Totals betting in NCAAB — also known as over/under betting — involves wagering on whether the combined score of both teams will land above or below a number set by the sportsbook. Unlike football, where scoring comes in irregular increments of three and seven, basketball's continuous scoring produces totals that are generally more predictable, often landing in the 130-155 range for most Division I games. This fluidity makes the market attractive, but it also means oddsmakers can price lines with greater precision, leaving less room for casual bettors to find edges.
The totals market becomes most valuable when bettors can identify pace and tempo mismatches that the line hasn't fully accounted for — a run-and-gun team facing a slow, grinding opponent, for example, or a conference tournament game where fatigue compresses scoring. Tracking adjusted tempo and offensive/defensive efficiency ratings from sources like KenPom is essential. From a vig perspective, NCAAB totals typically carry slightly higher juice than sides, particularly in lower-profile matchups where books receive less balanced action. Comparing vig across sportsbooks on these lines can meaningfully improve long-term returns, especially across a season with thousands of available games.
Analysis updated September 13, 2026. Odds data above refreshes hourly.
Cross-Sport totals Vig Comparison
NCAAB totals averages 4.86% vig across 18 sportsbooks. Here's how that compares to other active sports:
| Sport | Avg Vig | vs NCAAB |
|---|---|---|
| NCAAB | 4.86% | — |
| Basketball Euroleague | 5.75% | NCAAB runs 0.89 pts lower |
| NBA | 4.87% | NCAAB runs 0.01 pts lower |
| WNBA | 5.08% | NCAAB runs 0.22 pts lower |
| CFL | 5.30% | NCAAB runs 0.44 pts lower |
Vig Rankings
| # | Sportsbook | Vig | Grade | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LowVig.ag | 3.79% | B+ | 1 |
| 2 | Pinnacle | 3.84% | B+ | 1 |
| 3 | theScore Bet (ESPN Bet) | 4.71% | B | 1 |
| 4 | BetOnline.ag | 4.71% | B | 1 |
| 5 | FanDuel | 4.71% | B | 1 |
| 6 | Hard Rock Bet | 4.71% | B | 1 |
| 7 | Bally Bet | 4.73% | B | 1 |
| 8 | betPARX | 4.73% | B | 1 |
| 9 | DraftKings | 4.75% | B | 1 |
| 10 | Bovada | 4.76% | B | 1 |
| 11 | BetUS | 4.76% | B | 1 |
| 12 | BetMGM | 4.76% | B | 1 |
| 13 | Fanatics | 4.76% | B | 1 |
| 14 | Caesars | 4.76% | B | 1 |
| 15 | ReBet | 4.76% | B | 1 |
| 16 | MyBookie.ag | 4.76% | B | 1 |
| 17 | BetRivers | 5.41% | C+ | 1 |
| 18 | Fliff | 8.03% | D- | 1 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which sportsbook has the lowest NCAAB totals vig?
LowVig.ag currently has the lowest vig at 3.79%, earning a grade of B+.
Why is college basketball vig so variable?
NCAAB has hundreds of teams and thousands of games per season. Major conference matchups attract decent volume and competitive vig, but mid-major and early-season games see far less action. Sportsbooks compensate with wider margins on lower-profile games.
When is NCAAB season?
College basketball runs from November through early April, culminating in March Madness (the NCAA Tournament). The tournament generates massive betting interest and typically features some of the best vig of the NCAAB season.
Does March Madness have better vig than regular season?
Generally yes. March Madness is one of the most heavily bet events in American sports. The flood of casual and sharp money forces books to tighten their lines. Tournament vig is often 1–2% lower than early-season college basketball.
What is vig (vigorish) in sports betting?
Vig — short for vigorish, also called juice or overround — is the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. It's the difference between the true probability of an outcome and what the odds imply. Lower vig means you keep more of your winnings on every bet. For example, a standard -110/-110 line has about 4.76% vig.
How often is this data updated?
We pull fresh odds from The Odds API every hour, on the hour (UTC). Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds. The timestamp at the top of the page shows the most recent refresh.
How is the vig grade calculated?
Each sportsbook is graded on average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exchange-level pricing, A (2–3%) very competitive, B+ (3–4%) above average, B (4–5%) the industry standard, C+ (5–6%) slightly below average, C (6–7%) below average, D (7–8%) high vig, D− (8–10%) very high, F (10%+) predatory.
Why does lower vig matter for bettors?
Lower vig directly impacts your long-term returns. A bettor placing $1,000 per week at a book with 4% vig loses roughly $40/week to the house edge. At 2% vig, that drops to $20/week — a $1,040 difference over a year. For serious bettors, shopping for lower vig is one of the most reliable ways to improve profitability.
What sportsbooks do you track?
We track both regulated US sportsbooks (DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars) and offshore books (Bovada, BetOnline, MyBookie, BetUS, LowVig.ag, BetAnything). Data comes from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed sources.
How We Calculate These Numbers
- Data Source
- All odds on this page come from The Odds API, which aggregates real-time lines from licensed US and offshore sportsbooks. We track moneyline, spread, and totals markets across every sport with active betting lines.
- Update Frequency
- We pull a fresh snapshot of every tracked market every hour, on the hour (UTC). Each snapshot captures the latest lines from every sportsbook that has posted odds for a given event. The timestamp at the top of each page tells you exactly when the data was last refreshed.
- Vig Calculation
- Vig (short for vigorish, also called juice or overround) measures the margin a sportsbook builds into its odds. We calculate it by converting the odds on each side of a market to implied probabilities, summing those probabilities, and subtracting 100%. For example, a market priced at -110/-110 implies 52.38% on each side — a total of 104.76%, meaning a vig of 4.76%. Lower vig means better value for bettors because you keep more of your winnings.
- Per-Market Breakdown
- We compute vig separately for each market type: moneyline (h2h), point spreads, and totals (over/under). The "average vig" shown for each sportsbook is the mean across all market types weighted by the number of events sampled in each market.
- Grading Scale
- Every sportsbook receives a letter grade based on its average vig: A+ (under 2%) is exchange-level pricing. A (2–3%) is very competitive. B+ (3–4%) is above average. B (4–5%) is the industry standard — a -110/-110 line is 4.76%. C+ (5–6%) is slightly below average. C (6–7%) is below average. D (7–8%) is high vig. D− (8–10%) is very high vig. F (10%+) is predatory pricing. See the full Vig Index Methodology for formulas, worked examples, and known limitations.
- Trend Tracking
- We store daily snapshots for 30 days, allowing us to show 24-hour and 7-day vig trends. A downward trend (improving) means sportsbooks are tightening their lines — often in response to increased competition or higher betting volume as a season heats up.