It is the middle of March which can only mean one thing for basketball in the United States: March Madness! The season-ending NCAA tournament is the epitome of the college season and the 2024/25 school year had much to offer. With the bracket almost entirely set and three of the First Four games already over, the First Round can finally begin. The fans are ecstatic, the alumni are ready to cheer on their alma mater and the players actually taking the court have nothing but the title and their future NBA hopes and dreams in their minds. It is here where the rest of their lives can begin and where they can successfully secure the future for themselves and their families by doing the thing they love most.
The stage is set and the single-elimination tourney is ready. In this article ahead of you, there will be a detailed look at the bracket and the matchups. Naturally, we also talk about the latest NCAA College Basketball Predictions and bring to you the odds so that those who consider themselves basketball betting and wagering enthusiasts can know how to make their picks. And perhaps the most important thing at this stage of the season is the fans’ brackets picks! The phenomenon of organizing competitions in workplaces and among friends or families where each of you has your bracket and the winner is the one with the pick closest to reality. Knowing the odds and chances of teams can help you with that as well.
Why is March Madness so Popular?
So why is a college-level competition so popular that every late March to the middle of April the best news anchors and the most beloved analysts like Charles Barkley and Earnie Johnson cover it instead of the final stretch of the NBA regular season? Well, the question is quite complex and so is the answer. The NBA and the NCAA are quite different from each other. Despite both being basketball leagues and tournaments, they are diametrically opposing. But when it comes to the sheer popularity and the craze that surrounds March Madness every year, it can be explained through the fan base’s affinity towards their teams and the atmosphere at the very games. Both of these things lack with the NBA, at least until the late playoff series.
Fans of certain college basketball programs, or the whole universities and all of their sports for that matter, have a very deep connection to their preferred school. It is usually about being former students, having children studying there, or in a very common case, generational allegiance and attendance at the school. With colleges like Duke, Kentucky, Auburn, Florida, and North Carolina, the root of loyalty and allegiance goes back decades as grandfathers pass it to fathers who in turn have their sons studying and playing there. Across communities, cities, states, and regions, this happens for most of the schools and the result is a very passionate fanbase and very fierce rivalries.
The Game and Being a Fan are Understood Different
As it is described more and more, two universities with long and storied rivalries and plenty of trophies in their cases can be compared to sporting rivalries in European or South American soccer, as well as EuroLeague basketball. For example, Duke Blue Devils and Kentucky Wildcats are some of the most successful and storied programs and bitter rivals, enemies even. The same can be said for Olympiacos VS Panathinaikos in Greece, Fenerbachshe VS Galatasaray in Turkey, and Partizan VS Red Star in Serbia. Imagine how much Barcelona fans hate Real Madrid fans and why El Clasico is what it is.
Now, in the NBA, the rivalries do exist but they do not have the same weight. LA Lakers and Clippers do not really hate each other, nor do the NT Knicks and the Boston Celtics. The fans think it is the same, but it really is not. This is because the NBA is a star-driven league where players matter most. LeBron James has been the most important person in every franchise he has been a part of and everything revolves around him. It is similar with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic. The players make the team and allow it to thrive both success and marketing-wise.
That is not the case in other nations’ sports, nor is it the case in college basketball. In NCAA college basketball, it is all about the schools and their programs that have developed some of the best homegrown talent for the last several decades, the talent that went on to dominate the NBA. The player is there representing the school and the fans root for and cheer on the team first and the players second. In the NBA, countless fans follow their favorite player and switch team allegiances every so often. Not with NCAA teams as the fans are ride or die, it is a lifelong thing through thick and thin and March Madness is when it all comes out.
Related: March Madness Mania: A Deep Dive Into NCAA Betting Trend
The Drama and the Shock
The reason why this season-ending tournament is dubbed March Madness is simple: it has all to do with the improbable outcomes and shocking twists of some of the matchups. Buzzer-beaters, nailbiting games, amazing underdog performances, and Cinderella stories, it is what this part of the season is all about. The fact that a team is a heavy favorite can mean nothing, and it did mean nothing multiple times before. On the other hand, NBA favorites almost always go through and surprises are very rare. March Madness is all about surprises and sudden
The uncertainty and potential for drama until the very end combined with the matchups being single-elimination and not 7-game series is more than enough for excitement to go through the roof and for the fans to cheer their hearts out in the stands and front of their screens. Of course, it is also a much more interesting way to enjoy online sports betting since 68 teams are playing in the competition, as opposed to only 16 in the NBA playoffs. Simply put, the NBA can never have such a combination of factors that can give this fan experience.
Latest NCAA March Madness Predictions and Odds
So far, three of the First Four games have been played. On March 18, Alabama State beat St Francis PA 70 – 68 in a nailbiter. On March 19, two more games were played. North Carolina thrashed San Diego 95 – 68 while Mt. St. Mary’s beat American Eagles 83 – 72. On March 20, Xavier beat Texas 86 – 80, which concludes the initial games and gives us the final look at the bracket. Now that all of the matchups are clear and the best-ranked seeds have their opponents, it is time to speculate, make predictions, and place some bets on Stake.com.
