The NCAA Tournament is one of the most exciting sporting events of the year. Think of it as the Super Bowl but instead of one game of excitement, you get 63 games throughout March.
The NCAA Tournament, also known as March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams competing for the National Championship.
Explaining the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
Content Summery
March Madness officially begins on Sunday, March 12. This is known as Selection Sunday when all 68 teams are formally invited or announced to the tournament. Once the teams are announced, then the fun begins. These 68 teams will play in an elimination tournament until one is left standing and crowned National Champion.
Tournament Schedule:
- First Four: March 14-15.
- First round: March 16-17.
- Second round: March 18-19.
- Sweet 16: March 23-34.
- Elite Eight: March 25-26.
- Final Four: April 1.
- NCAA Championship Game: April 3.
March Madness will have you sitting on the edge of your seat from the first round to the Championship game. We are here to give you as much information and march madness betting tips as possible.
According to ESPN, Houston (31.6%), Alabama (17.5%), Tennessee (13.2%), UCLA (8.7%), Texas (5.9%), and Purdue (4.0%) have the highest percentage to win this year’s National Championship.
While I agree Houston and Alabama are the favorites, Tennessee shouldn’t be as high as they are, considering they lost the starting point guard for the season due to a knee injury. UCLA is also dealing with some injury news as one of their star players (Jaylen Clark) is also dealing with a leg injury. Clark’s injury is not considered severe, but he could miss the Bruins first-round matchup against UNC Asheville.
Betting odds
Purdue
| To Reach the Final Four | +220 |
| To Reach the Finals | +550 |
| Win Championship | +1000 |
Texas
| To Reach the Final Four | +300 |
| To Reach the Finals | +700 |
| Win Championship | +1400 |
UCLA
| To Reach the Final Four | +275 |
| To Reach the Finals | +550 |
| Win Championship | +1000 |
Tennessee
| To Reach the Final Four | +425 |
| To Reach the Finals | +1200 |
| Win Championship | +2500 |
Alabama
| To Reach the Final Four | +170 |
| To Reach the Finals | +350 |
| Win Championship | +650 |
Houston
| To Reach the Final Four | +160 |
| To Reach the Finals | +250 |
| Win Championship | +450 |
Teams To Watch
Top-Seeded Teams
Alabama
Alabama is led by star freshman Brandon Miller. For the wrong reasons, Miller made some headlines earlier this season, but that has not affected his play on the court.
Despite having an elite scorer like Miller, their foundation is their defense. They rank 3rd in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency and are the only team in the nation to rank in the top three in 2-point and 3-point percentage defense.
Houston
Houston is the favorite to win this year’s NCAA tournament, and for a good reason. Houston prides itself on their defense, which is needed to win a tournament like this. Houston is second in the country scoring defense (56.5 PPG) and ranks 4th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
The only downfall for this Cougars’ team is their strength of schedule. Per Kenpom, their schedule rating is 92nd in the country, the 24th easiest schedule out of all teams participating in this tournament.
Dark Horse Teams
Uconn
Uconn is a four seed in this year’s tournaments but has qualities compared to other #1 seeds. They have the 4th highest adjusted efficiency margin (+25.40) in the country, higher than all other #3 seeds and ahead of other #1 seeds, Purdue and Kansas.
Uconn had the #6 offense and the #1 offensive rebounding team in the country. Those two combinations make a deadly combo. Their downfall in this tournament is they are in the West region. The West region is a gauntlet with numerous great teams, including Kansas, UCLA and Gonzaga.
Creighton
Creighton has all the tools to make a deep run in 2023/ They have a top-30 offense and a top-20 defense. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner leads this Blue Jays team. He ranks 6th in the country in offensive rating and 2nd in effective field goal percentage. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi calls him “one of the smartest and most active rim protectors, affecting any shout in the paint.”
They play a tough N.C. state squad in the first round and potentially a matchup with Baylor and Arizona in the Round of 32 and Sweet 16. If they stick to their game, they have the potential to make a run to the Elite 8 or even Final 4
Betting Options
Like any other basketball game, the most popular betting options during march madness are the spread, money line and total. Other bets include first and second-half bets, team totals and player props.
Tournament Specials and futures have become increasingly popular as well.
Below are a few examples of some Tournament Specials you can bet on.
Team to Advance Further in Bracket – Kansas vs. Purdue
Purdue -135
Kansas +105
Largest Seed to Reach the Final Four
Under 6.5 (-115)
Over 6.5 (-115)
Sum of Final Four Seeds
Over 13.5 (+100)
Under 13.5 (-135)
Big 12 Conference Wins in NCAA Tournament
Over 11.5 (+115)
Under 11.5 (-145)
First #1 Seed to Lose in the NCAA Tournament
Kansas +150
Purdue +240
Alabama +400
Houston +450
If you are a new sports bettor or just beginning, I advise you to stick to the traditional bet like the spread, money line and total just because betting futures like the ones above will tie up your bankroll for a long time. Betting on a game-by-game basis will help you build up your bankroll so you can place futures moving forward.
As a new bettor, don’t feel the need to bet only on some games. Do your research and pick a select few and stick to it. You should only risk 3%-5% of your bankroll on each game. Proper bankroll management will help throw the highs and lows of betting on sports.
Remember, March Madness is meant to be fun, have fun with your bets and brackets but remember to research your picks, use proper bankroll management and try to be the lucky one who finds this year’s Cinderella team.