With the brackets revealed and March Madness set to tip-off, there are an abundance of future bets that you can make to try and win some money. After looking through all the regions, matchups, paths, and odds, here are five college basketball best bets that you should consider.
All college basketball betting odds can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
College Basketball Best Bets to Make for March Madness
South Region Winner: Houston (+150)
Houston’s most recent performance was their worst and remarkably lone bad outing of the season. In the Big 12 Tournament championship game, the Cougars got blitzed out of the gate by Iowa State and ended up falling 69-41. Many people are seemingly readjusting their expectations of Houston after that performance; however, I’m not sure that’s justified. In what was only their second loss of the season by more than four points and starting center J’wan Roberts was limited to 13 minutes out of precaution and is expected to return to action this weekend. Also, the Cougars already had the 1-seed in their preferred South Region locked up, meaning there may not have been the same intensity and focus that there will be for this tournament.
According to KenPom, this year’s Houston group is the second-best team since 2021 heading into the tournament (the first is this year’s UConn team which is irrelevant to this discussion). But even going beyond the metrics, the Cougars boast a level of defensive integrity, discipline, energy, and physicality that is rarely seen. They have relentless ball pressure and punish teams on the glass on both ends. It can sometimes be a struggle to generate high-quality looks, but point guard Jamal Shead is one of the best two-way playmakers in the country and the rest of their backcourt can make enough shots to win games.
The other aspect to consider are the other teams in the South Region, which I consider to be the region of unknowns. Admittedly, Houston has some question marks injury-wise in the frontcourt, but 2-seed Marquette’s star point guard Tyler Kolek is battling injuries and 7-seed Florida just lost starting center Micah Handlogten to a gruesome leg injury. Other top contenders to win this region are 3-seed Kentucky who can win or lose by 20 in any game they play and 5-seed Wisconsin who has been as up and down as any team in the country this year. Houston’s most likely Sweet Sixteen opponent, 4-seed Duke, may not have the toughness to compete with the Cougars’ physical brand of basketball. All that being said, there have been three consistencies in college basketball this year: UConn, Purdue, and Houston. Assuming they can get healthy, which I believe they will, there’s no reason to assume that Houston’s elite play won’t carry into March Madness and help cash this college basketball best bet.
Saint Mary’s to Make the Sweet 16: YES (+140)
According to BartTorvik, Saint Mary’s has been the eighth-best team in college basketball in the calendar year of 2024. They are 17-1 in that stretch, with the lone blemish coming from a desperate Gonzaga team. The Gaels are one of the top defenses in the country and are maybe the best rebounding team in the sport. Augustas Marciulionis and Aidan Mahaney give them two reliable late-game scoring options to close games with.
I liked this Saint Mary’s team coming into Selection Sunday, but after seeing their draw I really believe they have a chance at a long run. A first-round matchup with 29-4 Grand Canyon is admittedly worrisome, but the Gaels are the better team and will get a favorable draw should they survive the Antelopes. The 4-seed that they’d likely face in round two, Alabama, has been reeling as of late and appears to be very vulnerable heading into March Madness. They’ve lost four of their last six games and quite frankly appear to be outmatched by the top competition.
In a wide open (weak in my opinion) West Region, there might be some value in Saint Mary’s to make the Final Four at +1000, but I prefer to play it a little safer with this Gaels team.
Team to Advance Further Tennessee vs Iowa State: Iowa State: (-105)
This is a fun type of bet that BetUS offers a handful of different matchups for. I chose this one featuring a pair of 2-seeds mostly because of the other teams in their regions. On the surface, I trust Iowa State more than Tennessee on a night-to-night basis because or their lockdown defense. Tennessee may have the higher ceiling because of first-team All-American Dalton Knecht, but that doesn’t play a factor in why I like this bet.
When I look at the bottom half of the East Region, Illinois is the only team that I could see giving Iowa State trouble before the Elite Eight. The 3-seed Illini could very well lose before that potential Sweet Sixteen matchup and Iowa State could very well win even if those two teams met. I think Iowa State’s defense would be too overwhelming for any other opponent that they’d see prior to the Elite Eight. On the other hand, I think Tennessee could be in some trouble as soon as the second round. Although underwhelming for the most part this year, 7-seed Texas has the talent to compete with anyone on any given night. If the Vols were to make the Sweet Sixteen, they will likely be met by Creighton, a trendy March Madness betting pick to make it to Phoenix. Overall, I believe Tennessee will play in more early tournament games where there’s a decent chance of them losing compared to Iowa State.
West Region Winner: New Mexico (+2200)
I referred to the West Region being weak a bit earlier, so here’s a long shot to cut down the nets and make it to Phoenix. By every predictive metric, New Mexico is one of the more under-seeded teams in the field as an 11. Forward JT Toppin is one of the better freshmen in the country, averaging 12.5 points and nine rebounds per game. Everyone knows you need elite guard play to advance in March, and that is where the Lobos excel. Their three-headed monster of Jaelen House, Jamal Mashburn Jr (yes his son), and Donovan Dent each average at least 14 points per game.
New Mexico will have to go through Clemson and likely Baylor to make the second weekend, two favorable opponents relative to seed. The top 2-seeds in the West Region, North Carolina and Arizona, have suffered from inconsistent play throughout the season. At 22-1, it is worth looking into taking a shot on New Mexico to make the Final Four considering their talent level and region.
Winning Conference of NCAA Mens Tournament: Big East (+275)
The Big East only got three teams in the NCAA Tournament, a shocker to many considering they were perceived as a top-three conference this year. For the purpose of this bet, that is irrelevant because the three Big East teams that have a shot to win the title obviously got in. UConn is the prohibitive favorite to win it all once again, which is the key to this bet. The Huskies excel at just about everything on a basketball court and may be even better than last year’s title team. Alone, they are +375 to win National Championship. If you’re going to take that, why not lessen the value just a bit and get two more shots at the dartboard with two elite teams?
I mentioned Creighton above as a trendy March Madness betting pick to make the Final Four, and they are that for a reason. Trey Alexander, Baylor Scheirman, and Ryan Kalkbrenner may be the best “Big Three” in the country, stuffing the stat sheet every night. The Bluejays shoot from outside at a high clip, and Kalkbrenner does enough as a rim protector to make them a formidable defense.
The third Big East team in the field, Marquette, boasts a top-25 offense and defense according to KenPom. Their Final Four dreams rest on the shoulders of Tyler Kolek’s health, but if he is healthy, the Golden Eagles can go all the way to Phoenix. Marquette isn’t in the top tier of title contenders in my opinion, but there’s value at the +275 number considering the dominance of UConn and the potential of Creighton and Marquette.
