March Madness is one of the most exciting times to be a sports fan. You can make the NCAA Tournament even more exciting by wagering on the outcome. This guide will walk you through everything you need to have in your March Madness betting strategy to come out on top.
Best Online March Madness Betting Sites
March Madness is one of the biggest college basketball betting events of the year. According to the American Gaming Association, over $3.1 billion was wagered on last year’s tournament.
A huge part of the popularity of March Madness betting is creating an NCAA tournament bracket. According to the AGA, nearly 36 million people planned to enter bracket challenges last season.
Before we dribble into this topic any further, we want to make sure you’ve got somewhere to bet. Whether you’re looking to land a major score with a bracket pool bet or you want to fire off some traditional sports bets on the tournament—these sites have you covered.
March Madness Betting Resources
If you want to make the most out of your NCAA tournament betting then you need to have a plan for how you will bet. Making an NCAA bracket strategy is not as hard as it sounds.
Use these resources from our experts to help you make a winning March Madness betting strategy.
March Madness Bonus Offers
The best U.S. March Madness betting websites offer some great bonuses for college basketball bettors. In simpler terms, you can get free money and free VIP perks just for making the same NCAAB bets you were planning to make in the first place. Here are a few of our favorites you can cash in on right now.
Best March Madness Bonuses | ||
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BetUS | MyBookie | Bovada |
125% sign-up bonus up to $3,125 | 50% sign-up bonus up to $1,000 | 75% first-time Bitcoin bonus up to $750 |
100% Crypto Bonus up to $5000 | 50% sign-up bonus up to $200 | 100% up to $3,000 casino bonus |
Visit BetUS | Visit MyBookie | Visit Bovada |
Free March Madness Expert Betting Picks
Sometimes it’s just easier to rely on the experts who bet for a living to help you figure out where to place your money. And even if you want to make your own March Madness picks, you can still analyze their thought processes to make sure there’s nothing you missed.
If you’re ready, we’ve included links below to our most recent March Madness betting blogs and free picks.
Free March Madness PicksLatest March Madness Betting News
There are 68 teams that make the NCAA tournament every year, and you can wager on all of them. Regardless of how many teams you plan to bet on, you need to stay up to date on the latest tournament news. We provide information on key matchups, injuries, and players who are exceeding expectations.
Contents of Our 2023 March Madness Betting Strategy Guide
- Types of Bets Available
- NCAAB Betting Tips for Beginners
- March Madness News
- Expert Tips for Winning March Madness Bets
- Free March Madness Expert Betting Picks
- Which Conference Plays the Best?
- Historical Win Percentages Based on Seed
- Most Famous Teams for Upsetting #1 Seeds
- Average Game Point Totals
- March Madness Tournament By the Numbers
- Additional Resources for March Madness Betting
- Online March Madness Betting FAQ
Need to Know March Madness Betting Trends
7 of the 20 teams that were undefeated entering the March Madness went on to win the NCAAB tournament.
A #5 seed has never won the NCAAB tournament.
Statistically speaking (based on historical performance), you should pick about 1 #3 seed vs #14 seed upset every 2 years. (Full breakdowns for every seed matchup are included below.)
The Atlantic Coast Conference has the most NCAAB March Madness Championships (17).
42.1% of one-loss regular season teams went on to make the Final Four.
Since 1985, 64.86% of Championships were won by a #1 seed.
A #1 seed has only ever lost once in the first round
Duke holds the record for the most upsets of a #1 team at 9.
How to Bet on March Madness
Understanding historical trends is a great first step for bettors and can give you a strong foundation to pull from. But there are other steps bettors need to follow before they can bet on March Madness.
After choosing which online sportsbook you want to use, you will need to create an account. This is usually when you will have the option to accept a welcome bonus.
Then, you need to make a deposit, so you have funds to bet with.
Once you have your sportsbook account set up and your information in hand, you need to decide which bets you want to place. The types of wagers you can place will depend on your bankroll and how much risk you want to take on.
After picking out your wagers, all you need to do is log into your account and place them. This can be done with just a few clicks at the top NCAA betting sites.
