In the world of sports betting, NFL is king. And with Super Bowl LIV serving as the final chapter to the 2019-20 season, the king is dead – or at least hibernating until September.
That means we have seven months of NFL-less game action. In that time frame there’s plenty of pick from, including immediate daily betting odds on the NBA, NHL, and NCAA basketball.
If you’re looking at these three sports for the first time this year, Jason Logan runs down the pros and cons for each market as well as their current best bets and odds markets (as of February 3).
NBA BETTING
PROS: Nightly action and a ton of coverage. The NBA is exciting to watch and has a roster of superstars to fall in love with. The league is well covered by the media and is at the forefront in terms of next generation stats, so you can also find some tasty tidbits to base your bets around. There are plenty of options too, including player and team props for every game.
CONS: There’s unpredictability in all sports, but boy is pro basketball a crapshoot. Basketball is a game of runs, so there are always major swings, but the issue comes before the whistle even blows. Star players are routinely taking games off and these last-minute announcements can swing the odds in the hours before tipoff. Also, with things like tanking for better draft positioning and disgruntled players demanding trades, motivation is sometimes questionable.
NBA BETTING OPTIONS
• Pointspread
• Moneyline
• Over/Under
• Player/Team props
• Derivative lines/Alternative odds
• Live in-play odds
• NBA team/player futures
BAD BEAT/AMAZING WIN: NBA betting will make you want to punch the wall at least once during the season. And the very worst is placing a wager on a team only to hear closer to tip that their star player is sitting out. However, for those guys on the other side of this, appreciate the extra points once that line reacts to that star's status.
NBA BEST BETS
BEST BET: Oklahoma City Thunder 34-16-0 ATS
WORST BET: Detroit Pistons 18-32-1 ATS
BEST OVER: Detroit Pistons 32-19-0 O/U
BEST UNDER: Orlando Magic 19-28-2 O/U
NHL BETTING
PROS: Again, nightly NHL action keeps you busy and engaged right into the playoffs, which are always fantastic. Unlike the NBA, star players don’t miss time for rest so rarely would you get hit with a late scratch out of the blue. The NHL is growing in popularity, so coverage is getting better and stats are also becoming more advanced, allowing deeper dives into analytics. Hockey isn’t on the radar as much, so you can find betting value in the nightly odds more often than say the NFL or NBA numbers. Also, the NHL could have the best postseason of any professional spot with notable playoff upsets happening every season.
CONS: Depending on where you live, viewing NHL games could be difficult without a special subscription. And while it’s a major sport, it doesn’t get nearly the coverage or attention the NBA does, in terms of good actionable information out there for the taking. The bulk of NHL betting is moneyline wagering – betting on the outright winner – and does require a smart money management plan if you’re going to do it routinely. Outside of derivatives and team totals, there isn’t a massive menu of wagering options for NHL.
NHL BETTING OPTIONS
• Moneyline
• Puckline (spread)
• Over/Under
• Player/Team props
• Derivative lines/Alternative odds
• Live in-play odds
• NHL team/player futures
BAD BEAT/AMAZING WIN: Empty-net goals are the very core of NHL betting bad beats and amazing wins. Whether you're betting the total or the puckline (hockey's version of the spread), the empty netter can push the total Over the number or cover the 1.5-goal puckline. Fingers crossed, you're on the right side.
NHL BEST BETS
BEST BET: Washington Capitals 35-18 (+8.66 units)
WORST BET: Detroit Red Wings 12-41 (-21.92 units)
BEST OVER: Washington Capitals 34-18-1 O/U
BEST UNDER: Columbus Blue Jackets 19-33-1 O/U
NCAA BASKETBALL BETTING
PROS: There are hundreds and hundreds of games a week to choose from and if you really do your homework, there are many advantages on the board – especially when it comes to smaller conferences. Unlike the pro version, college hoops is maximum effort most nights during conference play, so you don’t have to sweat motivation and worry about stars sitting out. And, of course, there’s March Madness, which is a blast to bet on.
CONS: Viewing for NCAA basketball is spotty compared to NBA and NHL but better than it used to be. There’s also not as much out there in the way of team news and analysis with small conferences, so it does take some digging and time to find your angles. Until the NCAA tournament, the college hoops betting markets are shark-infested waters run by sharp bettors, who jump on soft lines and don’t leave much in the way of scraps (line value) for the casual players. Depending on your book, they may not offer every game from every league, sticking mainly to power conferences, and outside of derivatives and some team props, there aren’t a lot of alternative odds for NCAAB.
NCAA BETTING OPTIONS
• Pointspread
• Moneyline
• Over/Under
• Team/Player props
• Derivative lines/Alternative odds
• Live in-play odds
• NCAAB team/player futures
BAD BET/AMAZING WIN: Last-second garbage buckets. With so many NCAA games on the go each and every night, you're bound to run into this situation: the clock is ticking down. The favorite is up by nine and covering the 7.5-point spread. The underdog tosses up a meaningless jumper as time expires. SPLASH! For some, those with +7.5, that's a moment of pure joy. For those holding -7.5... not so much.
NCAA BASKETBALL BEST BETS (Power conference only)
BEST BET: Alabama Crimson Tide 15-6-0 ATS
WORST BET: Xavier Musketeers 6-15-1 ATS
BEST OVER: Gonzaga Bulldogs 19-5-0 O/U
BEST UNDER: St. John’s Red Storm 6-16-1 O/U
