'March Madness' Vegas Odds and NCAA Tournament Guide

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2024 ‘March Madness’ Vegas Odds and NCAA Tournament Guide

Schedule and Vegas Odds

National Championship

Game	Odds	Date	Time (Eastern)	How to Watch
#1 Purdue vs #1 UConn	CONN -6.5	April 8	9:20 PM	TBS

First Round

Game	Odds	Date	Time (Eastern)	How to Watch
#9 Michigan State vs #8 Mississippi State	MSU -1.5	March 21	12:15 PM	CBS
#11 Duquesne vs #6 BYU	BYU -9.5	March 21	12:40 PM	truTV
#14 Akron vs #3 Creighton	CREI -13.5	March 21	1:30 PM	TNT
#15 Long Beach State vs #2 Arizona	ARIZ -20.5	March 21	2:00 PM	TBS
#16 Wagner vs #1 North Carolina	UNC -23.5	March 21	2:45 PM	CBS
#14 Morehead State vs #3 Illinois	ILL -12.5	March 21	3:10 PM	truTV
#11 Oregon vs #6 South Carolina	SC -2.5	March 21	4:00 PM	TNT
#10 Nevada vs #7 Dayton	NEV -1.5	March 21	4:30 PM	TBS
#10 Colorado State vs #7 Texas	TEX -2.5	March 21	6:50 PM	TNT
#14 Oakland vs #3 Kentucky	UK -13.5	March 21	7:10 PM	CBS
#12 McNeese State vs #5 Gonzaga	GONZ -6.5	March 21	7:25 PM	TBS
#15 South Dakota State vs #2 Iowa State	ISU -16.5	March 21	7:35 PM	truTV
#15 St. Peter’s vs #2 Tennessee	TENN -21.5	March 21	9:20 PM	TNT
#11 NC State vs #6 Texas Tech	TTU -5.5	March 21	9:40 PM	CBS
#13 Samford vs #4 Kansas	KU -7.5	March 21	9:55 PM	TBS
#10 Drake vs #7 Washington State	DRKE -1.5	March 21	10:05 PM	truTV
#10 Northwestern vs #7 Florida Atlantic	FAU -2.5	March 22	12:15 PM	CBS
#14 Colgate vs #3 Baylor	BAY -13.5	March 22	12:40 PM	truTV
#12 UAB vs #5 San Diego State	SDSU -6.5	March 22	1:45 PM	TNT
#15 Western Kentucky vs #2 Marquette	MAR -14.5	March 22	2:00 PM	TBS
#16 Stetson vs #1 UConn	CON -26.5	March 22	2:45 PM	CBS
#11 New Mexico vs #6 Clemson	UNM -1.5	March 22	3:10 PM	truTV
#13 Yale vs #4 Auburn	AUB -12.5	March 22	4:15 PM	TNT
#10 Colorado vs #7 Florida	FLA -1.5	March 22	4:30 PM	TBS
#9 Texas A&M vs #8 Nebraska	NEB -1.5	March 22	6:50 PM	TNT
#13 Vermont vs #4 Duke	DUKE -11.5	March 22	7:10 PM	CBS
#16 Grambling vs #1 Purdue	PUR -26.5	March 22	7:25 PM	TBS
#13 Charleston vs #4 Alabama	ALA -9.5	March 22	7:35 PM	truTV
#16 Longwood vs #1 Houston	HOU -24.5	March 22	9:20 PM	TNT
#12 James Madison vs #5 Wisconsin	WIS -5.5	March 22	9:40 PM	CBS
#9 TCU vs #8 Utah State	TCU -3.5	March 22	9:55 PM	TBS
#12 Grand Canyon vs #5 St. Mary’s	SMC -5.5	March 22	10:05 PM	truTV

