Whether you are filling out brackets or wagering with online sportsbooks, March Madness is always one of the best times of year for fans and bettors.
With the “ESPN Championship Week” (which is really two weeks at this point, but who’s counting?) leading up to Selection Sunday, the month of March is almost exclusively about college basketball.
For bettors, that means a month of chaos. But there is some Ordo Ab Chao (order out of chaos), and there are definitely some strategies you can use to help you topple that tournament pool or make some cold, hard cash in March.
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Best Strategies For Wagering On March Madness
So, which are the best strategies for bettors as they prepare for the wildest three weeks in college hoops?
Take a look here.
1-If you are looking to bet futures, Number One is the way to go.
In the past 17 tournaments, 13 of the winners have been a top seed, and all were from power conferences. The ACC has won seven of those 17 titles (UNC 3, Duke 2, Louisville and Virginia 1), one less than all the rest combined.
This year, look for Houston, Kansas, Alabama, UCLA, and teams on the top line or the second line to be highly seeded. Alabama, UCLA, and Kansas are all big conference teams as well.
If you are looking for a region winner, teams like UNC last year (eighth seed) are few and far between: almost 70 percent of teams in recent tournaments have come from the top two seeding lines.
2-Upsets are fun, but those teams rarely last past the first weekend
Everyone was enamored by St. Peter’s last season, which made the Elite Eight as a 15 seed before getting blown out by UNC.
That was a once in a lifetime run, but there are some ways to bet on the lower seeds and make money. Ten seeds, 11 seeds, and 12 seeds have performed well in the first rounds of late, and some of the higher seeded teams have had trouble covering the inflated first round lines set by the sports books.
There is value in the underdogs, on the spread lines and money lines: you just have to be strategic.
3-Repeating is very hard, so Kansas might be a tough choice
The Jayhawks stunned UNC last year, coming back from double-digits to win the 2022 National Championship. The last team to repeat, though, was the 2006-2007 Florida Gators, and that team was littered with future NBA players.
Can Kansas repeat? They might: but there could be better value plays.
4-Go with your gut
Last year, not many thought UNC had a chance to go far, but we backed them to win the East Regional at +2500.
Sometimes, a gut play could make you a lot of cash.
Here are all the dates for bettors to be able to watch March Madness.
Here are Top Online Sportsbooks for March Madness
- Bet365 (CO, NJ, OH)
- BetMGM Sportsbook
- BetRivers Sportsbook
- Caesars Sportsbook
- DraftKings Sportsbook
- Barstool Sportsbook
- PointsBet Sportsbook
- Sports Illustrated Sportsbook
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When the Selection Sunday show is over and the brackets are set, US Online sportsbooks will start posting all kinds of promotions for new and existing customers.
There will be deposit bonuses, free bets for March madness 2023 games, and new bettor promos galore for almost all of the sites: make sure you take advantage and maximize that value.
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| Read reviewNCAA College Basketball Men’s Tournament Dates
- Selection Sunday: March 12
- First Four: March 14, 15 — UD Arena (Dayton)
- First round: March 16, 17 — Legacy Arena (Birmingham), Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines), Amway Center (Orlando), Golden 1 Center (Sacramento), MVP Arena (Albany), Nationwide Arena (Columbus), Ball Arena (Denver), Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro)
- Second round: March 18, 19 — Legacy Arena (Birmingham), Wells Fargo Arena (Des Moines), Amway Center (Orlando), Golden 1 Center (Sacramento), MVP Arena (Albany), Nationwide Arena (Columbus), Ball Arena (Denver), Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro)
- Sweet 16: March 23, 24 — T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas), Madison Square Garden (New York), T-Mobile Center (Kansas City), KFC Yum! Center (Louisville)
- Elite Eight: March 25, 26 — T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas), Madison Square Garden (New York), T-Mobile Center (Kansas City), KFC Yum! Center (Louisville)
- Final Four/National Championship: April 1, 3 — NRG Stadium (Houston)
Photo by JC Gellidon on Unsplash.
