If you pay attention, the lines on college basketball, esp outside March Madness, are the worst. You can bank cause those lines are so bad.
The other end of that spectrum is NFL. Lines and totals tend to be pretty close. Lines might move due to some tout (don't pay attention to most but I look at
http://massey-peabody.com since they get press at WSJ) or news.
I place the bet here and there just to enjoy a neutral game. The greatest guideline in sports betting: never bet with your heart. (don't bet on your fav team)