Basketball Sports Betting: Which Way Will That Ball Bounce?

Professional Versus College Basketball Betting

Basketball is basketball, right? Well, not when it comes to basketball sportsbetting. The fact is there is one major difference between professional and college games that greatly influences point spreads, over/unders, outcomes and basketball betting. In the NBA a win is a win but in NCAA basketball a win can be a loss if the victorious team doesn’t perform as expected or better than expected. And that fact can influence sportsbetting on basketball.

Here’s the way that it works with the pros when it comes to basketball sportsbetting. You may see a line something like this when the Boston Celtics play the Philadelphia ‘76ers:

Professional Basketball Sportsbetting Example:

Moneyline:
Boston Celtics (- 130)
Philadelphia ‘76ers (+150)

Point Spread:
Boston Celtics -21.5 (+150)
Philadelphia ‘76ers +21.5 (- 125)

Over: 181.5 (+125)
Under: 181.5 (-135)

The money line in betting on the sport of basketball works like it does in other sports. The team that’s given the negative (-) line is favored. In our example, Boston is expected to win. For this reason, if you pick the Celtics you must wager $130 to win $100. If you decide to go with the underdog, the team with the plus (+) sign, then for every $100 you placed on the ‘76ers, you’d win $150. Just like football, baseball, soccer and hockey, in basket sportsbetting if you bet on the upset and it occurs, you get a better payoff.

If you decide to wager with the point spread, then things change. Why? Well, now you’re taking points away from Boston and giving them to the ‘76ers. In doing that, the Celtics have a much tougher challenge when it comes to winning. In our professional basketball sportsbetting example if you place $100 on Boston with the point spread intact, you’ll make a profit of $150 if the club wins by 22 points or more. If you decide to go with Philadelphia and they win outright or lose by 21 or fewer points, you would make a $100 profit on a $125 wager. In basketball sportsbetting, as in other sports, the point spread changes the odds because it gives the ‘76ers an edge.

In basketball, you may also bet on the over/under. In this case, you’re wagering on the total number of points that will be scored in the game. The over/under in our game would pay $125 on a $100 bet if the total score is 182 or higher and $100 on a $135 wager if the combined score were below 182.

Our basketball sports betting example for college is similar but with some twists.

NCAA Basketball Sports betting Example:

Moneyline:
North Carolina Tar Heels (-150)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+135)

Point Spread:
North Carolina Tar Heels - 24.5 (+110)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons +24.5 (-135)

Over: 125.5 (- 125)
Under: 125.5 (+120)

Like our professional game, the NCAA basketball sportsbetting example would play out the same regarding the moneyline, point spread and over/under. But here is the important difference.

In order to rise or maintain their position in the national rankings, the Tar Heels will need to win by around 20 points. There’s a lot of motivation for the club to score as many points as it can—to make the differential between their team and the Demon Deacons larger than expected. Why? This could impress the folks who have a vote towards the national ranking and move North Carolina a few notches higher.

When is comes to basketball sportsbetting on amateur games, you must keep in mind that the bigger the win the more impressive the club looks to those ranking them. Likewise, if they under perform and still win, or even worse, lose, then they could drop nationally. Consider this factor, amongst others, when wagering on the pros where a win is a win and on the college ranks where a weak win may hurt a club almost as much as a loss.