March Madness
March Madness Odds
2023 March Madness Schedule
| Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Rounds | Dates |
| Selection Sunday | March 12 2023 |
| First Four | March 14-15, 2023 |
| First Round | March 16-17, 2023 |
| Second Round | March 18-19, 2023 |
| Sweet 16 | March 23-24, 2023 |
| Elite Eight | March 25-26, 2023 |
| Final Four | April 1, 2023 |
| NCAA Championship game | April 3, 2023 |
March Madness Betting Explained
One key aspect of knowing the tournament well is understanding how march madness odds work. These odds can fluctuate throughout the tournament as teams win or lose, so it’s important to keep an eye on them and adjust your bets accordingly. Additionally, doing research on the teams and their players can help inform your betting decisions and potentially increase your chances of winning.
March Madness Format
March Madness is a 68-team NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament that occurs for three weekends throughout the month of March to the crown which program is that year’s National Champion.
In order to qualify for March Madness, teams either need to win their conference’s tournament to gain one of the 32 automatic bids into the tournament or wait until Selection Sunday, a day in which the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee announces which programs will be part of that year’s tournament as an at-large bid based on strength of schedule, strength of wins, and a lot of other factors that are sometimes controversial. Eight “bubble” teams will also compete in the “First Four” games with the winner of those games entering the tournament as well.
The tournament itself lasts through most of the month of March and into April. The National Champion will need to win six consecutive games in a single-elimination tournament (seven if they were forced to compete in the First Four).
The bracket consists of four regions dividing teams evenly amongst the four based on seeding. In the first round of the bracket, the top-ranked team in the region battles against the 16th-ranked team, #2 against #15, #3 against #14, and so on with the winners advancing to the next round.
There are a good amount of upsets that happen. If a lower-ranked seed wins a few games, they tend to be referred to as a “Cinderella” team. Once the tournament gets to the Round of 16, rounds begin to get named as the Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, and National Championship, respectively.
Odds to win March Madness
Betting on March Madness is unique because you can bet on which program will win the National Championship as a futures bet, but this is a grand event over the course of several weeks. Betting with a futures wager allows you to place a wager at any point throughout the season and get pretty solid odds but be careful as you can place a wager on a program earlier in the season and they can fail to make the tournament entirely.
Once the bracket is set, you’re able to wager on the individual games where you can bet on point spreads. In that scenario, a handicap is added in order to make it an even playing field as well as on the moneyline, over/unders, and specific prop bets as well.
The odds for betting on March Madness are very similar no matter the major betting market that you use. Most spreads are going to be around -110 to ensure that they are as even as possible on both sides. Sportsbooks will adjust the spread until they get roughly half the betting action on the favorite to win and half on the underdog to cover.
Because of those differences in betting action, it’s important to shop around and try to find the best odds for the bets that you are trying to make for each event. While the odds are usually pretty close to the same, those small differences add up over time.
Best Teams to Bet On
March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for college basketball fans and sports bettors alike. With so many teams competing in the NCAA tournament, it can be difficult to determine which ones are the best to bet on. In this article, we will discuss some of the best teams to bet on during March Madness.
One of the top teams to bet on during March Madness is the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They are consistently one of the top teams in the nation and have made deep runs in the NCAA tournament in recent years. They have a high-powered offense that is led by star players such as Drew Timme and Jalen Suggs, which makes them a formidable opponent for any team in the tournament.
Another team to consider betting on is the Baylor Bears. They have a balanced roster with great players on both offense and defense. Their star guard, Jared Butler, is one of the best in the country and can take over games with his scoring ability. The Bears also play at a high tempo, which can make them difficult to stop for opposing teams.
The Michigan Wolverines are another team that could be a great bet during March Madness. They have a dominant frontcourt that includes freshman phenom, Hunter Dickinson. They also have a talented backcourt that is led by senior guard, Eli Brooks. The Wolverines have been consistently ranked in the top 10 throughout the season and have the potential to make a deep run in the tournament.
Finally, the Illinois Fighting Illini are a team that could be a dark horse in the tournament. Led by star guard, Ayo Dosunmu, the Illini have a balanced roster with great players on both ends of the court. They have proven that they can compete with the best teams in the country and could be a great value bet in March Madness.
In conclusion, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Baylor Bears, Michigan Wolverines, and Illinois Fighting Illini are all teams to consider betting on during March Madness. These teams have talented rosters and the potential to make deep runs in the tournament. As always, it’s important to do your own research and make informed bets to maximize your chances of success.
