Planning your basketball picks for March Madness
Before we get carried away giving you our picks for this year’s March Madness, it’s a good idea to understand the basics of this college basketball tournament. Simply put, it’s a month-long contest for the NCAA Division I men’s college basketball that is held in different arenas around the US.
There are several different rounds that feature eliminators where 68 teams are put in a bracket against another team and the winner goes through to the next round. The simplicity of this tournament has made it one of the most popular sporting events in the US. Here is a quick overview of how the 2023 March Madness will play out:
- March 12: Selection Sunday
- March 14-15: First Four
- March 16-17: First Round
- March 18-19: Second Round
- March 23-24: Sweet 16
- March 25-26: Elite Eight
- April 1: Final Four
- April 3: NCAA Championship Game
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How we created our March Madness expert picks
Most people will simply bet on their favorite college basketball teams without doing too much in the way of research. However, we have found that it’s always good to do your homework when betting on something as unpredictable as March Madness. Here are the key points of what we do when we come up with our NCAA picks:
We will always see how each NCAA team has done over the past few games to get a good idea of whether they have the morale and drive to win their next game.
Certain NCAA rivalries can go against form and we’ll be sure to adapt our picks accordingly.
Understand tournament history
We’ll pay close attention to how well each team has done in past March Madness tournaments. After all, there is a reason why UCLA have won more NCAA titles than anyone else.
Sometimes it just takes one player to put in a game-winning performance to take their team through to the next round. Our picks will factor in top players like Armando Bacot to see if they can power their teams to glory.
Read our NCAA March Madness predictions for tournament winner
Predicting the winner of March Madness is never easy given the sheer quantity of teams involved. Despite this, we believe that each of the following four teams are in with a big chance of winning this year’s tournament:
- Houston Cougars: With a staggering playing record of 27-2, Houston are quite rightly most sportsbooks’ favorites to win this year’s March Madness. Plus that nine-game winning streak could mean that the Cougars go the distance.
- Alabama Crimson Tide: Alabama have been suffering from some off-court controversy, but we believe that the team’s number two ranking in the NCAA is well-deserved. Definitely Final Four contenders.
- Kansas Jayhawks: Last year’s March Madness winners Kansas are picking up where they left off with a strong 25-5 playing record. Entering March Madness with a seven-game winning streak doesn’t hurt either.
- UCLA Bruins: UCLA have gone from strength to strength after last season and it’s easy to see why they are many people’s favorites to get their 12th March Madness title.
Our sleeper picks for March Madness
While betting on the favorites is pretty safe, there’s always a chance that one of the relative outsiders might sneak through and claim a surprise victory. Here are just some of our sleeper predictions for March Madness in 2023:
- Purdue Boilermakers: While Purdue slipped up in their last game, their overall playing record of 24-5 is enough to make them a good choice for a sleeper pick.
- Arizona Wildcats: The Wildcats also lost their last game but their 24-5 record means that we can expect Arizona to make the Elite Eight at least.
- Baylor Bears: The Bears can be devastating when they are on form and this makes the seventh-ranked team one to watch in this year’s March Madness.
- Marquette Golden Eagles: Wth a 24-6 record, Marquette could be a surprise package in this year’s March Madness. While they might not reach the finals, we can imagine the Golden Eagles causing problems for bigger teams.
Check out these upset picks for March Madness
Of course, you might fancy one of those teams who have longer odds and relatively little chance of winning March Madness outright. Still, we think that some teams have the potential to go far despite their relatively low placing in the NCAA rankings. So here are our four main March Madness upset predictions:
- Tennessee Volunteers: The Volunteers might not be among the favorites, but we think that Tennessee’s 22-8 record is enough to include them in our upset picks.
- Texas Longhorns: You just have to look at the Longhorns’ 16-1 home record to understand how this team can respond when they have the crowd behind them.
- Gonzaga Bulldogs: Are Gonzaga much more than star players like Drew Timme? The fact that they have a 25-5 record suggests so.
- Indiana Hoosiers: With a 20-10 winning record, you might not back Indiana to go all the way but we had to include the Hoosiers just for their ability to cause some big upsets.
Of course, with 68 teams to bet on, there are plenty of other contenders to look out for. Whether it’s Xavier Muskateers or Virginia Cavaliers, it should all mean that there’ll be plenty of upsets in this year’s March Madness.
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Get predictions for each round of March Madness 2023
We’ll be by your side through each and every bracket in this year’s March Madness. Here are the key things to look out for in each round of this NCAA Division I tournament:
First Four
These games take place over two days at the UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. It’s where you get to see the four final teams from the overall 68 whittled down to 64. Expect the unexpected in these chaotic First Four games.
