College Basketball Betting Trends: How Gamblers are Approaching Conference Tournament Frenzy

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Conference basketball tournaments hit full tilt with a mix of value-seeking futures and frenzied game-by-game wagering. They also become scouting opportunities for the Big Dance next week. Here are some college basketball betting trends across the sportsbook landscape.

College Basketball Betting Lines

Here are college basketball odds from BetMGM Sportsbook.

Game Time Teams Spread Moneyline Total
Tue (12/5) @ 10:00pm ET IDST Idaho State +14.5 -154 +3300 u147.5 -115
FRES Fresno State -14.5 +120 -10000 o147.5 -115
Tue (12/5) @ 10:00pm ET CLVS Cleveland State +13.5 -303 +3300 o127.5 +100
STMR Saint Mary's -13.5 +220 -10000 u127.5 -130
Tue (12/5) @ 11:00pm ET MONS Montana State +3300 o147.5 -110
WASH Washington -10000 u147.5 -120
Wed (12/6) @ 11:00am ET SALA South Alabama +3.5 -110 +145 u132.5 -110
MERC Mercer -3.5 -110 -175 o132.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 6:00pm ET RUTG Rutgers +3.5 -110 +150 o140.5 -110
WAKE Wake Forest -3.5 -110 -185 u140.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 6:30pm ET LOYM Loyola Marymount +10.5 -110 +475 u143.5 -110
LASA La Salle -10.5 -110 -667 o143.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 6:30pm ET STNH Stonehill +10.5 -110 +450 o145.5 -110
STBR Stony Brook -10.5 -110 -667 u145.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET MAIN Maine -1.5 -115 -135 u127.5 -110
BU Boston University +1.5 -105 +110 o127.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET VALP Valparaiso +3.5 -110 +140 u141.5 -115
CMIC Central Michigan -3.5 -110 -164 o141.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET WAG Wagner -5.5 -110 -250 u121.5 -110
COPP Coppin State +5.5 -110 +200 o121.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET UNH New Hampshire -1.5 -110 -125 u148.5 -110
DART Dartmouth +1.5 -110 +105 o148.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET CAMP Campbell +13.5 -110 +750 o130.5 -110
DAVI Davidson -13.5 -110 -1250 u130.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET BALL Ball State -1.5 -105 -120 o135.5 -110
DET Detroit +1.5 -115 +100 u135.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET WOFF Wofford +7.5 -110 +280 u147.5 -110
GARD Gardner-Webb -7.5 -110 -345 o147.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET HOFS Hofstra -2.5 -115 -154 o150.5 -110
IONA Iona +2.5 -105 +130 u150.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET DUQ Duquesne -4.5 -115 -200 o154.5 -110
MARS Marshall +4.5 -105 +165 u154.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET PSU Penn State +7.5 -110 +260 u137.5 -110
MARY Maryland -7.5 -110 -345 o137.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET UVM Vermont -2.5 -110 -145 u138.5 -110
NEAS Northeastern +2.5 -110 +120 o138.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET STBO St. Bonaventure -8.5 -105 -370 u135.5 -110
NIAG Niagara +8.5 -115 +290 o135.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET TOLE Toledo +1.5 -120 -110 u154.5 -110
OAK Oakland -1.5 +100 -110 o154.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET YNGS Youngstown State +8.5 -110 +310 u156.5 -110
OHIO Ohio -8.5 -110 -400 o156.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET FLAM Florida A&M +280 o136.5 -110
PRES Presbyterian -345 u136.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET BRYA Bryant -8.5 -110 -400 o138.5 -115
SIEN Siena +8.5 -110 +310 u138.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET AMER American University +800 o142.5 -110
STJO Saint Joseph's -1429 u142.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET UMAS Massachusetts -2.5 -105 -141 o133.5 -115
TOWS Towson +2.5 -115 +115 u133.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET JAX Jacksonville +14.5 -110 +800 o141.5 -110
UCF UCF -14.5 -110 -1429 u141.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET BROW Brown +4.5 -110 +165 o142.5 -110
URI Rhode Island -4.5 -110 -200 u142.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET MEM Memphis -3.5 -110 -161 o142.5 -110
VCU VCU +3.5 -110 +135 u142.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET OLD Old Dominion -3.5 -105 -161 o144.5 -105
WM William & Mary +3.5 -115 +135 u144.5 -115