Types of March Madness Bets Available
There are many ways for you to bet on March Madness. It’s imperative you understand your options so you can decide which type of bet (or types) is best for you.
Specifically, there are three main types of March Madness bets you can make online or in-person—bracket pools, traditional bets, and proposition wagers. Later in this guide, we’ll break into the betting strategy for each, but to start, let’s look at what each entails and the pros and cons.
March Madness Bracket Pools
A March Madness bracket pool is a competition to see who in a group of people can best predict the outcomes of the games in the NCAAB tournament. The contest can be between friends, coworkers, family, or a group of random people through a casino or online betting app.
Once the tournament lineup is set, bettors select winners all the way through the end of the tournament. As all of this is done before the first tipoff, bettors use their predicted 1st round winners to predict the 2nd round games, and so on and so forth.
Based on the rules decided by the person running your league, points are awarded for correct picks in each round. The person with the highest number of points at the end of the tournament wins!
Pros
● One entry gets you action on every game instantly
● Often have the chance to turn a small buy-in into a huge score
● Can be a lot of fun and build camaraderie between friends, family, and coworkers
● Widely accepted even by those who aren’t fans of gambling or sports betting
Cons
● It locks your money up for the entire tournament (no one is paid out until after the last game)
● Variance is higher as you’ll win less likely than with traditional bets
● If you miss the entry deadline, you’re out of luck
Traditional Bets
Just because bracket bets are all the craze during March Madness doesn’t mean that you can’t make traditional sportsbook wagers too. Moneylines, spread bets, futures, and totals are all still available for every single game on the ticket.
Pros
● Opportunities to win on all 67 March Madness games
● Able to capitalize on single-game tips and predictions
● Lots of flexibility to bet on things besides the winner of the game
● Can continue to make bets throughout the entire tournament (no hard cutoff)
Cons
● All the betting options can be overwhelming
● Less likely to win life-changing money in one wager (exception is futures betting)
Moneyline
Simple wagers to make
Capitalize on underdog odds
Great for live betting
Low value on betting favorites
Hard to predict upsets in the NCAA tournament
Spread Bets
Easier to find value on favorites
Seasoned bettors can exploit line movement
Harder for favorites cover large point spreads
Late covers can lead to bad beats
Futures
Favorable odds even on betting favorites
You can find better payouts by placing them farther out
Great for casual bettors
Bankroll could be tied up for a long period of time
House has a bigger advantage than with other betting types
Totals
Statistics from both teams could be counted
Markets are easy to read and understand
Profits can be smaller than other betting types
Backdoor covers can be frustrating
Proposition Wagers (Prop Bets)
While proposition wagers can be classified under traditional online sportsbook bets, we wanted to give them their own category as they are somewhat different, especially during major sporting events like March Madness.
A proposition bet is a wager on whether or not a particular event will happen during a single NCAAB game or throughout the tournament. If you select the right side of the wager you win.
Here are a few examples of college basketball prop bets you might see.
Will a certain team make it to the Elite 8?
Will a certain player score over 12.5 points in the 1st round game?
Will a #1 seed lose in the first round?
Will more than one SEC team make the Final Four?
Will there be a technical foul in either of the Final Four games?
Will a certain player foul out in the next game?
Pros
● Unique way to really leverage predictions that don’t directly affect the outcome of the game
● Bigger opportunities to find value and bad lines
● Some of the most fun bets on the planet
Cons
● Some prop bets are purely for entertainment value (no way to gain an edge)
● All the prop options can be overwhelming
March Madness Betting Tips for Beginners
Here are a few beginner tips for betting on March Madness to get you moving in the right direction. If you’re already an expert, you can skip to the next sections (or scan through for a quick refresher).
Set a Betting Budget and Stick to It
Yes, you can make a lot of money betting on college basketball games online. However, that never means you should bet with more money than you’re comfortable losing. Set a budget of how much you’re okay potentially losing throughout the entire tournament, and stick to it.
March Madness is known for its fair share of upsets, so you should be prepared to lose the money you are betting.
