We’re about to close the book on January, which means that the Super Bowl is right around the corner. However, there is another tournament that has come into sight that is equally as, if not more, popular. That’s right; the 2018 March Madness tournament has come into sight, sending offshore betting fans into jubilee.
From the fateful First Four to the fated Final Four, this year’s tourney is loaded and stocked with tremendous gambling opportunities. Good thing to, since March Madness betting is quite possibly one of the most popular sportsbook events of the year. So, with so many options to choose from, how will bettors know what the best bets to make are?
First things first, when betting on March Madness, having an understanding of the current tournament landscape is paramount. But since we’re still a month away, knowing the current tournament landscape requires players to take a look at the offshore betting future’s odds. Let’s take a look at which teams the best online sportsbooks are currently giving the best odds of winning the tourney to.
March Madness Betting Futures [2018] – End of February Odds
Arizona Wildcats +1200
Duke Blue Devils +450
Florida Gators +2000
Gonzaga Bulldogs +3000
Kansas Jayhawks +1200
Kentucky Wildcats +2000
Michigan State Spartans +500
North Carolina Tar Heels +2500
Oklahoma Sooners +2000
Purdue Boilermakers +1000
Villanova Wildcats +800
Wichita State Shockers +2500
Virginia Cavaliers +1200
Xavier Musketeers +3000
It comes as no surprise to see the Blue Devils pegged as the leading favorite to win it all this year. However, we’ve seen Duke suffer several losses to unranked opponents. Should offshore betting players confidently back the Blue Devils in this year’s March Madness tournament?
It’s a tough question to answer at the moment. The best approach might be to compare them to other contenders. For example, a lot of sportsbook reviews are claiming that the reigning champs, UNC, seem like a great option when betting futures. Nevertheless, the Tar Heels still have plenty of questions to answer.
But enough about potential contenders, what types of bets should players place on this year’s tournament?
In-Tournament Betting
In-tournament betting is more diverse than its counterpart, since it offers a near innumerable amount of options. Let’s run through some of the basic bets players can make.
Spread
The spread is one of the most popular college basketball betting lines, and for plenty of reasons. As with all other sports, betting the spread gives you a little more wiggle room to cash in some winnings. This is even more true when betting on the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Anybody who has bet on March Madness in the past knows that it can be a bit of a madhouse. With such high competition, and talent galore, it can be outright impossible to predict who will win which games. But hey, that’s what makes filling out brackets so much fun.
Ultimately, in such a competitive landscape, betting the spread is the only way to go. The reason being, taking the spread gives you more wiggle room than most other lines. And just like with anything else in this life, a little bit of practice can take you a long way.
Totals
Another popular line when betting on March Madness. Like the spread, taking the totals line ensures a higher rate of success than picking straight up. All you need to do is size up each team’s offense against the opposing defense and calculate whether the total will hit or fall short of the sportsbook prediction.
Straight Up
Naturally, one of the harder lines to predict. All too many times we’ve seen some college basketball titan fall at the hands of the underdog, especially in March Madness. These are some of the best lines to take when betting on an underdog, but should be avoided in the tournament. Unless you simply can’t
Out-of-Tournament Betting
If you’re looking to bet on the 2018 March Madness tournament early, you’re going to have to stick to futures predictions. The above listed odds should help you get a good idea of how things are currently measuring up. Feel free to check out each team’s page on ESPN, as they’ll list records, trends, and stats that should help you figure out which team you like the most. Best of luck!