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET FAIR Fairfield +16.5 -110 +1100 o144.5 -105
YALE Yale -16.5 -110 -2500 u144.5 -115
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET NARZ Northern Arizona +8.5 -105 +310 u139.5 -110
ABCH Abilene Christian -8.5 -115 -400 o139.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET LIPS Lipscomb +4.5 -110 +165 u162.5 -110
BELM Belmont -4.5 -110 -200 o162.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET SC South Carolina +8.5 -110 +340 u139.5 -110
CLEM Clemson -8.5 -110 -455 o139.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET SLU Saint Louis +15.5 -110 +900 u151.5 -115
DRAK Drake -15.5 -110 -1667 o151.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET NKEN Northern Kentucky +2.5 -110 +120 u133.5 -110
ILLS Illinois State -2.5 -110 -145 o133.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET UT Texas +8.5 -115 +290 u150.5 -110
MARQ Marquette -8.5 -105 -370 o150.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET UTRG Texas-Rio Grande Valley +4.5 -110 +165 u154.5 -110
TAMU Texas A&M-Corpus Christi -4.5 -110 -200 o154.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET OMAH Omaha +20.5 -105 +1100 o143.5 -110
TTU Texas Tech -20.5 -115 -2500 u143.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET SF San Francisco -2.5 -110 -145 o138.5 -110
VAND Vanderbilt +2.5 -110 +120 u138.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 9:00pm ET DEN Denver +22.5 -110 +1200 u161.5 -115
COLS Colorado State -22.5 -110 -3333 o161.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 9:00pm ET NEB Nebraska -2.5 -105 -141 u147.5 -115
MINN Minnesota +2.5 -115 +115 o147.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 9:00pm ET DEPA DePaul +19.5 -110 +1100 o146.5 -110
TXAM Texas A&M -19.5 -110 -2500 u146.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 9:00pm ET USCB UC Santa Barbara +12.5 -110 +550 u157.5 -110
UNM New Mexico -12.5 -110 -833 o157.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 9:00pm ET PITT Pittsburgh -3.5 -110 -164 o138.5 -105
WVU West Virginia +3.5 -110 +140 u138.5 -115
Wed (12/6) @ 10:00pm ET SMU SMU +2.5 -105 +125 u140.5 -110
ASU Arizona State -2.5 -115 -149 o140.5 -110
Tue (12/5) @ 11:06pm ET MONS Montana State +26.5 +125
WASH Washington -26.5 -164
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET RMU Robert Morris +6.5 -110 u141.5 -115
CANS Canisius -6.5 -110 o141.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET NJIT NJIT +16.5 -105 u142.5 -110
FORD Fordham -16.5 -115 o142.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET LIUB LIU +28.5 -110 o154.5 -110
MIA Miami (FL) -28.5 -110 u154.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET MDES Maryland Eastern Shore +24.5 -110 o147.5 -110
NCSU North Carolina State -24.5 -110 u147.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET GB Green Bay +6.5 -110 o127.5 -115
SIUE SIUE -6.5 -110 u127.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET WBD Milwaukee +5.5 -110 o140.5 -110
STMN St. Thomas (MN) -5.5 -110 u140.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET RICE Rice +27.5 -110 u140.5 -110
UH Houston -27.5 -110 o140.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET RICH Richmond +2.5 -110 u143.5 -110
UNI Northern Iowa -2.5 -110 o143.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 8:00pm ET IPFW Purdue Fort Wayne -6.5 -110 o148.5 -110
USI Southern Indiana +6.5 -110 u148.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 9:00pm ET UNLV UNLV +9.5 -105 u132.5 -110
DAYT Dayton -9.5 -115 o132.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 9:00pm ET UCDV UC Davis +14.5 -115 u144.5 -115
NEVA Nevada -14.5 -105 o144.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 9:00pm ET SD San Diego +20.5 -115 o143.5 -110
USU Utah State -20.5 -105 u143.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 10:00pm ET UTEC Utah Tech +9.5 -110 u137.5 -105
CABA California Baptist -9.5 -110 o137.5 -115
Wed (12/6) @ 10:00pm ET CSUF Cal State Fullerton +3.5 -110 o143.5 -115
PEPP Pepperdine -3.5 -110 u143.5 -105
Wed (12/6) @ 10:00pm ET UC Riverside +13.5 -110 o134.5 -110
WSU Washington State -13.5 -110 u134.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET MIAO Miami (OH) o143.5 -110
OSU Ohio State u143.5 -110
Wed (12/6) @ 7:00pm ET SACR Sacred Heart o157.5 -115
STJO St. John's u157.5 -105