Make sure to account for all of the bets you intend to make when creating your bankroll. This will help you decide the size of the stakes you can use.
A good rule of thumb for beginners is to keep your stake amount at 1% to 5% of your bankroll. So, if your bankroll is $1,000, then you should only bet between $10 and $50 on each bet.
Your bankroll may be smaller if you are only wagering on bracket challenges compared to individual games. Bracket challenges usually require an upfront fee.
Betting on individual games, though, can be much more expensive. It can also lead to higher returns because you will win money along the way instead of all the funds going to one person at the end.
If you need help with bankroll management, check out this bankroll management for sports betting guide.
Do Not Chase Your Losses
One of the best skills any bettor can master is the ability to stay level-headed, even when you lose. Keeping your cool under pressure will prevent you from chasing your losses.
Chasing losses is one of the worst mistakes any bettor can make. This usually happens when bettors become overly emotional. Betting when you are emotional will only increase your troubles, especially if you keep losing.
Remember, the tournament is nicknamed March Madness for a reason. Upsets can and will happen. Luckily, crafting and sticking to a winning March Madness betting strategy can help prevent players from losing their cool and chasing losses.
Don’t Miss Out On the Free Bracket Competitions
Yes, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to nail a perfect bracket or anything close to it. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t. There are plenty of free bracket competitions out there that pay life-changing money if you nail a perfect bracket. Since these are $0 to enter, you’re not doing yourself any favors by not entering.
BetUS: $1,000,000 free bracket contest
- Fill out a completed perfect bracket and win $1,000,000
- Fill out a perfect 16-team bracket and you’ll win $10,000
- Fill out a perfect 8-team bracket and you’ll win $10,000
Yahoo Tourney Pick’ Em ($50,000 in prizes)
ESPN Tournament Challenge
Stay Up to Date with the Latest News and Trends
The fate of any NCAA Tournament team can change on a dime if a key play gets injured. There is not a lot of time between games for players to recover, so injuries can pile up as March Madness goes on.
That is one reason why it is so important to stay up to date on the latest news. Injured or suspended players can change the outcome of a matchup. Coaching changes and roster updates can also have a huge impact on which team advances to the next round.
Always, Always Check Your Bets
Whether you are betting on March Madness games online, in person, or with friends, one thing remains the same—we are all humans. And as humans, we are prone to make mistakes from time to time. There’s nothing that hurts more than sweating an NCAAB game and thinking you’ve won, only to find out that you or the sportsbook agent put your bet in incorrectly.
Before you submit a bet ticket through an online sports betting app or you walk away from the counter at a brick-and-mortar sportsbook, check your ticket. Make sure the amount is correct, the line is correct, and the team or side of the bet you’re on is also correct.
Expert Tips for Winning March Madness Bets
Bracket betting is not the only way you can make money when betting on March Madness. Traditional sports bets are just as popular! Here are some expert March Madness betting tips to help you cash in on this year’s event.
Traditional College Basketball Betting Strategy Still Holds
Yes, the March Madness tournament is a bigger stage. However, at the end of the day, it’s still college basketball. We’re not going to spend too long driving this one home, but remember this—all the college basketball knowledge and betting strategies that worked for you during the season shouldn’t get discounted just because it’s NCAA tournament betting time.
Prepare for Initial Lines Early
March Madness sports betting sites and brick-and-mortar sportsbooks work overtime during the NCAA tournament. They’re forced to put out lines quicker and with minimal notice. The key is being ready for all game outcomes before they happen.
For example, have an idea of what you think the line should be in the next round game based on each potential outcome. When the game finishes and the lines for the next round are released, you’ve already done your homework and can pounce on any mistakes before the other sharps get to it.
Prop Bets Offer Unique Opportunities
One of the major differences between regular-season college basketball betting and March Madness betting is the number of proposition wagers available. Instead of only seeing traditional wager types, expect to see a large number of unique bets on players, teams, conferences, and outcomes.
