March Madness Bracket Tips: Strategies for a Winning Pick - RotoGrinders

How to Run a March Madness Bracket
March Madness Bracket example, Credit to Getty Images

With 9.2 quintillion possible bracket combinations, the odds of picking a perfect March Madness bracket are are slim to none. Yet, that hasn’t stopped the immense popularity of March Madness pools to continue to grow over the years, fueled by legal sports betting since 2018.

There are some tricks of the trade for picking games in college basketball’s annual tournament, including everything from first-round games suggestions to picking the champion correctly. Today, we’re going to cover some of the best March Madness tips for you to put into action as soon as your bracket pool goes live, in just over a month’s time.

How to Fill Out a March Madness Bracket

"The last four in and first four out of the men's NCAA Tournament" example.
2022 NCAA Selection Show, Credit to Getty Images

March Madness is a single-elimination tournament featuring 68 teams. The selection process includes:

Each region contains 16 teams, seeded from 1 to 16. The first-round matchups are structured so that:

Ways to Fill Out Your Bracket

Traditional printouts for your March Madness bracket
Credit to Getty Images

You can create your March Madness bracket through:

Best March Madness Bracket Tips

We’ve put together some of the best March Madness bracket tips, that we’ve compiled from years of experience picking games in the biggest tournament in the world. Let’s take a closer look at some of the best tips, which include everything from picking the first round, all the way through to the National Champion.

1. Understand Your Pool’s Rules & Scoring System

Bill Bender's NCAA Tournament bracket picks for 2023
Credit to Getty Images

Before making picks on your NCAA tournament pool, read the rules of your March Madness pool. Some pools reward upsets, while others give more points for picking Final Four teams. Learning how points are awarded can help you plan for the later rounds.

2. Research the March Madness Teams

Statistics are your best friend when analyzing March Madness teams. Here’s how to research effectively:

  1. Check lower-seeded teams: See if you can find some “diamonds in the rough” that other pool participants might be overlooking.
  2. Focus on a conference: Focus on the teams from that conference that made the tournament. For example, teams from the Big East historically perform well.
  3. Look at momentum: The second round is often where you see teams break away and get poised for a deep round, so one strategy is to get dialed on your first round games and upsets and take it from there. Plus, teams on winning streaks often make deep runs in the tournament.

Pro-Tip: When it comes to NCAA Division I basketball, there is an abundance of stats available for every team, whether it be West Virginia, Iowa State, or smaller programs like the College of Charleston. Analytics sites KenPom and Bart Torvik dig deeper past surface level states as well.

March Madness: US college basketball tournament
2024 NCAA Tournament, Credit to Getty Images

3. Follow March Madness Historical Trends

Historical March Madness shows reveals key patterns:

The only guarantee when it comes to March Madness is that upsets will happen early, and likely often. In 2023, for instance, no. 12 Furman beat no. 5 Virginia, the latter of which was one of the favorites to make a deep run. In this example, the lower seed beat the odds as a double-digit underdog, and you can expect for this upcoming tournament to have some similar results.

Should You Pick Upsets?

Yes, but be strategic. Picking too many upsets can hurt your bracket in the later rounds.

2023 March Madness Elite Eight highlights
2023 NCAA Tournament, Credit to Getty Images

4. Pick the Right National Champion

Your March Madness champion pick is the most important selection in your bracket. Here’s how to increase your odds:

With so much volatility throughout the 32+ games during the NCAA tournament, having the right team at the end can often make the difference between finishing near the top of your standings or middle of the pack.

Plus, nost March Madness bracket pools award the highest points for the Final Four and championship picks, so even if you miss early games, getting the winner right can secure victory!

5. Trust Your Gut, But Stay Objective

It’s easy to let bias creep in when picking teams. Avoid choosing your favorite team unless they have a strong chance of advancing. Just like picking games throughout the season, it’s best to leave your emotions out of your selections and pick without bias. If you’re torn between two choices, sometimes going with your gut is the best move.

Enjoy the March Madness Chaos

In the end, March Madness is competition in its purest forms, as teams from all over the country get to compete against one another. Crowning a champion at the end is just the icing on the cake, but the chaos of the tournament itself is what fans have grown to love the most.

March Madness | 2024 NCAA Tournament
2024 NCAA Tournament, Credit to Getty Images

Where to Fill Out Your 2025 March Madness Bracket

  1. ESPN, Yahoo Sports, and CBS Sports
  2. FanDuel Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, and bet365 Sportsbook

For more insights, check out Action PRO.

2025 March Madness Odds

As online sports betting has taken hold of this country with games offered on everything from preseason games to the Final Four, there is no shortage of places to find odds on both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments. Below are just a few places where you can track team’s odds, including for every conference from the Big East to Big 12.

