Best March Madness Betting Sites

March Madness Betting Sites

A group of 351 Division I basketball teams is shrunken to just 68 on the second Sunday in March each season. It’s March Madness, when those teams compete in a single-elimination tournament spanning three weekends to determine a national champion, and it is the high point of college basketball betting.

Thirty-two teams reach the NCAA Tournament by winning their respective conferences. The NCAA Selection Committee picks the remaining 36 at-large teams based on a host of different factors.

Six wins are needed to cut down the nets during Final Four weekend. There is no reseeding at any point, making the teams that make up the four regions important to consider when betting on a champion.

Understanding March Madness Betting Odds

The most popular March Madness bet is the eventual champion. These future odds can change significantly once the bracket is revealed because a team’s path could be easier or more difficult than another’s.

It not’s like professional leagues where the regular season necessarily dictates seeding and opponent. Because of this, other popular bets include wagering on which teams will win their respective regions (North, South, East, West) and advance to the final weekend of the tournament, the Final Four.

Traditional point spread betting, moneyline betting and over/under betting exist for each of the 67 games during the tournament.

If Duke squares off against Kentucky in an Elite Eight matchup and is -4 with a moneyline of -150, bettors will need to bet $150 to win $100, or will win the spread if the Blue Devils win by five or more points. If the over-under total is 163.5, bettors wagering on the over will need to the two teams to combine for 164 or more points.

These bets exist for all games, and there are also first-half lines, individual player proposition bets and more. Because the NCAA Tournament is so widely gambled, game props such as the first team to score, the first team to 10 points or whether or not a game will go to overtime exist more frequently than other sports.

Where are the Best March Madness Bets?

It’s never easy betting March Madness, where anything can and will happen. But there are tricks to the trade. This may feel like a contradiction, but nearly all the champions come from top-3 seeds. There will certainly be upsets, but the cream usually rises to the top.

But while seeds might be important when considering who cuts down the net, for the most part you can throw away seeds when considering betting.

Lower seeds will be favorites, stemming from a team that is riding some momentum into March Madness or has a senior-laden team, which is always crucial in a single-elimination format. There are always upsets on the first two days of the NCAA Tournament, and a little research goes a long way.

Also, players get hot in the tournament. That isn’t to say always betting the over or a player prop point total over is going to hit. But with every game being a do-or-die, especially for seniors, you can bet they aren’t going home without a fight.

We see massive point totals every year, especially in the early-round games.

Choosing March Madness Betting Sites

For the most part, future championship odds and point spreads will be similar on most betting websites. Then again, even a point or half-point can be the difference between pushing a bet and winning a bet.

Check multiple sites for higher spreads when betting the underdog, and conversely check sites for lower spreads when betting the favorite. This is arguably even more important when considering player proposition bets. Those totals are of course lower than game totals, so gaining (or subtracting) an extra half-point from that total will have a real impact on the outcome of a bet.

Also, while a spread or point total may be the same on multiple websites, the cost of the bet may be different. Point spreads can range from -105 to -115, which may not seem like a lot but saves a bettor $10 on a bet attempting to win $100.

Making March Madness Betting Picks & Tips

Research Small Schools

It’s incredibly easy to fall into the trap of betting on a Power 5 school, a team with a familiar name that a bettor may have even seen play on TV a few times.

Cinderellas are real during March Madness, and they come in the form of conference champions that have just won their conference tournament, are playing with confidence and whose opponent is seeing them for the first time.

That unfamiliarity and, at times overlooking, can lead to upsets. And there isn’t a postseason tournament more primed for upsets than March Madness.

Pace of Play

There are 351 schools, and all have unique recruiting styles that bring in unique talent. Some teams play (or are forced to play) bigger and, thus, slower. Other, more athletic teams want to push pace which leads to high scoring.

Determining which team has a better chance of dictating pace will help you when considering both the over-under total and point spread. If a team can assert its strengths in March, it has a strong chance of winning.

Pick Upsets

Upsets can and will happen. Every seed, 1 through 16, has lost at least once in the opening round. It’s more regular than you think. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb if you have a tip or feel like a smaller, underdog school has a chance of victory.

If whatever you think might happen is bound to happen, it’ll occur in the NCAA Tournament.