Heavily Scrutinize Conference Tournament Play
A common mistake made by newer March Madness bettors is only looking at a team’s overall record to make predictions. While this information is important, it doesn’t tell the whole story. College basketball is notorious for teams getting streaky at the right and wrong times.
One of the best ways to determine how a team will perform into the tournament is to look at how they play in the conference tournament that precedes March Madness.
Look for teams getting hot, and more importantly, look for teams that might be losing the magic they had early in the season to build that sexy record.
Evaluate Star Players In Past Big Moments
March Madness is a big stage for young players. If it’s a player’s first year in the spotlight, it’s hard to predict how they’re going to react. However, if they’ve been to the big dance before or played primetime games in the past, look at those results.
Free Throws, Free Throws, Free Throws
If you’ve watched any amount of college basketball, you know how close the games can be, especially during tournament time.
Often, the games come down to a few points, and which team can sink free throws.
When you’re making your picks for this year’s March Madness tournament, put a lot of weight on the teams that are great from the stripe. It’s not everything, but when it comes down to the wire—it can be the make or break.
Which Conference Plays the Best During March Madness?
You’ve probably heard people say that a team is only as good as its competition. And, generally, what they mean by that is that playing tougher teams helps you to better sharpen your skills. This is certainly the case for college basketball. There’s a reason you see some of the same conferences winning frequently and constantly making it to the big dance.
So, which NCAAB conferences play the best during the March Madness tournament? Here are the results (through 2023):
- Atlantic Coast has the most Championships (17)
- Pac-12 has the second most Championship (16)
- SEC and Big Ten are tied for third-most Championships (11 each)
- Big Ten has the most runner up (2nd place) finishes (16)
Conference | Appearances | Championships | Runner Up | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|
American Athletic | 12 | 6 | 5 | .545 |
Atlantic 10 | 14 | 1 | 2 | .441 |
Atlantic Coast | 15 | 17 | 15 | .620 |
Big 12 | 10 | 5 | 13 | .564 |
Big East | 10 | 5 | 9 | .535 |
Big Ten | 14 | 11 | 16 | .608 |
Missouri Valley | 10 | 1 | 3 | .450 |
Pac-12 | 12 | 16 | 6 | .574 |
Southeastern (SEC) | 14 | 11 | 6 | .574 |
West Coast | 10 | 2 | 2 | .445 |
What about throughout the past decade? Well, we see some interesting facts and figures when we look at 2010-2019.
- Atlantic Coast has the most wins with a record of 109-59.
- The Big East has had the most teams make the tournament with 68. The record for those teams collectively is 80-64.
Historical Win Percentages Based on Seed
Prior to the start of March Madness, teams are selected to enter the NCAA tournament. And not only is it a big deal to get selected to make the tournament, but it’s also a big deal what seed you get. Teams are ranked across four different groups from 1 to 16. The higher your seed, the easier your road to the finals theoretically should be.
So, how have teams fared in the NCAAB Championship based on their seed? Let’s take a look. This information is critical for people looking to use data to make the perfect March Madness bracket. This data is from 1985 – 2022.
- 24 of the 37 Championships during this most recent time period were won by the #1 seed (64.86%).
Seed | Total Wins | Total Losses | Win % | # of Championships | # of Runner Ups |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | 495 | 124 | 79.96% | 24 | 13 |
#2 | 348 | 143 | 70.88% | 5 | 8 |
#3 | 272 | 144 | 65.38% | 4 | 7 |
#4 | 226 | 147 | 60.59% | 1 | 2 |
#5 | 165 | 148 | 52.71% | 0 | 3 |
#6 | 155 | 148 | 51.32% | 1 | 1 |
#7 | 132 | 147 | 47.31% | 1 | 0 |
#8 | 107 | 147 | 42.13% | 1 | 3 |
#9 | 88 | 148 | 37.29% | 0 | 0 |
#10 | 92 | 147 | 38.49% | 0 | 0 |
#11 | 97 | 148 | 39.59% | 0 | 0 |
#12 | 77 | 148 | 34.22% | 0 | 0 |
#13 | 37 | 146 | 20.21% | 0 | 0 |
#14 | 24 | 150 | 13.79% | 0 | 0 |
#15 | 14 | 148 | 8.6% | 0 | 0 |
#16 | 1 | 148 | 0.67% | 0 | 0 |
A #5 seed has NEVER won the NCAA March Madness tournament. Always the bride’s maid, never the bride.