March Madness Betting Stats
Stats in college basketball are often used to talk about why you should bet one side over another and help shed some light on the current crops of players’ and teams’ performance. Bettors need to make sure the context fits the stats because these programs do not play balanced schedules.
Looking at perennial powerhouses like UCLA and Duke can be tricky as they schedule some lower-tier competition at times and could inflate their stats for March Madness if they win via a blowout. That will inflate how dominant they will look in terms of their per-game numbers with crooked numbers on both sides averaging into their totals.
Just like in basketball, bettors should attempt to look deeper into the numbers and look at smaller chunks of numbers instead of the entire season. Looking at stats against teams over .500 or in conference play could be a better factor than the entirety of the regular season. Possessions per game are usually a good indicator of a team’s scoring potential, as more possessions tend to lead to more points.
March Madness Betting Trends
March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year for college basketball fans, and it’s also a big time for sports bettors. With so many games packed into just a few weeks, there are plenty of opportunities to place bets and potentially win big. As the tournament approaches, here are some betting trends to keep in mind.
One trend that many bettors look at is the historical performance of teams from each region. In recent years, teams from the Midwest have done particularly well, with the winner of the tournament coming from that region in four of the past eight years. On the other hand, teams from the West have struggled, with no West-based team winning the tournament since 1997. These trends can give bettors a sense of which teams to focus on and which to avoid.
Another trend to consider is the impact of seeding. While the overall number one seed has won the tournament 23 times in its history, lower-seeded teams have had plenty of success as well. In 2019, for example, the University of Virginia won the championship as a number one seed, but the previous year, number 11 seed Loyola-Chicago made it all the way to the Final Four. Bettors should consider which lower-seeded teams might be poised for a deep run this year.
Additionally, betting on March Madness often involves looking at individual player and team statistics. In particular, teams with strong defenses and good three-point shooting are often successful in the tournament. Bettors should also look at each team’s recent form, including how they performed in their conference tournament, to get a sense of their momentum heading into the big dance.
Finally, it’s worth noting that March Madness is one of the most heavily-bet events in sports, which can lead to some unpredictable outcomes. Upsets are common, and bettors should be prepared for the unexpected. It’s important to have a solid betting strategy in place and to be disciplined when making wagers.
In conclusion, March Madness offers plenty of opportunities for sports bettors, and there are several trends to keep in mind as the tournament approaches. By considering factors like regional performance, seeding, individual statistics, and recent form, bettors can make informed wagers and potentially come out ahead. However, it’s important to stay disciplined and remember that anything can happen during this exciting time of year.
How to Bet March Madness
In order to make the most bang for your buck, a bettor must realize that there are a variety of sportsbooks out there and scavenge each one in order to find the best odds. Doing this will save you money if your bets fall short or make extra money on wagers that win, making you more profitable in the long run.
From there, projecting which teams have the best chance of pulling off an upset is critical because there is always a team or two that wins a few games that many people believe is a one-and-done program in the tournament. Projecting the final score based on different factors such as the last few games or how they performed against similar opponents can help you figure that out. If you find a discrepancy that seems to be a value, then bet on that.
The most important thing to do in all sports betting strategies is having bankroll management. Bettors should use a certain percentage or dollar amount on each bet instead of throwing all of it at one bet. This helps reduce the chance of things going wrong and makes sure that you win over the long haul instead of constantly depositing more money into your bankroll.
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March Madness Frequently Asked Questions
This depends on which state or country a bettor is located in, as some regions have legalized sports betting while others have not. Make sure to check the specific laws of your state or country before attempting to place a bet.
One key to wagering on March Madness is to not be afraid of the big odds as there are a lot of uneven matchups in the first couple of rounds due to seeding.
You are able to bet on March Madness games once the bracket is revealed on a single-game basis but can bet year-round on the National Championship and other future bets.
The sportsbooks will determine a handicap to make the game as even as possible and if the bettor bets on the favorite, they will need to win by that number of points while the underdog can lose by less than the points and still cash out a winning ticket.
Sportsbooks will set what they believe will be scored when you combine both teams points at the conclusion of the game. Bettors will determine if the scores will add up above that number or below it in order to have a successful bet.
This is going to change depending on the season due to a multitude of factors including changes in the program, schedule, and injuries
This is going to differ depending on what you value from a sportsbook as they offer varying speeds, different interfaces, changing promotions, and different odds depending on which you choose.
The key to betting on March Madness is to identify the difference between the two teams and to search for the underdog that will upset the power team to get maximum value.
Making sure to use multiple sportsbooks and diving into your projections compared to the sportsbooks and their odds could be one way but it all matters where you bet and the odds for each wager.
