March Madness betting trends are like breadcrumbs. Some lead you down the path of NCAA Tournament profits, and some are just garbage on the ground.
With March Madness' Round of 32 beginning today, you’ll continue to be blasted with a fire hose of Big Dance trends, but most are useless when betting on tournament games. Even reputable sources and sharp betting minds (Covers among the guilty) will spout these intriguing — but empty — historical happenings when analyzing March Madness odds.
More often than not, these trends are the betting equivalent of a chocolate Easter bunny: they look so sweet on the outside but once you peel back the wrapper and take a bite, you find out pretty quickly that they’re hollow inside.
Not all March Madness betting trends are trash, however, and we’ll help you sort the recycling when it comes to deciphering which trends are worth a wager each year and which are a waste of time and, more importantly, money.
Three trends to trust
There are March Madness betting trends out there with teeth that you can put some trust into when learning how to bet on March Madness. The term “trend” should be used lightly as some are more stat-based, but they do hold water from year to year.
Coaching trends
If there is a constant in the madness of March it has to do with college hoops coaches. Coaches all have systems and playbooks and recruit players to fit those plans. While the names on the jerseys get swapped out, the skill sets and styles can remain similar.
So, any trends as it pertains to coaches and experience – especially when dealing with the pace of play (fast or slow tempo) – can be weighed a little heavier than others when capping spreads and totals.
Adjusted defensive efficiency
Made popular by famed college hoops stats maven Ken Pomeroy, adjusted defensive efficiency (which is points allowed per 100 possessions multiplied by the national average defensive efficiency divided by the opponents’ offensive efficiency) is a telltale stat as it pertains to the Final Four.
Since the 2012 NCAA Tournament, only four Final Four teams have ranked outside the Top 40 in adjusted defensive efficiency that season: Kansas (47th) in 2018, UCLA (46th) in 2021, Duke (49th) in 2022, and Miami (99th) in 2023. Nineteen of those 44 national semifinal programs ranked Top 10 in that metric and 10 were in the Top 3 (SDSU No. 3 last year).
So, as you’re sizing up the spreads, moneylines, and even the odds to win March Madness, keep an eye on programs among the elite in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Source: KenPom.com, March 18, 2024
No. 5 vs. No. 12 seeds
Most seed-versus-seed results should be taken with a grain of salt (and a shot of tequila followed by a lime wedge), but there’s no denying the No. 12 versus No. 5 March Madness trend. Despite the randomness, this pairing continues to produce profits for those picking the No. 12 seed — at least against the spread.
Since 2012, No. 5 seeds are 25-19 SU versus No. 12 seeds and 19-24-1 ATS in those opening-round matchups. Over the past four Big Dances (remembering we didn’t have one in 2020), No. 5 seeds are 10-6 SU and 8-8 ATS, including a perfect 4-0 SU and ATS record in 2023.
Don’t just blindly bet on No. 12 seeds over No. 5’s but treat this trend with respect — like handling a cobra.
Three trends to fade
There’s a surplus of shallow March Madness betting trends out there that you should never blindly trail when placing your bets or building your bracket. Here’s the tip of the iceberg.
Conference trends
Certain conferences will have stronger historical ATS records in the NCAA Tournament, but the teams, opponents, players and spreads all vary when building out this bull crap. The overall strength of conferences sways every year, so don’t go chasing the SEC teams or fading ACC schools based solely on those conferences’ counts against the spread.
Seed vs. Seed trends
We’ve singled out the No. 5-versus-No. 12 trend, which destroyed a lot of "savvy" brackets with all four No. 5 seeds advancing last March. Bettors should tread lightly with that info and more so with other trends around seed-versus-seed. The level of parity in college basketball seems to be widening by the season, so don’t base a bet solely on the Selection Committee’s seeding.
Point spread and Over/Under trends
Brace yourself for some doozies when it comes to any historical NCAA Tournament trends powered by spreads and totals. You’ll get tantalizing trends around the Round of 64 underdogs between a certain point range and Over/Under tips based on past totals from certain seeding matchups.
As mentioned, some trends can lead you down the right handicapping road but many of these take you and your bankroll to a dead end. Be skeptical of these trends and look into the past results that powered them. If you can, try to spot a narrative behind them that could roll over into this year’s March Madness field.
How sportsbooks treat March Madness trends
Perhaps the best way to gauge how useful March Madness betting trends are is to look at the folks setting the odds for March Madness.
If you ask an oddsmaker if they’re factoring in the past against the spread (ATS) success of No. 15 seeds into this year’s No. 2-versus-No. 15 matchup odds, they’ll likely laugh in your face. Bookmakers largely ignore historical trends, especially in college sports, as player and skill turnover differs greatly from year-to-year.
Oddsmakers base their numbers on current form and data from that season rather than historical hoo-ha pulling from random teams with random players led by random coaches from random conferences playing at random sites. You get the idea.
The verdict on March Madness trends
Basketball bettors should be wary of many March Madness trends. While betting on them blindly is bonkers, there are lessons to be learned from evaluating them and picking up on past patterns.
Veteran handicapper Marc Lawrence has a massive sports betting database that pumps out multiple March Madness betting trends every year. And while he doesn’t jump on board all those with his NCAA Tournament bets, he sees the value in what he calls “anticipating expectancy”.
“There is a reason that Winston Churchill said, ‘Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it,’” Lawrence says. “By learning failures and successes from the past and applying skills from today, we become better, well-rounded handicappers. Yes, teams change, but strategies and patterns are highly predictive… By relying on past patterns, we can better anticipate expectancy.”
March Madness betting sites
March Madness is a very popular time of year for sports bettors and one of the busiest for online sportsbooks. With every betting site offering March Madness odds, it’s important to know which are safe and secure, offer a wide range of banking options, and give you a ton of markets for each game. Check out the best March Madness betting sites in your region, reviewed by Covers’ team of knowledgeable experts.
March Madness betting trends FAQs
A March Madness betting trend that is for real is Final Four teams ranking among the Top 40 in adjusted defensive efficiency. Out of the past 40 teams to make the Final Four, 37 have ranked 40th or better in that advanced metric.
Avoid March Madness betting trends focused on seeding or conference success, especially in small sample sizes.
Since 2012, No. 12 seeds in the NCAA Tournament have a history of upsetting the higher seeded No. 5 teams quite often.
The first round of the March Madness tournament contains the popular No. 12 seed defeating fifth-seeded teams trend.