Seed vs. Seed Data
When you’re filling out your March Madness bracket, you may be wondering how many upsets you should pick. And while each year is different, we can look through historical trends to see just how each matchup goes. Let’s start by looking at the raw data and then we can pull out a few meaningful trends.
Matchup | Wins | Losses | Win % |
---|---|---|---|
#1 vs #16 | 147 | 1 | .993 |
#2 vs #15 | 138 | 10 | .932 |
#3 vs #14 | 126 | 22 | .851 |
#4 vs #13 | 117 | 31 | .791 |
#5 vs #12 | 95 | 53 | .642 |
#6 vs #11 | 91 | 57 | .615 |
#7 vs #10 | 89 | 58 | .605 |
#8 vs #9 | 72 | 76 | .486 |
In the first round of the NCAA tournament, there are 4 games of each matchup. So, let’s take a look based on historical data how often we should be picking upsets.
Matchup | Win % | Upset % | Est. Out of 100 | How Often Should You Pick a 1st Round Upset? |
---|---|---|---|---|
#1 vs #16 | 99.30% | 0.70% | 1 out of 100 | Once every 25 years |
#2 vs #15 | 93.20% | 6.80% | 7 out of 100 | About 1 upset every 5 years |
#3 vs #14 | 85.10% | 14.90% | 15 out of 100 | About 1 upset every 2 years |
#4 vs #13 | 79.10% | 20.90% | 21 out of 100 | A little under 1 upset per year |
#5 vs #12 | 64.20% | 35.80% | 36 out of 100 | 1 to 2 upsets per year |
#6 vs #11 | 61.50% | 38.50% | 36 out of 100 | 1 to 2 upsets per year |
#7 vs #10 | 60.50% | 39.50% | 40 out of 100 | 1 to 2 upsets per year |
#8 vs #9 | 48.60% | 51.40% | 51 out of 100 | Two upsets per year |
Percentage Wins by Seed by Round
Want to know how each seed performs in later rounds? It’s a great place to look for trends. Here’s a look at win percentages based on seed in each round.
Seed | 1st RD | 2nd RD | Sweet 16 | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Championship |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | 99.30% | 86% | 80.16% | 59.41% | 61.67% | 64.86% |
#2 | 93.20% | 67.4% | 72.04% | 47.76% | 40.63% | 38.46% |
#3 | 85.10% | 61.5% | 48.05% | 45.95% | 64.71% | 36.36% |
#4 | 79.10% | 59.3% | 31.43% | 59.09% | 23.08% | 33.33% |
#5 | 64.20% | 52.7% | 20.00% | 70.00% | 42.86% | 0.00% |
#6 | 61.50% | 47.8% | 42.86% | 20.00% | 66.67% | 50.00% |
#7 | 60.50% | 32.2% | 35.71% | 30.00% | 33.33% | 100.00% |
#8 | 48.60% | 19.70% | 60.00% | 66.67% | 66.67% | 25.00% |
#9 | 51.40% | 9.60% | 57.14% | 25.00% | 0.00% | |
#10 | 39.5% | 40.4% | 37.50% | 11.11% | 0.00% | |
#11 | 35.00% | 44.4% | 34.36% | 55.56% | 0.00% | |
#12 | 35.80% | 43.1% | 9.09% | 0.00% | ||
#13 | 20.90% | 19.4% | 0.00% | |||
#14 | 14.90% | 9.1% | 0.00% | |||
#15 | 6.80% | 22.00% | 33.33% | |||
#16 | 0.70% | 0.00% |
Teams Most Notorious for Upsetting Number 1 Seeds
One of the most fun parts of building out a March Madness bracket or making traditional sports bets on games is looking for upsets. Not only can it separate you from the pack, but it can net you a major win, depending on how big the underdog is.
