College basketball betting online is growing by the day. For fans new to betting on college sports, here are a few tips to consider when gambling on College hoops.

During the college basketball betting season, fans can expect to go through three different phases of the season, no names and brand names, conference play and tournament play. Here is a look at each of the beginning and middle parts of the season.

No – Names and Brand Names – Although the NCAA basketball season doesn’t start until November, the true tests for most teams do not begin until the middle January, as that is when conference play begins.

Up until the middle of January, the majority of ranked division one schools play against no name teams from smaller conferences. Fans new to betting on the NCAA should check the schedule as to find value on certain matchups. For instance, when Syracuse and Duke both played Colgate this season, it would have been smart for you to bet on the Orange and Blue Devils to cover the spread. In both games, Colgate couldn’t get over the half court line as they played two of the biggest powerhouses in the entire NCAA. When ranked teams play no name teams, it is smart to take the brand name teams as they have better players.

Conference Play – From the middle of January up until the end of February, teams from around the NCAA play in what is called conference play. As the name suggests, most if not all of the games during this two month span are played between teams in the same conference and division. Once conference play gets rolling, it allows for bettors to look closer into statistics, and match ups. How a team fares against conference opponents can dictate if they will qualify for the March Madness national title playoff championship.