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March Madness Betting Tips & Strategies for 2025: Three Tips to Consider for the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament
Written by: Eddie Griffin
Last Updated: Sat Mar 15, 2025, 10:19 AM
Read Time: 9 minutes
Whether you are betting on each March Madness game or making March Madness futures bets, there is a lot to take into consideration as you determine which direction to go with your picks.
There is no perfect science to making winning bets. That applies to all sports and sporting events, whether it’s March Madness, the Super Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, college football, MMA, or NASCAR.
However, there are a lot of notable trends, tips, and strategies, some general and some sport or event-specific, that can help maximize your chances of coming out a winner.
What are some tips and strategies that can help with your March Madness betting this year? Read on.
Bet on 2025 March Madness Odds at the Best Online Sportsbooks
Men’s March Madness Betting Tips and Strategies to Consider This Year
63% of Men’s March Madness Winners Have Been #1 Seeds
Are you wagering on men’s March Madness futures odds? Backing a #1 seed might be your best betting strategy.
The overall historical percentages indicate that one of the #1 seeds is likely to come out on top on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Here is the breakdown of championship winners by seed since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Remember, no tournament was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball National Champions by Seed (1985-Present)
- #1 seed: 24 times (1987, 1990, 1992-96, 1999-2002, 2005, 2007-10, 2012-13, 2015, 2017-19, 2021-22, 2024 – 64.1%)
- #2 seed: 5 times (1986, 1991, 1998, 2004, 2016 – 13.2%)
- #3 seed: 4 times (1989, 2003, 2006, 2011 – 10.5%)
- #4 seed: 2 times (1997, 2023 – 5.3%)
- #6 seed: 1 time (1988 – 2.6%)
- #7 seed: 1 time (2014 – 2.6%)
- #8 seed: 1 time (1985 – 2.6%)
Last year, UConn went into the tournament as the #1 overall seed as they aimed to become the first team in more than a decade and a half to repeat. And they did just that, as they defeated all six March Madness opponents by double digits for the second straight year and closed out their championship campaign with a 75-60 win over Zach Edey and Purdue.
This year, Duke, led by freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, and Auburn are the top two favorites, and both will be #1 seeds.
Will either of these teams stand tall in San Antonio? Will we see Florida or Michigan State return to the March Madness mountaintop? Or will a first-time winner such as Alabama, Houston, St. John’s, or Tennessee take the title?
March Madness History Hints at Fading Texas Teams
After dominating the Big 12 once again, Houston will be a hot option for March Madness futures bets for bettors looking beyond Duke and the SEC quartet of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Tennessee.
In addition to the Cougars, Texas Tech and Texas A&M have also excelled this season. The Red Raiders will hope to at least reach the second weekend of the tournament for the first time since reaching the championship game in 2019, and the Aggies will be looking to advance beyond the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history.
But limit your expectations to see either of these three teams playing or winning on April 7.
No team has won the national championship when the Final Four was held in their home state since UCLA in 1975. That year, the Bruins defeated Kentucky in San Diego to send out the retiring John Wooden with his 10th and final national title.
No home state team has even reached the championship game since Butler in 2010, when the Final Four was held in their home city of Indianapolis. Since UCLA’s title in 1975, only three home state teams have reached the championship game: Butler in 2010 (lost to Duke), Duke in 1994 (lost to Arkansas in Charlotte), and Michigan State in 2009 (lost to North Carolina in Detroit).
Home State Teams to Reach the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship Game
- 1945 (New York City): NYU (lost to Oklahoma A&M – now Oklahoma State)
- 1950 (New York City): CCNY (defeated Bradley)
- 1958 (Louisville, Kentucky): Kentucky (defeated Seattle University)
- 1960 (Daly City, California): Cal (lost to Ohio State)
- 1968 (Los Angeles, California): UCLA (defeated North Carolina)
- 1972 (Los Angeles, California): UCLA (defeated Florida State)
- 1974 (Greensboro, North Carolina): North Carolina State (defeated Marquette)
- 1975 (San Diego, California): UCLA (defeated Kentucky)
- 1994 (Charlotte, North Carolina): Duke (lost to Arkansas)
- 2009 (Detroit, Michigan): Michigan State (lost to North Carolina)
- 2010 (Indianapolis, Indiana): Butler (lost to Duke)
Even though history isn’t on Houston’s side, college basketball odds will still have the Wildcats as favorites in most, if not all, of their March Madness games. But will college basketball computer picks be in their favor? It will be interesting to see what the numbers say.
Don’t Bank on All Four #1 Seeds to Reach the Final Four
If you think are betting on Final Four futures odds and feel confident that all or at least three of the #1 seeds will make it to San Antonio, pause before locking in your bets.
Since the men’s tournament expanded to 64 teams, all four top seeds have reached the Final Four in a tournament only once.
That was in 2008, when Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, and UCLA all made the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.
The Final Four may be back in San Antonio, and it’s hard not to like at least two #1s to end up there. But more than that may be a stretch, when there are some very capable contenders outside of those top seeds, such as Michigan State, St. John’s, and more.
Even three #1 seeds reaching the Final Four would buck historical trends. The last time three #1 seeds reached the Final Four was 2015. That year, East #2 Michigan State was the out only non-#1 in the Final Four field. The other three teams were Duke (who won the title), Kentucky, and Wisconsin (who lost in the title game),
Here is the rundown of how many number one seeds have reached the men’s Final Four in the 64+ team era:
How Many Number One Seeds Have Reached the Men’s Final Four? (1985-Present)
- All four #1 seeds: 1 time (1985 – 2.6%)
- Three #1 seeds: 4 times (1993, 1997, 1999, 2015 – 10.3%)
- Two #1 seeds: 15 times (1985-88, 1991, 1996, 2001-02, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2017-18, 2021, 2024 – 38.5%)
- One #1 seed: 17 times (1989-90, 1992, 1994-95, 1998, 2000, 2003-04, 2006, 2010, 2012-14, 2016, 2019, 2022 – 43.6%)
- No #1 seeds: 2 times (2011, 2023 – 5.1%)
More March Madness Information
All of our content for this year’s NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments can be found in one place. Bookmark our March Madness main page to keep up with our picks, predictions, and tips on how to bet on the action at the best online sportsbooks.
The tips, tricks, and picks we provide are not only helpful for moneyline betting, spread betting, and over/under betting on games and futures bets on the tournament as a whole. They can also be valuable for your March Madness bracket challenges, including our very own Betting News Bracket Mania.
Also, follow us X (formerly known as Twitter), Twitch, and TikTok to catch all of the March Madness content that we will be posting on our socials.
Learn More About Sports Betting
This page provides valuable information for bettors who plan to bet on March Madness in 2025, whether they are new to betting on the NCAA Tournament or have been doing so for years.
Along with our March Madness-specific content, we have an ever-growing collection of guides designed to come in handy for betting on March Madness, college basketball, or other sports and events.
Whether you want to learn about over/under bets, prop bets, and other types of bets, sportsbook bonuses such as the Everygame Sportsbook March Madness promo, notable sports betting terms and phrases, or sports betting strategies such as hedging and middling, we have you covered.
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