NCAA Basketball Betting Guide

Pennsylvania sports bettors now have a variety of choices for 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 throughout the regular season and during the NCAA Tournament, also known as March Madness.

NCAA basketball betting sites for PA

Best College Basketball Betting Apps

For betting on college basketball from your phone in Pennsylvania, DraftKings, and FanDuel sportsbooks have the most popular apps, with Fanatics Sportsbook a new contender on the scene.

Those three platforms are my personal favorites. DraftKings and FanDuel are the industry titans. They have some of the best promotions and offer tons of betting markets, specifically deep ones for college basketball. Building parlays is simple with both apps, and both operators offer plenty of futures bets, too. Fanatics Sportsbook offers a similar, easy-to-use interface. One of the biggest differentiators about this platform, though, is its integration with the Fanatics industry as a whole. Regardless of if you win or lose a bet with Fanatics Sportsbook, you will get up to 10% back in FanCash. That FanCash can be redeemed or merchandise (think of hats, jerseys, etc.), giving you somewhat of a cashback feature if you’re a regular Fanatics customer.

1. DraftKings Sportsbook app

DraftKings 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 (Big 12, ACC, Big East, etc.)

There are also futures wagers on individual conference winners for the Big East, Big Ten, ACC, and other conferences. FanDuel offers pricing for the individual player to be honored with the Wooden trophy.

3. Fanatics Sportsbook app

For those in PA looking for another great online sports betting option for college hoops, Fanatics Sportsbook is another solid choice. The site offers a wide range of bet types across all the college games plus futures that include:

• Conference champions
• Final Four participants
• National championship winner

During March Madness, Fanatics offers additional specials and promos related to the tournament. You’ll also see the site divide up trending bets by region, offer helpful parlay-building tools, and provide great in-game live betting including “Lightning Bets” on play results. Fanatics is an app-only site, meaning you can only access it via mobile (and not over a computer). The app is available for both Apple and Android devices.

NCAA men’s basketball tournament schedule: Key dates

The NCAA selection committee meets to decide which 68 schools to include in the March Madness betting pool every year. Of the 68 schools, 31 qualify automatically by winning their conference tournament. The other 37 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 2025:

• March 16: Selection Sunday
• March 18-19: First Four
• March 20-21: First Round
• March 22-23: Second Round
• March 27-28: Sweet Sixteen
• March 29-30: Elite Eight
• April 5: Final Four
• April 7: NCAA Championship

NCAA Basketball AP Top 25 poll

Check out the current NCAA Basketball 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.

NCAA futures and prop bets

As described above, there are futures 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.

Prop bets are also available for individual games. An example of this is whether a team makes over or under a certain amoutn of 3-pointers during the game.

Five basic college basketball betting tips

1. Pick a team, and know your stuff: There are over 350 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.
2. Watch the games, and 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.
3. Take advantage of free info: A lot of great resources are available, including ESPN, CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and local sports s, which follow the local teams closely. Check the summary, stat, and trend sheets available from the NCAA website as well.
4. Follow the local media: The school’s Twitter , local news beat writers, student newspapers, and local TV/radio stations all follow the team closely. You may receive dozens of tips and injury news throughout the season that can help you make better betting decisions.
5. 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 often 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, a letdown is possible. Check the team’s schedule and results, and you’ll find some distinct spots where a betting advantage will show itself.

Get started betting on NCAA basketball in PA

Before March Madness officially tips off, keep your finger on the pulse regarding all things college hoops. Look for teams that are getting hot at the right time and which programs win conference tournaments. Plus, read up about different NCAA Tournament promos from sportsbooks. That way, you’ll be ready for NCAA basketball betting in Pennsylvania when the tournament is finalized.