Getting Ready for March Madness betting with these Top Stats

Updated: September 26, 2023

The 2022-23 men’s college basketball season is hitting its home stretch and soon it will be time for March Madness betting. Conference tournaments will begin and 358 teams around the country will compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament’s field of 68.

Top March Madness betting Tips

Here’s something to get you ready for this year’s March Madness betting action.

Picking Gonzaga

Gonzaga, which lost in last year’s national championship game, began this season at No. 1. The Bulldogs lost two games early and fell out of the top spot but have earned the top-ranked spot again. They will likely be the NCAA tournament’s No. 1 overall seed barring any upsets over the remainder of the regular season.

Schools like George Mason and Northern Iowa have.

Picking No. 5 Seeds

When filling out a tournament bracket, be careful in picking No. 5 seeds.

In three of the last eight tournaments (2013, 2014, 2019), three No. 5 seeds lost in the first round.

No team seeded No. 5 has ever won a national championship either.

In four decades of seeding the tourney, only five No. 5 seeds have even made it to a Final Four.

Basketball Schools?

Alabama, Miami, Texas, Notre Dame and USC have combined to win 37 football national championships.

None of those schools have ever played for a college basketball national championship. All five programs will make this year’s March Madness, but could one win a national title?

• Texas has one of the nation’s best defenses (No. 3) holding opponents to 57.7 points per game.
• The Longhorns (18-7) are currently ranked No. 20. USC is 17^th with a record of 21-4.

Elite Eight

The last time a Final Four did not have at least one No. 1 seed was in 2011. That year, No. 3 Connecticut, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Butler, and No. 11 VCU battled for the national title.

Since the expansion of the tournament to 64 teams in 1985, there is only one other instance of a Final Four without a No. 1 seed – 2006.

Time Is On Your Side

Last year’s Final Four was the first in the history of the tournament to not have a team from the Eastern Time Zone.

Until Baylor’s national title last season, the only tournament champion since 1998 not from the Eastern Time Zone was Kansas in 2008.

Last season could be the beginning of a new trend. According to the latest bracketology reports, the No. 1 seeds in each region are Gonzaga, Kansas, Arizona, and Auburn.

Two No. 2 seeds – Texas Tech and Purdue are not in the Eastern Time Zone.

Speaking of Seeds

Fans and bettors love underdogs, especially come tournament time.

A No. 1 seed has won 22 of those 36 tournaments, including each of the last four.

Top Sportsbooks for March Madness betting Bonuses

Relevant news