Top 5 March Madness Betting Tips
March Madness is one of the most exciting times of the year. The men's NCAA basketball tournament is one of the most heavily watched and highly anticipated tournaments in college basketball.
There are plenty of opportunities for tilting those March Madness odds in your favour but you should know what you're doing before you dive headfirst and risk your money. Here are the top 5 March Madness betting tips that can help you cash in.
March Madness Betting Tip 1. Ignore the Seeds
A common thing that inexperienced bettors will do is look at the tournament seeds to determine who they think should win a game. If a 5-seed is favored by only 1 point over a 12-seed, for example, bettors may jump all over the favored team, thinking the line is off.
But, as is seen time and again, 12-seeds beat 5-seeds a lot. So, a great tip is to ignore the seeding when you're betting on March Madness. Analyze the matchup just like you would any other game during the season.
March Madness Betting Tip 2. Go with Experience
Experienced teams often do very well in March Madness. Teams that have players who have been with the team for a few years often know what it takes to pull out wins under heavy pressure and the spotlight of the tournament.
A really talented team that is full of freshman is often much more vulnerable to an upset. So, check up and down the rosters of the teams to figure out who has the experience that could pay off.
March Madness Betting Tip 3. Don't Forget the Coaches
Likewise, coaches that have a lot of experience in the NCAA tournament, and success, can often pull out wins that you might not expect. So, if you're looking for an extra angle on a game, check out the coaches and see how they match up. A coaching mismatch could make a difference in the final score, actually.
March Madness Betting Tip 4. Take a Look at the Location
There is technically no home court advantage in March Madness since all games are played on a neutral court. However, top seeds often get more favorable location draws.
If a team is playing close to their home city, then it's more likely that their fans will travel to the game to watch them play in person.
This could lead to a de facto home court advantage -- or what would be as close to a home court advantage as possible in the tournament.
With the "home crowd" behind them, the players may be extra motivated. This could end up leading to a few points of "swing" in the game, which could end up tilting the bet from one side to the next.
March Madness Betting Tip 5. Points Early, Defense Late
If you're an over/under bettor, one trend to follow is that there are often higher point totals in the beginning rounds of the tournament, and then lower point totals as the teams get closer to the Final Four.
In the early rounds, the teams are leaving everything on the court. This is especially true of the longshot, lower seeds who have nothing to lose. They will foul endlessly at the end of the game, trying to extend the game as long as possible to try to come from behind. This often leads to a lot of late-game foul shots, which bumps up the total score.
As the tournament progresses, defense often starts to win out more. The matchups are more even, and the teams play a little tighter as they start to get a whiff of the championship trophy.
So, if you're a totals bettor, you could find angles to bet on the over early on and then flip it to the under in the later rounds of the tournament.
Tips are great but strategies are better. So,make sure you check out our march madness betting strategies to step your game!