March Madness Betting Strategy

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  • 1 day ago  March Madness 2021 betting strategy. NCAA March Madness offers a huge array of games and markets to bet on. Here we suggest a few strategies and pointers to bear in mind when placing.

Let the Madness begin, March Madness 2021 is almost here! A field of 68 NCAA men’s college basketball teams will battle it out throughout March and into April to declare which team is the best in the nation. Along the way, we’ll have all of the 2021 March Madness odds, picks and predictions you’re looking for and more college basketball sports betting coverage than you’ll know to do with.

The early National Champion favorites include Gonzaga (+300), Baylor (+300) and Michigan (+700) per the oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook.

March Madness Betting Strategy: After the Super Bowl, the NCAA tournament is the next most-bet on sporting event in the U.S. The tournament’s games draw some of the highest ratings of all sporting.

Selection Sunday is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET March 14, 2021 with the First Four games beginning 4 p.m. ET Thursday, March 18. The First Round of March Madness takes place Friday, March 19, and Saturday, March 20. The Final Four is scheduled for April 3 and 5. The National Championship game is scheduled for April 5, 2021.

March Madness National Championship Odds

March Madness odds via BetMGM Sportsbook, last updated March 9, 2021. Place your legal, online bets in CO, IA, IN, MI, NJ, PA, TN, VA and WV at BetMGM. New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

SchoolNational Championship OddsOdds 2/15
Gonzaga+275+300
Baylor+300+300
Michigan+400+700
Illinois+900+2000
Ohio State+1400+1400
Iowa+1500+1800
Florida State+1600+1600
Alabama+1600+1600
Houston+2000+1400
Texas+2000+1400
Creighton+2000+1800
West Virginia+2000+2500
Villanova+2500+1100
Wisconsin+2500+1300
Texas Tech+2500+1600
Virginia+2500+2000
USC+2500+2500
Kansas+2500+5000
Tennessee+3500+2000
Louisville+3500+3500
UCLA+3500+3500
Indiana+3500+3500
Oklahoma+3500+4000
Xavier+4000+4000
Loyola-Chicago+4000+4000
Arkansas+4000+6600
Missouri+5000+3000
San Diego State+5000+5000
Oregon+5000+5000
Florida+5000+5000
North Carolina+5000+5000
LSU+5000+5000
Stanford+5000+5000
UCONN+5000+5000
Marquette+5000+5000
Virginia Tech+5000+5000
SMU+5000+5000
Colorado+5000+5000
Saint Louis+5000+5000
Rutgers+5000+5000
Seton Hall+5000+5000
Purdue+5000+6600
Michigan State+6600+6600
Arizona State+6600+6600
Utah State+6600+6600
Duke+8000+8000
Kentucky+8000+8000
Syracuse+8000+8000
BYU+8000+8000
Memphis+8000+8000
Clemson+8000+8000
Boise State+8000+8000
Drake+8000+8000
Miami (Fla.)+8000+8000
Minnesota+10000+6600
Maryland+10000+10000
Butler+10000+10000
Dayton+10000+10000
Mississippi State+10000+10000
Penn State+10000+10000
Richmond+10000+10000
South Carolina+10000+10000
Georgia Tech+10000+10000
Wichita State+10000+10000
Pittsburgh+10000+10000
Ole Miss+10000+10000
UNLV+10000+10000
VCU+10000+10000
North Western+10000+10000
Belmont+10000+15000
St. Bonaventure+10000+50000
Providence+12500+12500
NC State+15000+15000
Notre Dame+15000+15000
TCU+15000+15000
Temple+15000+15000
UCF+15000+15000
Nevada+15000+15000
Western Kentucky+15000+15000
Cincinnati+20000+20000
Utah+20000+20000
Iowa State+20000+20000
Georgetown+20000+20000
Nebraska+20000+20000
Texas A&M+25000+25000
St. John’s+25000+25000
Davidson+25000+25000
Georgia+25000+25000
DePaul+25000+25000
Colorado State+25000+25000
Oregon State+30000+30000
Tulsa+30000+30000
Washington+50000+50000
California+50000+50000
Kansas State+50000+50000
Liberty+50000+50000
Vanderbilt+50000+50000

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College basketball plays host to one of the most popular postseason tournaments in sports: NCAA March Madness. Every year, millions of NCAA basketball fans fill out brackets and place bets with the hope that they can predict the season’s eventual champion.

Sure, a perfect bracket will certainly win a prize worth several thousand, or possibly even a million-plus dollars, but payouts can be earned much easier by using legal March Madness betting options to wager on college basketball odds.

Betting odds for March Madness games won't appear until after Selection Sunday, but NCAAB championship futures are available nearly year-round, making it easy for casual bettors and seasoned vets to study, contemplate, and wager.