Conference Tournament Betting Trends at DraftKings: Seeking Diamonds in the Rough

“Bettors are looking for a team they believe is primed to make a run in the tournament,” Johnny Avello, the director of race and sportsbook operations for DraftKings, told Gaming Today. “In most cases, that’s not the chalk.

“They may want a team that played well late in the season, lost a couple close games, and then they will bet that team to put a few games together in the tournament.

“It’s almost never a team that was 7-12 and makes it to the tournament, just because every team does,” he added. “But are you going to see a pretty good team that was 16-14, maybe had an awful season but needs to make a big run to get into the big tournament? You could see that.”

Avello said the Big 10, SEC, Pac-12, and Big East are some of the most popular conference betting tournaments at DraftKings.

Gamblers know these teams well, and that may be one place to find hidden value.

Lesser-known circuits may reveal even bigger surprises.

“There are many teams in many conferences that people don’t pay attention to every day,” Avello noted. “How many players have ever made a bet on Grambling or Southern Utah in their whole lives? Well, maybe they will see value at Southern Utah at +700 this week and play it.”

Southern Utah, 20-11, is third-seeded in the WAC conference and is well-priced in comparison to top-seeded Sam Houston at +120. Each team beat the other on its home floor this season.

The Las Vegas-based tournament represents a neutral site. Based on those parameters, Southern Utah represents value.

Read: Pac-12 Tournament odds

March Madness Betting Popularity Soars

Avello said conference tournaments have always been strong writes. When he ran brick-and-mortar establishments like the Wynn in Las Vegas, customers flocked to the book to gain March Madness excitement without the overflow crowds.

Popularity has carried over into the online realm.

Avello believes a conference tournament final would likely draw the same business as any March Madness first-round game next week.

Caesars College Hoops Betting Trends: Six Teams Open With Single-Digit Odds

The Big 12 was the lone conference tournament to have six teams open with single-digit odds this week, Caesars Sportsbook reports.

Kansas and Texas were originally +330 co-favorites, followed by Baylor (+450), Iowa State (+700), Kansas State (+750), and TCU (+800).

Now the Jayhawks stand alone at +220, while the Longhorns have slightly dropped to +300. Parity marks this conference.

Texas has drawn the most bets of any team to win the Big 12 tourney, seizing 35.4% of the tickets and 33.6% of the handle. The Longhorns own a home victory over Kansas.

TCU has taken over the third spot at +500, with Baylor (+550), Kansas State (+800), and Iowa State (+1000), rounding out the top group.

The Horned Frogs have reeled in the second-most Big 12 tournament tickets at 23.0% and are third in handle at 24.9%. They also hold a victory over Texas.

Kansas is third in tickets at 14.9% and second in handle at 31.3%.

