🏀 How to Bet on March Madness: NCAA Tournament Betting Guide 2026

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is into the Sweet 16 with eight games remaining before the Elite Eight and a trip to the Final Four in Indianapolis. Whether you're betting on March Madness for the first time or looking to sharpen your approach for the second weekend, our betting guide breaks down every bet type, how March Madness odds work, and the strategies that matter most as the field narrows.

🏀 How to bet on March Madness 2026

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to bet on March Madness.

• Check out our best sports betting sites
• Sign up for one of these sites or multiple sites. By signing up for more than one of our best sports betting apps, you can compare odds and get the most bang for your buck
• When signing up for the best sportsbooks, you will want to capitalize on welcome bonus bets and special March Madness bonus offers
• Use the best sports betting promo codes to take advantage of each sportsbook's offer

Numerous opportunities exist to wager on traditional point spreads, moneylines, and totals with 67 games played throughout the NCAA men's basketball tournament. However, part of the allure of March Madness is identifying the Cinderella team that will make a deep tournament run, which bettors can do in various ways with various college basketball futures bets.

Many sportsbooks will have their NCAA Tournament odds broken down by regional props, as the 68 teams are divided among East, West, Midwest, and South Regionals. Every team will have odds to win their region and advance to the Final Four, and other enticing wagers await, like who will be the first No. 1 seed to lose and how many No. 1 seeds will make the Final Four.

And if you have a conference affiliation, there are even wagers for which conference the eventual champion will come from.

📊 March Madness betting odds explained

Point spread

Spread betting is wagering on a certain amount of points regarding the margin of victory.

For example, in the 2025 national championship game, Florida was a 1.5-point favorite over Houston. When the Gators won 65-63, anyone who backed Florida at -1.5 won their bets since Florida won by two points. Had Houston won the game outright, or had Florida won by just one point, Cougars backers would have cashed their bets.

Over/Under

Instead of rooting for a particular side, Over/Under bets offer bettors the opportunity to bet on the number of points that will be scored in a game. More specifically, it is a wager on whether the actual total will be over or under the line offered by the sportsbook.

The Florida vs. Houston national championship matchup had a total of 140.5, and bettors who wagered on this were choosing whether they thought the combined final score would be more (Over) or less (Under) than the posted total. Under backers cashed when the game ended with 128 total points.

Moneyline

Moneyline wagers ask bettors to decide which team will win the game outright.

Take the example of the 2025 title game, with Florida as the -115 moneyline favorite and Houston at -105. In a near-toss-up like this, both sides were priced close to even money: a $115 bet on Florida would have returned $100 in profit, while a $105 bet on Houston would have returned $100. When the line is this tight, it signals that oddsmakers view the matchup as essentially a coin flip. You'll need to make a few March Madness upset predictions if you're attempting a perfect bracket.

📖 March Madness bet types

Futures

Unlike point spread, Over/Under, and moneyline bets, which are paid out after every game, futures bets operate under a longer timeframe, such as who will win each region or what team will win the national championship. As such, these odds are usually more enticing to bettors and are typically updated after each round of March Madness. Keep an eye on the March Madness sleepers.

Props

March Madness prop bet wagers offer bettors different ways to bet on games, whether it be game props (ex. winning margin for a team), team props (ex. team totals), or player props, like how many points or rebounds a specific player will accrue.

Visit our best March Madness betting sites to test your skills in their free March Madness bracket challenges.

First to 15

"First to 15" bets are wagers on which team will reach the 15-point plateau before the other. These wagers offer bettors a suspense-filled first few minutes of the game, with the winners typically paid out well before halftime. 

Tournament MVP

You may have heard of the Tournament MVP prop called the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. These wagers tend to pay out very handsomely with longer March Madness MVP odds, as it is hard enough to determine which team(s) will be most successful, let alone which players on those teams will play the best.

Derivatives

Derivative wagers break down a full game into segments, most commonly first-half and second-half bets. Thus, one can wager on a team to cover, an Over/Under, or back either team on the moneyline in each half of the game at differing odds.

💡 March Madness 2026 betting strategy

One thing that makes March Madness one of the most popular sporting events of the calendar year is the frequency of Cinderella stories, so be sure to make some March Madness upset predictions when charting your way to the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, and Final Four.

Many bettors believe the No. 1 seeds are ranked that high because they proved their dominance over an entire season, and last year's Final Four featuring all four No. 1 seeds reinforced that. But the 2026 tournament has already shown how quickly the script can flip: No. 1 seed Florida was knocked out in the second round by No. 9 Iowa, and No. 11 Texas is the lowest remaining seed in the Sweet 16 after upsetting BYU and Gonzaga. Three No. 1 seeds remain, but history says chalk doesn't always hold.

When filling out your printable March Madness bracket (learn how to fill out a March Madness bracket here) or making your wagers, pay attention to the location of games, as all games are played in neutral sites around the country. However, certain teams will have built-in advantages if they wind up in a region near where they play their home games.

However, since all NCAA tournament games are played at neutral sites, bettors should give more credence to a team's road and neutral site record from the regular season, as their built-in home-court advantages will not help them in a tournament setting.

Ready? Test your skills via these FREE March Madness bracket contests.

📅 Sweet 16 schedule: March Madness games this week

Here's a full look at the Sweet 16 schedule this week with tipoff times, TV info, and locations for every NCAA Tournament matchup:

Thursday, March 26

• (11) Texas vs. (2) Purdue | 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS) | San Jose, Calif.
• (9) Iowa vs. (4) Nebraska | 7:30 p.m. ET (TBS) | Houston, Texas
• (4) Arkansas vs. (1) Arizona | 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) | San Jose, Calif.
• (3) Illinois vs. (2) Houston | 10:05 p.m. ET (TBS) | Houston, Texas

Friday, March 27

• (5) St. John’s vs. (1) Duke | 7:10 p.m. ET (CBS) | Washington, D.C.
• (4) Alabama vs. (1) Michigan | 7:35 p.m. ET (TBS) | Chicago, Ill.
• (3) Michigan State vs. (2) UConn | 9:45 p.m. ET (CBS) | Washington, D.C.
• (6) Tennessee vs. (2) Iowa State | 10:10 p.m. ET (TBS) | Chicago, Ill.

🔮 More March Madness predictions

• March Madness Sweet 16 survivor picks
• March Madness second chance bracket picks
• Final Four odds & best bets entering Sweet 16
• March Madness odds, best bet & sleeper

❓ March Madness FAQs

Who won March Madness last year?

The Florida Gators defeated Houston, 65-63, to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Walter Clayton Jr. was named Most Outstanding Player.

When does March Madness 2026 start?

Selection Sunday was March 15 on CBS. The First Four tipped off March 17-18, with the first round beginning Thursday, March 19.

When is the 2026 Final Four?

The Final Four is Saturday, April 4, with the national championship game on Monday, April 6.

Where is the 2026 Final Four?

Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. It will be the ninth time Indianapolis has hosted the Final Four.