March Madness betting odds are definitely the most popular during the first round. This is when you have 32 games spread out over two days. Everyone loves to follow March Madness odds early in the tournament and there are some trends that can be helpful in picking winners.
March Madness betting history can tell us a few things when it comes to picking winners in the first round. On a strictly straight up basis, the #1 seeds have never lost to the #16 seeds. Against the March Madness odds the #1 seeds are above .500 and in the past few years they are even better than that. #2 seeds since 2000 have only lost once straight up and they are also solid wagers against the March Madness betting lines. Since 2000 the #3 seeds have lost twice and they have held their own against the March Madness odds. When you get to the #4 seeds vs. the #13 seeds the March Madness betting numbers take a big drop. Since 2000 the #4 seeds have lost eight times including twice last season. If you are looking for a first round upset then you need to seriously consider the #13 seeds in March Madness betting.
In the first round there is always a lot of hype about the #12 seeds upsetting the #5 seeds in March Madness betting. While it is true that #12 seeds have done pretty well overall against the #5 seeds with 12 outright wins the last nine years, recently that trend has gone the other way. In the last six years the #5 seeds are 16-8 straight up and pretty much the same against the March Madness betting lines. Going back farther we see that the #12 seeds have done better but March Madness betting trends change over time and recently the #5 seeds have more than held their own.
Since 2000 the #6 seeds have won two thirds of the time against the #11 seeds. This matchup would seem ripe for an upset but history has shown the #6 seeds do pretty well in the first round. The #7 seeds have done even better when facing the #10 seeds in March Madness betting. In fact, this is the best matchup to wager on in March Madness betting. The #7 seeds are 24-12 straight up since 2000 and almost as good against the March Madness odds. That might surprise you considering how close the #7 and #10 are in seeding. The #8 vs. #9 seed matchup is what you would expect, a toss-up. Actually taking the #9 seed plus the points is usually the way to go in March Madness betting.
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