To compliment that information, we have created this guide to assist with March Madness betting odds. Here, we offer legal info, betting odds, historical data, and more to help ensure you have everything you need to be the most informed NCAAB bettors possible.

Is It Legal To Bet On NCAA Tournament Odds?

Yes, it is. Not only is online sports betting legal throughout most of the United States, but many states have legalized domestic sports betting within their jurisdictions. If you are in one of those states, all that is required to bet on the NCAA March Madness College Basketball Tournament is a visit to a local venue.

US bettors can wager on March Madness at international betting sites like the ones we feature in the table below, and there are no federal laws that forbid it. CT and WA have passed laws forbidding local online gambling, but many of our top-rated betting sites accept members from those two states.

That's why we recommend reading through all regional gaming laws, as well as the terms and conditions of offshore sportsbook membership, before placing any good March Madness bets.

Best Online Sportsbooks For March Madness Betting Odds

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Odds To Win The 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship

Each year, sportsbooks will roll out money line odds for which team will win the March Madness Tournament and become the men's basketball national champion. These March Madness money line odds indicate how much can be earned by betting on them, and what their odds of winning are.

Since there are so many teams included in the betting line, even the most favored team will be listed with positive odds, meaning that there'll be a payout higher than what bettors risk no matter which team they select.

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship betting odds featured below is on the boards all year, and typically gets posted at legal NCAAB sportsbooks right after the national champion is crowned for the previous season. The only downside is that bets can take months to payout.

🏀 Odds via Bovada:

  • Gonzaga +250
  • Baylor +250
  • Michigan +350
  • Ohio State +1200
  • Villanova +1600
  • Illinois +1500
  • Texas +2500
  • Iowa +1600
  • Alabama +1800
  • Houston +2500
  • Florida State +1600
  • Texas Tech +4000
  • Creighton +3000
  • Virginia +3000
  • Oklahoma +3500

Legally Betting On The Sweet 16

The official title of the third round of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament is the Sweet 16 because that's exactly how many teams are remaining. Legal betting odds for the Sweet Sixteen feature money lines, point spreads, and totals for all 8 games. The right to venture on to the Elite Eight is on the line, and bettors have the right to earn large cash paydays on the proceedings.

Elite Eight Odds: How To Bet On The Elite 8

At the point in the March Madness Tourney, teams are only two wins away from winning it all. NCAAB bettors can win it all, too, because legal online Elite Eight sportsbooks feature action on all four games involved in the Round of 8. Standard college basketball bets are available, as well as props and parlays. All that is required is a membership and money to bet with.

NCAA Final Four Odds To Win

The semifinals of March Madness are otherwise known as the NCAA Final 4. The winners of each semifinal game advance to the National Championship for a chance to cut down the nets, but first, the Final Four odds must payout. Four college basketball teams enter the semis where it's win or go home. Whether it's a Cinderella squad or your alma mater, odds for all Final Four college basketball games can be found at the online sportsbooks we recommend.

March Madness Bracket Betting

Odds To Win March Madness Final

There are two ways to bet on the college basketball national championship - betting lines, or NCAAB National Championship futures. The college basketball futures are listed in a collapsible menu above and list each of the top team's chances at winning it all this year in money line odds.

Lines for the National Championship Game for NCAA Basketball are released following the conclusion of the Final Four. Once that happens, betting lines will be produced featuring a point spread, money line odds for each team to win, and an over-under for the March Madness title game.

Bitcoin Betting On NCAA Tournament Odds

Bitcoin (BTC) and other forms of cryptocurrency are the preferred legal methods of banking at offshore betting sites.

Bitcoin sportsbook deposits can be made quickly and will allow patrons to bet on March Madness online within minutes. Bitcoin withdrawals are the only transaction method that can be completed within 24 hours of its request - an exclusive in the online betting industry. Crypto also features built-in encryption for the ultimate in secure transactions.

March madness betting strategy 2020

Other cryptocurrencies we've seen in play at online betting sites include Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Tether, and Cardano (ADA).

Mobile March Madness Betting Apps

You never know where you might end up when watching college basketball's final 68-team tourney, but as long as you have an up-to-date smartphone or tablet with you, you can access the ultimate March Madness betting apps on the planet.

Don't worry about visiting the Google Play or App Stores, just click any of the sportsbook links in the table above using a mobile browser (Google, Safari, Opera, Chrome, Firefox), and your portable device brings all the options of Las Vegas and places them in your hand. Odds for NFL games, college football futures, and casino favorites like poker and blackjack, can be found there as well.