The biggest upsets in the entire tournament are always going to be anytime a #1 seed falls. So, are there teams with a history of knocking off #1 seeds? Let’s take a look.
Average Game Point Totals – Historical Data Trends
March Madness totals bets (also known as over/unders) are an incredibly popular wager to make. If you’ve never heard of them before, the premise is simple. The online college basketball betting sites set a ‘line’ on how many total points they believe will be scored in a game. You get the option to bet on whether you think more or fewer points will be scored. If you’re right, you win! It doesn’t matter which team scores the points or who wins.
As we know, the game of basketball changes as new strategies and styles of play emerge. What have the average game point totals in the March Madness tournament looked like over the years? Glad you asked.
Historical NCAAB Team Scoring Data During March Madness
Year | Games | Avg. PPG Per Team | Total PPG | FG % | 3FG % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2000 | 63 | 67.44 | 134.88 | 42.32% | 33.35% |
2001 | 64 | 70.86 | 141.72 | 43.36% | 32.11% |
2002 | 64 | 73.79 | 147.58 | 43.71% | 35.77% |
2003 | 64 | 71.05 | 142.10 | 43.73% | 36.29% |
2004 | 64 | 69.88 | 139.76 | 43.44% | 34.53% |
2005 | 64 | 70.47 | 140.94 | 44.02% | 35.18% |
2006 | 64 | 68.19 | 136.38 | 43.09% | 33.72% |
2007 | 64 | 69.64 | 139.28 | 43.40% | 35.08% |
2008 | 64 | 70.27 | 140.54 | 44.21% | 34.72% |
2009 | 64 | 70.80 | 141.60 | 43.29% | 33.11% |
2010 | 64 | 68.68 | 137.36 | 42.77% | 34.30% |
2011 | 67 | 67.55 | 135.10 | 43.00% | 34.42% |
2012 | 67 | 65.72 | 131.44 | 42.71% | 33.04% |
2013 | 67 | 65.78 | 131.56 | 42.34% | 33.11% |
2014 | 67 | 68.39 | 136.78 | 44.23% | 33.58% |
2015 | 67 | 67.77 | 135.54 | 43.47% | 35.46% |
2016 | 67 | 71.85 | 143.70 | 44.82% | 34.24% |
2017 | 67 | 73.98 | 147.96 | 45.27% | 34.69% |
2018 | 67 | 70.59 | 141.18 | 43.17% | 32.76% |
2019 | 67 | 70.12 | 140.24 | 43.28% | 34.28% |
The NCAAB March Madness Tournament By the Numbers
If the data nerd side of you is not already jumping with joy, it’s about to get a lot more excited. Below, we’ve compiled a multitude of statistics and data on past March Madness tournaments that you can use to improve your college basketball betting ability. If you’ve ever wondered how your team or another team has fared over the years, this is right where you want to be.
Each year the teams are different. While it’s fun and sometimes helpful to look at historical data, make sure you view it in the right context. Just because a team is notable for accomplishing something in the past, doesn’t necessarily mean they’re guaranteed to come through and win your March Madness bets this year.
More recent betting trends are always going to have more value than trends from decades ago.
Most NCAA Tournament Appearances
Want to know which college basketball teams have made it to the tournament the most times? Here you go! Currently, Kentucky has a pretty commanding lead over North Carolina and the rest of the field.
Most NCAAB March Madness Tournament Appearances by Team (Through 2022)
Team | # of Tournament Appearances |
---|---|
Kentucky | 60 |
North Carolina | 52 |
Kansas | 50 |
UCLA | 51 |
Duke | 44 |
Louisville | 43 |
Syracuse | 41 |
Villanova | 41 |
Indiana | 40 |
Notre Dame | 37 |
Most Tournament Games Played
Which college basketball team has played the most tournament games? Current winner—Kentucky. This category is a healthy mix of how long the team has been playing, the number of times they’ve made the tournament, and how far they’ve gotten every year. It’s one of those March Madness stats where more is always going to be better. The teams that play the most games have to win the most and that makes them worth betting money on.