First round
Now the main action begins as the eliminator games get played out. It’ll mostly be the bottom-ranked teams making an exit, but there’s always the chance of a surprise.
Second round
By now there will be 32 teams left. There will be a good mix of surefire favorites, sleeper picks and rank outsiders. This is the point where you might find the greatest amount of variance in the odds.
Sweet Sixteen
Here things get really interesting as you’ll see those favorites showing their superiority over the also-rans.
Elite Eight
To reach the Elite Eight is an incredible achievement, and it usually only features teams from the top 10 in the NCAA rankings. Just bear in mind that Saint Peters’ and Miami Hurricanes managed to make the 2022 Elite Eight despite their lowly rankings.
Final Four
These epic games will take place at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas and they will feature some brutal college basketball action. Last year saw a blistering Final Four with UNC beating Duke by 81-77 while Kansas powered past Villanova 81-65 to book their place in the Championship game.
NCAA championship game
This the pinnacle of the March Madness tournament where two teams slug it out to be tournament winners. Can Kansas make it back-to-back wins, will UCLA claim their record-breaking 12th title? Find out in the coming weeks.
A quick word about making March Madness survivor pool picks
We realize that lots of basketball fans will enjoy survivor pools when it comes to March Madness. This is where you simply pick a team for each round and if your team wins, you will go through to the next round. Obviously, if your team loses, you’ll be eliminated and the whole aim of the game is to be the last player standing. The main thing to remember here is that you will only be allowed to pick a team just once in the whole competition.
It’s often tempting to just go for the outright favorites when making your survivor pool picks. However, we have found that it can be smart to hold off on backing the favorites until later on in the tournament.
This means that you should consider some of the sleeper picks for the opening rounds as long as they are paired with some rank outsiders. By doing this, you’ll still have teams like Houston and Alabama left over to give you a better chance of winning should you make it through to the Elite Eight and Final Four.
Other markets to consider for your NCAA predictions
Of course, there is much more to betting on March Madness than just the winner of each game, round and tournament. Here are a couple more betting options to keep you entertained:
- March Madness MVP: This is simply where you bet on who will be given the award for most Most Valuable Player at this year’s March Madness. While the likes of Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky and Drew Timme of Gonzaga are in with a strong chance, we think that this year’s March Madness is wide open:
- March Madness coach: All coaches will have their own playbooks for success at March Madness, and you’ll get to bet on how they’ll fare. Our tip here is to back those coaches with plenty of experience and success at this level.
Tips for making your March Madness predictions in 2023
You should remember that nobody knows exactly what’s going to happen in any March Madness tournament and therefore there’s nothing stopping you from coming up with your own predictions. Just be sure to factor in these points when predicting who’s going to win March Madness in 2023:
Don’t always wager on the outright favorites as you can get more value for your bets by betting on sleeper picks.
Much easier than wagering on the winner of March Madness.
Only wager with stakes that you don’t mind losing.
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Conclusion - Watch this space for even more March Madness predictions
Obviously a lot can happen in a month’s worth of college basketball. Surefire favorites can get dumped out early while rank outsiders can rise to the occasion and cause all manner of shocks.
So we’ve got no choice but to keep returning here to make sure that you get all of the latest information about who to bet on in this year’s NCAA Division I tournament. So be sure to bookmark this page to be the first to know our latest March Madness picks.
March Madness predictions FAQ
👀Where can I find the March Madness 2023 rankings?
Check out our March Madness predictions where we’ll let you know the best place for seeing those NCAA rankings. Essential for spotting which of those March Madness sleeper picks could come good.
💪Which March Madness teams are the favorites?
Take a look at our March Madness picks to see who the favorites are to win this college basketball tournament. Perfect for anyone who wants the best odds available for their March Madness finals gambling
❓What is the best March Madness 2023 bracket to bet on?
Be sure to read our March Madness predictions where you will get some great ideas about which bracket to bet on. After all, there is much more to wagering on the NCAA than just downloading some March Madness betting apps.
🏆Who won March Madness 2022?
We can’t really give you our March Madness picks of 2023 without taking a look at who won the tournament in 2022. So take a look at our guide to get all you need for knowing which March Madness odds to bet on.
🏀What is the March Madness 2023 schedule?
Don’t miss our guide that’s packed full of March Madness picks where you’ll also get a full schedule for placing your bets. Essential for knowing when you can start some March Madness Final 4 gambling.
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