When it comes to college sports, is there anything better than the Big Dance? Nope, March Madness is that time of year when basketball fans everywhere love seeing the best amateur athletes hit the courts and compete for the ultimate prize of winning the National Championship. As you might imagine, itâs also a popular time for bettors to look at the odds and come up with a solid March Madness Betting Strategy. You should apply this at one of our recommended March Madness betting sites.
Weâll be previewing that in this piece and more.
Despite March Madness featuring college athletes, it is still completely legal for sports fans out there to make wagers on the competition. With this, there are always loads of sportsbooks that are ready at the drop of a hat to provide you with the best and latest March Madness odds for all of the games. Here at Sports Betting Sites, we bet with multiple March Madness betting sites that are ready to get you started for all of your NCAA Tournament bets.
In the main 64-team field of the NCAA Tournament, always remember that there are bound to be some massive upsets that no one saw coming. While it might feel safe and like the best idea to pick the bluebloods of the Big Dance to make it to the Final 4, donât forget about the underdogs.
Throughout the history of the tournament, weâve seen a shocking upset each and every year. Remember in 2012 when No. 15 seed Lehigh stunned No. 2 Duke, sending Coach K and Co. packing after the first round?
What about 2016 when No. 15 Middle Tennessee took down No. 2 Michigan State? Many had MSU pegged to go on a title run that year. Instead, they too had a first-round exit.
When youâre making your brackets, always remember that in this kind of a playing field, nothing is ever a lock. While itâs unlikely a No. 16 will take down a No. 1, the rest of the games feel wide open.
Though the No. 1 seeds, typically a team like Duke, North Carolina, Villanova, Virginia and others, are the favorites to go on a deep run, weâre seeing more and more lower seeds go on impressive runs as well.
Once the opening tip for NCAA March Madness goes off, it feels like the sports world stops and all the focus is on the several weeks of basketball games. Each year, nothing changes. March Madness is not only extremely entertaining but also offers a ton of fun in terms of March Madness gambling.
In addition to the upsets we see each tournament, weâve also seen some of the best teams and high seeds go on great runs to compete for the National Championship. In 2021, The Baylor Bears captured the title after taking down No. 3 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs.
In 2023 and for all future tournaments, it will be key to keep this under consideration when youâre getting ready to lay down your money on teams to win it all. Also, it’s worth reading some March Madness betting tips to learn more about how to bet on March Madness and win.
If your office has an NCAA March Madness bracket, thatâs one great way to get through the tournament. March Madness bracket betting is extremely popular. However, the sportsbooks will always encourage you to visit their websites/mobile apps to make some wagers. Trust us when we say there are no limits to the kinds of bets you can make on all of the games.
The futures bets for March Madness tend to be the more popular ones for fans to bet on. Before the first game, hoops supporters typically have an idea of who they think will go on to win the trophy when everythingâs said and done. If youâre confident in a team to be crowned champion, go ahead and make this futures bet.
Another popular one is to predict who you think will make the Final Four. In previous years, we saw situations where the Baylor Bears, Gonzaga Bulldogs, UCLA Bruins and Houston Cougars made the Final Four. Had you predicted that, your payout would have been enormous, as many expected at least one other No. 1 seed to advance.
However, that wasnât the case. Predicting the Final Four is surely easier said than done, but if you can master that prediction, you can expect a large return to come your way. The Vegas odds to win March Madness were last updated on February 22, 2023:
2022/23 NCAAB Championship | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
---|---|---|---|
Houston | +650 | +650 | +700 |
Alabama | +850 | +850 | +875 |
Purdue | +950 | +950 | +1000 |
Baylor | +1000 | +1000 | +1050 |
Kansas | +1200 | +1050 | +1150 |
UCLA | +1200 | +1250 | +1200 |
Arizona | +1500 | +1400 | +1500 |
Just like all sports, thereâs going to be a wide list of prop bets for you to take advantage of. These can be intriguing on a game-by-game basis too. For example, say thereâs a sharpshooter on Duke who is known for burying a ton of 3-pointers.
A prop bet might list him with an over/under of hitting seven 3-pointers in a Sweet 16 showdown against Michigan. If youâre confident heâll top that high number, get a bet in. Remember, though, if he finishes with six 3-pointers, youâll lose your bet. If he hits seven 3s, itâll be a push, while eight and over results in you winning.
Thatâs just one example of the several prop bets youâll have at your disposal during March Madness to wager on.
Of course, making bets for each game is always a great option. Youâll always have point spreads too and over/unders to consider.
For the point spread, an example would be No. 1 North Carolina being a seven-point favorite over No. 9 Auburn. For UNC to cover, theyâd have to win by at least eight points. If they win by seven, itâs a push, any anything less is a loss for you.