Most March Madness Tournament Games Played – All-Time (Through 2020)
Team | # of Total Games Played |
---|---|
Kentucky | 185 |
North Carolina | 180 |
Kansas | 163 |
Duke | 157 |
UCLA | 156 |
Indiana | 122 |
Louisville | 120 |
Syracuse | 111 |
Villanova | 110 |
Michigan State | 104 |
Arizona | 93 |
UConn | 91 |
Highest NCAAB Tournament Winning Percentage
So, which NCAAB teams win the most? Seems like great info to have for betting on March Madness online.
For teams that have played a minimum of 20 games, we wanted to look at the historical highest winning percentages. The team that’s done the most work when they’ve gotten the opportunity? Duke. Remember, they’re also the team with the highest number of times upsetting a #1 seed.
All-Time Number 1 Seeds
Getting a number 1 seed in the NCAAB tournament is a huge advantage. You get to play a 16 seed in the first round and you get (at least on paper) the easiest path to the Championship. What college basketball teams historically have the most number 1 seeds?
Additional Resources for March Madness Betting
March Madness Betting FAQs
The best traditional March Madness bet you can make depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a fast payoff, pick a moneyline game winner. If you’re okay being patient and want the chance at a big payoff, try a futures bet on which team is going to win the NCAA tournament.
The two easiest March Madness bets to make are futures bets and moneyline bets. Futures bets are wagers on which team will win the entire tournament. Moneyline bets are wagers on which teams will win individual games. All you have to do is be right and you win!
Futures bets or March Madness bracket bets pay the most money. Yes, they are tougher to win, but with risk comes reward.
Yes, you can make both types of bets. In fact, most sports bettors (recreational and professional) have a healthy mix of both types of bets every year.
The best places to make March Madness bets are BetUS, MyBookie, and BetNow. You can learn more about the top online sportsbooks here.
Yes! You can enter several free March Madness bracket contests that we’ve outlined in this guide. Scroll up to get started.
Ideally, you select a winner in each game independently of statistics on upsets. However, looking at past trends can help you identify how many upsets to include. Here are some general guidelines to get you started for this year’s March Madness bracket.
- #1 vs. #16: Pick one upset every 25 years. (It’s only happened once).
- #2 vs. #15: Pick about one upset every 5 years.
- #3 vs. #14: Pick about one upset every 2 years.
- #4 vs. #13: Pick a little bit under one upset every year.
- #5 vs. #12: Pick about 1 to 2 upsets every year.
- #6 vs. #11: Pick about 1 to 2 upsets every year.
- #7 vs. #10: Pick about 1 to 2 upsets every year.
- #8 vs. #9: Pick around 2 upsets every year.
The lowest seed to win the March Madness tournament was a #8 seed. This team was Villanova in 1985.
Different sportsbooks are going to offer different odds on the games and the tournament. Your best option to find the best March Madness betting odds is to shop each of your bets around to find the optimal line. In-person, this is nearly impossible. However, if you choose to use online March Madness betting apps, you can shop several different sportsbooks in a matter of seconds for free to maximize your payouts and chances of winning.
Some top March Madness betting sites begin offering futures bets midway through the tournament season. As you get closer to the NCAA tournament, the number of sites offering action increases. Once Selection Sunday happens, expect all major sportsbooks to offer odds on all teams and games.
We’ve been asked this a few times now and it’s a rather interesting question. To those who make money betting on March Madness definitely! To those who lose maybe not?
Really if you’re asking this you need to ask yourself, ‘Do I really want to bet on March Madness?’. If you think it will be fun and will help you enjoy the NCAA tournament more, then yes, it’s probably worth it.
The short answer to this is that there is no perfect time to bet money on March Madness. Much like with trading stocks March Madness odds and lines will change as the sportsbooks accept more and more bets.
As a sports bettor, you need to identify value and then jump on it. If you wait around for the perfect time to place that March Madness bet you may make more money or you may not. There are no guarantees with NCAA tournament betting.