While it may seem like a lifetime ago that Virginia cut down the nets, March Madness is back for 2021! When looking at the betting lines during March Madness, you will notice that there is a seemingly endless number of games to bet on. While that can certainly be daunting, there are some NCAA betting tips to follow that will give you the best chance of making money from March Madness betting, whether you bet with one of the top online sportsbooks or enter our Bracket Challenge! Also, you can always turn to Don Best of Vegas Insider for the latest odds.

While it can be tempting to bet on the favorites during March Madness, analyzing the NCAA betting trends will show that is a bad idea. Picking out good underdogs (the Cinderella strategy) is one of the best ways to make money during the tournament. Typically, casual fans will be all over the favorites, this gives you a favorable line on the underdog. By analyzing the trends and stats involved, you will have a leg up on the field when it comes to betting. Everyone loves a good underdog, and you will love it even more if it makes you some money.

Before putting any money down on a team during March Madness, you need to look at teams that are coming into the tournament on a hot streak. Teams that come into the tournament with a lot of momentum typically continue that hot streak, especially in the early rounds. On the other hand, you should avoid teams that barely made the tournament, or teams that lost several games in a row before the tournament started. It can be hard to gain momentum to turn around during March Madness due to the bubble atmosphere and the pressure to perform placed on the teams as soon as they take the court.


One of the most important NCAA betting tips is to focus on teams that play good defense. While you do not have to put all of your money on teams with excellent defense, it is important not to put your money on a team that gives up a lot of points easily. Teams that play good, hard-nosed defense often perform much better than the teams that simply want to see how many points they can rack up on the scoreboard.

You should take a good, hard look at all of the 12-seed versus 5-seed games during March Madness. NCAA betting trends show that this is one of the most popular games, and for good reason. There is almost always a big upset during the first round of the tournament, and it often involves a 12-seed upsetting a 5-seed.There have been 50 upsets by 12-seeds since the NCAA tournament field expanded in 1985, yielding a 35.71 win percentage. But in 2019, three 12 seeds (Liberty, Oregon and Murray State), and 13 seed UC Irvine won in the first round. Amazingly, only five times in the past 35 years has there not been a upset by the number 12 seed and the 2018 tourney was  one of them. But in 2018, two 13 seeds, Marshall and Buffalo beat the #4 seed before losing in the second round. Analyze these games and consider putting some money down on a good underdog that comes into March Madness as a 12-seed.

March Madness is so much fun because of its unpredictability, but you will also have a great chance of winning money by following these NCAA betting tips. While a lot of people like to simply pick out a Cinderella team and run with them, those people do not have as great a chance at making money. It is better to have a specific set of things that you are looking for in mind when placing a bet on March Madness. The most important thing to remember is to analyze the games before laying any money down, and just remember to have fun.

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