Betting March Madness - Bring On the Brackets!

Betting March Madness - Bring On The Brackets!

The madness of March brings with it a lot of teeth-gnashing, nail-biting and, of course, some cursing and celebrating to the online sports betting nation. Annually, it also gives birth to a Cinderella that grows into a household name, and takes down the strongest built of powerhouses. And that's just a few components that make up what's arguably the best tournament in all of sports, which gives us all bracketology fever that rises to eye-popping odds.

Whether your playing for fun, in the office bracket pool and-or participating in the BetUS March Mayhem $1,000,000 Bracket Contest (Opens following Selection Sunday - Closes March 19 Noon EST), let's look at some helpful information, trends, tips and other tid-bits in efforts of defying the odds of all odds. Sharpen your pencils, grab your BetUS printable brackets and let's roll.

Round 1, for the most part, has generated some of the NCAA tournament's biggest upsets, simply because the highly seeded teams are mostly ousted before the second round tips off. BetUS NCAA basketball odds become tighter in Round 2, and beyond, so when underdogs win in the second-round its less magnified due to smaller spreads.

The opening round is the most tricky and sets the pace for your bracket, and a strong start gives you a decisive edge. There has never been a No. 1 seed knocked off by a No. 16 seed, which is four games that's virtual locks, and No. 15 seeds are 4-92 in the first round. Before finalizing your brackets or betting basketball online with BetUS in the opening round, here's Round 1's remaining trends to keep in mind, starting with No. 3 seeds from every NCAA tournament game to date.

—No. 3 seeds have gone 81-15 versus No. 14 seeds in the first round.
—No. 4 seeds are 79-17 against No. 13 seeds in the first round.
—No. 5 seeds are just 65-31 against No. 12 seeds in the first round, making them most susceptible to a first round upset.
—No. 6 seeds have fared better against No. 11 seeds than No. 5s vs. No. 12s, with a 66-30 record in the first round.
—No. 7 seeds are 60-36 against No. 10 seeds.
—No. 8 seeds have lost more than they’ve won against No. 9 seeds with a 44-52 record in the first round.

Madness Bracket Tip: Most March Madness bracket contest have picking the winning teams in round one worth one point each and the point value for each correct pick increases per round. This means you want to try to play it safe in the early rounds and not go underdog crazy. It is best to take all your number one and number two seeds into the sweet sixteen round to remain in contention. You should advance all your number three and four seeds into the second round and at least 6 out of those eight into the Sweet Sixteen.

For the wondering NCAA basketball betting minds, the lowest seed to ever win a national championship is a No. 8, which was the 1985 Villanova Wildcats. The lowest seed to make it to the final four is a No. 11, to the elite eight No. 12 and sweet sixteen is a No. 14 seed.

If you bet college basketball online, here's a tip that implies to the FIRST DAY ONLY (doesn't include play-in game) of March Madness (March 19). The strategy involves betting on all underdogs against the spread on the first day of the tournament. Remember NOT the first round, just the first day. Over the past 16 years, wagering on all of the underdogs on the first day of the NCAA tournament has yielded about 60 percent winners, well above the percentage needed to turn a profit.

Opening Round Game: March 17, 2009
» UD Arena
» Dayton, Ohio
» Host: University of Dayton

First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009
» Greensboro Coliseum
» Greensboro, North Carolina
» Host: Atlantic Coast Conference

» Sprint Center
» Kansas City, Missouri
» Hosts: Big 12 Conference