NCAA Tournament Sportsbook Promotions

One of the many benefits of doing business with an online sports betting site is that they routinely offer sportsbook sign-up bonus offers and promotions that stack your bankroll with extra cash for wagering on March Madness. Sportbook bonuses differ depending on which betting site you visit, but they can reach as high as 4-figures.

Accepting a bonus is not required to become a member at a NCAAB betting site, so read through the attached conditions first.

Live Betting On March Madness

Ok, we just told you how to bet from anywhere with an internet connection using your smartphone. Now we're going to let you in on the secret to betting on any tournament game at any time you want, even when the clock is ticking - live betting odds.

Bet at the time of your choosing, be it in the middle of halftime or with minutes remaining. The point spread, over/under, and money line odds adjust as the game progresses, and the only limiting factor is the final buzzer. Some online books feature a live betting or an in-game odds section, while others simply allow the pregame lines to go live.

How To Bet On March Madness?

As discussed previously, US bettors that want to know how to bet on March Madness can visit a domestic sportsbook or wager at one of the international college basketball betting sites we recommend in this guide. Futures bets can be made on the eventual champion, or March Madness betting lines allow for wagers to be made on individual games inside of the tournament.

Individual game bets allow for action to be placed on point spreads, money line winners, over/unders, prop bets, and even allows for live bets to be placed in-game. While not exactly betting, the most popular option for predicting March Madness results is completing brackets where each fan attempts to attain a perfect bracket. It's never happened, but if and when it does, the winner will earn a hefty payday.

Tips For March Madness Betting

Bankroll management is a priority when declaring your March Madness betting strategy because there are so many games that funds can get depleted quickly. Declare a budget for March Madness betting odds and ensure that it is sourced from disposable incoming - meaning assets remaining after all bills have been paid.

Set a betting limit of 3%-5% of your total bankroll for each game. This will allow at least 20 bets to be made, assuming all of them fail, which is not a likely outcome. It will keep bettors from making hasty wagers and will keep gamblers in the action much deeper into the tournament.

We also suggest belonging to more than one sportsbook because odds are different at each site. If the Duke Blu Devils are favored by 10 at one book and by 12 at another, selecting the line that favors them by 10 will provide an easier path to a win. Being mindful of these three bankroll management strategies will go a long way toward maximizing

Important March Madness Dates

The 2020-21 NCAA college basketball regular season runs from November 25 through March 7. After the end of the regular season, though, the real action begins in mid-March. The following dates are ones to remember when betting on the March Madness tournament.

2021 March Madness dates

  • Selection Sunday: March 14, 2021
  • First Four: March 16-17, 2021
  • NCAA Tournament Round 1: March 18-19, 2021
  • NCAA Tournament Round 2: March 20-21, 2021
  • Sweet 16: March 25-26, 2021
  • Elite 8: March 27-28, 2021
  • Final Four: April 3, 2021
  • Championship: April 5, 2021

March Madness Betting Sites

2021 March Madness Brackets

Every year, 70 million March Madness brackets are completed and entered into contests. Even former President Barack Obama filled out a bracket on ESPN each year he was in office. The tournament bracket is a grid of every matchup in the single-elimination tournament.

“Bracketologists” must then predict as many correct winners as possible from the First Round all the way through the Championship game. This is no easy task. There has never been a verified perfect bracket, probably due to the 1 in 9.2 quintillion probability of it actually happening.

Teams With The Most March Madness Appearances

March Madness Betting Strategy Chart

  1. Kentucky Wildcats - 58
  2. North Carolina Tarheels - 50
  3. Kansas Jayhawks - 48
  4. UCLA Bruins - 47
  5. Duke Blue Devils - 43
  6. Syracuse Orange - 40

Past NCAAM basketball championship winners

March Madness Betting Strategy Game

The Oregon Ducks were the first team to ever win the men’s college basketball championship in 1939. Since then, many teams have gone on to hoist the trophy and cut the nets, including 11 from UCLA, eight from Kentucky, six from North Carolina, and five each from Duke and Indiana.

The following list is the most recent winners from the beginning of the 21st century:

  • 2020: Canceled Due To COVID-19
  • 2019: Virginia
  • 2018: Villanova
  • 2017: North Carolina
  • 2016: Villanova
  • 2015: Duke
  • 2014: Connecticut
  • 2013: Louisville (later vacated)
  • 2012: Kentucky
  • 2011: Connecticut
  • 2010: Duke
  • 2009: North Carolina
  • 2008: Kansas
  • 2007: Florida
  • 2006: Florida
  • 2005: North Carolina
  • 2004: Connecticut
  • 2003: Syracuse
  • 2002: Maryland
  • 2001: Duke
  • 2000: Michigan State
March

March Madness Betting Strategy

NCAAB Pages

NCAAB News

Live Betting Strategy

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