Check out: Big 12 Tournament odds

Conference Tournament Bettors in Ten-Grand Land

There have been six $10,000 wagers placed at Caesars for conference tournaments.

The only team with two of them is VCU, with a Colorado bettor and a New Jersey gambler each laying it on VCU (+200) for the A-10.

A New York bettor dropped $10,000 on UC Irvine (+210) to win the Big West.

The SEC drew three of the $10,000 wagers on three separate teams, which impacts the betting percentage.

A Colorado bettor put $10,000 on Alabama (+175), a Tennessee gambler staked $10,000 on Tennessee (+350) and an Illinois bettor placed $10,000 on Texas A&M (+650).

As a result, Alabama has the top handle at 26.2%, with Tennessee and Texas A&M next at 21.0% and 19.1% respectively.

Kentucky still leads the way with 31.4% of the tickets for SEC but is only fourth in handle at 17.9%.

As for the betting odds, Alabama began Wednesday at +150 after starting off at +175.

Kentucky holds the second-lowest odds at +350 (opened +475), with Tennessee right behind at +400 (opened +270).

Texas A&M is also nearby at +550 (opened at +550 and reached as high as +650), while Arkansas (+1200), Auburn (+1600), and Missouri (+2000).

Also read: SEC Tournament odds

Big Ten Tournament: Best Betting Value and One Long Shot

Purdue began Wednesday as the +160 chalk, but bettors prefer Indiana, which beat Purdue twice within the last month.

Indiana, at a value-laden +500, notched the most futures handle in the conference at 33.2%.

Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis
College basketball bettors are backing Trayce Jackson-Davis and Indiana in the Big Ten conference tournament (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Maryland (+800) has 14.6% of the money while Iowa (+1200) has 14.5%. They are the only three teams drawing more than 10% of the handle.

Purdue has the ninth-most handle at 3.8% along with the seventh-most tickets at 5.5%.

One New Jersey bettor put $400 on Nebraska back when the Cornhuskers were +25000 for a potential win of $100,000, while an Ontario bettor has $300 on Nebraska (+2500) for a potential $75,000 payday.

One long shot leading its conference in tickets is Virginia Tech. The Hokies have moved from +4500 to +2500 for the ACC, as their 15.7% mark for tickets is just edging out Miami (+300) for the lead.

Duke (+260), however, is out in front for handle by a good amount at 28.5%, with Miami also in second in that category at 19.8%.

Madison Square Garden is the home of the unparalleled Big East tournament. UConn and Creighton have been bouncing around +230 co-favored status since Tuesday.

The Bluejays have commanded a whopping 50.0% of the handle to win the Big East tournament, even with the Huskies on top in tickets at 22.5%.

UConn is second in handle at 25.2%, followed by Marquette (+360) at 7.04%, Xavier (+500) at 6.98%, and Villanova (+850) at 6.96% — all neck-and-neck with one another.

Bookmark this: Big Ten Tournament odds

BetMGM Betting Trends: Miami Leads Way in ACC Tournament

Miami is leading the way with 19.1 % of the futures handle at BetMGM Sportsbook. Duke is next at 13.3%

Virginia Tech comes in third at 12.2%, and North Carolina is fourth with 12.1%

Virginia is next with 10.4%, followed closely by Pittsburgh at 9.9% and Syracuse at 9.1%.

The odds have remained steady, but some bettors are taking fliers. Virginia Tech not only has double-digit handle support but rose from +4000 to +3000.

Longshot Notre Dame received enough money to go from +35000 to +15000.

Read: ACC Tournament odds

About the Author
Dave Bontempo

Dave Bontempo

Writer
Dave Bontempo is an award-winning writer and broadcaster, who has covered the sports industry since the 1970s. He won the Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Boxing Broadcasting by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 1997, and is in the New Jersey and Atlantic City Boxing Halls of Fame. Bontempo has broadcast major fights all over the world. The advent of legalized sports wagering shifted his focus to this exciting new industry in 2018.

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