Second Round

Game	Odds	Date	Time (Eastern)	How to Watch
#7 Dayton vs #2 Arizona	ARIZ -9.5	March 23	12:45 PM	CBS
#5 Gonzaga vs #4 Kansas	GONZ -4.5	March 23	3:15 PM	CBS
#9 Michigan State vs #1 North Carolina	UNC -3.5	March 23	5:30 PM	CBS
#7 Washington State vs #2 Iowa State	ISU -8.5	March 23	6:10 PM	TNT
#14 Oakland vs #11 NC State	NCSU -5.5	March 23	7:10 PM	TBS
#7 Texas vs #2 Tennessee	TENN -6.5	March 23	8:00 PM	CBS
#11 Duquesne vs #3 Illinois	ILL -9.5	March 23	8:40 PM	TNT
#11 Oregon vs #3 Creighton	CREI -5.5	March 23	9:40 PM	TBS
#9 Northwestern vs #1 UConn	TBD	March 24	TBD	TBD
#10 Colorado vs #2 Marquette	TBD	March 24	TBD	TBD
#6 Clemson vs #3 Baylor	TBD	March 24	TBD	TBD
#13 Yale vs #5 San Diego State	TBD	March 24	TBD	TBD
#8 Utah State vs #1 Purdue	TBD	March 24	TBD	TBD
#5 Texas A&M vs #1 Houston	TBD	March 24	TBD	TBD
#12 James Madison vs #4 Duke	TBD	March 24	TBD	TBD
#12 Grand Canyon vs #4 Alabama	TBD	March 24	TBD	TBD

Sweet Sixteen

Game	Odds	Date	Time (Eastern)	How to Watch
#6 Clemson vs #2 Arizona	ARIZ -6.5	March 28	4:09 PM	CBS
#5 San Diego State vs #1 UConn	CONN -9.5	March 28	4:39 PM	TBS
#4 Alabama vs #1 North Carolina	UNC -3.5	March 28	6:39 PM	CBS
#3 Illinois vs #2 Iowa State	ISU -2.5	March 28	7:09 PM	TBS
#11 NC State vs #2 Marquette	MARQ -6.5	March 29	4:09 PM	CBS
#5 Gonzaga vs #1 Purdue	PUR -4.5	March 29	4:39 PM	TBS
#4 Duke vs #1 Houston	HOU -3.5	March 29	6:39 PM	CBS
#3 Creighton vs #2 Tennessee	TENN -2.5	March 29	7:09 PM	TBS

Elite Eight

Game	Odds	Date	Time (Eastern)	How to Watch
#3 Illinois vs #1 UConn	CONN -8.5	March 30	6:09 PM	TBS
#6 Clemson vs #4 Alabama	BAMA -2.5	March 30	8:49 PM	TBS
#2 Tennessee vs #1 Purdue	TBD	March 31	TBD	TBD
#11 NC State vs #4 Duke	TBD	March 31	TBD	TBD

Final Four

Game	Odds	Date	Time (Eastern)	How to Watch
#11 NC State vs #1 Purdue	PUR -9.5	April 6	6:09 PM	TBS
#4 Alabama vs #1 UConn	CONN -11.5	April 6	8:49 PM	TBS

Vegas Odds

What‌ ‌Is‌ ‌March‌ ‌Madness?‌

March Madness is the unofficial name given to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, which features 68 of the nation’s best teams. The term March Madness originally comes from the state of Illinois, but it is now associated with one of the biggest and most popular sporting events of the year.

March Madness has grown in popularity exponetially throughout the years. It features the 32 teams that win their conference championships, as well as an additional 36 top teams selected by the committee on Selection Sunday. The “madness” comes from the unpredictable nature of the tournament and from the Cinderella stories that come from it, with underdogs often making deeper runs than any other top sport.

When Does March Madness Start?‌

Selection Sunday is set for Sunday, March 17, 2024. The First Four games will take place On March 19-20.

The rest of the dates follow as outlined below:

March Madness Dates

Event	Dates
Selection Sunday	March 17
First Four	March 19-20
First Round	March 21-22
Second Round	March 23-24
Sweet 16	March 28-29
Elite 8	March 30-31
Final Four	April 6
National Championship	April 8

How‌ ‌Does‌ ‌March‌ ‌Madness‌ ‌Work?‌ ‌

College basketball teams can qualify for the March Madness Tournament by earning the automatic qualifying bid that is given to each conference. The winner of the conference tournament earns a right to the NCAA Tournament.

After all of the automatic bids are handed out then a selection committee fills out the rest of the field with deserving teams. Teams are placed into four different regions, and the champion of each region advances to the Final Four.

All of the teams are seeded before the tournament begins and placed on a bracket. March Madness is played on a “win-or-go-home” format.

March Madness Betting‌ ‌

March Madness is the second most popular event to bet on in the United States, second to the Super Bowl. Sportsbooks feature many promotions and bonuses around the March Madness Tournament every year.

Some states prohibit betting on March Madness, especially for games featuring in-state teams. Betting on collegiate sporting events is one of the biggest debates in the US sports betting industry.

Can I Bet on March Madness in my State?

