What is March Madness
Every year starting in March and running through to April, the best of the best college men’s basketball teams go head-to-head in the NCAA tournament. Basketball fans across the US and abroad get hooked on this absorbing tournament, with many avid sports fans, bettors and public in general all making their predictions on which team will be crowned national champions.
Games are wild, the competition is rife and the unpredictability of the tournament all contribute to the fitting name “March Madness”.
The 2023 tournament saw UConn take the title. They are also the favorites to ‘do the double’ and win this year’s tournament. Things are certainly looking good for them, and they breezxed through the Sweet 16 stage by beating San Diego 82-52, but let’s wait and see.
March Madness Finals Odds
We are down to the Elite 8 of the tournament. We have UConn and Illinois from the East, Clemson and Alabama from the West, Duke and North Carolina State from the South and Purdue and Tennessee from the Midwest.
After research a few sportsbooks, these are the odds given to each of these teams.
| Team |
Odds |
| UConn |
+125 |
| Purdue |
+350 |
| Tennessee |
+750 |
| Duke |
+850 |
| Alabama |
+1800 |
| Illinois |
+1800 |
| North Carolina State |
+3000 |
| Clemson |
+4000 |
If you are unsure what these figures mean, here is a short explanation.
Take UConn with odds + 125. This means you need to bet $100 to win $125. These are all positive (+) odds, so that is the amount you will when betting $100. If they were negative odds (-), for example, -300, you will need to bet $300 in order to win $100.
Our Predictions from The Elite 8 to The Final
We have looked at the stats, team performances and individual player performances and have made our predictions. This is how we predict the remaining rounds of March Madness will go.
For only the fifth time since the tournament has been running, we saw all number 1 and number 2 seeds reach the Sweet 16. Only three of those top teams progressed to the Elite 8.
| Elite 8 |
Final 4 |
Final |
Champions |
| UConn VS Illinois |
UConn VS Alabama |
UConn VS Purdue |
UConn |
| Clemson VS Alabama |
| Duke VS North Carolina State |
Duke VS Purdue |
| Purdue VS Tennessee |
Most Outstanding Players per Team so Far
There have been a few players that have stood out and would make great candidates for the most outstanding player. Based on player performance, these are the guys to keep an eye on in each team:
| Team |
Player(s) |
| Clemson Tigers |
Chase Hunter |
| Alabama Crimson Tide |
Grant Nelson, Mark Sears |
| North Carolina State Wolfpack |
DJ Horne |
| Duke Blue Devils |
Kyle Filipowski |
| Illinois Fighting Illini |
Terrance Shannon |
| Tennessee Volunteers |
Dalton Knecht |
| Purdue Boilermakers |
Zach Edey |
| Connecticut Huskies |
Cam Spencer, Donovan Clingan, Tristan Newton |
The Connecticut Huskies (UConn) have a few great players currently on form. That means they don’t need to rely on one player predominantly, which has made them consistently dominant in the tournament.
Offence and Defence
Fans love to watch the teams who score the most goals, but remember that a strong defence can win a championship too. Which teams have had the best offense this year? We have taken the well-known adjusted offense method and ranked the top 5 offenses of the tournament.
| Team |
Points Total |
| UConn Huskies |
126.5 |
| Illinois Fighting Illini |
125.5 |
| Alabama Crimson Tide |
125.5 |
| Purdue Boilermakers |
125.0 |
| Duke Blue Devils |
121.8 |
From all of these stats, predictions and odds, it looks like UConn remain the form favorites for this year’s championship.
How to Bet on March Madness
If you are new to betting on the March Madness craze, then you may be feeling very overwhelmed and not know
how to bet on March Madness
or where to even start. Once you get the hang of it, you will realize it is simple. The first thing you need to do is do your research on a few of the
best sports betting sites.
Make sure you find a fully licensed and reputable site. Check that they offer March Madness bracket bets that suit you. The rest is easy. Once you have chosen the site, follow these steps.
- When you are on the homepage, look for the “Sign Up” tab and click on it to get started.
