The legacy of Canadian success in NCAA basketball can be found on Top 25 teams in Power 5 conference to mid-majors and everywhere in between. But that’s just one of the many reasons NCAA basketball betting will explode with online sports betting in Canada.
Here’s a detailed look at how you can bet on NCAA basketball including live odds direct from legal online sportsbooks.
Best Sportsbooks for College Basketball Betting in Canada
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- BetMGM Sportsbook: BetMGM has all of the game and bet types you could ask for, as well as some unique features to lean on. At other books, you have to do a lot of scrolling to find what you want, but BetMGM lets you drill in by conference. This is a massive time saver for busy College Basketball slates that have dozens of games to sort through. Promos like special NCAAB props with profit boosts are also regularly available.
- Caesars Sportsbook: Caesars isn’t shy about dishing out regular promos and odds boosts for college hoops, such as 20% or more on winning parlays. The odds for all bet types are among the most competitive across the industry, including for the highly-popular NCAAB futures markets. Caesars is simple in nature, but there’s lots of features to love for college hoops bettors.
- BetRivers Sportsbook Canada: BetRivers has all your NCAA Basketball betting options covered. Plus, it has previously run a variety of NCAA Basketball promos, including: live bet credits for anyone that bet a certain amount on specific opening night games, odds boost or buzzer beater insurance every day throughout the NCAA Tournament, and an NCAA Basketball Profit Boost.
- DraftKings Sportsbook Canada: Once you click the College Basketball link at DraftKings, all of the upcoming games will be listed out in order by start time in the main betting lobby. The odds are typically competitive, and there’s a wide range of other options to explore such as alternate lines and game props. When it’s time for March Madness odds, keep your eyes out for betting pools where you can compete for huge prizes.
- FanDuel Sportsbook: The user-friendly Fanduel platform makes staying on top of the latest College Basketball betting lines very easy. The pregame lines always seem to be in the right range, while alternate options include betting lines for each half and odds for teams to reach a certain number of points first. FanDuel also offers promos like parlay insurance and profit boosts for college hoops.
How to open an online betting account in Canada
Getting set up with a licensed online sportsbook requires you to open an account and make a deposit before you can start betting on NCAA basketball. To open an account, click on our exclusive link to the online sportsbook of your choice.
Once there, you can sign up for an account on the website or download and install the sportsbook app and register via your phone.
You’ll need to provide some personal information and may also be asked for a promo code or bonus code. However, it’ll only take a few minutes to sign up and enter the code to get the best bonus available.
To deposit money, just choose from the different deposit methods available under the ‘Cashier’ tab on the website or the app. Everything from Interac and online banking to payment processors like PayPal should be available.
After that, you should be ready to browse through the NCAA basketball lines and find something to bet on. The betting process is as simple as clicking a bet you like and completing the instantly created bet slip. Picking winners is the only hard part.
Live College Basketball Odds at Online Sportsbooks
Online sportsbooks in Canada have up-to-the-minute college basketball odds directly in the feed below. Click on any odds to go right to the sportsbook, open an account, and get started.
How to read college basketball lines
Here’s an example of a typical college basketball betting line you might find posted at an online sportsbook in Canada:
- Syracuse +6.5 (-110) +225 O 140.5 (-110)
- Oregon -6.5 (-110) -275 U 140.5 (-110)
First is the spread and the odds on spread bets in brackets. Here, Syracuse is 6.5-point underdogs to Oregon. That means Syracuse has to either win outright or lose by six points or fewer, for spread bets on Syracuse to win.
If that happens, Syracuse spread bettors will win $100, plus their bet back, for every $110 they bet. Oregon has to win by seven or more for spread bets on Oregon to win. However, both bets pay the same -110 odds.
Next is the moneyline. Here, Syracuse is +225 underdogs to Oregon. That means if Syracuse wins outright, moneyline bets on the team will pay $225, plus the bet back, for every $100 bet.
Oregon is -275 moneyline favourites. That means if Oregon wins outright, moneyline bets on them will pay $100, plus the bet back, for every $275 bet.
Finally, you see the totals line with the odds in brackets. Here, you are betting that the final combined score will be over or under 140.5 points. That half-point makes sure there will be no push. The over is 141 points or more. The under is 140 points or less. Both bets will pay $100, plus the bet back, for every $110 bet.