The following states have allowed bettors to legally place bets on March Madness in 2024:

Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Mississippi
Montana
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Nevada
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Washington
West Virginia
Wyoming

Betting Strategy

Every sports bettor will have their own betting strategy when betting on the NCAA Tournament, but making a futures bet is one of the most popular betting options. Sportsbooks offer future betting markets on the eventual NCAA Champion or on what teams will reach the Final Four.

Another March Madness betting strategy is to simply bet on every game across the tournament. With 67 different games being played over three weeks, there are plenty of opportunities to win some money on the NCAA Tournament.

Vegas Odds NCAA Tournament – Common Bets

There are a variety of betting odds available when it comes to betting on the games, but you’ll usually see three main options. “moneyline” refers to the winner of the game, “over/under” will be based on the number of points in the game being higher or lower than a number determined by the Sportsbook, and “spread” which will give the underdogs a head start of a set number of points, and is designed to make it a “pick’em” where you decide which side is more likely to beat that spread total.

NCAA Basketball Vegas Odds – Prop Bets

Since the March Madness tournament is one of the biggest sporting events in the world, prop betting is also extremely popular. There will be a number of prop betting options for each game of the tournament as well as for a whole event.

Prop bets are bets that are made on unique aspects of a game or sporting event and can add some fun and excitement to your betting experience.

Will a Number 1 seed reach the Final Four?
Will a double-digit seed reach the Final Four?

College Basketball Vegas Odds – Biggest Spread Upsets

The spread is designed to make it a pick-em between the two sides, but it’s always a major upset if a team with a double-digit spread total manages to actually win the game. The biggest spread upset in March Madness came back in 2021 when Norfolk State went into the game as +21.5 point underdogs, but they still managed to upset Missouri by winning the game 86-84.

It’s rare to see spread totals that high in the NCAA Championship Game because it should always be two strong teams who make it that far. We’ve yet to see a double-digit upset in the Championship game, but Connecticut were +9.5 point underdogs when they won against Duke in 1999.

March Madness Predictions

The Purdue Boilermakers have some serious talent, and they are the current favorites for a reason with 7’4 Zach Edey leading the way. That being said, they’ve also lost in the first round in three straight seasons to double-digit seeds, opening the field to many other top-ranked teams.

How Many Teams in March Madness Are There?

image for how many teams there are in march madness

Each year, 68 teams are selected to play in the March Madness Tournament and then these teams are placed on the bracket. The field of 68 teams is made up of 32 automatic qualifiers and 36 at-large selections.

There is no requirement for how many teams can come from a certain conference.

2024 Tickets‌

Tickets have already gone on sale for the First Four of the 2024 tournament, even though the schedule and teams are yet to be finalized. At this stage you can still find tickets for $30 each, although expect prices to increase as the tournament progresses and demand for tickets increases.

March Madness Seeding – How Does It Work?

image for march madness seeding and how it works

The NCAA Men’s Basketball Selection Committee releases the seeds for the entire bracket on Selection Sunday. The top overall seed is revealed first, and they are set to matchup with the number 4 overall seed in the Final Four.

In 2023, the selection committee will be filling out the bracket using the “S-Curve” meaning that all teams will be seeded 1-68 and then placed on the appropriate line on the bracket. There are four regions with 16 teams and the winner of each region will advance to the Final Four.

The Lowest Seed to Win March Madness

In 1985 the Villanova Wildcats won the NCAA Tournament as the number 8 seed, the lowest to ever cut down the nets. In 2014, the Ucon Huskies were able to win the NCAA Tournament as a number 7 seed.

There have been four number 11 seeds that have reached the Final Four, but none have been able to win the final two games.

Previous March Madness Winners

The UCLA Bruins have won the most March Madness titles, and some of the other “blue-blood” programs are next on the list. The Power 5 Conferences traditionally dominate the NCAA Tournament, especially when it comes to eventual champions.

Who Won the Last 10 NCAA Basketball Championships?

Year	Team
2023	UConn
2022	Kansas
2021	Baylor
2020	No winner due to Covid
2019	Virginia
2018	Villanova
2017	North Carolina
2016	Villanova
2015	Duke
2014	Connecticut
2013	Louisville

Top 10 Schools With the Most Appearances in NCAA Tournaments

In light of the historic facts, March Madness seems to belong to the top-seeded teams time and over again. So far, Kentucky is the true torch-bearers with 60 appearances with the first one dating back to 1942. As one of the oldest franchises, Kentucky has also proven to be one of the most talented winning eight titles so far.