College Basketball Public Betting & Money Percentages for March Madness

You will find the public bet and money percentages for each game of the March Madness tournament above. There will be some NIT games mixed in as well, so be sure you read the label under each matchup.

Here’s what we’re seeing from the March Madness public betting splits for the national championship game between Florida and Houston:

• With the spread a minimal 1.0 or 1.5 points in Florida’s favor, the public is (slightly) siding with the Gators to win and cover: UF is getting 58% of moneyline handle and 59% of ATS handle.
• The public is hammering the over (141.5) so far, putting 91% of game-total handle on the over as of noon ET on Monday afternoon.

Public’s March Madness Betting Record

What Are NCAAB Public Betting Percentages?

Basically, this page is tracking the amount of money bet on each team in a college basketball game. Sportsbooks monitor the amount of money their customers have wagered on NCAAB teams (in order to effectively manage their exposure) and then share that information with SBD.

The public betting percentages are split into the percentage of the handle and the percentage of the bets a team has received from the public. The difference between those two concepts is explained below.

What Does “% Handle” Mean?

The percentage of the total handle means the amount of money bet on Team X compared to their opponent. If Team X has received 60% of the ATS (“against the spread”) betting handle, that means $60 out of every $100 wagered on this game has been on Team X to cover the spread. The remaining 40% will have been wagered on the opponent.

In a two-team game, both the bet percentage and handle percentage will always add up to 100%.

What Does “% Bets” Mean?

The bet percentage refers to how many individual wagers have been on Team X compared to their opponent.

Let’s say ten total ATS wagers were made on a game between Gonzaga and Baylor. Four people bet $20 on Gonzaga, one person bet $50 on Gonzaga, three people bet $30 on Baylor, and two people bet $100 on Baylor.

In this case, the bet percentage is split evenly between the two teams (five bets on Gonzaga and five bets on Baylor).

However, the handle percentage is strongly in favor of Baylor. The five total bets on the Bears add up to $290. The five total bets on the Zags add up to just $130.  Since Baylor has received $290 out of $420 in total bets, its handle percentage is 69%, leaving a 31% handle percentage for Gonzaga.

What Does It Mean When “% Handle” and “% Bets” Favor Different Teams?

If you see betting splits where Team X is getting more of the total bets and Team Y is getting more of the total handle, the general takeaway is that people are placing larger wagers on Team Y.

Often, this means that sharp bettors are betting on Team Y (as sharps tend to bet more than Joe Public). But that’s not always the case, and blindly following the handle percentage in such instances is not a sure-fire way to tail sharp bettors.

The raw bet and handle percentage do not tell you how many people have wagered on this game nor who they are. Plenty of non-sharp bettors will make large, risky wagers without the diligent research successful professional bettors put into their work.

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