College basketball futures
NCAA futures may involve betting on a team to win its conference, conference tournament, or the NCAA Tournament. Either way, you’ll be able to book the bet at currently posted moneyline odds that change throughout the year based on each team’s perceived chances of winning. These futures lines work just like game moneylines.
NCAA basketball game props
NCAA props may involve betting on a team or player to achieve certain statistical milestones, like scoring more or less than a certain number of points in a game. These bets work like totals bets, with oddsmakers setting the line on a prop and you booking either side at currently posted moneyline odds.
Why NCAA basketball betting is great for beginners
US college basketball betting is great for sports betting beginners, even here in Canada, because it’s relatively predictable. Teams play according to type and higher-ranked programs beat lower-ranked or unranked teams with regularity.
Sure, upsets happen, but they’re rare. Even in March Madness, famous for a few stunning upsets that happen almost every year, lower seeds advance further than higher seeds almost all the time.
The NCAA Tournament also represents one of the most fun ways to bet on any sport: March Madness Bracket Challenges. That means picking the winners of all 67 tournament games before the tournament starts and entering your completed bracket in a contest.
It takes a lot of luck to find bracket-building success, giving beginners just as much a chance of winning as seasoned gamblers and college basketball experts. NCAA basketball betting is great for beginners because:
- It’s comparatively predictable
- Upsets (generally) are rare; and
- March Madness is probably the most fun you’ll ever have betting on sports
How to Bet on March Madness in Canada
March Madness is the second biggest event in sports betting after the Super Bowl.
The winners of all 32 conference tournaments get an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Then, the NCAA Selection Committee gets together to make another 36 other at-large selections. The committee also determines seeding and who has to play their way into the First Round through the First Four games.
That leaves 64 teams to play a total of 67 games over three weekends until an NCAA Division I men’s basketball champion is crowned. You can bet on individual March Madness games or dive headfirst into the traditional way most Americans bet on the NCAA Tournament every year by filling out a complete bracket ahead of the First Round and entering it in a bracket contest.
Sportsbook rules for NCAA basketball
College basketball has its rules, and sportsbooks have their rules when it comes to betting on it. These rules are always published and almost always include certain terms, conditions, and basic procedures for bets and payouts.
You should always read these rules for college basketball betting published by the sportsbook you’re betting with. Some of these basic rules may also apply:
- NCAA statistics and official scores are used to settle all bets.
- All bets on canceled or postponed games are considered no action and returned.
- Halves must be complete before half-bets are settled. Otherwise, they are considered no action and returned.
- Game and second-half bets include overtime if it goes there.
- Totals bets also include overtime
Vegas sportsbook odds vs Canadian sportsbook odds
Sportsbooks are copycats. That means most NCAA basketball game odds open up the same at online sportsbooks in Canada as they do inside traditional Las Vegas sportsbooks. However, they could change quite a bit by tip-off.
Sportsbooks set lines to draw an equal dollar amount to each side of a bet. That way they can realize the vig and earn a profit without sweating the outcome of the game. If more money is bet on one side, they’ll move that line to try to even things out. However, only the sportsbook where that money is bet will make the change, as the others are presumably still close enough to even at the original line.
That’s why a line might change at one sportsbook and not another, and explains why an NCAA basketball game line will open up the same at online sportsbooks in Canada and traditional sportsbooks in Las Vegas, but end up quite different by tip-off.
NCAAB betting tips and strategies
- Do the research: Narrow your focus to one conference or region and consume everything you can about it. Good, focussed research can turn guesses into educated and informed picks.
- Watch the games: There’s no substitute for watching NCAA basketball games yourself. It’s the best kind of research you can do. Combine it with reading boxscores and you’ll quickly become an expert on those teams you’re watching. Experts make better picks across the board. Experts win.
- Identify the potential upsets: College basketball is great for beginners because it’s mostly predictable, but it can be great for you when it isn’t. Upsets are where you can get paid because of the long odds on underdogs. You can easily identify potential upsets by looking for trap games, where one team might be looking past another, or revenge games and intra-conference matchups where underdogs might play above their heads against a familiar opponent.