- Fill in the registration form with all the details they need from you. This will be your full name, address, mobile number, email address and a password that you will use when visiting the site.
- See what the welcome bonus consists of, read the terms and conditions and if you are happy, accept the offer.
- Make a deposit into your sportsbook account.
- Locate the basketball tab and look for March Madness or NCAA tournament.
- Compare the odds and see what bets are available.
- Start placing your bets and do your March Madness finals betting.
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Many top sportsbooks offer exclusive
March Madness sports betting promos
while the tournament is running. These promotions are there to encourage you to join the sportsbook, help increase the odds that are available and give your bets better value.
As with all sportsbook and casino bonuses, these offers do come with terms and conditions that you will need to be aware of.
Types of Sports betting Promos for your March Madness Finals Predictions
There are a few different types of promotions that will be available, these are the most common ones you will come across.
- Sign-Up Offers
– this is a bonus the sportsbook offers when you make your first deposit. It can be free bets, a deposit match, or insurance on your bets if they lose.
- Odds Boost
– the sportsbook will enhance the odds for a specific bet, for example player prop or parlay bets that you would not normally get if you bet yourself.
- Profit Boost
– a token will add to the value of any bet you wish. The tokens could be for all available bets or specific ones, make sure you are aware of this.
March Madness Finals Betting – The Best Bets
Going into the elite 8, final four and the championship game, these are the best bets and March Madness betting trends that you should follow when making your March Madness finals predictions.
This type of bet involves the sportsbook giving a points advantage to the underdogs and a handicap to the favorites. If you bet on the favorites, they will need to not only win the game, but make sure they win by the points spread. The underdogs can either win the game outright no matter by how many points, or they can lose within the spread.
This is a good way to even things out and also makes your betting interesting.
This bet does not involve the outcome of the game at all. Here you will bet on the totals of the two teams combined. The sportsbook will set a total and you will bet whether you think it will be more (over) or less (under) that total.
Another bet that doesn’t involve the outcome of the game is prop bets. Here you are betting on a certain player’s individual performance. For example, how many goals he will score or how many meters he will run. A good bet here is also who will be the players of the match.
Parlays are tricky bets because you will need to predict the entire parlay correctly to win the bet. This bet involves making one wager for many different bets. Same-game parlays are when all the events will happen in one game and multi-game parlays you can combine bets from different games into one.
Previous March Madness Winners
Here are the winners of the NCAA tournament since 2012. A few names are repeated a few times, otherwise things are rather spread out. You can use this information and your
March Madness strategy
when you make your March Madness finals predictions.
| Year |
Champions |
Runner-Up |
| 2023 |
UConn |
San Diago State |
| 2022 |
Kansas |
North Carolina |
| 2021 |
Baylor |
Gonzaga |
| 2020 |
Cancelled – Covid 19 |
- |
| 2019 |
Virginia |
Texas Tech |
| 2018 |
Villanova |
Michigan |
| 2017 |
North Carolina |
Gonzaga |
| 2016 |
Villanova |
North Carolina |
| 2015 |
Duke |
Wisconsin |
| 2014 |
Connecticut |
Kentucky |
| 2013 |
Louisville |
Michigan |
| 2012 |
Kentucky |
Kansas |
March Madness Finals Predictions Conclusion
Things are definitely getting exciting. Will it be a nail-biting finish? Make sure you use the information in this guide to help you make your March Madness finals predictions. We have provided the March Madness finals odds and best bets for you to make.
Good luck – and let’s hope the best team wins.
FAQs
What is March Madness?
March Madness is a men’s college basketball tournament which takes places every March into April. It is also known as the NCAA tournament.
Who are the favorites to win March Madness 2024?
2023 champions UConn are the favorites for winning March Madness again this year.
Who won March Madness in 2023?
Connecticut University, UConn won the NCAA tournament in 2023.
What team has the best odds to win the tournament this year?
UConn are going in with the best odds of winning the tournament this year.
How are the odds calculated?
Calculating odds involves analysing and assessing different outcomes in the tournament. Team performance, experience and individual player performance are all factors that get considered.