The over/under combines the total number of points the two teams score. Using Auburn and UNC as examples again, if the over is set at 154 points and the final score is North Carolina 85, Auburn 72, the over would hit before the two teams scored a total of 157 points.
The tournament starts with a total of 68 teams, but then quickly becomes 64 teams for the first round after the initial âFirst Fourâ set of games. Once the playing field is down to 64, you have 16 teams in each bracket, which consists of the north, south, east and west.
In a single-elimination tournament, things quickly go from 64 teams to 32, then 16, eight, the final four, ultimately ending with the National Championship Game. As mentioned above, there are 16 teams in each section of the bracket. Teams donât play opponents from other brackets until they meet in the Final Four.
The Final Four does not consist of the top four teams from the NCAA Tournament overall. Instead, itâs the winners of each part of the bracket who advance. So, if Duke is the No. 1 seed in the East bracket, but loses to No. 2 Texas in the Elite Eight (final round of bracket play), Texas would move on to the Final Four since they won the East.
This style of play goes on in the west, north and south brackets as well. The winners of each bracket will be the ones who go on to play in the Final Four and have the chance to compete for the National Championship. In the Final Four, those are the national semifinals. The winner of each semifinal will meet for all of the marbles. The winner of the final will earn the right to call themselves March Madness champions.
Over the years, it goes without saying, but a No. 1 seed winning the National Championship is going to have the highest odds to win March Madness. With there being four No. 1 seeds entering the Big Dance, itâs usually a smart pick to go with them being the champs.
From 2000-2021, 14 of the 20 champions have been No. 1 seeds. In 2017, 2018 and 2019, North Carolina, Villanova and Virginia won the title. All three respective teams were No. 1 seeds.
However, that doesnât mean you must rule out other seeds. Villanova won the Big Dance in 2016 as a No. 2 seed, while UCONN surprised us all in 2014 after winning the tournament as a No. 7 seed.
Yes, the top seeds will be the favorites, but you canât rule out the teams in a 68-team field either.
1. Gonzaga
2. Arizona
3. Kansas
4. Baylor
5. Auburn
6. Kentucky
7. Villanova
8. Duke
9. Wisconsin
10. Tennessee
11. Purdue
12. Texas Tech
13. UCLA
14. Illinois
15. Providence
16. Arkansas
17. UConn
18. Houston
19. Saint Maryâs (CA)
20. Iowa
21. Alabama
22. LSU
23. Texas
24. Colorado St.
25. Southern California
26. Murray St.
27. Michigan St.
28. Ohio St.
29. Boise St.
30. North Carolina
31. San Diego St.
32. Seton Hall
33. Creighton
34. TCU
35. Marquette
36. Memphis
37. San Francisco
38. Miami (FL)
39. Loyola Chicago
40. Davidson
41. Iowa St.
42. Michigan
43. Wyoming
44. Rutgers
45. Indiana
46. Virginia Tech
47. Notre Dame
48. UAB
49. Richmond
50. New Mexico St.
51. Chattanooga
52. South Dakota St.
53. Vermont
54. Akron
55. Longwood
56. Yale
57. Colgate
58. Montana St.
59. Delaware
60. Saint Peterâs
61. Jacksonville St.
62. Cal St. Fullerton
63. Georgia St.
64. Norfolk St.
65. Wright St.
66. Bryant
67. Texas Southern
68. A&M-Corpus Christ
There will always be wild upsets in the NCAA Tournament
We see it every season in the NCAA Tournament. No. 12 seeds taking down a No. 5 team is something weâve almost grown to expect. At the same time, donât be stunned if a No. 13, No. 14 or No. 15 team does the unthinkable in the first round either. Nothing is ever a lock in the Big Dance.
March Madness is always fun to bet on
With games going on all day during the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament, placing wagers on your favorite teams is a blast. Their win is only made better if youâve placed some money on them. So, if youâre feeling confident in a team, donât hesitate in checking out the NCAA March MAdness odds and making a bet.
Always use our Recommended Sportsbooks
All of our recommended March Madness betting sites here at Sports Betting Sites offer great March Madness betting odds and promotions. This is especially true during the March Madness season. Donât forget about the welcome bonuses either. So, if this is your first time betting or youâre a veteran placing bets, be sure to check out our partners early and often during the Big Dance. You wonât be disappointed and will find reliable NCAA Basketball March Madness odds and numbers in only a few clicks.
March Madness is one of the most popular betting events throughout the annual college sports betting calendar.
Winning big is about finding value in the odds. If a player sees value and can create a wager to exploit it, then they can certainly win big!
It’s possible. But, it’s extremely difficult to manage a perfect bracket, specifically many bookmakers offer over a million for perfect brackets.
Live betting is available across all the top-tier providers, so it’s worth checking out our recommended list of oddsmakers before depositing.
There will be a broad range of prop betting markets for March Madness, so be sure to deposit with a quality bookmaker and enjoy these markets today!