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With Missouri sports betting off and running in December 2025, college basketball begins to move into center stage amongst the sports betting landscape.
There are six Division I programs in Missouri: Missouri, Missouri State, St. Louis, Missouri-Kansas City, Southeast Missouri State and Lindenwood.
Conference play has yet to start, but the pecking order has begun filling itself out: Arizona has sprung to the AP No. 1 after an 8-0 start that included wins over five ranked teams as of this writing.
Purdue remains a long-term threat despite its recent loss to Iowa State, which sank them from preseason favorites to No. 6.
Before diving into wagers on college hoops in Missouri, it helps to get grounded in sports betting fundamentals.
We’ve strung together a rundown of the core terminology with some early matchups in the 2025-26 schedule.
Moneyline
Like one team to win against another? Betting the moneyline is exactly that; no other conditions are required.
Take No. 5 Connecticut against No. 18 Florida on Dec. 9, for instance: The Huskies were -205 on the moneyline before tipoff. That means to win $100, you would have to bet $205.
BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) dribbles the ball against Clemson during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in New York. AP
The Gators, on the other hand, were +168 underdogs. This means you could bet $100 to win $168.
So the underdog, which is always shown with a plus, has a more lucrative payout than the favorite, which reflects a number with a minus.
You may have heard someone ask something like, “What’s the line on the Purdue game?” That refers to the point spread.
This is the margin of victory between the two teams that the sportsbooks project. Unlike the moneyline odds, which reflect different values and payouts, the spread is usually listed at -110 on both sides.
If one side begins to become a more popular bet, books may push the odds to more expensive prices, such as -115 or -120. The other team’s odds become more attractive at -105 or even +100.
What you’re betting here is for a team to “cover.” So say you had bet on No. 13 Illinois -3.5 over Ohio State on Dec. 9. Illinois, the favorite, would have to not only win the game, but win it by four or more points to cover the 3.5-point spread.
The alternative would be backing Ohio State +3.5, which means the Buckeyes would have to lose within three points to cover. If they upset and win the game outright, that also counts as covering.
JT Toppin #15 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders shoots the ball during the first half of the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at United Supermarkets Arena on November 30, 2025 in Lubbock, Texas. Getty Images
This is called betting the total. Sportsbooks assign a total number of points to be scored between both teams in the game; you can bet whether the final score will sum to more or less than that number.
The total between No. 23 Nebraska and Wisconsin on Dec. 10 is 157.5.
If you bet Over, you need the final score to equal 158 or higher. An Under would need a score that amounts to 157 or lower.
As opposed to the NBA, which has games set well above 200, college basketball sees much lower point totals.
Betting on College Basketball?
These are bets on a specific player’s performance in a game. Books will provide a total number for a stat and you can bet whether the player goes Over or Under it.
So if you wanted to bet Purdue’s Braden Smith to exceed a point total of 14.5, he would need to finish the game with at least 15 points. If you want to fade him, you can bet the Under, and he would need to end with 14 points or fewer.
Aside from points, popular player props in college hoops include rebounds, assists, and threes.
You cannot bet on player prop markets on Missouri-based college athletes.
Parlays are a group of bets combined together to increase your potential payout. The catch is you need all of the bets — called “legs” in this case — you add to hit in order to win.
You can add any type of bet to your parlay, whether it be moneyline, spread, total, or player props.
Kansas guard Darryn Peterson drives during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Green Bay, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in Lawrence, Kan. AP
So if I added Purdue -18.5, Nebraska moneyline and Over 135.5 in Houston vs. Jackson State on Dec. 10, I would have a price of +658. So if I bet $10 on this parlay, I would win $65.80 if all three legs hit.
There’s also the same game parlay, which is combining multiple things from one game into a parlay.
Think of futures as long-term investments. If you like a team early in the season and think they have a chance to accomplish a feat, you can bet that.
Michigan reflects the shortest National Champion odds at +500 at the time of this writing. That’s not worth the investment, considering they are ranked No. 2 this early. Since Purdue’s loss to Iowa State just sank their ranking, if you believe in them, their price of +1200 would be a spot to buy low on the Boilermakers.
How to sign up for Missouri sports betting apps
Here are all six live Missouri sportsbook promos to gain value from for college basketball betting.
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Sean Treppedi handicaps the NFL, NHL, MLB and college football for the New York Post. He primarily focuses on picks that reflect market value while tracking trends to mitigate risk.