2025 Men’s College Basketball National Championship Odds

2023 Men's NCAA tournament - ESPN
2023 NCAA Tournament, Credit to Getty Images

For more information, check out ESPN’s current odds.

TeamNational ChampionshipFinal FourConf. Winner
Auburn Tigers+350-125-1200
Duke Blue Devils+400-125-10000
Florida Gators+750+150+900
Houston Cougars10-1+185-150
Alabama Crimson Tide13-1+210+2000
Iowa State Cyclones17-1+210+550
Tennessee Volunteers20-1+300100-1
Kentucky Wildcats30-1+550100-1
St. John’s Red Storm30-1+550-1500
Michigan State Spartans40-1+600+200
Marquette Golden Eagles40-1+60033-1
Arizona Wildcats40-1+750+450
Kansas Jayhawks50-1+80033-1
Purdue Boilermakers50-1+80030-1
Texas Tech Red Raiders50-1+800+400
Gonzaga Bulldogs50-1+800+500
Illinois Fighting Illini50-1+850100-1
UConn Huskies50-1+90033-1
Texas A&M Aggies66-110-175-1

2025 Women’s College Basketball National Championship Odds

2024 Women's NCAA tournament
2024 NCAA Tournament, Credit to Getty Images

For more information, check out ESPN’s current odds.

TeamNational Championship
UConn Huskies+320
South Carolina Gamecocks+325
UCLA Bruins+375
Notre Dame Fighting Irish+500
USC Trojans+750
Texas Longhorns+750
LSU Tigers30-1
TCU Horned Frogs75-1
Kansas State Wildcats75-1
Ohio State Buckeyes75-1
Tennessee Lady Volunteers75-1
Oklahoma Sooners100-1
NC State Wolfpack150-1
West Virginia Mountaineers150-1
North Carolina Tar Heels150-1

March Madness and Responsible Gambling

With teams playing from September to April, there is no doubt that the temptation is there to go crazy. With that in mind, it’s critical to practice responsible gaming, even in March Madness pools. Here are a few tips to make sure you’re not overdoing it:

  1. Set limits before placing bets.
  2. Understand that even “sure picks” can lose.
  3. Don’t chase losses: March Madness is unpredictable!

To close things out, filling out your March Madness brackets can be intoxicating, so it’s critical to stick to the basics. If you plan to conduct research, choosing the correct Final Four is more important than getting early games right, as those teams are where you will rack up the most points. Focusing on an individual conference with a half dozen or more teams in the tournament is a good place to start, as you can track that conference throughout the season. And with 64+ NCAA teams to research, you only have so much time, so it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole and get overwhelmed.

If you are familiar with a conference, stick to it, but avoid emotion in making your picks while staying as objective as possible. If you are a fan of Iowa State, for example, look at their chances without bias of their real odds of advancing each round.

And last but not least, play within your means by picking teams that you think can advance while targeting 12/5 and 13/4 seeds for your early upsets, if any. Studying the history of those seeding upsets can give you an idea of what to expect.


FAQs About March Madness Brackets

Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions about March Madness brackets and a few strategies for the NCAA Tournament:

When Does March Madness Happen?

March Madness begins on Selection Sunday, when the committee selects 68 teams to participate. In 2025, Selection Sunday falls on March 16th, with the selection show airing at 6 PM EST.

What Is the Best March Madness Strategy?

The best March Madness bracket strategy depends on your pool’s scoring system, but some general tips include

  1. Focus on teams and conferences you know best.
  2. Limit upsets to early rounds – historically, 12 vs. 5 and 11 vs. 6 matchups have the highest upset rates.
  3. Prioritize strong teams in later rounds, especially for your Final Four picks.
  4. Check historical trends to understand which seeds typically advance.

Can I Win Money on March Madness Brackets?

Yes! You can win money by entering:

Pro-Tip: Picking the championship game matchup correctly gives you the best shot at winning big cash prizes.

Can I Make a March Madness Bracket for Free?

Yes! Many free March Madness bracket contests are available on ESPN and CBS Sports (free entry with account registration), Yahoo Sports, NCAA.com, and FanDuel Sportsbook. Even free brackets let you make selections from the First Four to the National Championship.

What Channels Broadcast March Madness?

March Madness games air on CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV. On the other hand, streaming options include: NCAA March Madness Live app, CBS Sports, TNT, and TBS network websites, and streaming platforms like FuboTV and YouTubeTV.

See our college basketball lineup optimizer for more ways to play.

About the Author

SharpshotSelect
Coleman Crawley (SharpshotSelect)

Coleman Crawley writes college basketball gambling insights for RotoGrinders Sports Betting. He grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Whether it be analyzing data or scouting games, Crawley’s passion is college basketball, and he hopes his observations will help college basketball fans become smarter bettors. Crawley is also the host of a podcast, Mimosas Til March, where he discusses his bracketology and opinions on college basketball as well as gambling information.