How to Bet on College Basketball in North Carolina
Betting on college basketball will be easy once NC betting apps launch. Follow these steps:
- ✅ Sign up for or log into your account at your favorite sportsbook(s).
- ✅ Navigate to the Basketball menu under the A-Z list.
- ✅ Select College Basketball (M) for men's odds or College Basketball (W) for women's odds.
- ✅ Find the market you want to bet on. Options include game lines, parlays, props, and futures.
- ✅ Click on the side you want to bet on to add it to your betslip.
- ✅ Adjust your wager amount.
- ✅ Watch and wait to see if your college basketball bet wins!
🎁 MORE: NC Betting Promos
How to Read NCAAB Betting Lines: How College Basketball Moneylines Work
College basketball odds are almost always presented in the American odds or moneyline format. You'll see either a plus sign or a minus sign in front of a number. The number following a plus sign (+) is the amount you can win on a $100 bet. The number following a minus sign (-) is the amount you would need to bet to win $100.
These odds demonstrate a team's perceived chances of winning or losing. Negative odds indicate the favored basketball team; positive odds indicate the underdog. All you have to decide is which team will win.
The American odds format is used to indicate not just moneyline markets, but totals, futures, and prop bets, as well. So, if you understand how NFL moneyline odds work, you'll understand the rest of college basketball betting that much better.
Popular Types of Bets on NC College Basketball Odds
While there are many types of wagers you can make on college basketball teams, these are the three easiest that I recommend:
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Moneyline Positive moneyline odds indicate an underdog team, who will yield a bigger payout if they win. -
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Point Spread Bet on whether or not a team will win (or lose) by the expected total amount. -
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Live Betting Bet in game as lines shift to get higher payouts on more favorable odds that follow the action.
Can I Bet on College Basketball in North Carolina?
Yes, you can bet on college basketball in North Carolina. It's legal to bet on both men's and women's college basketball games in North Carolina.
Where Can I Bet on College Basketball in North Carolina?
You can bet on college basketball odds at retail sportsbooks locations in the state:
There are also eight sportsbook apps available for download where you can bet on college basketball.
Best College Basketball Betting Sites in North Carolina
There will be several options for betting on college basketball. Here's what each one does best for college basketball bettors:
| Sportsbook | Standout NCAAB Betting Features |
|---|---|
| 🏀 FanDuel North Carolina | Specials, Futures & Promos |
| 🏀 DraftKings North Carolina | Props, Futures & Promos |
| 🏀 ESPN BET NC | Buzzer Beater Protection, Alternate Lines & Promos |
| 🏀 bet365 North Carolina | Early Payouts & Parlays |
| 🏀 Caesars Sportsbook North Carolina | Futures, Bet Boosts, Featured Bets & Live Betting |
| 🏀 Fanatics North Carolina | Local Teams & Trending Bets |
| 🏀 BetMGM North Carolina | Same-Game Parlays |
It's worth noting that Underdog Sports North Carolina is just getting off the ground for sports betting, so we don't know exactly what it's college offering will look like.
NC sportsbook promos are live, just in time for conference and NCAA tournaments.
NCAA Basketball Betting: Best Bets
There are 19 D1 men's and women's college basketball programs in North Carolina. Let's take a look at the top betting contenders and events for 2024.
March Madness
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, more commonly known as March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament to determine the NCAA national champions.
The Selection Committee assigns each team that qualifies for the tournament a seed 1 through 16 in a given region. The highest seed still alive will always play the lowest seed still alive until there is just one team left standing.
It begins with 68 teams divided into four regions (East, South, Midwest, and West). Each conference winner earns an automatic bid to the tournament, and the committee gives them a seeding. The "First Four" round kicks off the tournament with four play-in games to determine which teams will get to compete in earnest.
Dividing the teams and matchups this way lends itself to picking brackets (aka the science of "Bracketology").
Final Four
The Final Four is a coveted place in March Madness. It refers to the last four teams standing in the tournament, the four teams that won their respective regions.
NIT (National Invitational Tournament)
The NCAA National Invitational Tournament is another postseason, single-elimination tournament in college basketball. From the 1930s to the 1970s, it was the premiere college basketball tournament. However, with the rise of March Madness, the NIT has become known was somewhat of a "consolation" bracket for teams that didn't make the 68 cut.
Nevertheless, some high-profile programs have won the NIT championships since 2000, including Xavier, Wichita State, Baylor, Dayton and Michigan.
University of North Carolina Tar Heels
- 📍 Location: Chapel Hill, NC
The UNC Tar Heels men's team is one of the most successful programs in NCAAB history. They have won six National Championships and hold the record for most all-time NCAA tournament wins with 132.
The women's team won the National Championship in 1994 and has been to the Final Four three times total.
🏀 MORE: UNC basketball odds
Duke Blue Devils
- 📍 Location: Durham, NC
Duke is one of the other top men's basketball programs in NCAA history. In 119 seasons, they've made 17 Final Four appearances and have 5 National Championship titles.
The women's team has yet to win a national title, but has made four Final Fours.
🏀 MORE: Duke basketball odds
North Carolina College Basketball Betting FAQs
Yes, it is legal to bet on college basketball in North Carolina. You'll be able to bet on both in- and out-of-state teams, per North Carolina sports betting legislation. Some states, such as Vermont, do not allow betting on in-state college teams.
Yes, you can bet on men's college basketball in North Carolina. The current odds-on favorite to win the National Championship is UConn at +500 odds at DraftKings. Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State and Tennessee have also been popular betting options.
Yes, you can bet on women's college basketball in North Carolina. Betting on women's basketball odds is growing in popularity nationwide. During March Madness in 2023, betting on women's basketball spiked 30% at BetMGM Sportsbook, comparing to NFL betting.
Open or log into your North Carolina sportsbook account. Navigate to the men's or women's college basketball odds tab to find the betting market you want. Click on the odds to add it to your betslip and adjust your wager amount.
Right now, you can bet on college basketball at three tribal locations in North Carolina: Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah's Cherokee Valley River and Catawba Two Kings. Online sportsbooks launch on March 11, which will allow you to bet anywhere in the state.
Yes, FanDuel Sportsbook lists college basketball betting odds for both men's and women's basketball. When it launches in North Carolina, expect to find several FanDuel betting markets and features for college basketball, including Top 25 teams' game lines and the parlay hub.
Author
Shannon Lane is a commercial editor and fact-checker for BetCarolina. She's spent the last decade working in sports media, including at NFL Media and as a reporter/fact-checker at Sports Illustrated. She covers everything NFL football to give North Carolina sports betters the best information on the Panthers and other NFL teams.
