Yesterday Selection Sunday revealed the outlines of the upcoming 2021 March Madness tournament. College basketball fans wait all year for this. Now we can begin to fill out our March Madness brackets completely and dig deep into some of the betting opportunities that are coming up.
Take the information you find here and go to the top March Madness betting sites to get in on the action:
Now that we have the bracket laid out for us, the odds will be changing quickly. Before Selection Sunday, the main bets were futures:
Now that the official bracket has been released, we can better predict the winner of the tournament and of each division. Plus, we can start to be ton the specific games in the form of moneylines and over/unders.
Now that we have the bracket it is a good time to revisit your March Madness betting strategy. While you have probably been thinking about how to carry it out for some weeks, now that we have the groundwork, it is time to implement your strategy.
Now that you are really diving into March Madness betting, it is a good time to review the NCAAB promotions they have set up just for this tournament.
As we start the tournament, Gonzaga has solidified its status as the favorite of the tournament. With so many teams, they are only the relative, not the absolute favorite. Illinois’ odds jumped drastically on Selection Sunday. They went from over +1000 to around +500, depending on the sportsbook.
Take a look at these odds. They are the latest odds from the top March Madness betting sites.
| 2022/23 NCAAB Championship |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | +650 | +650 | +700 |
| Kansas | +750 | +700 | +750 |
| Alabama | +1400 | +1300 | +1400 |
| Arizona | +1300 | +1300 | +1300 |
| Tennessee | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Purdue | +1000 | +1000 | +1000 |
| UCLA | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
The big drama every Selection Sunday is figuring out who will get the top seeds. Here are the top-seeded teams in each division.
This leaves the Big Ten with two number-one seeds. Gonzaga, Baylor, and Michigan were all near guarantees for the number one spot. While Illinois seemed likely, they were the biggest doubt going into Selection Sunday.
While in the top spots, there were not any big surprises, we did have some further down the bracket.
One of the biggest surprises of 2021 Selection Sunday was Syracuse. We were not sure if they would even make it to the First Four. Instead, they skipped that round and will be in the bracket. They have a history of being a successful underdog during March Madness. Let’s see if they can pull off another one.
Another surprise was that Lousiville did not make it. They are the first standby in case of a coronavirus outbreak on any team. That must not feel great for a team that has had a relatively successful seaosn.
About the Author
Chris Boline is a Reno-based business development professional and freelance sports writer with over a decade of experience covering the NBA G League, Los Angeles Chargers, and national football and basketball. His expertise spans the NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and motorsports, along with topical news, marketing, and promotional content. A proud University of Nevada graduate, Chris earned both his BS in Management & Economics (2015) and MBA (2023). He is active in the Reno community, serving on boards such as the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET, and the College of Business Alumni Association, where he was past president (2022–23). Notable honors include: - Two-time University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year honoree (2017, 2021) - 2021 NCET Professional Services Organization of the Year (with TAC) - 2016–17 Reno Bighorns MVP, awarded by the Sacramento Kings - Nevada Press Association Award for Best Sports Column (2015) - Former Editor-in-Chief of The Nevada Sagebrush Chris blends his passion for sports with a strong background in sales, marketing, and community engagement.
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