strength.
Some key schedule dates for college basketball in 2020-21:
November-December: Thanksgiving and holiday tournaments, non-conference games, and select conference games
January-February: Conference schedules
March 7: End of the regular season
March 8-14: Conference tournaments
March 14: Field of 68 announced
March 16: NCAA basketball tournament begins
April 3: National semifinals
April 5: National championship
2020/21 NCAA Basketball preseason AP Top 25 poll
| Rank | School | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga | Bulldogs | West Coast |
| 2 | Baylor | Bears | Big 12 |
| 3 | Villanova | Wildcats | Big East |
| 4 | Virginia | Cavaliers | Atlantic Coast |
| 5 | Iowa | Hawkeyes | Big Ten |
| 6 | Kansas | Jayhawks | Big 12 |
| 7 | Wisconsin | Badgers | Big Ten |
| 8 | Illinois | Fighting Illini | Big Ten |
| 9 | Duke | Blue Devils | Atlantic Coast |
| 10 | Kentucky | Wildcats | Southeastern |
| 11 | Creighton | Bluejays | Big East |
| 12 | Tennessee | Volunteers | Southeastern |
| 13 | Michigan State | Spartans | Big Ten |
| 14 | Texas Tech | Red Raiders | Big 12 |
| 15 | West Virginia | Mountaineers | Big 12 |
| 16 | North Carolina | Tar Heels | Atlantic Coast |
| 17 | Houston | Cougars | American Athletic |
| 18 | Arizona State | Sun Devils | Pacific 12 |
| 19 | Texas | Longhorns | Big 12 |
| 20 | Oregon | Ducks | Pacific 12 |
| 21 | Florida State | Seminoles | Atlantic Coast |
| 22 | UCLA | Bruins | Pacific 12 |
| 23 | Ohio State | Buckeyes | Big Ten |
| 24 | Rutgers | Scarlet Knights | Big Ten |
| 25 | Michigan | Wolverines | Big Ten |
Get current rankings at AP’s Top 25 Poll
College basketball betting beginners’ guide
What types of bets can I make on college basketball?
Much like other team sports, the core bets for college basketball are point spreads, moneylines and totals aka over/unders. However, compared to the NBA, college hoops offer fewer betting options for game props on individual players.
NCAA futures and prop bets
As described above, there are props for the national champion, making the Final Four, garnering a No. 1 seed, and player of the year. FanDuel also has futures bets listed for conference champions and which conference will win the national title.
See the current futures odds on your favorite college team at DraftKings Sportsbook or FanDuel Sportsbook above.
Five basic college basketball betting tips
- Pick a team, know your stuff: There are 351 Division 1 college basketball teams, and games are on the schedule seven days a week. You can’t possibly collect enough information to make solid betting decisions for every game and team so pick a team or two, watch them carefully and try to make the best bets you can based on the information available.
- Watch the games, check the box scores: Watch the games and then form an opinion on potential weak spots or betting opportunities. Check the box scores to identify first-half and second-half trends, player minutes, three-point shooting, rebounding advantages, etc.
- Take advantage of free info: A lot of great resources are available, including ESPN, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and local sports affiliates, which follow the local teams closely. Check the summary, stat, and trend sheets available from the NCAA website as well.
- Follow the local media: The school’s Twitter account, local news beat writers, student newspapers, and local TV/radio stations all follow the team closely. You’ll receive dozens of tips and injury news throughout the season that can help you make better betting decisions.
- Find situational betting opportunities: “Trap” games come up often. If a team has a big game coming up against a long-time rival, they’re always ripe for an upset in the game or two leading up to it. Likewise, if a team has a knockdown, drag-out OT battle and then play again in a day or two, expect a letdown. Check the team’s schedule and results, and you’ll find some distinct spots where a betting advantage will show itself.
NCAA College Basketball FAQ
Is it legal to bet on college basketball in PA?
That’s a big yes. All 351 Division 1 men’s teams are available to bet on in Pennsylvania at a licensed sportsbook. Unlike in New Jersey, all of the colleges and universities located in Pennsylvania are also eligible for betting action.
New Jersey will not take bets on NJ college sports teams or basketball games including in-season or postseason conference tournaments that take place within the Garden State.
Who picks the teams for the NCAA tournament?
The NCAA selection committee has 10 members responsible for selecting, seeding and bracketing the field for the NCAA Tournament.
Their conference nominates each committee member. Those who are selected will then serve five-year terms and represent a cross-section of the Division 1 membership.
Who sets NCAA basketball lines?
The process for setting NCAA basketball lines is like other pro or college sports. Essentially, casinos and bookmakers try to set a line that balances the dollars being wagered on each side, so the casino has no principal risk. After the opening line is set, the line will then fluctuate as money comes in on either side of the bet.
A line may open as Virginia is a -5 favorite versus North Carolina. But if the public feels that North Carolina has a great chance to cover the spread (or even win the game outright), a majority of the money might come in at North Carolina +5 and balance out the line. Then, the book would adjust the line down, e.g., Virginia -4.5 or -4, to balance out the money totals.
Why is the Vegas line different from the line in Pennsylvania?
Since sports betting is regulated at the state level, each sportsbook in each state has a different liability on each game. In Nevada, there may be less money coming in on the Villanova side of a game, so Villanova will not be as heavy of a favorite as it is at a Pennsylvania book, where Nova fans could push the line in a different direction than in states like Nevada or Indiana.
What are second-half NCAA lines?
The second-half lines are typically set as part of the in game betting offering. The line will be a stand-alone number for the second-half scoring, regardless of the final total score. A team may be trailing 42-28 at halftime. They outscore their opponent 36-30 in the second half to “win” the second half betting line but lose the game 72-65.
Which PA team has won the most NCAA championships?
Villanova has won three (1987, 2016, 2018), and LaSalle has won one (1954).