Louisville Cardinals are the favorites in their matchup against the Creighton Bluejays, as this bird-themed face-off sees the better-seeded team with 1.63 odds to the underdogs’ 2.24. It is then on with Purdue Boilermakers and High Point Panthers, with Purdue getting the edge in the odds with 1.26 while the Panthers only get 3.70. But if you really want a lopsided matchup where it is almost a guarantee who takes the win, check out these two. Wisconsin Badgers are the heavy favorites with 1.04 over Montana Grizzlies with 11.00, while Houston Cougars get 1.01 versus SIU Edwardsville Cougars which is the second-most lopsided matchup in the entire first round.
If you want the absolutely biggest discrepancy, it is between Auburn Tigers, one of the favorites for the titles with 1.01 odds, and Alabama State Hornets with 17.00. Clemson Tigers play McNeese State and are favored 1.25 over 3.80 to take the win. Similarly, the Brigham Young Cougars with 1.67 odds should take care of business against the VCU Rams with 2.16. In the battle of bulldogs, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are favored with 1.32 odds over the Georgia Bulldogs with 3.30. And in another heavy favorite versus underdog matchup, the Wofford Terriers will have their hands full with 13.00 against Tennessee Volunteers at 1.02.
Those were all the games that will take place on March 20. On March 21, there is a whole slew of matchups that are worth a look. The day will be opened by the Kansas Jayhawks (1.42) and the Arkansas Razorbacks (2.80) followed by the Texas A&M Aggies (1.26) and the Yale Bulldogs (3.80). At roughly the same time, the Missouri Tigers at 1.33 odds will start their game against the Drake Bulldogs at 3.20, and two hours later, it is the UCLA Bruins (1.41) versus the Utah State Aggies (2.85). There is another big difference in odds and therefore a sure thing when St. John’s Red Storm with 1.02 odds plays the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks at 12.00.
North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks do not have a favorable matchup against the Texas Red Raiders as their respective odds are 9.40 and 1.05. In what is one of the most balanced and therefore competitive matchups that could be an early favorite for an exciting game comes in the form of Mississippi State Bulldogs with the odds of 1.81 versus Baylor Bears with 1.97. As that game is finishing, the Alabama Crimson Tide at 1.01 will start their easy matchup against Robert Morris Colonials at 14.00. Liscomb Bisons are in similar trouble with 9.00 odds in their matchup against Iowa State Cyclones at 1.05. However, half an hour later, Memphis Tigers and Colorado State Rams will play in another supposed nailbiter if the odds of 2.07 and 1.73, respectively, are to be believed.
Now that Duke finally got their opponent, the fresh odds are in and they are the lowest possible for a surprise. The Blue Devils, who are the leading favorites for the title, are at 1.01 versus Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers at 17.00 as the favorites will surely move one, else we will witness one of the biggest upsets ever. But then again, it is what March Madness is known for. Saint Mary’s Gaels at 1.50 are favored against Vanderbilt Commodores at 2.55 while Ole Miss Rebels with 2.03 are the underdogs in their matchup against the favored Tar Heels of North Carolina at 1.76. In the final two games of March 21, the Maryland Terrapins and the Grand Canyon Antelopes face off with the former as favorites at 1.15 over the latter’s 5.20 odds. Less than two hours later, one of the favorites for the title in Florida Gators should take care of business against Norfolk State Spartans as the 1.01 vs 16.00 odds tell the whole story.
The final games of the First Round are on schedule on March 22. Marquette Golden Eagles are the favorites with 1.55 odds versus New Mexico Lobos with 2.42 while the Arizona Wildcats will surely beat the Akron Zips with 1.07 over 8.20 odds. Another favorite, the Kentucky Wildcats at 1.12, plays against the Troy Trojans at 6.00. It will then be the Oklahoma Sooners with 2.80 versus the Connecticut Huskies with 1.42, and the final game when the Illinois Fighting Illini battle the Xavier Musketeers, their odds being 1.57 and 2.37, respectively.
Outright Odds for the Title
If you enjoy placing outright bets before the competition even begins, you can as the championship odds are already out. The leader of the bunch, without much surprise, are the Duke Blue Devils with 4.00 odds to win it all in April. Not too far behind, and in many fans’ eyes the actual favorites, are the Florida Gators with 4.75 odds. It is then the Auburn Tigers with 5.50 and the Houston Cougars with 7.00. Rounding up the top five teams according to sportsbooks is Alabama Crimson Tide with 19.00. Some of the usual suspects for the title, like Arizona, Kentucky, and Kansas, are not fairing well with 41.00, 66.00, and 101.00 odds, respectively. But they could still get to the Final Four or at least the Elite Eight, which, again, is what March Madness is known and loved for.
